Lady Tigers Extend Sectional Title Streak
May 16, 2018 at 2:44 p.m.
Lady Tigers Extend Sectional Title Streak
By Dale [email protected]
As it turned out, the only reign belonged to the Warsaw Lady Tigers, who captured their 12th consecutive track and field sectional title in convincing fashion.
Winning six of the 16 events – to go along with eight runner-up finishes and a trio of thirds – Warsaw piled up 167 points en route to the program’s 19th overall sectional title.
Concord was a distant second with 93.5 points, followed in the top five by Elkhart Central (62), Elkhart Memorial (53.5) and Northridge (50).
The rest of the field included Columbia City (49), Goshen (48), Wawasee (34), NorthWood (34), Fairfield (27), Lakeland Christian Academy (3) and Jimtown (3).
“On paper, it doesn’t matter. At the end of the day it really comes down to who performs,” said first-year Warsaw coach Megan Davis when asked about getting her girls to compete at the highest level when they know they’re heavy favorites.
“As we saw tonight, there were a few races that, on paper, we should have won, but other girls on other teams came out and they ran phenomenally, and they pushed us. Just because we’re the favored team, I mean, we still have to come out and compete and give it 100 percent. If we try to slack off, or if we don’t run our best each race, then there’s a chance we won’t make it out of the sectional. Ultimately, it doesn’t come down to what’s on paper, it comes down to what happens on the track and in the field events.”
The top three finishers in each event, as well as those that meet a standard time, height or distance, qualified for the Kokomo Regional on May 22.
The Lady Tigers advanced in 15 of the 16 events.
Highlighting Warsaw’s sectional performance was the winning 4x100 team of Shunterra Davis, Kendra Love, Abbi Curtis and Makayla Clampitt.
The Lady Tigers’ speedy squad circled the track in 49.12 seconds, breaking a 35-year-old sectional record of 49.35 seconds set by Elkhart Memorial.
“That was huge,” said Davis. “I think we were all speechless. I think we knew it was a possibility, but I don’t think we necessarily thought they would hit it this soon.
“Shunterra Davis came out and really put us in an excellent position. Kendra Love continued to hold that position, and then Abbi Curtis taking that back curve that she always runs very well, and Makayla Clampitt taking our baton all the way home ... that was huge.
“I think they knew they wanted it and that they were close. That was huge for us to come through and be able to pull out that record. We were super excited, and it was that moment of ‘did that really just happen?’”
Warsaw swept the three relay events.
The 4x800 team of Angie Sanchez-Vijil, Carmen Yoder, Adree Beckham and Remi Beckham won in 9:50.76.
The quartet of Sanchez-Vijil, Adree Beckham, Maygan Bellamy and Remi Beckham turned a time of 4:05.57 to win the 4x400.
Individual winners for the Lady Tigers included Mia Beckham (1600, 5:05.41), Lynae Davis (shot put, 34-0.25) and Caitlin Kehler (pole vault, 10-9).
Runner-up finishers for Warsaw were Emma Bohnenkamper (800, 1600), Michaela Buriff (300 hurdles), Alexi Day (high jump), Kendall Menzie (long jump), Mia Beckham (3200), Curtis (200) and Bellamy (400).
Third-place finishers for Warsaw were Remi Beckham (800), Clampitt (100) and Dawson (discus).
“I feel like I am biased, but any girl could stand out tonight,” said Davis. “It’s really hard to pick out major standouts. If I had to pick out my top ones of the night, I think it was probably Michaela Buriff in that 300 (hurdles) and Mia Beckham in the 1,600.”
Warsaw’s streak of 12 sectional titles includes championships with three different head coaches the past three seasons.
Scott Erba was the head coach for the first 10. Current boys coach Matt Thacker led the girls to the title last year while coaching both teams.
“I think a lot of it is the girls just coming out and doing what they need to do, pushing themselves each week,” said Davis, who was a junior on the Lady Tigers’ team when the sectional championship streak started in 2007.
“Three consecutive championships with three different coaches ... it’s definitely different strategies. Obviously the end goal is the same, but how we all coach is very different. The girls just continue to show up and they continue to push themselves. We don’t always have the times we were looking for, but it doesn’t mean they didn’t go out and compete.”
Jada Parzygot was the only automatic regional qualifier for the Wawasee Lady Warriors, as she finished third in the pole vault with a height of 9-6.
Sara Pritchard was fourth in the discus, while Bailey Mayhew was fourth in the 800 and Parzygot fourth in the long jump.
“It’s still kind of new to her, doing the whole long jump and pole vault thing,” Wawasee coach Doug Slabaugh said of Parzygot. “She started six days before the conference meet. It’s a health issue right now, where she’s very limited on the number of vaults she can get in at practice. We’ll see what she can do at the regional and see if she can do something.”
