4/30/2008 1:24:00 AM
Van Wert and Lincolnview split girls' crown; Cougar boys continue dominance at county meet
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BY JOHN SNODGRASS
Times Bulletin Sports Editor
sports@timesbulletin.com
CONVOY - While the Van Wert boys continued their dominance at the the annual Van Wert County Track Meet Tuesday afternoon at Crestview High School, Lincolnview sent shockwaves through the territory by tieing Van Wert to claim a share of the program's first county crown.
"This is big for us," Lincolnview coach Matt Langdon said. "I intentionaly made this a big deal. We're going to spring board from this to the conference meet. ... This is the one meet I really make a big deal about, for obvious reasons. We're running against other county schools. With Van Wert being a Division II it's easy for us to get up for it. In a lot of ways we tend to always be the underdog and it's just good to come in here and perform well."
The Lady Lancers and Lady Cougars each collected 75.5 points on the night to split the title. Crestview placed third with 24 points. On the boys side of things the Cougars remained unscathed in county competition by scoring 86.5 points. Lincolnview was second with 60.5 and Crestview third with 27.
Tuesday was also an evening that saw eight county records either tied or broken. Six girls' records fell on a night in which a hearty wind and chilly weather helped propel area athletes to a slew of personal records and seasonal bests.
The race of the night came early on when Van Wert's Madison Moonshower edged Lincolnview's Sarah Korte in the 100 meter hurdles. Moonshower's 16.4 tied Jenny Gehres of Crestview's 2002 time.
"I was going strong at the beginning of the race," Moonshower said. "Then she (Korte) started getting a lead on me, because my feet were getting ahead of my body. So she started to get a lead on me and I really wanted to win it - I kept looking over - but I just tried to go faster and faster and I got her. I leaned in - I've never leaned in like that in a race, never before in my life - but I leaned into it and tried to get it."
Moonshower's finish provided her with a personal record. Korte placed second in the event with a time of 16.71. Van Wert's Jennifer Klausing placed third with an 18.27 and Lincolnview's Mary Smith was fourth with a time of 18.51.
Korte bounced back in the 300 hurdles, recording a winning time of 52.0. Smith was second with a 53.9 and Van Wert's Ashley Moore placed third with a time of 54.2. Moonshower rounded out the scoring with a time of 55.5.
Van Wert and Lincolnview battled all day, with both teams continually placing two athletes in the top four spots. In order to do that, Langdon had to jumble up his roster and ask certain things from his athletes.
"If we would have done our normal events we wouldn't have won," Langdon said.
The Lancer coach pointed out performances like Smith's in the 300 hurdles as examples of kids stepping up their game.
The biggest changes, however, came from seniors who were willing to step outside of their comfort areas.
Katie and Kylie Honigford - two of the area's best distance and middle-distance runners - took one for the team. Instead of using them in races their more comfortable with, Langdon placed Katie in the 200m. The senior responded by breaking Allie Clifton's 2003 record. Katie's time of 26.8 bested the former Cougars' time of 27.4. Katie also set a record in the 400m with a time of 1:01.0. That time bettered her older sister's (Chelsea Honigford) 2003 time of 1:01.1.
"It means a lot," Katie said of earning the co-championship in her senior season. "I know me and my sister have had to do a lot of things that we don't normally do. That's the one and probably only time I'll run the 200. It means a lot that we could even tie Van Wert who's a D-II school. That's all we talked about was beating them. ... We had a lot of other girls who stepped up today, which helped a lot."
Also placing in the 200m were Jo Thompson of Crestview with a time of 27.7, Calista Dowdy of Lincolnview with a 28.1 and Kaley Stanski of Van Wert with a time of 29.1. In the 400m Thompson again took second, this time with a time of 1:03.8 while Van Wert's Sarah Wuerwille was third with a 1:05.34. Lincolnview's Brittany Katalenas was fourth with a time of 1:07.14.
While Katie was off setting sprint records, Kylie was setting a record of her own. She recorded a new county mark of 5:27.6 in the 1600m, topping her record of 5:30 that she set just a season ago.
Kylie also placed third in the 3200m with a time of 13:25.60 and then committed the track equivelant of suicide by running the fastest leg of the Lady Lancers' winning 4x400m relay team, just one race later. In the relay the Lancers recorded a time of 4:19.87.
