Lady Tigers Smash Record At Princess Relays
April 30, 2023 at 8:15 p.m.
Lady Tigers Smash Record At Princess Relays
By Chip Davenport-
This year, however, despite finishing fourth (60 team points) instead of first or second in the team standings at the invitational, Warsaw did something they haven’t done before on the oval in Steele Stadium: set a record in one of the 9 running events.
The Lady Tigers smashed the distance medley relay record by six seconds, turning in a time of 12:28.58 in the 10-lap relay race comprised of legs with distances in the following order: 1200 meters, 400 meters, 800 meters, and 1,600 meters.
Warsaw was trailing Valparaiso – whose depth in distance racing strength will likely result in multiple berths in June’s state track meet – by nearly 40 meters when junior distance ace Joey Rastrelli took the baton for the final leg (1600 meters).
If you could give her a nickname based on the evening’s effort, it would be “the chiseler.” Rastrelli did not feverishly race toward the final leg’s leader as soon as Mikayla Mimnaugh passed the baton to her, but instead she chiseled away at the Valpo runner’s lead with a smooth stride until the final lap of her 1600-meter anchor leg.
Rastrelli gained the lead on the back straightaway and see-sawed near the back corner of the final 200 meters, fighting off an increased pace from her opponent. While Rastrelli’s final strides did not look faster, they just looked longer and more elastic when she cruised steadily to a record-setting win.
Rastrelli’s preceding leg was set up by strong efforts among Eden Metz (122m), Ali Barkey (400m), and Mimnaugh (800m).
Valparaiso also eclipsed the previous meet record in a runner-up finish of 12:29.89. The previous record holder was the host squad, the Mishawaka Cavemen (12:34.74).
The Valparaiso Vikings, who trailed fellow Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) member Chesterton 80-70 before the final two completed events of the night, the pole vault and the 4 X 400-meter relay, captured the meet’s team title clinching the vault with a meet-record combined height of 22 feet and racing to victory in the 4 X 400-meter relay.
Another DAC member, Crown Point, finished third in the team standings with 72 points.
Valpo, whose 4 X 800-meter team currently holds the state’s best time in the 2023 campaign, also opened the running events with setting another meet record with a 9:21.23 performance.
The Tigers, whose only first place finish was the distance medley relay, was the runner-up in the 8-lap relay with a 9:51.83, 30 seconds behind Valparaiso’s convincing victory. Mimnaugh, Tatum Bergan, Ella Laput, and Rastrelli comprised Warsaw’s quarter in the race.
Warsaw finished second in two additional events: the long jump and the discus.
Erika Bugg’s 16-feet jump and Leila Knepp’s 15’2” effort combined, in the relay format, for a combined distance of 31’2”. Abbi Kohler (104-11), and Macy Bonifield (87-06) combined for 192’05” in the discus throw relay.
The Tigers’ lone third place finish in the 800-meter sprint relay (starting with two 100-meter legs, a 200-meter hitch, and a 400-meter anchor) came courtesy of the team of Addison Williams, Annie Scholl, Camryn Buner, and Ali Barkley in that respective order in 1:54.44.
The 3200-meter relay was run in a single heat combining the times among each teams’ participating runners. Sammi Rastrelli (11:46.81), and Elizabeth Vander Bie (12:23.60) combined efforts to finish fourth in the evening’s race.
Warsaw’s three fifth place finishes were comprised of the 300-meter hurdles’ individual run (Annie Parker, 50.29 sec.), the 4 X 100-meter relay (Parker, Williams, Scholl, and Burner; 52.42 sec.), and the high jump (Katie McKibbin, 4-08; Anna Mellentine, 4-06).
The 4 X 200-meter relay team of Williams, Scholl, Madison Smalley, and Burner finished sixth to round out the Lady Tigers’ scoring for the evening.