Lakeland Christian Academy had two girls score points by finishing in the top eight.
Carlie Wise was seventh in the 300 hurdles, while Heather Plastow finished eighth in the 800.
WARSAW SECTIONAL
Note – the top 3 finishers in each event, as well as those that meet a standard time, height or distance, advance to the Kokomo Regional. Listed are the top 3 and local finishers.
Team Scores – Warsaw 167, Concord 93.5, Elkhart Central 62, Elkhart Memorial 53.5, Northridge 50, Columbia City 49, Goshen 48, Wawasee 34, NorthWood 34, Fairfield 27, Lakeland Christian Academy 3, Jimtown 3
4x800 – 1. Warsaw (Angie Sanchez-Vigil, Carmen Yoder, Adree Beckham, Remi Beckham) 9:50.76, 2. Columbia City 9:56.39, 3. Elkhart Central 10:02.94; 100 hurdles – 1. Jasmine Riffell (Con) 15.85, 2. MaKayla Miller (Con) 15.88, 3. Olivia Elledge (FF) 16.15, 7. Sadie Lemon (War) 17.20; 100 – 1. Oniste Thomas (Con) 12.52, 2. Kenzie Moren (NW) 12.61, 3. Makayla Clampitt (War) 12.70; 1600 – 1. Mia Beckham (War) 5:05.41, 2. Emma Bohnenkamper (War) 5:12.03, 3. Morgan Dyer (EM) 5:14.48, 15. Emma Ebright (Wawa) 5:57.49, 16. Ella Beezley (Wawa) 5:57.59; 4x100 – 1. Warsaw (Shunterra Davis, Kendra Love, Abbi Curtis, Clampitt) 49.12 NEW SECTIONAL RECORD, 2. Concord 49.81, 3. Northridge 50.06; 400 – 1. Jasmine Hudson (Con) 59.78, 2. Maygan Bellamy (War) 1:00.74, 3. Margaret Gallagher (Gosh) 1:00.94, 10. Grayson Kilburn (War) 1:04.19, 13. Katie Haines (Wawa) 1:06.17, 20. Abby Steiner (Wawa) 1:10.33; 300 hurdles – 1. Jillian Kissinger (Gosh) 45.23, 2. Michaela Buriff (War) 47.65, 3. Miller (Con) 48.40, 5. Ellie Klotz (War) 49.16, 7. Carlie Wise (LCA) 50.41; 800 – 1. Erica Stutsman (NW) 2:17.38, 2. Emma Bohnenkamper (War) 2:20.53, 3. Remi Beckham (War) 2:21.09, 4. Bailey Mayhew (Wawa) 2:22.66, 6. McKenzie Smith (Wawa) 2:28.05, 8. Heather Plastow (LCA) 2:32.89; 200 – 1. Thomas (Con) 25.71, 2. Curtis (War) 26.17, 3. Hudson (Con) 26.33, 6. Bellamy (War) 27.03; 3200 – 1. Lauren Dibley (EC) 11:23.68, 2. M. Beckham (War) 11:23.72, 3. Dyer (EM) 11:29.56, 6. Taylor Gunter (War) 12:02.13; 4x400 – 1. Warsaw (Sanchez-Vigil, A. Beckham, Bellamy, R. Beckham) 4:05.57, 2. Northridge 4:06.32, 3. Goshen 4:08.50, 6. Wawasee (Mayhew, Smith, Ebright, Beezley) 4:19.03; High Jump – 1. Cassandra Burdge (CC) 5-5, 2. Alexie Day (War) 5-4.5, 3. Chloe Bontrager (FF) 5-3, 4. Morgan Bruner (War) 5-3, 10. Haines (Wawa) 4-8; Long Jump – 1. Olivia Elledge 15-9.75, 2. Kendall Menzie (War) 15-9, 3. Kissinger (Gosh) 15-6.25, 4. Jada Parzygot (Wawa) 15-3.75, 6. Hannah-Marie Lamle (Wawa) 14-7; Discus – 1. Mia Pulianas (EC) 107-6, 2. Tianna Roundtree (EM) 106-7, 3. Lynae Dawson (War) 103-10, 4. Sara Pritchard (Wawa) 103-1.5, 7. Sierra Davis (War) 95-4; Shot Put – 1. Dawson (War) 34-0.25, 2. DeJanea (EM) 33-2, 3. Passion Gardner (War) 33-0.5, 5. Pritchard (Wawa); Pole Vault – 1. Caitlin Kehler (War) 10-9, 2. Mariah Schaefer (CC) 9-6, 3. Parzygot (Wawa) 9-6; 9. Sarah Ocock (War) 8-6
Latest News
E-Editions
As it turned out, the only reign belonged to the Warsaw Lady Tigers, who captured their 12th consecutive track and field sectional title in convincing fashion.
