Warsaw Girls Finish 1-2-3 In Cross Country Invitational
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
Hillary Barlow used to compare her right leg to a wobbly table leg.
Even with the bad leg - she had a rotated pelvis, which later led to bursitis - she led Warsaw's cross country team to 13th place in last year's state finals. Her 56th place led all Warsaw runners. A week before, she placed seventh at semistate.
Barlow showed what she could do with two good legs at Tuesday's Tiger Invitational.
Barlow, completely recovered from last year's leg problems, led the 4K race from start to finish, winning with a time of 15:49. When she crossed the finish line, she ended so far ahead of second place no other runner was visible. That's because Barlow's time was nearly one minute better than the second-place time. Sophomore teammate Rachel Rondeau placed second with a time of 16:44, while junior teammate Jennifer Finch placed third with a time of 16:58.
The three Tigers started 1-2-3 and finished 1-2-3 as Warsaw won the girls invitational for the second straight year. Senior Amy Robertson placed 10th (17:31) and junior Jessica Wehrly 13th (17:53) as the Tigers cruised to the win with 29 points. Northfield finished a distant second with 70 points and was followed by Marion with 79, Oak Hill with 99, Tippecanoe Valley with 105 and Peru with 129.
"I am always worried about Northfield," Warsaw coach Paul Sibray said. "They have a rich tradition and good coaching. Marion ran really strong. We've won it two years in a row, but Northfield dominated until last year.
"I didn't get to see the end, but with less than a mile to go Hillary was way ahead of everyone. I was impressed with Rachel, Jennifer, all the way down our lineup. I was really impressed with Amy and Jessica. They were able to close the gap between our third runner and our fourth runner."
Although only the top five individuals are figured into the team score, Sibray was just as pleased with his sixth-place runner, junior Melanie Albert. Albert placed 14th with a time of 17:56.
"Melanie Albert was able to run tonight without much trouble," Sibray said. "She has had stomach problems, and we don't know what causes it, but tonight, she got along fine."
The race was run on a humid 83-degree day, and Barlow claimed she is not a hot-weather runner.
"I'd rather it be snowing," she said.
The course differed from years past. Because a road is being built behind the high school, the course did not wind through the woods. Barlow's previous best time on the old course was 16:30; her time of 15:46 qualified as a record for the new course.
Tippecanoe Valley freshman Laura Lash finished fourth with a time of 17:05, while sophomore teammate Sara Zehr placed 17th with a time of 18:10.
"We had a good meet," Valley coach Terry Screeton said. "Compared to past years at this meet, both of our teams were much improved. We don't care what place we came in. Both teams looked better."
Last year, Barlow, Finch or Rondeau would trade first places, depending on the course. Warsaw's course is one that has always favored Barlow.
"There's a lot of hills, little hills you don't notice a lot," she said. "I like running where there are hills."
She also likes running with healthy legs.
"It's (hip problem) gone now, so my times are dropping," she said. "I have both legs instead of just one. I used to run lopsided."
Marion Wins Boys' Race
Local athletes did not dominate the boys race as they did the girls race.
Marion and Northfield ruled the boys 5K race. Marion won with a score of 27, while Northfield finished second with 37. Warsaw placed a distant third with 88 and was followed by Oak Hill with 115, Peru with 139 and Tippecanoe Valley with 141.
The gap between the first- and second-place runners in the boys race was much smaller. Marion's Kyle Beck won with a time of 17:24, 11 seconds ahead of second place. Also for Marion, Jessie Bartley placed fourth (17:38), and Kyle Plummer placed fifth (17:49).
Warsaw's top finisher was senior Jake Sweatland, who placed eighth with a time of 18:06. Senior teammate Matt Krallman placed 14th with a time of 18:51.
Before the meet, the Tigers wore camouflaged T-shirts that read "General's Troops" on the back. Their leader wore a camouflaged T-shirt that read "General Death" on the back. His real name is Jim Mills.
"We're about where I thought we'd be, third or fourth as a team," he said. "We're young. We have a lot of work to do.
