TERRE HAUTE – Sure coach Scott Erba wanted his warsaw team do well Saturday, but in a lot of ways the 33rd annual girls cross country state finals served as a glimpse into the future for the 17th-ranked Lady Tigers. Run on the LaVern Gibson Championship Course in Terre Haute, the Lady Tigers posted a five-person score of 503 points and finished 21st out of 24 teams. Warsaw's seven-runner lineup featured a freshman, four sophomores and two seniors. “I wanted the girls to watch the awards ceremony and think about their goals for next year,” said Erba, who has turned the program around and guided it to a third-straight apperance in the state meet. “This is a powerful teaching tool,” continued Erba. “I hope it hits home in their minds, watching the teams go up on the podium.” Freshman Allison Miller, who has led the Lady Tigers the majority of the season, led them again on Saturday. She covered the 5K course in a time of 19:15, finishing 50th in the 208-runner girls race. “She had an outstanding race,” Erba said of Miller. “She PR'd today. This is a tough course, and she ran a smart race. To come to state and PR on this course as a freshman is impressive. She hung in there and finished strong.” Sophomore Brooke Rhodes (20:19) finished 128th for Warsaw, followed in the Lady Tigers' scoring lineup by sophomore Hannah Dawson (155th, 20:46), sophomore Emma Hayward (163rd, 20:50) and senior Madeline Hooks (181st, 21:13). Also for Warsaw, senior Alethia Burritt finished 183rd in 21:17 and sophomore Claire Kehler was 197th in 21:47. “Emma had a good race,” said Erba. “Alethia had one of her better races too. We have some girls now with a year or two years of experience competing in the state meet. That should be a big thing for us in 2014 and 2015.” Warsaw's season included titles in the Tiger Invitational, Culver Invitational. a second-place finish in the Northern Lakes Conference, championships in both the sectional and regional at Culver Academies, as well as a fourth-place finish in the 20-team New Prairie Semistate. The young Lady Tigers accomplished those things in a team manner, making a habit of running in packs during meets. That was a drastically different style than in years past, when Warsaw relied on 2011 state champion Ashley Erba, who finished as state runner-up last year. Warsaw also graduated Sarah Ray, who only ran one year for the Lady Tigers but gave them a terrific one-two punch with Erba. “We knew it was going to be a different type of team this year,” said Erba. “I'm pleased to see how these girls worked together as a team and improved this year. “They were a very close-knit group. They improved and got more confident as the season went on, that's a big thing for us.” Carmel senior Kelcy Welch, who was also given the mental attitude award, won the individual title in a time of 17:53. Welch's effort also led the top-ranked Greyhounds to a fourth-straight team state championship, which they won with 76 points. Hamilton Southeastern finished second in the team standings with 122 points, followed in the top ten by Columbus North (141), West Lafayette (150), Avon (152), Penn (171), Carroll (180), Westfield (216), Zionsville (289) and LaPorte (344).
GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY STATE FINALS LaVern Gibson Championship Course (Terre Haute, 5K)
Team Scores – Carmel 76, Hamilton Southeastern 122, Columbus North 141, West Lafayette 150, Avon 152, Penn 171, Carroll 180, Westfield 216, Zionsville 289, LaPorte 344, Bloomington South 350, Twin Lakes 354, Franklin Central 365, Pendleton Heights 383, Portage 394, Northridge 398, Homestead 422, Terre Haute North 430, Floyd Central 454, Bloomington South 494, Warsaw 503, Lake Central 512, Huntington North 523, Jasper 528
Top 15 Individuals – 1. Kelcy Welch (Carmel) 17:53, 2. Mackenzie Caldwell (Col. North) 17:56, 3. Elena Lancioni (LaPorte) 18:03, 4. Rachel Nichwitz (Hamilton S'eastern) 18:04, 5. Taylor Nicholson (Avon) 18:06, 6. Madison Woods (Penn) 18:09, 7. Abigail Hostetler (Fremont) 18:18, 8. Jessica King (Hamilton S'eastern) 18:20, 9. Sarah Billingsley (Oldenburg) 18:20, 10. Alexandra Dalton (Greenwood Comm.) 18:23, 11. Sierra Lax (Col. North) 18:27, 12. Mary Abramson (Avon) 18:29, 13. Jenna Halderman (Northfield) 18:29, 14. Haley Harris (Carmel) 18:31, 15. Sierra Moore (Elkhart Memorial) 18:32