Winning six of the 16 events – to go along with eight runner-up finishes and a trio of thirds – Warsaw piled up 167 points en route to the program’s 19th overall sectional title.
Concord was a distant second with 93.5 points, followed in the top five by Elkhart Central (62), Elkhart Memorial (53.5) and Northridge (50).
The rest of the field included Columbia City (49), Goshen (48), Wawasee (34), NorthWood (34), Fairfield (27), Lakeland Christian Academy (3) and Jimtown (3).
“On paper, it doesn’t matter. At the end of the day it really comes down to who performs,” said first-year Warsaw coach Megan Davis when asked about getting her girls to compete at the highest level when they know they’re heavy favorites.
“As we saw tonight, there were a few races that, on paper, we should have won, but other girls on other teams came out and they ran phenomenally, and they pushed us. Just because we’re the favored team, I mean, we still have to come out and compete and give it 100 percent. If we try to slack off, or if we don’t run our best each race, then there’s a chance we won’t make it out of the sectional. Ultimately, it doesn’t come down to what’s on paper, it comes down to what happens on the track and in the field events.”
The top three finishers in each event, as well as those that meet a standard time, height or distance, qualified for the Kokomo Regional on May 22.
The Lady Tigers advanced in 15 of the 16 events.
Highlighting Warsaw’s sectional performance was the winning 4x100 team of Shunterra Davis, Kendra Love, Abbi Curtis and Makayla Clampitt.
The Lady Tigers’ speedy squad circled the track in 49.12 seconds, breaking a 35-year-old sectional record of 49.35 seconds set by Elkhart Memorial.
“That was huge,” said Davis. “I think we were all speechless. I think we knew it was a possibility, but I don’t think we necessarily thought they would hit it this soon.
“Shunterra Davis came out and really put us in an excellent position. Kendra Love continued to hold that position, and then Abbi Curtis taking that back curve that she always runs very well, and Makayla Clampitt taking our baton all the way home ... that was huge.
“I think they knew they wanted it and that they were close. That was huge for us to come through and be able to pull out that record. We were super excited, and it was that moment of ‘did that really just happen?’”
Warsaw swept the three relay events.
The 4x800 team of Angie Sanchez-Vijil, Carmen Yoder, Adree Beckham and Remi Beckham won in 9:50.76.
The quartet of Sanchez-Vijil, Adree Beckham, Maygan Bellamy and Remi Beckham turned a time of 4:05.57 to win the 4x400.
Individual winners for the Lady Tigers included Mia Beckham (1600, 5:05.41), Lynae Davis (shot put, 34-0.25) and Caitlin Kehler (pole vault, 10-9).
Runner-up finishers for Warsaw were Emma Bohnenkamper (800, 1600), Michaela Buriff (300 hurdles), Alexi Day (high jump), Kendall Menzie (long jump), Mia Beckham (3200), Curtis (200) and Bellamy (400).
Third-place finishers for Warsaw were Remi Beckham (800), Clampitt (100) and Dawson (discus).
“I feel like I am biased, but any girl could stand out tonight,” said Davis. “It’s really hard to pick out major standouts. If I had to pick out my top ones of the night, I think it was probably Michaela Buriff in that 300 (hurdles) and Mia Beckham in the 1,600.”
Warsaw’s streak of 12 sectional titles includes championships with three different head coaches the past three seasons.
Scott Erba was the head coach for the first 10. Current boys coach Matt Thacker led the girls to the title last year while coaching both teams.
“I think a lot of it is the girls just coming out and doing what they need to do, pushing themselves each week,” said Davis, who was a junior on the Lady Tigers’ team when the sectional championship streak started in 2007.
“Three consecutive championships with three different coaches ... it’s definitely different strategies. Obviously the end goal is the same, but how we all coach is very different. The girls just continue to show up and they continue to push themselves. We don’t always have the times we were looking for, but it doesn’t mean they didn’t go out and compete.”
Jada Parzygot was the only automatic regional qualifier for the Wawasee Lady Warriors, as she finished third in the pole vault with a height of 9-6.
Sara Pritchard was fourth in the discus, while Bailey Mayhew was fourth in the 800 and Parzygot fourth in the long jump.
“It’s still kind of new to her, doing the whole long jump and pole vault thing,” Wawasee coach Doug Slabaugh said of Parzygot. “She started six days before the conference meet. It’s a health issue right now, where she’s very limited on the number of vaults she can get in at practice. We’ll see what she can do at the regional and see if she can do something.”
