Warsaw Boys, Girls XC Teams Win Invitational
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Dale [email protected]
Hosting a meet on the WCHS campus for the first time in nearly a decade, the No. 16 Tigers and the 25th-ranked Lady Tigers christened their new 5K course by winning their own invitational.
Senior Ellis Coon won the boys race in a time of 16:24.63, leading the Warsaw boys to a five-runner team score of 31 points.
Huntington North was a distant second with 66 points, while Columbia City (116), Northfield (119), NorthWood (123), Fairfield (123), Angola (167), Wabash (222), Tippecanoe Valley (249), Whitko (258) and South Bend Career Academy (349) rounded out the 11-team boys field.
“It's a good start,” Warsaw boys coach Jim Mills said when asked what it meant for his team to win the first meet on the new course, as the Tigers and Lady Tigers have competed at Grace College’s Miller Field course for approximately a decade.
“Of course this means Ellis has the course record,” Mills added with a smile.
In the nine-team girls invitational, the Lady Tigers won the team championship with 45 points and were led by freshman Allison Miller's third-place time of 19:45.10.
Huntington North finished second in the girls event with 52 points, followed by Northfield (94), Fairfield (110), Columbia City (112), Angola (156), Whitko (182), NorthWood (208) and Wabash (274).
Tippecanoe Valley competed in the girls event but only had four runners and didn't have a team score.
“It’s been kind of strange not having Ashley around,” Warsaw girls coach Scott Erba said of his daughter, a four-year standout and 2011 state champion who is now running for Providence University. “We lost a lot of talented runners, girls like Ashley and Sarah Ray, but that opens the door and creates opportunities for other girls to step up.”
Tuesday evening it was Miller leading the way for the Lady Tigers, finishing third behind Northfield junior Jenna Halderman (18:52.60) and Columbia City senior Samantha Roush (19:05.50).
“She ran a good race tonight,” Erba said of his talented freshman. “She ran up front with two state-qualifying girls. She had great success in middle school, and it’s nice to see her transition to the high school level.”
Senior Madeline Hooks finished seventh for the Lady Tigers in a time of 20:26.50.
Other scoring runners for Warsaw were sophomore Hannah Dawson (9th, 20:31.30), sophomore Brooke Rhodes (11th, 20:49.30) and senior Alethia Burritt (15th, 21:09.30).
“The strength of this team will be packing it up,” Erba said of his team staying together and running in packs. “This is the best group we’ve had as far as staying together. Before we didn’t always do that.”
Sophomore Brigit Nemitz led the Whitko Lady Wildcats with a 13th-place time of 20:54.40, while junior Michelle Kelsey finished 46th in 23:09.10.
No other runner for Whitko finished in the top 50 of the 113-runner girls race.
Sophomore Brooklyn Conley paced the Tippecanoe Valley Lady Vikings with a 41st-place time of 22:42.20, while freshman teammate Sierra Rudd was 88th in a time of 27:21.40.
In the boys race, it was all about the Warsaw Tigers.
Not only did Coon, who missed the majority of the track season in the spring with an injury, win, but three of his teammates also finished in the top six of the 164-person race.
Sophomore Owen Glogovsky (16:36.00) was fourth, while senior Tyler Houvener (16:43.14) was fifth and junior Daniel Messenger (16:44.18) was sixth.
The Tigers’ fifth scoring runner was junior Nick Bergen, who finished 15th in a time of 17:31.82.
Like Warsaw’s girls team, the boys squad is much different from last year when they finished fourth in the state meet in Terre Haute.
Graduated are standouts Jake Poyner (Wake Forest) and Robert Murphy (Vincennes), among others.
According to Mills, five other runners chose not to come out for the team this year.
Still, the talented Tigers had all five of their scoring runners finish in the top 15.
And Coon, well, Mills says his prized senior is capable of winning a state championship.
“I’m not concerned about Ellis,” said Coon. “He’s ready to rock, no question. He’s one of the top five runners in the state. We’ve got a good group to compliment him, but we’re thin. Five guys not coming out hurt us, but that’s the way it is, and we’ve got guys that are capable.”
Senior Brandon Maull led the Tippecanoe Valley boys with a 43rd-place time of 18:29.96, while sophomore teammate Jesse Floor was 53rd in 19:05.73.
Junior Derek Miller paced the Whitko boys with a 39th-place time of 18:23.65, while freshman teammate Josh Wright crossed the line 56th in a time of 19:11.16.