"After the mile (1600m), I actually got really sick and I puked," Kylie said with a smile. "So, I wasn't feeling too good for the two mile (3200m) and I was supposed to run the (800m), but I wasn't feeling real good so I didn't. Then I ran the two mile and I just ran it to score points, beacause I knew I wasn't going to do as well because I didn't feel good. Then I went up to him (Langdon) and he was going to have another girl run the 4x4 and I was like, 'Well, I'll try and run it,' because being one of the faster girls on it, I wanted to win. And I knew we had a chance to win the meet. So, I just really wanted to do it for the team, so we could get first."
Following Kylie Honigford in the 1600m was Van Wert's Lauren Taylor with a time of 5:31.28. Lincolnview's Jordan Reynolds was third with a time of 6:03.85 and Van Wert's Taylor Greve was fourth with a time of 6:11.04.
In the 4x400, Van Wert was second with a time of 4:25.91 and Crestview was third with a 4:31.55.
Though Taylor came up short in the 1600m, she didn't disapoint in the 3200m. The Lady Cougar smashed Katie Bagley's (Van Wert) 2004 record of 12:02 with an 11:53.45.
"I felt really good today," Taylor said. "I felt like I was running faster than I was, but it was a good time for me - I haven't broken 12 (minutes) yet this season - so it's exciting to that finally. I've been working harder this year than in the previous years, so to break it sooner than I have is always a good thing."
Taylor's finish tied her personal record from a season ago. Lincolnview's Taylor Borrof was second in the event with a time of 13:11.10 while Van Wert's Erika Davis placed fourth with a time of 13:33.60.
In the meet's other distance/middle-distance event, Van Wert's Madison Riethman won the 800m with a time of 2:27.80. Reynolds was second with a 2:48.60 for Lincolnview and Kelci Crawford placed third for Van Wert with a 2:50.60. Emily Osting was fourth for the Lady Lancers with a time of 2:54.50.
Rounding out the sprints was Dowdy for Lincolnview with a 13.48 in the 100m. Van Wert's Morgan Smelser was second (13.98) while Lincolnview's Kelsey Clemons was third (14.09) and Van Wert's Becca Dull was fourth (14.33).
In the relay's Van Wert took first in the 4x100 with a time of 55.90 while Lincolnview was second at 59.42. Crestview was third at 1:02.63. The Lady Lancers' 4x200m relay team won with a time of 1:53.54 while Crestivew was second at 1:56.47. Van Wert was third with a 2:00.28.
In the 4x800m Van Wert took first (10:41.29) and Lincolnview second (11:29.76).
The field events saw even more county records fall as Van Wert's Jade Osenbaugh dispatched Shea Dietrich's (Crestview) 2004 record of 110-feet-6 in the discus with a toss of 110-8.
"You can tell when it's going to be a good throw," Osenbaugh said of her record-breaking third throw of the day. "Because it just comes out of your hands and you just have that feeling that 'this is the one' and this is the one that's going to place me."
Osenbaugh's sling was her best so far this season. Her personal record occured last year with a toss of 112. She feels that her strong showing Tuesday is a catalyst for things to come.
"Winning at county meet is one thing that every participant looks forward to," she said. "It's a big showing and this is the place you want to do your best at before you do anyting else, because you know that if you compete good here that everyone is going to know about it - and it's something that you really need to boost your confidence and self-esteem when you go into the (postseason)."
Osenbaugh was followed by teammate Hannah Phlipot in the discus, as Phlipot recorded a throw of 99-11. Crestview's Mimi Gilbert (94-3) and Sammy Overmyer (81-5) placed third an fourth respectively.
Phlipot and Osenbaugh flip-flopped in the shot put as Phlipot won that event with a put of 36-10 and Osenbaugh placed second with a 30-7.5. Lincolnview's Bridget Bear and Sarah Medford rounded out the top four with throws of 29-5.5 and 28-10.5.
In the jumping events, it was Van Wert's Natalie Hood taking first in the high jump, clearing 4-6. Lincolnview's Dowdy took second with a jump of 4-4.01 while Crestview Rachael Hall was third clearing 4-4.
Lincolnview's Kaite Fickert and Van Wert's Kristin Lantz split a point as they tied for fourth, clearing 4-2.
In the long jump Crestview's Natalie Frey was first with a leap of 14-11.13. Van Wert's Kandace Stanski was second with a jump of 14-2.25 while Casey Patterson of Linconview recorded a 14-1.38. Riethman earned Van Wert a point with her jump of 13-9.25.
