Lady Tigers Win Turtle Town TitleCHURUBUSCO – After a few close calls, the 15th-ranked Warsaw girls track and field team claimed its first Turtle Town Classic since 2008 Saturday in Churubusco. Competing in the Gold Division, the Lady Tigers took home the title with 117.5 points, while 13th-ranked Westview was second with 85.5. “We look at this meet, and next week’s at Kokomo, as a way to get a better feel for our postseason roster,” Warsaw coach Scott Erba said, referring to this weekend’s Kokomo Relays. “Not as many girls are traveling. It makes it a little more focused. There’s some great competition here. State champions, state finalists all over the place. We don’t typically get to see that on a week-in, week-out basis.” In the Black Division, the host Churubusco Lady Eagles took home the big trophy with 127.5 points, while Whitko was second with 78 and Manchester finished seventh with 51. “I had no expectations,” Whitko coach Gary Sims said. “We had a goal to try to (record personal bests) as many times as possible. We did get several places. The season is coming around for us. Everything is starting to fall into place.” For Warsaw, junior Ashley Erba posted wins in the 1,600 (5:08.35) and 3,200 (11:17.47), while also anchoring the winning 3,200 relay (10:51.54) with senior Brooke Kline, senior Lilly Fleming and freshman Ellie Bearss. The three events were the most she’s run in a meet this season, as she was filling in for junior Kristin Quick in the relay. “The other girls ran really well,” Scott Erba said about the relay. “That put her in a position where she didn’t have to push it and could be able to run out in the 1,600. We knew (the 1,600) would be more competitive, because there’s some really good athletes in that race, such as (Fort Wayne North Side senior Tiffany) Rauch (sophomore Samantha) Roush of Columbia City. They are quality milers.” Along with Ashley Erba in the 1,600, the event featured four other runners who finished in the top 20 last year at the state meet. In the race, Ashley Erba and Roush were neck-and-neck down the stretch, with Erba holding her off at the end, winning in less than a second. Warsaw’s 400 relay of senior Regina Anderson, freshman Mariah Harter, junior Brittney Rhodes and sophomore Ann Harvuot closed from third to first in the final 100 meters, winning in 51.27 seconds. “We’ve been working on exchanges, and it was great to see us put together three, solid exchanges,” Erba said. “We were running through and weren’t having to put the brakes on or get slowed down. This showed the girls, that when we’re running and making exchanges, we can be very, very competitive.” Getting the victory was big for Warsaw, not only to get an elusive championship in the meet, but as the team transitions into the next phase of the season. “For us, it’s about the trials and finals format,” Erba said. “It’s the first time we’re doing that, and it’s all things that can help us toward a great postseason.” For Whitko, its second-place finish was achieved by its 1,600 relay closing the meet with a first-place finish, overtaking Garrett in the overall standings. “There’s still some time we can shave off there,” Sims said. “I’m hoping to take them as far as we can (in the postseason). That’s looking good.” Warsaw and Whitko are both in action Tuesday, as the Lady Tigers host Goshen and the Lady Wildcats travel to Northfield, where they’ll also face Manchester.
