Lady Tigers Dominate NLC Meet At Home; Boys 2nd
May 8, 2019 at 3:56 a.m.
Lady Tigers Dominate NLC Meet At Home; Boys 2nd
By Lachlan Lennox-
The Elkhart Memorial boys squad finished with 127 points to punctuate their own undefeated season, with Warsaw finishing second.
The Lady Tigers pulled ahead early, doing so in impressive fashion. The 4x800 meter relay team, made up of senior Ashlynn Hepler and freshmen Ava Knight, Wini Barnett, and Amanda Lusinde, won the night’s first event by a whopping 25 seconds, posting a time of 9:56.55. Wawasee’s team of senior McKenzie Smith, sophomore Bailey Mayhew, and freshmen McKenzie Long and Courtney Cox finished in second with a time of 10:21.57.
Lady Tigers coach Megan Davis had nothing but praise for her young relay team. “It’s very exciting as a coach … when you get a group of freshmen like that with a returning veteran in Ashlynn, the mental stamina she carries and leads with these younger athletes. It’s nice to see them step up and show confidence.”
Davis also made clear her intention to “get a nice representation of the area for the state finals in Bloomington.”
The Lady Tigers continued to pour on the points as the meet continued. Grayson Kilburn won the girl’s high jump with a 5’3 mark, while Abby Steffensmeier and Remi Beckham came in second and third in the long jump, respectively.
Beckham, a Butler commit, also won the 800-meter run. Senior Caitlyn Kehler also finished second in the pole vault by clearing the 10’8 mark. However, their success extended beyond the infield. Makayla Clampitt won the 100 yard dash with a time of 12.70 after freshman Marin Hart also contributed with a second place finish in the 100 meter hurdles. Barnett edged out teammate Taylor Gunter in the 3200 meter, finishing in second place.
Warsaw ‘s boys also got off to a hot start, but were unable to outpace Elkhart Memorial for the trophy. The Tigers were outscored by just 16.5 points, finishing with 110.5. Junior Nick Bazzoni dominated the pole vault, reaching 13’4 and earning first place. Senior Alijah Wade clinched the 200 meter dash with a 22.57 second finish. Connor Lennox and Tyler Metzinger both turned in six foot finishes at the high jump, good for nine Warsaw points, while Mason Martz and Keagan Larsh earned 13 at the long jump. Sophomore Sam Lechlitner clocked a 4:36 mile, good for third place and best among underclassmen. Junior sprinter Issac Mitchell finished second in the 400, recording a 51.85, while teammate Tanner Stiver came in second in the 800 with a time of 1:57.32.
Wawasee’s girls finished in seventh and the boys eighth, but both saw several bright spots on their teams before the end of the meet, especially in field events.
Jada Parzynot was a force, winning the long jump and pole vault. Teammate Sara Pritchard finished second in the discus.
Senior thrower Isaiah Tipping dominated the shot put; his score of 55’10 was nearly eight feet farther than Plymouth’s Kendall Himes, who came in second. Tipping also finished third in the discus.
Wawasee first-year coach Frank Pizana, who praised Tipping’s efforts, also wanted to emphasize the effort of his freshmen in the meet.
“Our freshmen, Luke (Griner), Ben Hanes (4x800), and Camden Powell (1600) all PR’d. The future looks very bright.”
Pizana attributed his team’s struggles to its lack of depth.
“As a team, it’s been rough because we don’t have any hurdlers or pole vaulters and that’s about 27 points right there … it’s almost impossible to win a meet like that.”
Both teams, along with Lakeland Christian Academy, move on to IHSAA sectional meets, the boys at Goshen on Friday, while the girls sectional will be at Fisher Field Tuesday.
Latest News
E-Editions
The Elkhart Memorial boys squad finished with 127 points to punctuate their own undefeated season, with Warsaw finishing second.
The Lady Tigers pulled ahead early, doing so in impressive fashion. The 4x800 meter relay team, made up of senior Ashlynn Hepler and freshmen Ava Knight, Wini Barnett, and Amanda Lusinde, won the night’s first event by a whopping 25 seconds, posting a time of 9:56.55. Wawasee’s team of senior McKenzie Smith, sophomore Bailey Mayhew, and freshmen McKenzie Long and Courtney Cox finished in second with a time of 10:21.57.
Lady Tigers coach Megan Davis had nothing but praise for her young relay team. “It’s very exciting as a coach … when you get a group of freshmen like that with a returning veteran in Ashlynn, the mental stamina she carries and leads with these younger athletes. It’s nice to see them step up and show confidence.”
Davis also made clear her intention to “get a nice representation of the area for the state finals in Bloomington.”
The Lady Tigers continued to pour on the points as the meet continued. Grayson Kilburn won the girl’s high jump with a 5’3 mark, while Abby Steffensmeier and Remi Beckham came in second and third in the long jump, respectively.
Beckham, a Butler commit, also won the 800-meter run. Senior Caitlyn Kehler also finished second in the pole vault by clearing the 10’8 mark. However, their success extended beyond the infield. Makayla Clampitt won the 100 yard dash with a time of 12.70 after freshman Marin Hart also contributed with a second place finish in the 100 meter hurdles. Barnett edged out teammate Taylor Gunter in the 3200 meter, finishing in second place.
Warsaw ‘s boys also got off to a hot start, but were unable to outpace Elkhart Memorial for the trophy. The Tigers were outscored by just 16.5 points, finishing with 110.5. Junior Nick Bazzoni dominated the pole vault, reaching 13’4 and earning first place. Senior Alijah Wade clinched the 200 meter dash with a 22.57 second finish. Connor Lennox and Tyler Metzinger both turned in six foot finishes at the high jump, good for nine Warsaw points, while Mason Martz and Keagan Larsh earned 13 at the long jump. Sophomore Sam Lechlitner clocked a 4:36 mile, good for third place and best among underclassmen. Junior sprinter Issac Mitchell finished second in the 400, recording a 51.85, while teammate Tanner Stiver came in second in the 800 with a time of 1:57.32.
Wawasee’s girls finished in seventh and the boys eighth, but both saw several bright spots on their teams before the end of the meet, especially in field events.
Jada Parzynot was a force, winning the long jump and pole vault. Teammate Sara Pritchard finished second in the discus.
Senior thrower Isaiah Tipping dominated the shot put; his score of 55’10 was nearly eight feet farther than Plymouth’s Kendall Himes, who came in second. Tipping also finished third in the discus.
Wawasee first-year coach Frank Pizana, who praised Tipping’s efforts, also wanted to emphasize the effort of his freshmen in the meet.
“Our freshmen, Luke (Griner), Ben Hanes (4x800), and Camden Powell (1600) all PR’d. The future looks very bright.”
Pizana attributed his team’s struggles to its lack of depth.
“As a team, it’s been rough because we don’t have any hurdlers or pole vaulters and that’s about 27 points right there … it’s almost impossible to win a meet like that.”
Both teams, along with Lakeland Christian Academy, move on to IHSAA sectional meets, the boys at Goshen on Friday, while the girls sectional will be at Fisher Field Tuesday.
Have a news tip? Email [email protected] or Call/Text 360-922-3092