Lakeland Christian Academy had two girls score points by finishing in the top eight.
Carlie Wise was seventh in the 300 hurdles, while Heather Plastow finished eighth in the 800.
WARSAW SECTIONAL
Note – the top 3 finishers in each event, as well as those that meet a standard time, height or distance, advance to the Kokomo Regional. Listed are the top 3 and local finishers.
Team Scores – Warsaw 167, Concord 93.5, Elkhart Central 62, Elkhart Memorial 53.5, Northridge 50, Columbia City 49, Goshen 48, Wawasee 34, NorthWood 34, Fairfield 27, Lakeland Christian Academy 3, Jimtown 3
4x800 – 1. Warsaw (Angie Sanchez-Vigil, Carmen Yoder, Adree Beckham, Remi Beckham) 9:50.76, 2. Columbia City 9:56.39, 3. Elkhart Central 10:02.94; 100 hurdles – 1. Jasmine Riffell (Con) 15.85, 2. MaKayla Miller (Con) 15.88, 3. Olivia Elledge (FF) 16.15, 7. Sadie Lemon (War) 17.20; 100 – 1. Oniste Thomas (Con) 12.52, 2. Kenzie Moren (NW) 12.61, 3. Makayla Clampitt (War) 12.70; 1600 – 1. Mia Beckham (War) 5:05.41, 2. Emma Bohnenkamper (War) 5:12.03, 3. Morgan Dyer (EM) 5:14.48, 15. Emma Ebright (Wawa) 5:57.49, 16. Ella Beezley (Wawa) 5:57.59; 4x100 – 1. Warsaw (Shunterra Davis, Kendra Love, Abbi Curtis, Clampitt) 49.12 NEW SECTIONAL RECORD, 2. Concord 49.81, 3. Northridge 50.06; 400 – 1. Jasmine Hudson (Con) 59.78, 2. Maygan Bellamy (War) 1:00.74, 3. Margaret Gallagher (Gosh) 1:00.94, 10. Grayson Kilburn (War) 1:04.19, 13. Katie Haines (Wawa) 1:06.17, 20. Abby Steiner (Wawa) 1:10.33; 300 hurdles – 1. Jillian Kissinger (Gosh) 45.23, 2. Michaela Buriff (War) 47.65, 3. Miller (Con) 48.40, 5. Ellie Klotz (War) 49.16, 7. Carlie Wise (LCA) 50.41; 800 – 1. Erica Stutsman (NW) 2:17.38, 2. Emma Bohnenkamper (War) 2:20.53, 3. Remi Beckham (War) 2:21.09, 4. Bailey Mayhew (Wawa) 2:22.66, 6. McKenzie Smith (Wawa) 2:28.05, 8. Heather Plastow (LCA) 2:32.89; 200 – 1. Thomas (Con) 25.71, 2. Curtis (War) 26.17, 3. Hudson (Con) 26.33, 6. Bellamy (War) 27.03; 3200 – 1. Lauren Dibley (EC) 11:23.68, 2. M. Beckham (War) 11:23.72, 3. Dyer (EM) 11:29.56, 6. Taylor Gunter (War) 12:02.13; 4x400 – 1. Warsaw (Sanchez-Vigil, A. Beckham, Bellamy, R. Beckham) 4:05.57, 2. Northridge 4:06.32, 3. Goshen 4:08.50, 6. Wawasee (Mayhew, Smith, Ebright, Beezley) 4:19.03; High Jump – 1. Cassandra Burdge (CC) 5-5, 2. Alexie Day (War) 5-4.5, 3. Chloe Bontrager (FF) 5-3, 4. Morgan Bruner (War) 5-3, 10. Haines (Wawa) 4-8; Long Jump – 1. Olivia Elledge 15-9.75, 2. Kendall Menzie (War) 15-9, 3. Kissinger (Gosh) 15-6.25, 4. Jada Parzygot (Wawa) 15-3.75, 6. Hannah-Marie Lamle (Wawa) 14-7; Discus – 1. Mia Pulianas (EC) 107-6, 2. Tianna Roundtree (EM) 106-7, 3. Lynae Dawson (War) 103-10, 4. Sara Pritchard (Wawa) 103-1.5, 7. Sierra Davis (War) 95-4; Shot Put – 1. Dawson (War) 34-0.25, 2. DeJanea (EM) 33-2, 3. Passion Gardner (War) 33-0.5, 5. Pritchard (Wawa); Pole Vault – 1. Caitlin Kehler (War) 10-9, 2. Mariah Schaefer (CC) 9-6, 3. Parzygot (Wawa) 9-6; 9. Sarah Ocock (War) 8-6
Have a news tip? Email [email protected] or Call/Text 360-922-3092