"We only run here twice, and we will have slower times. It's a tougher course now. There are a lot of tight turns. It showed. The Marion kid ran a 17, and he usually runs a 16."
For Tippecanoe Valley, senior Elliott Usifo placed 22nd with a time of 19:37.
TIGER INVITATIONAL
Girls - 1. Warsaw 29, 2. Northfield 70, 3. Marion 79, 4. Oak Hill 99, 5. Tippecanoe Valley 105, 6. Peru 129
Top 15 individual results -Ê1. Barlow (WAR) 15:49, 2. Rondeau (WAR) 16:44, 3. Finch (WAR) 16:58, 4. Lash (TV) 17:05, 5. Weirick (MAR) 17:07, 6. Leland (NF) 17:07, 7. Guenin (NF) 17:13, 8. Grogg (OH) 17:19, 9. Webb (PERU) 17:20, 10. Robertson (WAR) 17:31, 11. Schenkel (NF) 17:35, 12. Reiff (OH) 17:50, 13. Je. Wehrly (WAR) 17:53, 14. Albert (WAR) 17:56, 15. Cain (MAR) 17:56
Other local results -Ê17. Zehr (TV) 18:10, 18. Kindig (TV) 18:20, 29. Bowers (WAR) 19:19, 30. Ji. Wehrly (WAR) 19:22, 33. McFarren (TV) 19:29, 34. Sparkman (WAR) 19:30, 36. Allen (TV) 19:36, 38. Brown (WAR) 19:47, 42. Kruger (TV) 19:59, 47. Marandet (WAR) 20:43, 52. Noble (WAR) 21:08, 54. Jenks (WAR) 21:16, 63. Honig (TV) 21:58, 64. Love (WAR) 22:09, 67. Zehr (TV) 22:17, 71. Kantner (TV) 23:05, 73. Jackson (TV) 23:22, 81. Portz (WAR) 25:14, 82. Winston (WAR) 25:15, 83. Kennedy 25:48 (WAR), 84. Bailey (TV) 25:57, 86. Winson (WAR) 26:50, 87. McFadden (TV) 29:11, 90. Ross (TV) 29:23
Boys -Ê1. Marion 27, 2. Northfield 37, 3. Warsaw 88, 4. Oak Hill 115, 5. Peru 139, 6. Tippecanoe Valley 141
Top 15 individual results - 1. Beck (MAR) 17:24, 2. Neale (NF) 17:35, 3. Haupert (NF) 17:36, 4. Bartley (MAR) 17:38, 5. Plummer (MAR) 17:49, 6. Hoeppner (PERU) 17:53, 7. Walker (NF) 18:00, 8. Sweatland (WAR) 18:06, 9. Sheward (MAR) 18:10, 10. Swyers (MAR) 18:16, 11. Reiff (OH) 18:41, 12. Mirante (NF) 18:43, 13. Mann (NF) 18:48, 14. Krallman (WAR) 18:51, 15. Featherstone (NF) 19:01
Other local results -Ê20. Peters (WAR) 19:15, 21. Woodward (WAR) 19:28, 22. Usito (TV) 19:37, 27. Holbrook (WAR) 20:00, 28. Geiger (WAR) 20:06, 29. Jenks (WAR) 20:07, 34. Lankford (WAR) 20:24, 35. Ross (WAR) 20:24, 38. I. Fawley (TV) 20:29, 42. D. Fawley (TV) 20:48, 43. Whetstone (TV) 20:56, 46. Davison (WAR) 21:00, 49. Gackenheimer (WAR) 21:16, 51. Gall (WAR) 21:21, 55. Mochucki (WAR) 21:36, 56. Ross (TV) 21:49, 57. Freels (WAR) 21:50, 59. Reeves (WAR) 21:59, 62. Hileman (TV) 22:05, 70. Robertston (WAR) 22:58, 74. Mansfield (WAR) 23:06, 78. Schlemer (TV) 23:16, 82. Lozier (WAR) 23:56, 84. Gast (TV) 24:26, 87. Nichols (WAR) 26:17, 89. Harrold (WAR) 26:48 [[In-content Ad]]
Hillary Barlow used to compare her right leg to a wobbly table leg.
