Warsaw’s Marin Hart was the high jump champion at the Goshen Girls Track Regional. InkFreeNews file photo by Mike Deak

By Mike Deak
InkFreeNews

GOSHEN – In a world of assurances, Warsaw has at least seven reasons to smile among its girls track and field program.

The Lady Tigers placed seven individuals and relays among the top three to earn automatic qualification for the IHSAA Girls Track State Finals.

All three of its relays are qualified for the trip, the 4×400 relay winning with a time of 4:03.27. The 4×800 ran a 9:48.50, only short of the all-world time of 9:30 the Penn team dialed in. The Tiger 4×100 relay is also set, taking third at 50.45.

Marin Hart qualified for two events, winning high jump at 5-4 and taking second in the 100 hurdles at 15.39. Josie Niebbia took third in pole vault at 10-3 to make it through.

Eyes will turn to the phones for a couple Tigers near the border of qualification. Wini Barnett and Ava Knight were fifth and sixth in the 800, Abby Sanner was fourth in shot put, Rylee Burns was fourth in the 400 dash, Erika Bugg was fifth in long jump and Rastrelli was fifth in the two-mile.

None of the athletes from Wawasee, NorthWood or Triton qualified for a state spot, but did have some athletes hovering around the mark and will have phones in hand for a couple days.

NorthWood’s Kaitlin Burden was fifth in the mile (5:25.83) and Kady Hutsell was sixth in the 200 (27.43).

Wawasee’s Emma Yoder was in a jumble of competitors near one another in discus, Yoder finishing fifth at 112-01. Dylan Konieczny was eighth in both the high jump (4-10) and long jump (16-0.75).

Triton’s Addyson Viers was fifth in the shot put, literally an inch from qualification at 38-0, Sanner just a half-inch off the mark.

Culver Academy won the regional team title with 88 points, edging Warsaw’s 84.5, with Penn in third at 71.

The IHSAA State Finals are June 5 at Ben Davis High School.