The girls' pole vault saw the final county record of the day go down.
Crestview's Keri McClure broke her own pole vaulting record of a year ago (8-7) with her clearance of 9-feet, Tuesday evening to take home the county crown.
"My goal coming in was to get to 9-feet," McClure said. "I've been stuck at 8-6 for the past couple of meets. ... Coming in I knew I was going to get. I felt so good today and everything was working out."
McClure said she felt a sense of relief when she cleared the height on her third try.
"I was really hoping for it, the adrenaline was pumping."
The victory height gave her a new personal record.
Personal records are something that were seen a lot on the boys' side of things Tuesday. County records weren't.
There was one standout performance on the boys side, however, as Cougar Sam Tindall tied Darren Wood's (Van Wert) 2004 100m time of 11.10. Van Wert's Corbin Branson took second (11.50) with Lincolnview's James Brake (11.6) and Austin Miller (11.8) rounding out the top four.
The Cougars were flat out dominant, winning 13 of th 17 boys events.
In the 110m hurdles, Tim Hoverman was first with a time of 16.20 while Lincolnview's Kirk Bonifas was second (16.30) and Crestview's Nathaniel Rogers (16.80) and Nick Lippi (19.30) took third and fourth.
Bonifas won the 300m hurdles (42.9) while Rogers (43.1) was second and Crestview's Zack Merkle third (44.9). Hoverman was fourth (48.20).
In the sprints, Cougar Kirtis Cavelage was first in the 200m (23.0) while Brake was second (24.77) and fellow Lancer Tyler Miller was third (24.78). Ryan Gent of Van Wert was fourth (25.30).
Van Wert's Blake Davis won the 400m with a time of 54.3 and Lincolnview's Tyler Dunn was second with a 56.3. Gent was third with a 57.4. Mark Brake took fourth for Lincolnview with a time of 59.0.
In the 800m Aaron Bagley placed first with a time of 2:06.9 and Crestview's Michael Thompson was second with a 2:09.4. Lincolnview's Caleb Baucom (2:11.4) and Van Wert's Jacob Bagley (2:16.01) rounded out the top four.
In the 1600m, Jacob Bagley won with a time of 4:53.78 and Lincolnview's Seth Wisener was second with a 4:57.20. VW's Brian Easley placed third (5:03.08) and Crestview's Matt Bittner (5:04.09) was fourth.
Cougar Kenton Holliday won the 3200m with a time of 10:15.30 and Wisener was second at 10:39.5. Easley took third (11:12.6) with Crestview's Garret Glecker in fourth (11:13.9).
In the relays, Van Wert took the 4x800m with a time of 8:57.68 and Lincolnview was second with a time of 9:25.40. Crestview recorded a 9:38.23. The 4x200m had the same finishing order with times of 1:37.07, 1:40.08 and 1:40.93. As did the 4x100m. Times were - 45.2, 48.0 and 52.8.
Nothing changed in the 4x400m with times of 3:40.99, 3:46.25 and 3:46.77.
In the field, Van Wert's Ross Thatcher swept the throwing events.
Thatcher recorded a throw of 137-8 in the discus and a 44-8.5 in the shot put.
Lincolnview's Jared Runyon was second in the discus with a thorw of 136-9 and Crestview's Matt LaRue was third with a 134-10. Colton Short of Crestview was fourth with a 112-0.
Short was second in the shot with heave of 43-6 and Lincolnview's Preston Cunninghma third with a 38-10. Van Wert's Adam Custer was fourth with a 36-2.
The high jump was won by Jordan Simpson of Lincolnview with a 5-10 and Crestview's Thompson was second with a 5-8. Lincolnview's Austin Miller and Van Wert's David Rackster tied for third with jumps of 5-4.
In the long jump Zach Kierns of Van Wert launched himself 17-6.38 for the win. Jared Perrot of Crestview was second (16-11.38) and Van Wert's Hoverman third (16-8.63). Baucom placed fourth for Lincolnview with a jump of 15-11.75.
In the pole vault Austin Miller of Lincolnview won, clearing 11-0, while Tyler Miller helped the Lancers to a 1-2 start with a 9-6 vault.
Mac King of Lincolnview and AJ King of Lincolnview were the real third and fourth, both clearing 9. But due to meet laws, Caleb Johnson of Crestview was third with a clearance of 8-feet.
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