Northridge Wins Warsaw Track Sectional

In April at Fisher Field, Northridge's girls track and field team may have suffered its most disheartening loss, 62-61 to Warsaw.

In that meet, Northridge coach Sam Miller protested the results of the 200 dash, questioning the accuracy of the timekeeper, to no avail.

Officially, Northridge's Cassie Bjurstrom's time of 27.85 seconds was second to Warsaw's Claire Beckett, who won the race with a time of 27.78 seconds.

Unofficially, Miller saw it differently, but the times stood and so did Warsaw's one-point win.

The Raiders returned to Fisher Field twice this week for the Warsaw Sectional. Ten events were held Tuesday, and after thunderstorms postponed the rest of the meet, the final five events took place Wednesday.

This time, the Raiders made themselves at home at Fisher Field, winning the Warsaw Sectional with 128 points. Defending sectional champion Warsaw, the team Northridge lost to by one point in April, placed second with 112.5 points. Rounding out the team scores were Elkhart Memorial (93.50), Concord (66.50), NorthWood (64), Goshen (50), Wawasee (29), Elkhart Central (23.50) and Fairfield (17).

During the regular season, Warsaw was 7-4 overall and 5-1 in the Northern Lakes Conference, while Northridge was 7-2 overall and 4-2 in the NLC. Warsaw won the regular season dual meet, but at last week's NLC Tournament, Northridge placed second with 134 points while Warsaw was third with 101.

Warsaw coach Paul Boyd and Miller predicted the 10-team sectional would come down to their two teams. The meet followed their projections, and Boyd left feeling his team did everything it could do to win.

Northridge was simply the better team.

"I felt we hit everything we could hit," Boyd said, "and we hit beyond what we aimed for."

Northridge's trio of sophomore Bjurstrom, senior Natalie Ewing and sophomore Tiffany Brenneman again led the way.

Bjurstrom won the 100 (12.95 seconds), 400 (1:00.67) and placed second in the long jump (15 feet, 10 3/4 inches). Ewing won the 1600 (5:13.84) and 3200 (11:21.02). Brenneman won the 800 (2:19.39) and took second in the 1600 (5:17.93).

Ewing has failed to finish first in the 1600 only once this season. She has won the 3200 at every meet.

"With Natalie, Cassie and Tiffany," Miller said, "I always like our chances when we have those three in races. Those three have been unbelievable performers all year."

While those three are Northridge's big three, Boyd highlighted a couple of other key performances.

"I think the key for Northridge was Gail DeWilde," he said. "What she did in the high jump, taking second. In the NLC meet, she didn't jump that [4-8]. And Kayla Yoder got third for them in the 800."

At last week's NLC Tournament, DeWilde failed to place in the top eight, and Yoder didn't run in the 800.

Warsaw won four sectional events. Junior Kim Kurosky won the high jump (5 feet), and sophomore Beckett won the 200 (26.71 seconds).

Warsaw's team of Jessica Wehrly, Chelsea Boyd, Rachel Rondeau and Kurosky won the 3200 relay (9:54.84), and Jill Wehrly, Amy Robertson, Beckett and Rondeau won the 1600 relay (4:04.68). Warsaw's 3200 relay team beat second-place Northridge by four seconds one week after losing to Northridge by 13 seconds in the NLC Tournament.

Other top performers for Warsaw included Hillary Barlow, who took second in the 3200 (11:55.73) and third in the 1600 (5:29.09) and Heather Walenga, who placed fourth in the discus (105-9).

"Heather Walenga gave us big points in the discus, breaking the 100 [feet] barrier and taking fourth to go to regional," Boyd said. "She got sixth in the shot put. She had a good meet."

But symbolic of the way the meet went for Warsaw was Chelsea Boyd's time in the 300 hurdles.

"Chelsea Boyd in the 300 hurdles ran her best time (50.31 seconds) of the year," Paul Boyd said, "but the other girls were faster, and Chelsea placed sixth."

