WINONA LAKE - Replacing Erica Ridderman, Warsaw girls cross country coach Jerry Gackenheimer said Tuesday, isn't an easy thing to do.
Freshman Ashley Erba sure is making it a lot less stressful on Gackenheimer, though.In her first-ever varsity meet at Grace College's Miller Field, Erba was just four seconds off Ridderman's course record, as the impressive youngster won the Tiger Invitational in a time of 19:07.
"Ashley Erba is a very impressive runner," Gackenheimer said of his young ace, who has also finished first this season at the Huntington North Invitational and the DeKalb Baron Classic. "She put in a lot of miles this summer. She ran over 300 miles this summer. She's a very hard worker. It's not easy to replace Erica Ridderman, but Ashley's doing a great job for us, and she's just a freshman. She's also a varsity cheerleader. She's just always on the go."
Ridderman, who now runs for the Indiana Hoosiers, won the sectional last year, finished second in both the regional and semistate meets and was 18th in the state meet.
Erba and teammate Cendall Ogle were the only runners in the 101-person field to finish the girls' 5K event in under 20 minutes Tuesday, as Warsaw's one-two punch of talented youth and steady experience led the Tigers to the team championship with 44 points.
Ogle finished second for the Tigers in a time of 19:43.
"Cendall Ogle is a very steady runner," said Gackenheimer. "She's the heart and soul of this team. She has the senior leadership that every team wants to have."
Eighth-ranked Huntington North finished second with 49 points, followed by Columbia City (55), NorthWood (102), Whitko (171), Northfield (197), Tippecanoe Valley (199), Peru (206) and Wabash (221).
Columbia City's Renee Menzie finished third individually, while Warsaw sophomore Brooke Kline was fourth in a time of 20:10.
"Brooke Kline is only a sophomore, and she's running awesome," said Gackenheimer. "She's getting better every practice, every meet."
Other runners included in Warsaw's five-person team score were 18th-place finisher Creigh Ogle (21:38) and 21st-place finisher Lilly Flemming (21:47).
Aubrey Smith led Whitko with a 15th-place finish in a time of 21:09, while Molley Wright was Valley's first finisher, crossing the line in a 22nd-place time of 21:57.
In the boys' 5K race, the top two teams were reversed, as second-ranked Huntington North won the team title with 25 points.
Seniors Ross Ochs (16:30) and Josh Graham (16:43) led Huntington North to the win by finishing first and second, respectively.
Led by senior Nate West's third-place time of 16:49, Warsaw finished second as a team with 54 points.
"We ran great," said Warsaw boys coach Jim Mills. "We practiced very hard (Monday) night. I'm surprised at how well we ran tonight. I'm very pleased with how we did. Huntington North is a great team. They're going to be fighting for a state championship."
Whitko was third with 95 points, followed by Northfield (108), NorthWood (124), Columbia City (172), Peru (196), Wabash (206) and Tippecanoe Valley (250).
Trevor Callahan (17:05) and Jeremiah Stichter (17:25) finished seventh and ninth, respectively, for the Tigers.
Warsaw's five-person score also included a 17th-place finish from Spencer Rheinhardt (17:44) and a 20th-place finish from Zach Hollopeter (17:48).
Brian Menzie led Whitko with a seventh-place time of 17:21, while Gunnar Kaiser paced Tippecanoe Valley with a 43rd-place time of 18:53.
TIGER INVITATIONAL
(Girls)
Team scores - Warsaw 44, Huntington North 49, Columbia City 55, NorthWood 102, Whitko 171, Northfield 197, T. Valley 199, Peru 206, Wabash 221
(listed are the five runners included in the team score)
