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As the girls sectionals open today, a few area teams have aspirations of moving on to the regionals in one week. Although the three-year undefeated streak by Wawasee is over, the Warriors have still put together a 9-2 record and are one of the favorites to win the Warsaw Sectional. Manchester is coming off of a second-place finish in the Three Rivers Conference meet that could propel them to a good finish today at the Tippecanoe Valley Sectional.
No longer the favorite, Wawasee can play the part of hunter this year. Teams will not be focusing on knocking off the Warriors. NorthWood already did that. Wawasee's streak ended at 36 consecutive regular season wins with a loss to the Panthers earlier this year.
At the sectional today, Wawasee will rely on some freshmen to carry the scoring duties. Alisha Henderson, Angie Beer, Kim Reuter, Lisa Ummel and Staci Weisser have all seen opportunities to help the team. Add in a mix of seniors who had never lost at the high school level before this year, Alysha Aalbregtse, Aubrey Coy, Mandy McGuire, Sharada Nethaway, Stephanie Tarner and Kara Waldbeser, and Wawasee has the ingredients for success.
"We've struggled all year with injuries," first-year head coach Lisa Dilbone said. "But we have almost everyone back for the sectional, which will help."
The Valley Sectional will showcase four area teams - Triton, Whitko, Valley and Manchester. The Squires finished second at the TRC meet on the back of Tara Wion. Manchester took first place in three events, all of which Wion played a part in. She won the long jump and the 100. She also ran a leg on the 400 relay team, along with Dani Wion, Carmen Miller and Christa Michael.
The Squires have also relied on a group of freshmen and a group of seniors to propel them to a position of contending for the sectional title. Shay Knecht, Christy Markstahler and Adaku Onyeji have shown promise in their first seasons. Seniors Erin Groombridge, Christy Stephan, Dani and Tara Wion have all played large roles for Manchester.
The Warsaw Sectional and the Valley Sectional both begin today at 5:40 p.m. The top four individuals in each event and the top four relay teams will advance to the regionals on May 27.
Warsaw Sectional
Time: 5:40 p.m. (Fisher Field)
Teams: Bethany Christian, Concord, Elkhart Central, Elkhart Memorial, Fairfield, Goshen, Howe Military, Jimtown, Northridge, NorthWood, Warsaw, Wawasee
Valley Sectional
Time: 5:30 p.m. (Valley H.S.)
Teams: Argos, Caston, Culver Comm., CMA, Manchester, Northfield, Oregon-Davis, Plymouth, Rochester, Tippecanoe Valley, Triton, Whitko