Wawasee's top perfomers were senior Erica Auker, who took third in the 300 hurdles (48.7 seconds) and freshman Brittany Winchester, who placed third in the 400 (1:01.4). Wawasee's 1600 relay team of Ashley Zumbrun, Lindsay Olson, Auker and Winchester also placed third with a time of 4:13.8.

NorthWood had two first places, Carol Duncan in the shot put (36-3) and Katie Chamberlin in the 300 hurdles (48.25 seconds).

The first-place team and the top four individuals or relay teams in each event advance to Tuesday's Bremen Regional.

In April, Northridge's track and field team quietly jogged its post-meet lap and left the field to board the bus after its one-point loss.

Wednesday's scene at the same field after the sectional was much different for Northridge, which last won the sectional in 1999.

Freshman Ellen Babcock wrestled her coach to the ground as teammates cheered. Then Northridge's athletes formed a circle in the center of the field and celebrated.

Now it's on to the Bremen Regional for Northridge.

WARSAW SECTIONAL

Team scores - 1. Northridge 128, 2. Warsaw 112.50, 3. Elkhart Memorial 93.50, 4. Concord 66.50, 5. NorthWood 64, 6. Goshen 50, 7. Wawasee 29, 8. Elkhart Central 23.50, 9. Fairfield 17

Scoring -Ê10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1

Top 4 individuals and relay teams advance to Tuesday's Bremen Regional.

3200 relay - 1. Warsaw (Kim Kurosky, Jessica Wehrly, Chelsea Boyd, Rachel Rodneau) 9:54.84, 2. Northridge 9:58.24, 3. Goshen 10:22.74, 4. NorthWood 10:39.84, 5. Wawasee 10:50.24, 6. Elkhart Central 10:56.74, 7. Concord 11:26.14, 8. Elkhart Memorial 12:11.44

100 hurdles -Ê1. Melissa Lunetto (EM) :15.90, 2. Kelly Hale (CON) :16.12, 3. Julie Jakubowicz (NR) :16.82, 4. Farrah Fleischman (NR) :16.87, 5. Jenny Russell (GOS) :17.20, 6. Erica Auker (WAW) :17.27, 7. Mackenzie Scheetz (WAR) :17.79, 8. Nicole Latham (GOS) :19.71

100 -Ê1. Cassie Bjurstrom (NR) :12.95, 2. Melissa Lunetto (EM) :13.12, 3. Amy Herkendoder (CON) :13.41, 4. Ashley Kitchens (WAR) :13.52, 5. Kim Love (WAR) :13.55, 6. Penny DeWilde (NR) :13.66, 7. Jamie Hughes (NW) :13.74, 8. Molly Robinson (EC) :13.87

1600 -Ê1. Natalie Ewing (NR) 5:13.84, 2. Tiffany Brenneman (NR) 5:17.93, 3. Hillary Barlow (WAR) 5:29.09, 4. Stacy Matteson (EM) 5:31.41, 5. Jennifer Finch (WAR) 5:45.93, 6. Catherine Bowen (CON) 5:48.33, 7. Cortnie Sandy (NW) 5:51.21, 8. Kristina Trcka (GOS) 5:55.59

400 relay - 1. Elkhart Memorial (Danielle Baker, Colette Berkel, Shaun McAllister, Melissa Lunetto) :50.63, 2. Warsaw :51.16, 3. Northridge :52.34, 4. Concord :52.43, 5. NorthWood :53.08, 6. Elkhart Central :54.17, 7. Wawasee :56.65

400 -Ê1. Cassie Bjurstrom (NR) 1:00.67, 2. Courtnee Falconer (CON) 1:01.27, 3. Brittany Winchester (WAW) 1:01.41, 4. Rachel Rondeau (WAR) 1:01.72, 5. Jill Wehrly (WAR) 1:02.68, 6. Kendra Ellington (GOS) 1:03.75, 7. (Tie) Nicole Blue (NR), Zorina Keyser (GOS) 1:03.86

