Weatherford places third in 'Miracle Mile'

Monday, April 16, 2012

FRANKLIN -- Some might think of Friday the 13th as unlucky, but for one Greencastle runner it was anything but. Last Friday, GHS junior Colleen Weatherford ran in the "Miracle Mile" at Franklin Central and finished third. She was one of 55 runners entered in the event.

Weatherford's third-place finish time of 5:00.92 broke a school record which has stood since 1982 by just shy of 20 seconds.

"Weatherford worked very hard this spring to condition for this event as well as her own events for the track team," GHS head coach Garry Anderson said. "Since she had a track meet the night before with Monrovia and Owen Valley her normal events were cut short to allow her some recovery time for the event on Friday."

The Miracle Mile was made up of 55 of the best runners in the state. Many of them were IHSAA State qualifiers and place finishers from last season. Weatherford distinguished herself by placing third among those elite runners.

"This is really a mental boost for her for the remainder of the season including the preparation for the IHSAA tournament series," Anderson said.

Miracle Mile Top 10 finishers

1. Bethany Neeley Eastern (Greentown) 4:58.32; 2. Rachel Nichwitz Hamilton Southeastern 5:00.42; 3. Colleen Weatherford Greencastle 5:00.92; 4. Helen Willman Noblesville HS 5:01.47; 5. Ashley Erba Warsaw Comm HS 5:03.53; 6. Abby Hostetler Fremont 5:06.51; 7. Brittany Neeley Easterm (Greentown) 5:05.19; 8. Brenna Poulsen North Central (Indianapolis) 5:05.38; 9. Laura Bess Brownsburg High School 5:05.92; 10. Renee Wellman Carmel 5:07.65