Warsaw Claims NLC Crown

DUNLAP - Team week turned into team championship week for Warsaw Thursday night. The Tigers shook off two-time defending champion Concord over the final half of the NLC Championship meet to win their first conference meet championship since 1992 and just their second since 1986.

Warsaw dominated the sprint events as Jon Hill took first in the 100 and 400, and Shawn Mudd added a first place in the 200. Jose Esquivel (100), Derrick Duncan (200) and Mudd (400) all followed those performances up with third-place finishes.

The Tigers scored 148 points to knock off Concord (110) and NorthWood (81). Plymouth ended with 51 points, Goshen had 48, Northridge had 32 and Wawasee ended last with 26.

"One of the first thing coaches look at is distribution of points," Warsaw head coach Troy Akers said. "We had only two zeroes in different events."

Warsaw didn't score in either the pole vault or the high jump, but still scored 29 points in the field events, third overall.

"We had a superb outing in the field events," Akers, who was later named NLC Coach Of The Year, said. "We had a surprise, at least to everyone else, in the discus. Shepherd jumped 22 feet in the long jump. If he does that, he'll be jumping at state."

The surprise in the discus was Steve Fribley, seeded fifth in that event, winning with a toss of 134-7. He grabbed one of nine Tigers' first-place finishes. Take just those performances, and Warsaw still ended second with 90 points.

"We don't have great athletes," Akers said. "We have good ones, and they were able to spread the wealth tonight. We knew on the track with Concord it would be a dogfight."

For most of the night it was just that as the Tigers led the Minutemen after seven events 63-62. By that point it was already just a two-team race as Plymouth was a distant third with 29 points.

But Concord lost momentum in the 400 relay when the Minutemen messed up a handoff and finished last. Warsaw was passed by NorthWood in the final 50 meters, but the Tigers still placed second in the event.

The following event was the 400 in which Hill and Mudd took first and third. Concord tried to make one last push by taking the top two spots in the 300 hurdles. However, Warsaw negated that in the very next event as Greg Seiss and Justin Rice placed first and second in the 800.

The Tigers were dominant despite running team leaders David Hoffert and Hill in just five events combined.

"On my mind all day was what to do with Hill," Akers said after the meet. "We decided to hold Jon, who was a No. 1 seed in the 200, out of it. It was the first time in my coaching career where I would either be the goat, or it would turn out right, based on one decision."

But that's why this was team week for Warsaw. Mudd took first in the 200, and Duncan filled into Hill's spot to place third. Hill then anchored a neck-and-neck 1600 relay in which he had just enough to outrun Concord's Brian Peterson.

Akers promised more changes for the sectional. Hoffert and Hill will be in more events and those individuals that usually compete in more events will do that.

"We've now shifted into our third season," Akers said. "There will definitely be lineup changes. Next week, it's all about advancing individuals."

Although Wawasee finished last as a team, there were some individual performances to note, especially for the future. Chris Lambert, just a junior, set a new school record in the 300 hurdles with a time of :39.3, good for fifth overall. Jeff Moerchen, also a junior, went under 10 minutes in the 3200 relay for the first time this year and Rustin Mikel, another junior, had his personal best in the 800. Finally, freshman Pete Melendez took sixth in the 3200 with a time one second quicker than the runner who took second place last year in the event.

"Next year, we'll get payback in the distance events," Wawasee distance coach Ron Wichern said. "We've got to get a little speed somewhere. You can't manufacture speed."

Sectional will take place Thursday as Warsaw, Wawasee and NorthWood will all be at Goshen.