Eleven members of the WR2 team, Warsaw, competed this past weekend at the Middle School Nationals Cross Country Meet in Louisville. Members of the WR2 (pronounced ‘WR’ squared) Track and Field Club joined over 900 runners from 29 states across six events on the E.P. Tom Sawyer XC course, which has hosted NCAA championship events.
According to meet organizers, they have the “sole goal of putting on the biggest and best championships for all student-athletes,” according to the release from WR2. The event is set up for all athletes to be accepted and given a chance to run on the biggest stage. The runners are seeded based on ability to create competitive and fun races.
The exposure to these types of events helps WR2’s effort to continue to grow track and field participation in the community, and to provide training programs designed for the various skill levels that exist across several age groups, according to the provided release.
The WR2 crew has been training since early summer, meeting regularly as a club. This was the first year of the distance program, with more than 50 runners attending the summer training sessions, spanning June through August.
The runners continued with their respective school seasons, and then continued their training in preparation for several post-season meets.
The smaller group of runners have developed strong relationships with each other, helping to push to them to new levels, fostering a team culture and a genuinely fun running experience, the release states.
WR2 and Warsaw were represented with four runners placing in the top 25 for their respective events, earning All-American designations in four of the six events.
The results included Spiros Christos, 23rd place - Boys 4K; Magnus Granger, ninth place - Boys 3K; Elliott Lock, 15th place - Girls 3K; and Jubilee Simfukwe, ninth place - Girls 2K.
In addition to club and team scoring, the event scores the races by the athlete’s home state based upon the first seven athletes. Dani Rastrelli, 43rd place in the Girls 4K, took the State Runner-Up designation for the Girls 4K event.
Sully Boren finished 41st in the Boys 3K after passing several runners in the final 150 meters of the race. Eli Swinehart - 97th and Luke VanderBie - 185th, ran personal bests in the 4K distance, and Gracie Boren - 56th, Anya Puthucode - 167th and Hadley Campbell - 182nd, took advantage of the races fast pace at the 4K distance.
WR2 has one final meet on the schedule, competing at the Nike Cross Regionals in Terre Haute next weekend. The elementary and middle school runners will compete on Saturday, and the high school girls crew will compete on Sunday.
WR2 would like to specifically thank Grace College for allowing use of their track facilities for numerous workouts, Coach Daren Granger for leading the practices and meets and Coach Pete Bieghler for assisting with the training plans.
The sport of track and field continues to grow at a fast pace in Warsaw, as well as the state of Indiana, and the group is continuing to look for ways to support this growth.
In addition to the summer distance program, WR2 hosted a 4-day high jump clinic for middle school athletes, and looks to provide additional opportunities throughout the winter months in a variety of track and field events.
For additional information on how to become involved with WR2, reach out to [email protected]
WR2 is a recognized 501(c)3 organization, with any donations received used to offset fees and travels associated with the programs.