Tigers Win NLC Titles
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Anthony [email protected]
Competing on their home track, the Warsaw Lady Tigers captured their sixth-straight NLC crown, while the boys split the crown with Concord, claiming their first title since 2001.
“Their program has just been phenomenal the past six years,” Warsaw boys track and field coach Matt Thacker said about the Warsaw girls. “Hopefully, we can just come close to what they’ve done. We’ve taken a step in the right direction, but we have a long way to go.”
After finishing the regular season with a 7-0 record in the NLC, the Lady Tigers won the NLC Championships comfortably, scoring 190 points. Their closest competition was Northridge, which finished second with 141 points.
“This was extraordinary tonight,” Warsaw girls track and field coach Scott Erba said. “I remember our first one, six years ago, and being so excited for the girls after they had worked so hard, and for the seniors to have gotten that. With this group, we’ve talked about adversity through the season with weather, injuries, illnesses and switching up lineups. We really put a challenge to the girls about stepping up.”
Extending their NLC record for consecutive conference titles, Warsaw won seven of the 16 events, paced by sophomore Ashley Erba.
After anchoring the winning 3200 relay team, which also included junior Brooke Kline, junior Hannah Cutshall and freshman Anna Bearss, Erba went on to win the 1600 (5:13.25) and 800 (2:23.72). Following those three events, Erba then finished fifth in the 3200 in a time of 12:19.28.
The 3200 relay’s winning time of 9:36.20 awarded Warsaw the event’s title for the third-straight year, with Kline being the lone constant of that group.
Along with the 3200 relay repeating as NLC champions, the 1600 relay (4:07.27) also repeated. Seniors Madison Long and Leah Moore were both on the relay last year, but were joined by two new faces in sophomore Kristin Quick and junior Kelly Wildman this time around.
Along with repeating as a member of the 1600 relay, Moore also defended her 400 title, winning this year in 1:00.03.
Warsaw’s last repeat champion was senior Hanna Kammerer, who cleared 9-6 in the pole vault, giving her back-to-back NLC titles.
“Event, after event, after event tonight, the girls were getting two girls in the finals here, getting two girls in the top four and also winning events,” 2011 NLC Coach of the Year Scott Erba said. “Just being tough.” Warsaw’s final first-place finish came from freshman Ann Harvuot, who won the 100 in 13.00, helping the Lady Tigers win at least one event in the field, sprints, distance and middle-distance..
“It was just an all-around team effort,” Scott Erba said.
In the beginning of the season, Erba was mixing and matching girls to certain event, and as usual, he seems to have gotten the combination right.
“There were definitely times when I thought we had some big gaps, but when it was all said and done, we had some girls step up tonight and run personal bests, throw personal bests, jump personal bests,” he said. “When you start doing that in a big meet, you realize you have a pretty deep team.”
Like Erba, Thacker was also trying to fill some gaps earlier in the season, but coming into the NLC meet, he felt optimistic about his team’s chances and won it with 158 points. Concord finished second with 138.5.
Concord finished the regular season with the conference’s best record, while Warsaw finished second. Because of their respective finishes at the conference meet, the title was split, as were coaches of the year honors.
“We knew we were going to compete,” Thacker, who split the coach of the year award with Concord’s Jeff Payne, said. “We had our fingers crossed. We had guys step up across the board, especially in the field events. (Freshman) Stephen Kolbe getting first place in the high jump, at 6-5, was unexpected — huge, but unexpected. (Junior) Zack Rooney has the capabilities to score big at long jump and he did that. Then, we scored points at pole vault and shot put, where we thought we would.”
Along with Kolbe’s victory, which knocked off defending high jump champion Ben Klaybor of Wawasee, Rooney’s 21-2.5 in the long jump also earned a first-place finish. Rooney was also a part of the winning 400 relay, along with freshman Tristan McClone, freshman Chad Goon and senior Robert Strahan, that overcame a deficit to defeat Concord at the finish line by three-thousandths of a second.