Even with the bad leg - she had a rotated pelvis, which later led to bursitis - she led Warsaw's cross country team to 13th place in last year's state finals. Her 56th place led all Warsaw runners. A week before, she placed seventh at semistate.
Barlow showed what she could do with two good legs at Tuesday's Tiger Invitational.
Barlow, completely recovered from last year's leg problems, led the 4K race from start to finish, winning with a time of 15:49. When she crossed the finish line, she ended so far ahead of second place no other runner was visible. That's because Barlow's time was nearly one minute better than the second-place time. Sophomore teammate Rachel Rondeau placed second with a time of 16:44, while junior teammate Jennifer Finch placed third with a time of 16:58.
The three Tigers started 1-2-3 and finished 1-2-3 as Warsaw won the girls invitational for the second straight year. Senior Amy Robertson placed 10th (17:31) and junior Jessica Wehrly 13th (17:53) as the Tigers cruised to the win with 29 points. Northfield finished a distant second with 70 points and was followed by Marion with 79, Oak Hill with 99, Tippecanoe Valley with 105 and Peru with 129.
"I am always worried about Northfield," Warsaw coach Paul Sibray said. "They have a rich tradition and good coaching. Marion ran really strong. We've won it two years in a row, but Northfield dominated until last year.
"I didn't get to see the end, but with less than a mile to go Hillary was way ahead of everyone. I was impressed with Rachel, Jennifer, all the way down our lineup. I was really impressed with Amy and Jessica. They were able to close the gap between our third runner and our fourth runner."
Although only the top five individuals are figured into the team score, Sibray was just as pleased with his sixth-place runner, junior Melanie Albert. Albert placed 14th with a time of 17:56.
"Melanie Albert was able to run tonight without much trouble," Sibray said. "She has had stomach problems, and we don't know what causes it, but tonight, she got along fine."
The race was run on a humid 83-degree day, and Barlow claimed she is not a hot-weather runner.
"I'd rather it be snowing," she said.
The course differed from years past. Because a road is being built behind the high school, the course did not wind through the woods. Barlow's previous best time on the old course was 16:30; her time of 15:46 qualified as a record for the new course.
Tippecanoe Valley freshman Laura Lash finished fourth with a time of 17:05, while sophomore teammate Sara Zehr placed 17th with a time of 18:10.
"We had a good meet," Valley coach Terry Screeton said. "Compared to past years at this meet, both of our teams were much improved. We don't care what place we came in. Both teams looked better."
Last year, Barlow, Finch or Rondeau would trade first places, depending on the course. Warsaw's course is one that has always favored Barlow.
"There's a lot of hills, little hills you don't notice a lot," she said. "I like running where there are hills."
She also likes running with healthy legs.
"It's (hip problem) gone now, so my times are dropping," she said. "I have both legs instead of just one. I used to run lopsided."
Marion Wins Boys' Race
Local athletes did not dominate the boys race as they did the girls race.
Marion and Northfield ruled the boys 5K race. Marion won with a score of 27, while Northfield finished second with 37. Warsaw placed a distant third with 88 and was followed by Oak Hill with 115, Peru with 139 and Tippecanoe Valley with 141.
The gap between the first- and second-place runners in the boys race was much smaller. Marion's Kyle Beck won with a time of 17:24, 11 seconds ahead of second place. Also for Marion, Jessie Bartley placed fourth (17:38), and Kyle Plummer placed fifth (17:49).
Warsaw's top finisher was senior Jake Sweatland, who placed eighth with a time of 18:06. Senior teammate Matt Krallman placed 14th with a time of 18:51.
Before the meet, the Tigers wore camouflaged T-shirts that read "General's Troops" on the back. Their leader wore a camouflaged T-shirt that read "General Death" on the back. His real name is Jim Mills.
"We're about where I thought we'd be, third or fourth as a team," he said. "We're young. We have a lot of work to do.
