Published: May 10, 2008 12:20 am            

TRACK: Purple reigns over MIC

Northwestern sweeps boys, girls track and field crowns

BUNKER HILL — The Northwestern boys and girls track and field teams took advantage of a less-than-full-strength field at the Mid-Indiana Conference meet hosted by Maconaquah here Friday to claim both titles for their own.

The Northwestern boys outscored runner-up Hamilton Heights 106-100 while the Purple Tigers posted 131 points to outclass the girls field. The Huskies were runners-up there with 111.

Despite a lineup decimated by prom night — Friday’s meet was actually scheduled for Thursday before rain postponed the event one day — Western’s boys finished third with 96 points, followed by Eastern (70), Cass (67), Maconaquah (66), Peru (56) and Taylor (39).

Balance and consistency were the keys for both Northwestern teams, especially the boys, who captured only two victories and lost standout Cameron Bannon to an injury as he warmed up for the long jump.

While Kory Kennedy was winning the 3,200-meter run in 10:07 and Quintin Burkett was winning shot put with a toss of 46 feet, 51/2 inches, it was performances such as Jeremy Robison and Sam Freeman finishing 2-3 in the 800 meters, Kennedy and Freeman going 3-5 in the 1,600, Steve Vas and Ryan Pattison finishing 4-5 in the 400 and Brock Ford placing second in the discus and third in the shot that propelled the Tigers to the title.

There were many more heroes in the Tigers lineup, said coach Dave Stevens. All with a purpose in mind.

“Once they found out Cameron was gone they all rallied,” Stevens said. “I don’t know for certain yet but I’m sure there are personal-bests all over the place [Friday] night. They really rallied together and went after every point. I couldn’t be prouder of them.

“The throwers held their spots, we moved up a couple spots in high jump and got a couple spots in pole vault, which was a few points here and there. Elliott Mervis stepped in and ran his fastest 400 ever [while filling] Cameron’s spot in the 1,600 relay. The whole distance crew knew they needed to get another place to make up the difference.”

Heights’ Zach Copas was recognized as the meet’s high-point scorer for the boys. He captured the 100- and 200-meter dashes and propelled the 4x100 relay team to victory.

Bannon, who last week was the outstanding male athlete of the Howard County meet, would have challenged in the long jump and the 300 hurdles, as well as running a leg of the 4x400 relay team that finished second to Eastern.

“I can’t turn anybody in for the high-point scorer but I’ve got a whole bunch of them that scored points,” Stevens said with pride.

Patrick Lennon was Western’s individual spark plug. He won the 110 high hurdles in 16.03 seconds and was third in the 300 hurdles. Brad DiCarlo, in the absence of his upperclassmen teammates, won the 400 in 52.7.

Several of the Panthers did show up briefly before trading their running shorts for tuxedos. Alex Sigler was second in long jump with Kyle Brown fourth, and the 4x800 relay team of Kyle Young, Kody Harmon, Chris Love and Zac Martinez won in 8:26.2 before Young and Martinez headed for the exits.

Coach Marv Boswell was diplomatic about the decision several of his athletes, girls and boys, had to make between prom and the MIC meet.

The boys would have had a very good shot to regain the MIC crown they held for three years from 2003 to 2005 before Peru won the last two titles. Western’s first shot at redemption will be the Kokomo Sectional on Thursday.

“I’m real proud of my kids,” he said. “They played the best with the hand they were dealt. We had a lot of kids come out and perform well and we saw a lot of different things.

“Patrick, he was just on a mission from the start there. He came back after winning the 110 hurdles and ran his best time this year in the 300. I think he’s looking forward to next week and looking forward to what he can do in those events.”

Aaron Garretson was a double winner for the Bengal Tigers. He captured the 1,600 and 800 meters. Taylor’s Austen Conwell won the 300 hurdles and Eastern’s Kevin Jackson won pole vault with an effort of 13-6.

The Comets’ quartet of Ryan Martin, Drew Maple, Mitch Padfield and Brett Buckmaster won the 4x400 relay.

Northwestern girls shine

It wasn’t against a complete Western team, but the Purple Tigers were at their best Friday.

With four wins and a slew of placements in each event, Northwestern looked like a team warming up for a Madison-Grant Sectional showdown with the Panthers on Tuesday. Coach Mary Clem didn’t like not having Western at full strength.

“We actually like running against [the Panthers],” she said. “It’s good competition and it shows us where we are. I mean, we’ll take a win. It’ll look nice in the halls, but no, we like to run against them.”

The Purple Tigers won four events, including the ever reliable Megan Schubert and the 4x400 relay team of Kara DeFabritis, Lauren Brun, Lauren Dewhurst and Lindsey Sewell, more than 10 seconds ahead of the field in 4:16.

Schubert defended what has become hers and hers alone — the high jump, which she won at 5-6 — and was fifth in the 100 high hurdles.

DeFabritis won long jump with a leap of 15 feet, 101/2 inches, edging Western freshman Sable Staller by a half-inch, and the 4x800 relay team of Anna Sloss, Jennifer Claudio, Nicki Hendricks and Hannah Ault won in 10:23.9, their best time of the season.

Sewell was second in the 400 meters to Peru’s Shyann Szabo, the meet’s outstanding female, and Courtney Silvey was second for Northwestern in the 300 hurdles to Eastern’s freshman phenom, Zoe Wolfe.

Wolfe was third in high jump. Szabo also won the 200 meters and was second to Western’s Alleca Kerker in the 100.

Western’s Nikki McCracken, whose date for the prom had a track meet of his own on Friday, won pole vault with a meet, school and Kokomo Tribune area record jump of 10 feet, 33/4 inches. She was second in the 100 hurdles.

        

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