300 hurdles -Ê1. Katie Chamberlin (NW) :48.25, 2. Kelly Hale (CON) :48.59, 3. Erica Auker (WAW) :48.76, 4. Melissa Lunetto (EM) :49.22, 5. Brittany Gangloff (FF) :49.28, 6. Chelsea Boyd (WAR) :50.31, 7. Sara Stump (NW) :50.84, 8. Jenna Yoder (EM) :50.91

high jump -Ê1. Kim Kurosky (WAR) 5-0, 2. Gail DeWilde (NR) 4-10, 3. Carol Duncan (NW) 4-10, 4. (Tie) Rebeka Schoolcraft (GOS), Mehgan Ray (EM), Erin Cook (WAR), Jenny Murr (EC) 4-8, 8. Jamee Firestone (NR) 4-8

long jump -Ê1. Shaun McAllister (EM) 16-5 1/2, 2. Cassie Bjurstrom (NR) 15-10 3/4, 3. Kasey Chamberlin (NW) 15-8 3/4, 4. Monica Larimer (GOS) 15-3, 5. Carrie Seifert (EM) 15-2 1/2, 6. Claire Beckett (WAR) 15-2 1/4, 7. Natalie Loucks (NW) 15-1 3/4, 8. Chelsea Boyd (WAR) 14-9 1/4

discus -Ê1. Stacey Gerber (FF) 117-6, 2. Sarah Homan (CON) 109-11, 3. Hayley Boling (EM) 107-5, 4. Heather Walenga (WAR) 105-9, 5. Francesca Anderson (EM) 104-4, 6. Kesley Hoover (FF) 97-11, 7. Amy Mast (NW) 96-3, 8. Ann Richardson (GOS) 95-7

800 - 1. Tiffany Brenneman (NR) 2:19.39, 2. Jenna Rozelle (GOS) 2:23.87, 3. Kayla Yoder (NR) 2:24.25, 4. Dominique Carmer (EC) 2:24.83, 5. Kim Kurosky

(WAR) 2:26.26, 6. Catherine Bowen (CON) 2:28.19, 7. Jessica Wehrly (WAR) 2:29.32, 8. Katie Juday (CON) 2:32.58

3200 - 1. Natalie Ewing (NR) 11:21.02, 2. Hillary Barlow (WAR) 11:55.73, 3. Josie Caton (GOS) 12:18.09, 4. Lynn Gruenewald (GOS) 12:18.34, 5. Stacy Matteson (EM) 12:24.97, 6. Kara Flemming (NR) 12:41.93, 7. Jennifer Finch (WAR) 12:44.38, 8. Kara Huff (NW) 13:18.82

shot put - 1. Carol Duncan (NW) 36-3, 2. Francesca Anderson (EM) 35-11, 3. Natalie Nunemaker (NW) 34-7 1/2, 4. Dynisha Jones (CON) 33-11, 5. Natasha

Mills (EM) 33-8 1/2, 6. Heather Walenga (WAR) 31 7 1/2, 7. Kim Hoover (WAW) 31-3 1/2, 8. Farrah Fleischman (NR) 31-3 1/2

200 - 1. Claire Beckett (WAR) :26.71, 2. Danielle Baker (EM) :26.94, 3. Jenny Murr (EC) :27.28, 4. Amy Herkendoder (CON) :27.50, 5. Penny DeWilde (NR) :27.61, 6. Kimberly Yoder (NW) :28.08, 7. Heather O'Dell (NR) :28.61, 8. Molly Robinson (EC) :28.62

1600 relay - 1. Warsaw (Jill Wehrly, Amy Robertson, Rachel Rondeau, Claire Beckett) 4:04.68, 2. Northridge 4:09.17, 3. Wawasee 4:13.87, 4. Goshen

4:17.67, 5. Concord 4:19.51, 6. NorthWood 4:25.97, 7. Elkhart Memorial 4:27.67, 8. Elkhart Central 4:28.03