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AKRON -ÊWith just a few events left to enter into the computer after the Tippecanoe Valley Track Sectional Tuesday evening in Akron, Viking head coach Terry Screeton knew the meet would be close.
"Last year we were second behind Plymouth," said Screeton. "But this year could be closer."
With just three events left to score, Culver Girls Academy was in first place, Valley was second and Plymouth was third overall.
Once the final events were tallied, the score was closer than last year, but the teams were different than first expected. CGA won the sectional with a 122, Plymouth was second with 102, and the Vikings were third with 82 points.
"I'm really happy with the girls tonight," said Screeton. "The times were not as good as they were Friday night at the TRC meet, but I am pleased with our placings."
Triton finished fourth in the sectional with 57 team points, while Manchester and Whitko tied for the fifth spot with 55. Rochester ended the night in seventh place after scoring 43 points, while Northfield (33), Caston (19), Culver Community (11) and Oregon-Davis (6) rounded out the field.
Laura Lash was Tippecanoe Valley's lone individual sectional champion, winning the 3200 with a time of 12:07.91. She also advanced to the Bremen Regional in the 1600, placing third overall with a time of 5:34.14.
Viking Emily Weaver will also make the trip to compete in Bremen after her second-place finish in the 100 hurdles and third-place finish in the 300 hurdles.
Heather Rathbun will also compete in a pair of individual events at the regional. Rathbun placed third in the 200 and fourth in the 400 to advance.
Megan Ramsey made the regional cut with a fourth-place finish in the shot put. She tossed the shot 32 feet to advance.
Valley will also send the 400 relay team of Beth Leckrone, Ashley Lindenmier, Weaver and Rathbun to Bremen to compete after its second-place finish.
Janelle Doody, Kristal Gearhart, Lindenmier and Leckrone placed fourth in the 1600 relay to advance to the regional as well.
Triton senior Terrin Meister helped lead the Trojans to their fourth-place finish with a pair of first-place finishes. Meister earned sectional-champion honors in both the 100 hurdles (16.89) and the 300 hurdles (47.84).
Trojan Carly Feldman also advanced to the regional in two events. Her throw of 34-feet 4.5 inches in the shot put was good enough for second place and a regional slot. She will also compete in the discus event in Bremen after placing fourth overall with a 101-9 toss.
Jenna Sell (3200), Bethany Clemens (100 hurdles) and Cally Feldman (shot put) will also represent Triton at the regional competition.
Whitko saw one individual win a sectional championship in Akron Tuesday evening. Angie Juricak ran the 800 in 2:25.74 to win the race and the sectional title.
Whitko will also send competitors to the regional in four other events as well. Jolene Reed was second in the 400 and Ashlyn Dilling finished fourth in the 100 hurdles, while the 3200 relay team of Lisa Wilkinson, Sara Shafer, Juricak and Kaley Lepper placed third and the 1600 relay team of Dilling, Juricak, Lepper and Reed was fourth overall.
While the Wildcats fared well in the sectional this year, the evening was bittersweet for coach Bill McIntyre.
"This could be it for me," said McIntyre, who was one of five Whitko teachers whose contracts were cut for budget reductions. "I am very happy with the kids. I like to think that in the past three years Coach (Mark) Rickert and I have taken the kids where they might not have gone by themselves. The girls have worked very hard this year."
Manchester will be represented in five events. Polly Poe led the Squires' sectional charge with fourth-place finishes in the 200 and the long jump. Erin Huntington (high jump), Cami Naragon (high jump), and Mercedes Lockhart (long jump) each earned a spot in the regional as well.
The Squire 400 relay team of Whitney Carver, Katie Knecht, Erica Lightle, and Lockhart as well as the 1600 relay team of Alan DeWitt, Tassy Winterrowd, Libby Pattison and Elaina Johns advance to the competition at Bremen.