“I caught the end of it,” Thacker said about the winning relay, which saw Strahan run down Concord’s Dominique Holt. “I was there for the celebration. Every time the 4x100 comes up, with our hand offs and us being young, my stomach just rolls. I just don’t have the stomach for it anymore.”
Also getting a win for the Tigers was sophomore Jacob Poyner in the 1600 (4:21.95).
Getting the four wins helped the Warsaw boys get the championship, but it was their depth that really brought home the title.
On the night, Warsaw placed second in three events and third in another six, adding valuable points to their score.
Case in point was in the 800, where Concord’s Daniel Zelaya placed first in 1:57.53, getting 10 points for his team, but Warsaw junior Spencer Rheinhardt took second and Poyner placed third, getting 15 points for the Tigers.
“That depth really won the meet for us,” Thacker said.
According to Thacker, some determination has gone along with that depth, helping the team do something it hasn’t done in 10 years.
“It’s just a continued team effort,” he said. “We have a bunch of great kids that want to win and they compete. You can see it in their eyes, and it’s a heck of a lot easier to coach when you see that instead of blank stares.”
Scott Erba hasn’t seen those blank stares in quite some time and hopes to carry the momentum of the NLC crown into Tuesday’s sectional back at the Tiger Athletic Complex.
“We have another week to prepare for that,” he said. “We had some girls who had adversity tonight, so they can work on it and some other girls can use the week to get healthy. We also have one more week to strategize.”
The Warsaw boys will join Wawasee at the Goshen Sectional May 19 at 5 p.m.
BOYS — WARSAW 158, CONCORD 138.5, NORTHRIDGE 117, GOSHEN 111.5, PLYMOUTH 64.5, ELKHART MEMORIAL 64, NORTHWOOD 39, WAWASEE 37.5
(Winners, Local Results)
3200 Relay — 1. Concord (Keenen Burnett, Clinton McCray, Daniel Zelaya, Eric McCray) 7:57.43*, 2. Warsaw (Scott Smyth, Trevor Callahan, Jacob Poyner, Spencer Rheinhardt) 7:58.38, 6. Wawasee (Riley Stichter, Thunder Olsen, Devan Courter, Michael Pena) 8:50.15; 110 Hurdles — 1. Brian VanHook (G) 15.71, 3. Taylor Cone (War) 16.09, 4. Nathan Cook (Waw) 16.24, 7. Zac Patrick (Waw) 16.93; 100 — 1. JJ Frey (Nr) 11.32, 2. Robert Strahan (War) 11.41, 8. Zack Rooney (War) 11.80; 1600 — 1. Poyner (War) 4:21.95, 4. Callahan (War) 4:36.91, 9. Adam Doll (Waw) 4:43.45; 400 Relay — 1. Warsaw (Rooney, Tristan McClone, Chad Goon, Strahan) 43.91; 400 — 1. Frey (Nr) 49.74, 5. C. Goon (War) 50.79, 7. Wyatt Jones (War) 51.04; 300 Hurdles — 1. Will Mulroy (C) 40.01, 3. Cameron Huffer (War) 41.77, 4. Ryan Goon (War) 41.89, 8. Cook (Waw) 42.78; 800 — 1. Zelaya (C) 1:57.53, 2. Rheinhardt (War) 1:57.61, 3. Poyner (War) 1:58.31, 8. Stichter (Waw) 2:05.23; 200 — 1. Frey (Nr) 22.69, 6. Strahan (War) 23.41; 3200 — 1. Marshall Hawn (Nr) 9:58.52, 3. Jordan Scroggs (War) 10:10.49, 5. Ellis Coon (War) 10:23.36; 1600 Relay — 1. Concord (W. Mulroy, C. McCray, E. McCray, Steve Mulroy) 3:21.76, 2. Warsaw (R. Goon, C. Goon, Jones, Rheinhardt) 3:23.21, 8. Wawasee (Brandon Morris, Jeremy Sorensen, Garley Windle, Olsen) 3:42.92; High Jump — 1. Stephen Kolbe (War) 6-5, 2. Ben Klaybor (Waw) 6-4, 3. Rooney (War) 6-2; Pole Vault — 1. Derrick Lee (P) 14-6, 6. Kyle Clevenger (Waw) 11-0, 7. Keelan Simpson (War) 11-0, 8. Jeremy Coppes (War) 11-0, 9. Andrew Hepler (Waw) 10-0; Long Jump — 1. Rooney (War) 21-2.5, 6. Zach Rensberger (Waw) 19-7; Discus — 1. Seth Moore (Nr) 141-10, 4. Zac Erba (War) 137-9; Shot Put — 1. Brandon Daniels (G) 52-0, 3. Cameron Fritzel (War) 49-8, 8. Zach Davies (War) 43-11(Winners, Local Results)
GIRLS — WARSAW 190, NORTHRIDGE 141, GOSHEN 97.5, NORTHWOOD 83.5, ELKHART MEMORIAL 68.5, CONCORD 63, PLYMOUTH 55, WAWASEE 32.5
(Winners, Local Results)
3200 Relay — 1. Warsaw (Brooke Kline, Hannah Cutshall, Anna Bearss, Ashley Erba) 9:36.20, 6. Wawasee (Amy Walker, Stephanie Rhodes, Jen Slabaugh, Mallory Rondeau) 10:27.02; 100 Hurdles — 1. Liana Yoder (G) 15.62, 3. Jackie Ferguson (War) 16.78, 7. Elise White (War) 17.47; 100 — 1. Ann Harvuot (War) 13.00, 8. Meredith Hollar (War) 13.49; 1600 — 1. Erba (War) 5:13.25, 5. Bearss (War) 5:25.50, 8. Rhodes (Waw) 5:55.94; 400 Relay — 1. Goshen (Jessica Hernandez, Lauren Stutzman, Julie Jesse, Yoder) 50.64, 2. Warsaw (Regina Anderson, Madison Long, Hollar, Harvuot) 51.28; 400 — 1. Leah Moore (War) 1:00.03, 5. Kristin Quick (War) 1:01.21; 300 Hurdles — 1. Yoder (G) 46.85, 2. Ferguson (War) 47.90, 5. White (War) 50.83, 7. Sarah Steele (Waw) 51.03; 800 — 1. Erba (War) 2:23.72, 6. Rondeau (Waw) 2:28.08, 8. Bearss (War) 2:28.25; 200 — 1. Stutzman (G) 26.65, 3. Harvuot (War) 27.04, 5. Long (War) 27.65; 3200 — 1. Skylair Hilton (Nr) 11:44.95, 2. Kline (War) 12:00.78, 5. Erba (War) 12:19.28; 1600 Relay — 1. Warsaw (Quick, Kelly Wildman, Long, Moore) 4:07.27, 6. Wawasee (Walker, Steele, Brittany Robinson, Rondeau) 4:29.20; High Jump — 1. Lily Russo (Nr) 5-1, 5. Brittney Rhodes (War) 4-10, 6. Ashley Murrell (War) 4-10; Pole Vault — 1. Hanna Kammerer (War) 9-6, 2. Sarah Rozow (Waw) 8-6, 4. Kristen VanOsdol (War) 8-6; Long Jump — 1. Melissa DuBois (C) 16-7.25, 6. Wildman (War) 15-3, 8. White (War) 15-2; Discus — 1. Karla Corral (G) 117-4, 2. Lauren Burish (War) 116-7, 4. Samantha Jensen (War) 109-10; Shot Put — 1. Hannah Christy (P) 36-4, 2. Sarah Heagy (War) 34-10.5, 3. Emily Umbaugh (War) 34-8, 4. Jordan Edington (Waw) 33-8, 8. Breann Johnson (Waw) 31-2.5(Winners, Local Results)
* — Meet Record[[In-content Ad]]
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Competing on their home track, the Warsaw Lady Tigers captured their sixth-straight NLC crown, while the boys split the crown with Concord, claiming their first title since 2001.