WARSAW INVITATIONAL
(Girls)
Team Scores – Warsaw 45, Huntington North 52, Northfield 94, Fairfield 110, Columbia City 112, Angola 156, Whitko 182, NorthWood 208, Wabash 274
Top 10 individuals – 1. Jenna Halderman (NF) 18:52.60, 2. Samantha Roush (CC) 19:05.50, 3. Allison Miller (War) 19:45.10, 4. Hannah Stoffel (HN) 20:17.70, 5. Brittany Sloan (NF) 20:18.70, 6. Cadee Harmon (HN) 20:24.70, 7. Madelin Hooks (War) 20:26.50, 8. Karla Singer (NF) 20:28.50, 9. Hannah Dawson (War) 20:31.30, 10. Josey Korte (Ang) 20:38.10
(Listed are the top 7 runners for each local school)
Warsaw – 11. Brooke Rhodes 20:49.30, 15. Alethia Burritt 21:09.30, 25. Hannah Thompson 21:56.30, 26. Emma Hayward 21:58.10
Whitko – 13. Brigit Nemitz 20:55.20, 46. Michelle Kelsey 23:09.10, 56. Hannah Yohe 24:07.70, 69. Courtney Edwards 24:46.00, 71. Brianna Cumberland 25:03.90, 89. Abby Smith 27:28.60, 103. Samantha Deneve Shambarger 30:09.60
T. Valley – 41. Brooklyn Conley 22:42.20, 88. Sierra Rudd 27:21.40, 90. Jenna Schultz 27:33.78, 104. Tori Miller 30:27.00
(Boys)
Team Scores – Warsaw 31, Huntington North 66, Columbia City 116, Northfield 119, NorthWood 123, Fairfield 123, Angola 167, Wabash 222, Tippecanoe Valley 249, Whitko 258, S.B. Career Acad. 349
Top 10 individuals – 1. Ellis Coon (War) 16:24.63, 2. Charles Mettler (HN) 16:27.54, 3. Evan Harney (CC) 16:31.15, 4. Owen Glogovsky (War) 16:36.00, 5. Tyler Houvener (War) 16:43.14, 6. Daniel Messenger (War) 16:44.18, 7. Devin Tracy (NF) 16:52.23, 8. Caleb Darr (NW) 16:57.57, 9. Nathan Miller (FF) 16:58.34, 10. Matt DeWitt (HN) 17:04.89
Warsaw – 15. Nick Bergen 17:31.82, 19. Jonathan Beres 17:41.89, 26. T.J. Day 17:55.01
T. Valley – 43. Brandon Maull 18:29.66, 53. Jesse Floor 19:05.73, 81. Noah Clampitt 20:03.67, 88. Mark Hicks 20:20.38, 101. Tim Solano 20:42.26, 115. Jarred Mikel 21:23.72, 123. Tyler Ross 21:33.47
Whitko – 39. Derek Miller 18:23.65, 56. Josh Wright 19:11.16, 69. Lane Wolf 19:43.04, 98. Brayton Myers 20:34.88, 125. Cole Eberly 21:42.67, 131. Nicolas Crosson 21:57.44[[In-content Ad]]
Hosting a meet on the WCHS campus for the first time in nearly a decade, the No. 16 Tigers and the 25th-ranked Lady Tigers christened their new 5K course by winning their own invitational.
Senior Ellis Coon won the boys race in a time of 16:24.63, leading the Warsaw boys to a five-runner team score of 31 points.
Huntington North was a distant second with 66 points, while Columbia City (116), Northfield (119), NorthWood (123), Fairfield (123), Angola (167), Wabash (222), Tippecanoe Valley (249), Whitko (258) and South Bend Career Academy (349) rounded out the 11-team boys field.
“It's a good start,” Warsaw boys coach Jim Mills said when asked what it meant for his team to win the first meet on the new course, as the Tigers and Lady Tigers have competed at Grace College’s Miller Field course for approximately a decade.
“Of course this means Ellis has the course record,” Mills added with a smile.
In the nine-team girls invitational, the Lady Tigers won the team championship with 45 points and were led by freshman Allison Miller's third-place time of 19:45.10.
Huntington North finished second in the girls event with 52 points, followed by Northfield (94), Fairfield (110), Columbia City (112), Angola (156), Whitko (182), NorthWood (208) and Wabash (274).
Tippecanoe Valley competed in the girls event but only had four runners and didn't have a team score.
“It’s been kind of strange not having Ashley around,” Warsaw girls coach Scott Erba said of his daughter, a four-year standout and 2011 state champion who is now running for Providence University. “We lost a lot of talented runners, girls like Ashley and Sarah Ray, but that opens the door and creates opportunities for other girls to step up.”
Tuesday evening it was Miller leading the way for the Lady Tigers, finishing third behind Northfield junior Jenna Halderman (18:52.60) and Columbia City senior Samantha Roush (19:05.50).
“She ran a good race tonight,” Erba said of his talented freshman. “She ran up front with two state-qualifying girls. She had great success in middle school, and it’s nice to see her transition to the high school level.”
Senior Madeline Hooks finished seventh for the Lady Tigers in a time of 20:26.50.
Other scoring runners for Warsaw were sophomore Hannah Dawson (9th, 20:31.30), sophomore Brooke Rhodes (11th, 20:49.30) and senior Alethia Burritt (15th, 21:09.30).
“The strength of this team will be packing it up,” Erba said of his team staying together and running in packs. “This is the best group we’ve had as far as staying together. Before we didn’t always do that.”