TIPPECANOE VALLEY GIRLS TRACK SECTIONAL
Team scores - 1. Culver Academy 122, 2. Plymouth 102, 3. Tippecanoe Valley 82, 4. Triton 57, 5. Manchester 55, 5. Whitko 55, 7. Rochester 43, 8. Northfield 33, 9. Caston 19, 10. Culver Community 11, 11. Oregon-Davis 6
100 -Ê1. Ali Burroughs (P) 13.15, 2. H. Temi Adenji (CGA), 3. Meredith Baron (P), 4. Ruth Wojtkowiak (N), 5. Polly Poe (M), 6. Miranda Wilkinson (W), 7. Lindsay Wiley (V) 14.22, 8. Allison Osborn (CGA)
200 -Ê1. Burroughs (P) 26.84; 2. Kelly Norton (CGA), 3. Heather Rathbun (V), 4. Poe (M), 5. Olabisi Ibrahim (CGA), 6. Barron (P), 7. Wiley (V), 8. Wilkinson (W)
400 -Ê1. Adenji (CGA) 1:02.35, 2. Jolene Reed (W), 3. Wojtkowiak (N), 4. Rathbun (V), 5. Jacqueline Rooney (CGA), 6. Whitney Haupert (N), 7. Chirstine Joyce (R), 8. Tassy Winterrowd (M)
800 -Ê1. Angie Juricak (W) 2:25.74, 2. Julie Rodriguez (P), 3. Rochelle O'Neill (CGA), 4. Megan Field (Cas), 5. Katherine Hicks (CGA), 6. Kaley Lepper (W), 7. Megan Holzwart (P), 8. Janelle Doody (V)
1600 -Ê1. Rodriguez (P) 5:33.37, 2. Nan Hammel (N), 3. Laura Lash (V), 4. Ashley Clifford (CGA), 5. Hicks (CGA), 6. Schwenk (R), 7. Lepper (W), 8. Alana DeWitt (M)
3200 -Ê1. Lash (V) 12:07.91, 2. Clifford (CGA), 3. Jeanna Sell (T), 4. Schwenk (R), 5. DeWitt (M), 6. Catherine Raynal (CGA), 7. Emma Eilts (N), 8. Wilkinson (W)
100 Hurdles -Ê1. Terrin Meister (T) 16.89, 2. Emily Weaver (V), 3. Bethany Clemens (T), 4. Ashlyn Dilling (W), 5. Stephanie Quinby (P), 6. Kristen Osbon (Cas), 7. Lauren Kelly Livingston (CGA), 8. Evette Lengel (M)
300 Hurdles -Ê1. Meister (T) 47.84, 2. Livingston (CGA), 3. Weaver (V), 4. Quinby (P), 5. Ashley Lindenmier (V), 6. Taryn Holt (P), 7. Osbon (Cas), 8. Erica Lightle (M)
400 Relay - 1. Culver Academy 52.92, 2. Tippecanoe Valley (Beth Leckrone, Lindenmier, Rathbun, Weaver), 3. Plymouth, 4. Manchester (Whitney Carver, Katie Knecht, Lightle, Mercedes Lockhart), 5. Caston, 6. Triton, 7. Whitko, 8. Culver
1600 Relay -Ê1. Culver Academy 4:17.59, 2. Plymouth, 3. Tippecanoe Valley (Janelle Doody, Kristal Gearhart, Lindenmier, Leckrone), 4. Whitko (Dilling, Juricak, Lepper, Reed), 5. Northfield, 6. Manchester, 7. Rochester, 8. Caston
3200 Relay -Ê1. Culver Academy 10:18.45, 2. Plymouth, 3. Whitko (Wilkinson, Sara Shafer, Juricak, Lepper), 4. Manchester (DeWitt, Winterrowd, Libby Pattison, Elaina Johns), 5. Oregon-Davis, 6. Caston, 7. Northfield, 8. Rochester
High Jump - 1. Dale Heiser (C) 4-11, 2. Merry Horn (R), 3. Erin Huntington (M), 4. Cami Naragon (M), 5. Andrea Clampitt (V), 6. Reed (W), 7. (tie) Jenny Vinson (C), Doody (V), Emily Sauer (T)
Long Jump -Ê1. Kelly Norton (CGA) 16-1.75, 2. Lockhart (M), 3. Lindsey Overmyer (R), 4. Poe (M), 5. Wiley (V), 6. Wojtkowiak (N), 7. Jessica Miles (W), 8. Stephanie Quinby (P)
Shot Put -Ê1. Elaine Hessel (P) 35-10.25, 2. Carly Feldman (T), 3. Cally Feldman (T), 4. Megan Ramsey (V), 5. Andrea Morales (W), 6. Keisha Harris (CGA), 7. Shari Kensinger (OD), 8. Karla Coble (M)
Discus - 1. Cassie Grieves (R) 111-6, 2. Hessel (P), 3. Skyler Hoge (R), 4. Carly Feldman (T), 5. Harris (CGA), 6. Jenna McFadden (V), 7. Risa Marks (T), 8. Lisa Moore (V)
