County champs claim most WCC top seeds

South Putnam's Josh Sanders races for the finish in the final leg of the 400 relay at Tuesday's Putnam County track meet. Sanders and the Eagles won the event and go into tomorrow's WCC meet as the favorites.

For Friday's West Central Conference track meet, the four Putnam County schools will return to South Putnam, the site of Tuesday's Putnam County Meet. Most of the county champions will find themselves in familiar territory, with 20 individual champs coming into the WCC meet as top seeds.

In the girls' meet, county team champion Greencastle leads the charge with eight top seeds. Two-time county champion Hannah Serlin will attempt to equal the feat at conferences, where she holds down the top seed in both the 800 (2:27.70) and the 1,600 (5:27.00).

Laura Weatherford is the top seed in the 400 with a time of 1:00.00. Although Weatherford also claimed the county title in the 200, she finds herself the second seed to teammate Jamie Patterson, whose seed time is 25.80.

In field events, county long jump champion Bethany Schroeder (16-03.50) and pole vault champion Jennie Peart (8-09.00) have the top seeds at WCC.

Two Greencastle relay teams, the 400 and the 1,600 also hold down top seeds.

The South Putnam girls have three top seeds, two of which come from hurdler Shelby Johnston. Johnston's seed times of 16.45 in the 100 hurdles and 49.19 in the 300 hurdles are both tops in the conference.

The Eagle's Shannon Egold also has a top seed with a 13:06.00 in the 3,200.

Rounding out the county's top seeds is Clover-dale's Ashley Koosman in the high jump (5-04.00). Koosman actually finished second at county to teammate Brynlea Mat-tocks. Mattocks finds herself tied for the two seed with South's Johnston.

Monrovia has the other four top seeds in the girls' meet with their 3,200 relay team, Tiffani Dillon in the 100 and Nicole Pettijohn in both the discus and the shot put.

Greencastle also has most of the favorites in the boys' meet, with six top seeds.

Andy Weatherford is the favorite to win the 1,600 (4:13.00) and the 800 (1:56.90). While Weather-ford was county champion in the 1,600, he did not compete in the 800 at county. County champion Ty Buchanan, also of GHS, is the two seed behind Weatherford.

The Tiger Cubs' Mark Jedele is tops in the 3,200 with a time of 10:15.00. High jumper Jordan Lewis is tied for the top seed with Cloverdale's Christian Cheatham at 6-04.00.

Greencastle's 3,200 and 1,600 relay teams are also top-seeded.

In the third relay, the 400, South Putnam's county champion team claims the Eagle's lone top seed.

For Cloverdale, Cheatham holds the top seed in the high jump. Dylan Stone is favored in the shot put (48-05.00).

The Clovers' hurdlers claim the team's other two top seeds. Nick Keefer is tops in the 300 hurdles (42.30), while Kabe Mattocks is favored in the 110 hurdles (16.14).

North Putnam holds two top seeds, with Craig Wood (52.81) tops in the 400 and Jarrett Ban favored in the long jump (21-00.00). Right on Ban's tail, though, will be Greencastle's Joel Bottom, who actually defeated Ban at county.

Elsewhere, Monrovia claims three top seeds with Zach Brooks favored in the 100 and 200, and Jared Dillon top-seeded in the pole vault. Cascade's Evan Bernhardt claims the final top seed in the discus (152-06).

The 2007 WCC track meet is slated to begin tomorrow night at 5 p.m. at South Putnam.

West Central Conference Meet

Girls' Top Seeds

3,200 R -- Monrovia (Dorsett, McNelis, Riger, Hildenbrand, Porter, Shields) 10:33.50

100 -- Dillon (Mon) 12.20

100 H -- Johnston (SP) 16.45

200 -- Patterson (Gc) 25.80

1,600 -- Serlin (Gc) 5:27.00

400 R -- Greencastle (Clodfelter, Patterson, Soster, English, Shcroeder, Weatherford) 49.40

400 -- Weatherford (Gc) 1:00.00

300 H -- Johnston (SP) 49.19

800 -- Serlin (Gc) 2:27.70

3,200 -- Egold (SP) 13:06.00

1,600 R -- Greencastle (Clodfelter, Nichols, Serlin, Martinez, Schroeder, Weatherford) 4:13.20

LJ -- Schroeder (Gc) 16-03.50

HJ -- Koosman (Cl) 5-04.00

D -- Pettijohn (Mon) 111-08

SP -- Pettijohn (Mon) 38-08.75

PV -- Peart (Gc) 8-09.00

Boys' Top Seeds

3,200 R -- Greencastle (Buchanan, Humphreys, Weatherford, Cardoso, Jedele, Wilson) 8:24.72

100 -- Brooks (Mon) 11.10

110 H -- Mattocks (Cl) 16.14

200 -- Brooks (Mon) 23.00

1,600 -- Weatherford (Gc) 4:13.00

400 R -- South Putnam (Flora, Miller, Sanders, Kirklen, Riddell, Terry) 45.41

400 -- Wood (NP) 52.81

300 H -- Keefer (Cl) 42.30

800 -- Weatherford (Gc) 1:56.90

3,200 -- Jedele (Gc) 10:15.00

1,600 R -- Greencastle (Bottom, Deer, Miler, Cardoso, Humphreys, Weatherford) 3:37.13

LJ -- Ban (NP) 21-00.00

HJ -- (tie) Lewis (Gc) 6-04.00, Cheatham (Cl) 6-04.00

D -- Bernhardt (Cas) 152-06

SP -- Stone (Cl) 48-05.00

PV -- Dillon (Mon) 11-10.00