Girls find end of the line at track regional

Thursday, May 27, 2010

WEST LAFAYETTE -- It was a night of coming tantalizingly close for the Greencastle girls' track team.

In track regional, the top three finishers advance to the state meet. The Lady Tiger Cubs had two fourths, with Colleen Weatherford fourth in the 800 and the 400 relay team of Kelsey Grzesiek, Paige Pickens, Brittany Girton and Laura English placing just out of advancing.

The freshman Weatherford was the hard-luck finisher in a great 800 that saw the top four finishers within 1.12 seconds of one another. Westfield's Bre'anna Smith won the race with a 2:18.02, followed by Brownsburg's Veronica Goduto (2:17.81), Lafayette Jeff's Esther Tirado (2:18.02) and Weatherford (2:18.65).

Finishing just over a half second from the state meet is tough to swallow, but with three years ahead of her, Weatherford's future looks bright.

The GHS 400 relay team was in a similar situation, as its time of 50.96 was just 0.29 seconds behind West Lafayette's third place run.

Besides the two fourth places for the Tiger Cubs, the county's next best finish came from North Putnam's Sam Lucas in the shot put. The freshman, who was a surprise to even make it out of sectional last week, unleashed a throw of 35-feet-8.25-inches, finishing behind two seniors and two juniors.

GHS also had a ninth place from English in the 200, 15th from Girton in the 200, 11th from Abigail Coffin in the 300 hurdles and 15th from Hannah Deer in the discus. The GHS 1,600 relay team of Erika Davies, Emily Gill, English and Weatherford was 11th, while the 3,200 team of Gill, Sara Culler, Ivonne Martinez and Weatherford placed ninth.

Cloverdale's Mariah Oetken was the only other Putnam County competitor, She finished with no height in the high jump.

At West Lafayette

IHSAA Girls' Track Regional

Individual Results (Putnam County only)

200 -- 9. Laura English GHS 27.26, 15. Brittany Girton GHS 28.24

800 -- 4. Colleen Weatherford GHS 2:18.65

300 H -- 11. Abigail Coffin GHS 50.52

400 R -- 4. Greencastle (Kelsey Grzesiek, Paige Pickens, Girton, English) 50.96

1,600 R -- 11. Greencastle (Erika Davies, Emily Gill, English, Weatherford) 4:21.93

3,200 R -- 9. Greencastle (Gill, Sara Culler, Ivonne Martinez, Weatherford)10:23.50

HJ -- -- Mariah Oetken CHS No height

SP -- 5. Sam Lucas NP 35-8.25

Disc -- 15. Deer GHS 93-11