"We only run here twice, and we will have slower times. It's a tougher course now. There are a lot of tight turns. It showed. The Marion kid ran a 17, and he usually runs a 16."
For Tippecanoe Valley, senior Elliott Usifo placed 22nd with a time of 19:37.
TIGER INVITATIONAL
Girls - 1. Warsaw 29, 2. Northfield 70, 3. Marion 79, 4. Oak Hill 99, 5. Tippecanoe Valley 105, 6. Peru 129
Top 15 individual results -Ê1. Barlow (WAR) 15:49, 2. Rondeau (WAR) 16:44, 3. Finch (WAR) 16:58, 4. Lash (TV) 17:05, 5. Weirick (MAR) 17:07, 6. Leland (NF) 17:07, 7. Guenin (NF) 17:13, 8. Grogg (OH) 17:19, 9. Webb (PERU) 17:20, 10. Robertson (WAR) 17:31, 11. Schenkel (NF) 17:35, 12. Reiff (OH) 17:50, 13. Je. Wehrly (WAR) 17:53, 14. Albert (WAR) 17:56, 15. Cain (MAR) 17:56
Other local results -Ê17. Zehr (TV) 18:10, 18. Kindig (TV) 18:20, 29. Bowers (WAR) 19:19, 30. Ji. Wehrly (WAR) 19:22, 33. McFarren (TV) 19:29, 34. Sparkman (WAR) 19:30, 36. Allen (TV) 19:36, 38. Brown (WAR) 19:47, 42. Kruger (TV) 19:59, 47. Marandet (WAR) 20:43, 52. Noble (WAR) 21:08, 54. Jenks (WAR) 21:16, 63. Honig (TV) 21:58, 64. Love (WAR) 22:09, 67. Zehr (TV) 22:17, 71. Kantner (TV) 23:05, 73. Jackson (TV) 23:22, 81. Portz (WAR) 25:14, 82. Winston (WAR) 25:15, 83. Kennedy 25:48 (WAR), 84. Bailey (TV) 25:57, 86. Winson (WAR) 26:50, 87. McFadden (TV) 29:11, 90. Ross (TV) 29:23
Boys -Ê1. Marion 27, 2. Northfield 37, 3. Warsaw 88, 4. Oak Hill 115, 5. Peru 139, 6. Tippecanoe Valley 141
Top 15 individual results - 1. Beck (MAR) 17:24, 2. Neale (NF) 17:35, 3. Haupert (NF) 17:36, 4. Bartley (MAR) 17:38, 5. Plummer (MAR) 17:49, 6. Hoeppner (PERU) 17:53, 7. Walker (NF) 18:00, 8. Sweatland (WAR) 18:06, 9. Sheward (MAR) 18:10, 10. Swyers (MAR) 18:16, 11. Reiff (OH) 18:41, 12. Mirante (NF) 18:43, 13. Mann (NF) 18:48, 14. Krallman (WAR) 18:51, 15. Featherstone (NF) 19:01
Other local results -Ê20. Peters (WAR) 19:15, 21. Woodward (WAR) 19:28, 22. Usito (TV) 19:37, 27. Holbrook (WAR) 20:00, 28. Geiger (WAR) 20:06, 29. Jenks (WAR) 20:07, 34. Lankford (WAR) 20:24, 35. Ross (WAR) 20:24, 38. I. Fawley (TV) 20:29, 42. D. Fawley (TV) 20:48, 43. Whetstone (TV) 20:56, 46. Davison (WAR) 21:00, 49. Gackenheimer (WAR) 21:16, 51. Gall (WAR) 21:21, 55. Mochucki (WAR) 21:36, 56. Ross (TV) 21:49, 57. Freels (WAR) 21:50, 59. Reeves (WAR) 21:59, 62. Hileman (TV) 22:05, 70. Robertston (WAR) 22:58, 74. Mansfield (WAR) 23:06, 78. Schlemer (TV) 23:16, 82. Lozier (WAR) 23:56, 84. Gast (TV) 24:26, 87. Nichols (WAR) 26:17, 89. Harrold (WAR) 26:48 [[In-content Ad]]