Sophomore Brigit Nemitz led the Whitko Lady Wildcats with a 13th-place time of 20:54.40, while junior Michelle Kelsey finished 46th in 23:09.10.
No other runner for Whitko finished in the top 50 of the 113-runner girls race.
Sophomore Brooklyn Conley paced the Tippecanoe Valley Lady Vikings with a 41st-place time of 22:42.20, while freshman teammate Sierra Rudd was 88th in a time of 27:21.40.
In the boys race, it was all about the Warsaw Tigers.
Not only did Coon, who missed the majority of the track season in the spring with an injury, win, but three of his teammates also finished in the top six of the 164-person race.
Sophomore Owen Glogovsky (16:36.00) was fourth, while senior Tyler Houvener (16:43.14) was fifth and junior Daniel Messenger (16:44.18) was sixth.
The Tigers’ fifth scoring runner was junior Nick Bergen, who finished 15th in a time of 17:31.82.
Like Warsaw’s girls team, the boys squad is much different from last year when they finished fourth in the state meet in Terre Haute.
Graduated are standouts Jake Poyner (Wake Forest) and Robert Murphy (Vincennes), among others.
According to Mills, five other runners chose not to come out for the team this year.
Still, the talented Tigers had all five of their scoring runners finish in the top 15.
And Coon, well, Mills says his prized senior is capable of winning a state championship.
“I’m not concerned about Ellis,” said Coon. “He’s ready to rock, no question. He’s one of the top five runners in the state. We’ve got a good group to compliment him, but we’re thin. Five guys not coming out hurt us, but that’s the way it is, and we’ve got guys that are capable.”
Senior Brandon Maull led the Tippecanoe Valley boys with a 43rd-place time of 18:29.96, while sophomore teammate Jesse Floor was 53rd in 19:05.73.
Junior Derek Miller paced the Whitko boys with a 39th-place time of 18:23.65, while freshman teammate Josh Wright crossed the line 56th in a time of 19:11.16.
WARSAW INVITATIONAL
(Girls)
Team Scores – Warsaw 45, Huntington North 52, Northfield 94, Fairfield 110, Columbia City 112, Angola 156, Whitko 182, NorthWood 208, Wabash 274
Top 10 individuals – 1. Jenna Halderman (NF) 18:52.60, 2. Samantha Roush (CC) 19:05.50, 3. Allison Miller (War) 19:45.10, 4. Hannah Stoffel (HN) 20:17.70, 5. Brittany Sloan (NF) 20:18.70, 6. Cadee Harmon (HN) 20:24.70, 7. Madelin Hooks (War) 20:26.50, 8. Karla Singer (NF) 20:28.50, 9. Hannah Dawson (War) 20:31.30, 10. Josey Korte (Ang) 20:38.10
(Listed are the top 7 runners for each local school)
Warsaw – 11. Brooke Rhodes 20:49.30, 15. Alethia Burritt 21:09.30, 25. Hannah Thompson 21:56.30, 26. Emma Hayward 21:58.10
Whitko – 13. Brigit Nemitz 20:55.20, 46. Michelle Kelsey 23:09.10, 56. Hannah Yohe 24:07.70, 69. Courtney Edwards 24:46.00, 71. Brianna Cumberland 25:03.90, 89. Abby Smith 27:28.60, 103. Samantha Deneve Shambarger 30:09.60
T. Valley – 41. Brooklyn Conley 22:42.20, 88. Sierra Rudd 27:21.40, 90. Jenna Schultz 27:33.78, 104. Tori Miller 30:27.00
(Boys)
Team Scores – Warsaw 31, Huntington North 66, Columbia City 116, Northfield 119, NorthWood 123, Fairfield 123, Angola 167, Wabash 222, Tippecanoe Valley 249, Whitko 258, S.B. Career Acad. 349
Top 10 individuals – 1. Ellis Coon (War) 16:24.63, 2. Charles Mettler (HN) 16:27.54, 3. Evan Harney (CC) 16:31.15, 4. Owen Glogovsky (War) 16:36.00, 5. Tyler Houvener (War) 16:43.14, 6. Daniel Messenger (War) 16:44.18, 7. Devin Tracy (NF) 16:52.23, 8. Caleb Darr (NW) 16:57.57, 9. Nathan Miller (FF) 16:58.34, 10. Matt DeWitt (HN) 17:04.89
Warsaw – 15. Nick Bergen 17:31.82, 19. Jonathan Beres 17:41.89, 26. T.J. Day 17:55.01
T. Valley – 43. Brandon Maull 18:29.66, 53. Jesse Floor 19:05.73, 81. Noah Clampitt 20:03.67, 88. Mark Hicks 20:20.38, 101. Tim Solano 20:42.26, 115. Jarred Mikel 21:23.72, 123. Tyler Ross 21:33.47
Whitko – 39. Derek Miller 18:23.65, 56. Josh Wright 19:11.16, 69. Lane Wolf 19:43.04, 98. Brayton Myers 20:34.88, 125. Cole Eberly 21:42.67, 131. Nicolas Crosson 21:57.44[[In-content Ad]]
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