Eagle boys down Bruins; girls struggle

Thursday, May 3, 2012
South Putnam's Klayton Vittetow (left) and Tyler Neumann posted identical times in the 110-meter hurdles in Wednesday's meet against Tri-West. Neumann was awarded the win, with Vittetow second with times of 17.64.

On a day when the thermometer crept to 90 degrees, the South Putnam boys' and girls' track teams battled the Bruins from Tri-West. The Eagles boys' squad heated things up, taking down the Bruins 93.5-32.5, while the girls' struggled to a second place finish 75-47.

Klayton Vittetow and Lane Franklin led the Eagles with two individual wins each on the night. Vittetow claimed the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 45.23 and the high jump with a height of 5-8. Franklin commanded the distance races, winning the 1,600-meter run in 5:03 and the 3,200-meter run in a time of 12-flat.

Hunter Barr won the 800-meter run in a time of 2:10, edging a Tri-West competitor by two seconds. Michael James took the top spot in the discus with a distance of 115-1, while Ryan Chestnut won the shot put with a toss of 41-11. In the pole vault, Trent Workman cleared 10-feet even to win the event.

South Putnam's Ariel Higgins won the long jump and the 300-meter hurdles during Wednesday's meet with Tri-West. Higgins jumped a distance of 14-3.

The race of the night came in the 110-meter hurdles. The raced pitted teammates Tyler Neumann and Vittetow as no Tri-West runner entered the race. The two runners got great starts and kept stride for stride with each other for the entire race. When the two Eagles crossed the line, they both had posted a time of 17.64. Neumann, however, was awarded the victory.

In the girls' meet, South Putnam fought against an uncharacteristic performance and had four girls earn victories.

Ariel Higgins captured two events, winning the 300-meter hurdles in a time of 52.35 and the long jump with a leap of 14-3. Deborah Cheatham won the high jump with a height of 5-feet even.

Airica Lambert won the 400-meter dash in a time of 1:55.4 and Jenna Geier won the pole vault with a height of 6-6.

South Putnam girls' head coach Brandon Welti acknowledged his team did not have the performance he would have liked to have seen.

"We did not run the greatest today. It was an off day," Welti said. "We had some bad weather lately, so we haven't been getting in the most ideal practices. So I'm not too happy with it."

Asked if just getting the practice time in would get things back in order, Welti said it would but it would take something more.

"A big part of it is just mental preparation. I think a lot of them weren't mentally prepared today and it showed," he said.

With the county, conference and sectional looming on the horizon, Welti said he hopes his team is able to refocus and get things ready to go.

South Putnam boys' head coach Carl Coons wasn't at the meet Thursday.

South Putnam will be back in action Tuesday as it hosts the Putnam County meet at 5 p.m.

At South Putnam

Boys' Results

South Putnam 93.5 Tri-West 32.5

(South Putnam results only)

110H -- 1. Neumann 17.64, 2. Vittetow 17.64

100 -- 2. Riner 12.25, 3. Lorian 12.43

1,600 -- 1. Franklin 5:03, 2. Lund 5:25

400 -- 2. Harris 59.19

300H -- 1. Vittetow 45.23, 2. Lorian 47.56, 3. Russell 54.06

800 -- 1. Barr 2:10, Freeman 2:24

3,200 -- 1. Franklin 12:00, 2. Lund 12:16

High jump -- 1. Vittetow 5-8, 2. Fiest 5-6

Long jump -- 2. Harris 17-10

Shot put -- 1. Chestnut 41-11, 2. James 41-1, 3. Franklin 40-6

Discus -- 1. James 115-1, 2. Chestnut 111-9

Pole vault -- 1. Workman 10-0, 2. Wilson 9-6, 3. Patrick 8-0

3,200 R -- 1. South Putnam 9:18

Girls' Results

Tri-West 75 South Putnam 47

(South Putnam results only)

100H -- 2. Cheatham 17.84,

100 -- 3. Farmer 13.75

1,600 -- 3. Egold 6:30

400 -- 1. Lambert 1:05.4, Cheatham n/t

300H -- 1. Higgins 52.35, 3. Ford 55.28

800 -- 2. Jones 2:52.1, 3. Lady 2:55

3,200 -- 2. Egold 14:11

High jump -- 1. Cheatham 5-0

Long jump -- 1. Higgins 14-3, Cheatham 13-7

Shot put -- 3. McHugh 27-10

Discus -- 2. Masters 81-1, 3. 75-8

Pole vault -- 1. Geier 6-6, 2. Cherry 6-0

3,200 R -- 2. South Putnam 12:04