“Their program has just been phenomenal the past six years,” Warsaw boys track and field coach Matt Thacker said about the Warsaw girls. “Hopefully, we can just come close to what they’ve done. We’ve taken a step in the right direction, but we have a long way to go.”
After finishing the regular season with a 7-0 record in the NLC, the Lady Tigers won the NLC Championships comfortably, scoring 190 points. Their closest competition was Northridge, which finished second with 141 points.
“This was extraordinary tonight,” Warsaw girls track and field coach Scott Erba said. “I remember our first one, six years ago, and being so excited for the girls after they had worked so hard, and for the seniors to have gotten that. With this group, we’ve talked about adversity through the season with weather, injuries, illnesses and switching up lineups. We really put a challenge to the girls about stepping up.”
Extending their NLC record for consecutive conference titles, Warsaw won seven of the 16 events, paced by sophomore Ashley Erba.
After anchoring the winning 3200 relay team, which also included junior Brooke Kline, junior Hannah Cutshall and freshman Anna Bearss, Erba went on to win the 1600 (5:13.25) and 800 (2:23.72). Following those three events, Erba then finished fifth in the 3200 in a time of 12:19.28.
The 3200 relay’s winning time of 9:36.20 awarded Warsaw the event’s title for the third-straight year, with Kline being the lone constant of that group.
Along with the 3200 relay repeating as NLC champions, the 1600 relay (4:07.27) also repeated. Seniors Madison Long and Leah Moore were both on the relay last year, but were joined by two new faces in sophomore Kristin Quick and junior Kelly Wildman this time around.
Along with repeating as a member of the 1600 relay, Moore also defended her 400 title, winning this year in 1:00.03.
Warsaw’s last repeat champion was senior Hanna Kammerer, who cleared 9-6 in the pole vault, giving her back-to-back NLC titles.
“Event, after event, after event tonight, the girls were getting two girls in the finals here, getting two girls in the top four and also winning events,” 2011 NLC Coach of the Year Scott Erba said. “Just being tough.” Warsaw’s final first-place finish came from freshman Ann Harvuot, who won the 100 in 13.00, helping the Lady Tigers win at least one event in the field, sprints, distance and middle-distance..
“It was just an all-around team effort,” Scott Erba said.
In the beginning of the season, Erba was mixing and matching girls to certain event, and as usual, he seems to have gotten the combination right.
“There were definitely times when I thought we had some big gaps, but when it was all said and done, we had some girls step up tonight and run personal bests, throw personal bests, jump personal bests,” he said. “When you start doing that in a big meet, you realize you have a pretty deep team.”
Like Erba, Thacker was also trying to fill some gaps earlier in the season, but coming into the NLC meet, he felt optimistic about his team’s chances and won it with 158 points. Concord finished second with 138.5.
Concord finished the regular season with the conference’s best record, while Warsaw finished second. Because of their respective finishes at the conference meet, the title was split, as were coaches of the year honors.
“We knew we were going to compete,” Thacker, who split the coach of the year award with Concord’s Jeff Payne, said. “We had our fingers crossed. We had guys step up across the board, especially in the field events. (Freshman) Stephen Kolbe getting first place in the high jump, at 6-5, was unexpected — huge, but unexpected. (Junior) Zack Rooney has the capabilities to score big at long jump and he did that. Then, we scored points at pole vault and shot put, where we thought we would.”
Along with Kolbe’s victory, which knocked off defending high jump champion Ben Klaybor of Wawasee, Rooney’s 21-2.5 in the long jump also earned a first-place finish. Rooney was also a part of the winning 400 relay, along with freshman Tristan McClone, freshman Chad Goon and senior Robert Strahan, that overcame a deficit to defeat Concord at the finish line by three-thousandths of a second.