Warsaw will finish the regular season Tuesday at the oval in Jake Field at 5:30 p.m. to face Concord and Mishawaka, two conference foes who boast strong sprinter corps.
This year, however, despite finishing fourth (60 team points) instead of first or second in the team standings at the invitational, Warsaw did something they haven’t done before on the oval in Steele Stadium: set a record in one of the 9 running events.
The Lady Tigers smashed the distance medley relay record by six seconds, turning in a time of 12:28.58 in the 10-lap relay race comprised of legs with distances in the following order: 1200 meters, 400 meters, 800 meters, and 1,600 meters.
Warsaw was trailing Valparaiso – whose depth in distance racing strength will likely result in multiple berths in June’s state track meet – by nearly 40 meters when junior distance ace Joey Rastrelli took the baton for the final leg (1600 meters).
If you could give her a nickname based on the evening’s effort, it would be “the chiseler.” Rastrelli did not feverishly race toward the final leg’s leader as soon as Mikayla Mimnaugh passed the baton to her, but instead she chiseled away at the Valpo runner’s lead with a smooth stride until the final lap of her 1600-meter anchor leg.
Rastrelli gained the lead on the back straightaway and see-sawed near the back corner of the final 200 meters, fighting off an increased pace from her opponent. While Rastrelli’s final strides did not look faster, they just looked longer and more elastic when she cruised steadily to a record-setting win.
Rastrelli’s preceding leg was set up by strong efforts among Eden Metz (122m), Ali Barkey (400m), and Mimnaugh (800m).
Valparaiso also eclipsed the previous meet record in a runner-up finish of 12:29.89. The previous record holder was the host squad, the Mishawaka Cavemen (12:34.74).
The Valparaiso Vikings, who trailed fellow Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) member Chesterton 80-70 before the final two completed events of the night, the pole vault and the 4 X 400-meter relay, captured the meet’s team title clinching the vault with a meet-record combined height of 22 feet and racing to victory in the 4 X 400-meter relay.
Another DAC member, Crown Point, finished third in the team standings with 72 points.
Valpo, whose 4 X 800-meter team currently holds the state’s best time in the 2023 campaign, also opened the running events with setting another meet record with a 9:21.23 performance.
The Tigers, whose only first place finish was the distance medley relay, was the runner-up in the 8-lap relay with a 9:51.83, 30 seconds behind Valparaiso’s convincing victory. Mimnaugh, Tatum Bergan, Ella Laput, and Rastrelli comprised Warsaw’s quarter in the race.
Warsaw finished second in two additional events: the long jump and the discus.
Erika Bugg’s 16-feet jump and Leila Knepp’s 15’2” effort combined, in the relay format, for a combined distance of 31’2”. Abbi Kohler (104-11), and Macy Bonifield (87-06) combined for 192’05” in the discus throw relay.
The Tigers’ lone third place finish in the 800-meter sprint relay (starting with two 100-meter legs, a 200-meter hitch, and a 400-meter anchor) came courtesy of the team of Addison Williams, Annie Scholl, Camryn Buner, and Ali Barkley in that respective order in 1:54.44.
The 3200-meter relay was run in a single heat combining the times among each teams’ participating runners. Sammi Rastrelli (11:46.81), and Elizabeth Vander Bie (12:23.60) combined efforts to finish fourth in the evening’s race.
Warsaw’s three fifth place finishes were comprised of the 300-meter hurdles’ individual run (Annie Parker, 50.29 sec.), the 4 X 100-meter relay (Parker, Williams, Scholl, and Burner; 52.42 sec.), and the high jump (Katie McKibbin, 4-08; Anna Mellentine, 4-06).
The 4 X 200-meter relay team of Williams, Scholl, Madison Smalley, and Burner finished sixth to round out the Lady Tigers’ scoring for the evening.
Warsaw will finish the regular season Tuesday at the oval in Jake Field at 5:30 p.m. to face Concord and Mishawaka, two conference foes who boast strong sprinter corps.
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