Tiger Cubs struggle, win county title

Wednesday, October 6, 2010
GHS runner Colleen Weatherford led all runners at Tuesday's county meet with a time of 20:33.

GREENCASTLE -- It wasn't necessarily the meet they were hoping for, but nonetheless Greencastle was able to come out on top in Tuesday's Putnam County Cross Country meet.

The Tiger Cubs were first with 17 points, followed by South Putnam with 42. Cloverdale and North Putnam posted incomplete scores.

GHS head coach Garry Anderson acknowledged his team didn't run its best Tuesday, but still was able to get the job done.

"Obviously we're pleased to win," he said. "This is one of those kinds of times where you say you won ugly and we did for us. This wasn't exactly the way we pictured it. I like the way our, like Megan Haynes ran a good race and it brought the back half up for us because Emily Gill is apparently having some health issues -- she's having some cramping in her legs. She's normally our strong horse. We count on her to be our No. 2 or 3 runner and have for the last two years, so that is very, very unusual for her.

"The rest of the girls ran reasonably well. We had a couple that didn't shine the way we hoped they wood, but for the most part, they all ran times comparable to their best times or within a few seconds," Anderson said.

Colleen Weatherford paced the field with a time of 20:33. Kayla Cash followed for Greencastle in third place with a time of 21:38. Paige Pickens was sixth in a time of 22-flat, with Abigail Wilson coming in eighth with a time of 22:31. Haynes ran a 23:33 to finish 11th.

As noted by Anderson, Gill struggled on the day, finishing in 15th place in a time of 24:26, with Cheyenne Fauvergue placing 16th in 24:53. Alex Stoffregen was 19th (25:43), Brooke Plummer was 20th (25:55), Jasmine Dwigans was 21st (26:36) and Katie Burns was 22nd (26:36). Olivia Humphreys rounded out the GHS runners in 24th place with a time of 30:36.

Anderson was more than pleased with the performance of his top runner.

"Colleen, a very, very nice race. She's was the conference champ last year and county champ this year now and she's got quite a string going for her."

Finishing second on the night was Cloverdale's Claudia Monnett with a time of 21:22. Teammate Nikki Routh was ninth in a time of 22:47 and Amillia Nally was 10th in 23:24. Cheryl Dean finished the day in 23rd with a time of 26:51.

Cloverdale head coach Katie Mosley beamed as she spoke of Monnett's second place finish.

"I was extremely proud of Claudia for getting that second place," Monnett said. " I couldn't have pictured a better race for her. She came around that first corner where it gets tight around that pole and the girls were really close and she took some elbows and that lit a fire under her. She just said 'if this is what's going to happen, I'm just going to pass you' and so she did it and she stayed up there. She's just having a great season and she's only a sophomore.

"She wants it and that's what sets her apart from the other girls and even some of the boys. She wants it and she's not going to stop. She's like a tiger out there sometimes. I'm just so proud of her," she said.

She said Routh was disappointed by finishing just outside the top seven. Mosley also said the team knows what they need to do for Saturday's conference meet and not having that fifth runner hurts the team.

South Putnam placed second on the night as a team, led by Mallory Glaze's seventh place finish in a time of 22:12. Miriah Cherry was 12th in 24:01 and Allison Guthrie was 13th in a time of 24:06. Mattie Varvel was 17th on the day with a time of 25:36, and Lyndsie Beasley was 18th in a time of 25:40.

North Putnam teammate Paxton Stephenson and Katie Douglas locked up early and kept pace toward the head of the pack throughout the race. The teamwork resulted in Stephenson finishing fourth in a time of 21:48 and Douglas placing fifth with a time of 21:51. Whitney High was 14th for the Cougars in a time of 24:09.

"I know Paxton and Katie were right up there," NPHS head coach Kevin Lutes said. "Paxton and Whitney, she's our third runner, this was their senior year, so I think emotions came into it a little bit. They (the team) did well. They got to see where they are now, in county, and I think that will gear them up a little bit more for Saturday's race."

Weatherford, Cash, Pickens, Monnett, Stephenson, Douglas and Glaze were all named All-County for the event.

The teams will be back in action Saturday at South Putnam for the West Central Conference meet. The action begins at 10 a.m.

At South Putnam

Putnam County Meet

Team Scores

1. Greencastle 17, 2. South Putnam 42, 3. Cloverdale Inc., 4. North Putnam Inc.

Individual Results

1. Weatherford (GHS) 20:33, 2. Monnett (CHS) 21:22, 3. Cash (GHS) 21:38, 4. Stephenson (NP) 21:48, 5. Douglas (NP) 21:51, 6. Pickens (GHS) 22:00, 7. Glaze (SP) 22:12, 8. Wilson (GHS) 22:31, 9. Routh (CHS) 22:47, 10. Nally (CHS) 22:47, 11. Haynes (GHS) 23:33, 12. Cherry (SP) 24:01, 13. Guthrie (SP) 24:06, 14. High (NP) 24:09, 15. Gill (GHS) 24:26, 16. Fauvergue (GHS) 24:53, 17. Varvel (SP) 25:36, 18. Beasley (SP) 25:40, 19. Stoffregen (GHS) 25:43, 20. Plummer (GHS) 25:55, 21. Dwigans (GHS) 26:08, 22. Burns (GHS) 26:36, 23. Dean (CHS) 26:51, 24. Humphreys (GHS) 30:36