“I caught the end of it,” Thacker said about the winning relay, which saw Strahan run down Concord’s Dominique Holt. “I was there for the celebration. Every time the 4x100 comes up, with our hand offs and us being young, my stomach just rolls. I just don’t have the stomach for it anymore.”
Also getting a win for the Tigers was sophomore Jacob Poyner in the 1600 (4:21.95).
Getting the four wins helped the Warsaw boys get the championship, but it was their depth that really brought home the title.
On the night, Warsaw placed second in three events and third in another six, adding valuable points to their score.
Case in point was in the 800, where Concord’s Daniel Zelaya placed first in 1:57.53, getting 10 points for his team, but Warsaw junior Spencer Rheinhardt took second and Poyner placed third, getting 15 points for the Tigers.
“That depth really won the meet for us,” Thacker said.
According to Thacker, some determination has gone along with that depth, helping the team do something it hasn’t done in 10 years.
“It’s just a continued team effort,” he said. “We have a bunch of great kids that want to win and they compete. You can see it in their eyes, and it’s a heck of a lot easier to coach when you see that instead of blank stares.”
Scott Erba hasn’t seen those blank stares in quite some time and hopes to carry the momentum of the NLC crown into Tuesday’s sectional back at the Tiger Athletic Complex.
“We have another week to prepare for that,” he said. “We had some girls who had adversity tonight, so they can work on it and some other girls can use the week to get healthy. We also have one more week to strategize.”
The Warsaw boys will join Wawasee at the Goshen Sectional May 19 at 5 p.m.
BOYS — WARSAW 158, CONCORD 138.5, NORTHRIDGE 117, GOSHEN 111.5, PLYMOUTH 64.5, ELKHART MEMORIAL 64, NORTHWOOD 39, WAWASEE 37.5
(Winners, Local Results)
3200 Relay — 1. Concord (Keenen Burnett, Clinton McCray, Daniel Zelaya, Eric McCray) 7:57.43*, 2. Warsaw (Scott Smyth, Trevor Callahan, Jacob Poyner, Spencer Rheinhardt) 7:58.38, 6. Wawasee (Riley Stichter, Thunder Olsen, Devan Courter, Michael Pena) 8:50.15; 110 Hurdles — 1. Brian VanHook (G) 15.71, 3. Taylor Cone (War) 16.09, 4. Nathan Cook (Waw) 16.24, 7. Zac Patrick (Waw) 16.93; 100 — 1. JJ Frey (Nr) 11.32, 2. Robert Strahan (War) 11.41, 8. Zack Rooney (War) 11.80; 1600 — 1. Poyner (War) 4:21.95, 4. Callahan (War) 4:36.91, 9. Adam Doll (Waw) 4:43.45; 400 Relay — 1. Warsaw (Rooney, Tristan McClone, Chad Goon, Strahan) 43.91; 400 — 1. Frey (Nr) 49.74, 5. C. Goon (War) 50.79, 7. Wyatt Jones (War) 51.04; 300 Hurdles — 1. Will Mulroy (C) 40.01, 3. Cameron Huffer (War) 41.77, 4. Ryan Goon (War) 41.89, 8. Cook (Waw) 42.78; 800 — 1. Zelaya (C) 1:57.53, 2. Rheinhardt (War) 1:57.61, 3. Poyner (War) 1:58.31, 8. Stichter (Waw) 2:05.23; 200 — 1. Frey (Nr) 22.69, 6. Strahan (War) 23.41; 3200 — 1. Marshall Hawn (Nr) 9:58.52, 3. Jordan Scroggs (War) 10:10.49, 5. Ellis Coon (War) 10:23.36; 1600 Relay — 1. Concord (W. Mulroy, C. McCray, E. McCray, Steve Mulroy) 3:21.76, 2. Warsaw (R. Goon, C. Goon, Jones, Rheinhardt) 3:23.21, 8. Wawasee (Brandon Morris, Jeremy Sorensen, Garley Windle, Olsen) 3:42.92; High Jump — 1. Stephen Kolbe (War) 6-5, 2. Ben Klaybor (Waw) 6-4, 3. Rooney (War) 6-2; Pole Vault — 1. Derrick Lee (P) 14-6, 6. Kyle Clevenger (Waw) 11-0, 7. Keelan Simpson (War) 11-0, 8. Jeremy Coppes (War) 11-0, 9. Andrew Hepler (Waw) 10-0; Long Jump — 1. Rooney (War) 21-2.5, 6. Zach Rensberger (Waw) 19-7; Discus — 1. Seth Moore (Nr) 141-10, 4. Zac Erba (War) 137-9; Shot Put — 1. Brandon Daniels (G) 52-0, 3. Cameron Fritzel (War) 49-8, 8. Zach Davies (War) 43-11(Winners, Local Results)
GIRLS — WARSAW 190, NORTHRIDGE 141, GOSHEN 97.5, NORTHWOOD 83.5, ELKHART MEMORIAL 68.5, CONCORD 63, PLYMOUTH 55, WAWASEE 32.5
(Winners, Local Results)
3200 Relay — 1. Warsaw (Brooke Kline, Hannah Cutshall, Anna Bearss, Ashley Erba) 9:36.20, 6. Wawasee (Amy Walker, Stephanie Rhodes, Jen Slabaugh, Mallory Rondeau) 10:27.02; 100 Hurdles — 1. Liana Yoder (G) 15.62, 3. Jackie Ferguson (War) 16.78, 7. Elise White (War) 17.47; 100 — 1. Ann Harvuot (War) 13.00, 8. Meredith Hollar (War) 13.49; 1600 — 1. Erba (War) 5:13.25, 5. Bearss (War) 5:25.50, 8. Rhodes (Waw) 5:55.94; 400 Relay — 1. Goshen (Jessica Hernandez, Lauren Stutzman, Julie Jesse, Yoder) 50.64, 2. Warsaw (Regina Anderson, Madison Long, Hollar, Harvuot) 51.28; 400 — 1. Leah Moore (War) 1:00.03, 5. Kristin Quick (War) 1:01.21; 300 Hurdles — 1. Yoder (G) 46.85, 2. Ferguson (War) 47.90, 5. White (War) 50.83, 7. Sarah Steele (Waw) 51.03; 800 — 1. Erba (War) 2:23.72, 6. Rondeau (Waw) 2:28.08, 8. Bearss (War) 2:28.25; 200 — 1. Stutzman (G) 26.65, 3. Harvuot (War) 27.04, 5. Long (War) 27.65; 3200 — 1. Skylair Hilton (Nr) 11:44.95, 2. Kline (War) 12:00.78, 5. Erba (War) 12:19.28; 1600 Relay — 1. Warsaw (Quick, Kelly Wildman, Long, Moore) 4:07.27, 6. Wawasee (Walker, Steele, Brittany Robinson, Rondeau) 4:29.20; High Jump — 1. Lily Russo (Nr) 5-1, 5. Brittney Rhodes (War) 4-10, 6. Ashley Murrell (War) 4-10; Pole Vault — 1. Hanna Kammerer (War) 9-6, 2. Sarah Rozow (Waw) 8-6, 4. Kristen VanOsdol (War) 8-6; Long Jump — 1. Melissa DuBois (C) 16-7.25, 6. Wildman (War) 15-3, 8. White (War) 15-2; Discus — 1. Karla Corral (G) 117-4, 2. Lauren Burish (War) 116-7, 4. Samantha Jensen (War) 109-10; Shot Put — 1. Hannah Christy (P) 36-4, 2. Sarah Heagy (War) 34-10.5, 3. Emily Umbaugh (War) 34-8, 4. Jordan Edington (Waw) 33-8, 8. Breann Johnson (Waw) 31-2.5(Winners, Local Results)
* — Meet Record[[In-content Ad]]
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