Warsaw Track Teams Headline NLC Meet
WARSAW – It’s a foregone conclusion that both the Warsaw boys and girls track teams will win their respective Northern Lakes Conference Meets tonight.
The only real question is how big will the margin of victories be for the hosts.
The pair of loaded Tiger teams host the annual affair this evening at the Tiger Athletic Complex after dominating their league foes in head-to-head competition this spring.
The Warsaw boys team of coach Matt Thacker went a perfect 7-0 to run its NLC win streak to 20 in a row dating back to 2011.
The girls squad of coach Scott Erba also raced through the league slate at 7-0. The Warsaw ladies have now won at least a share of the NLC title for the last eight years.
Thacker, always the gracious winner, expects to see the same high level of performance from his veteran team.
“I know the effort will be there,” said Thacker last week after seeing his team complete its NLC season with wins over Goshen and Elkhart Memorial at Memorial. “I just want to see the same concentration we’ve had.
“I want us to continue to take the same humble approach that we have all season. This is not the first rodeo for a lot of our guys that’s for sure. I hope to see some special things from them Tuesday night.”
The No. 8 Tigers have been special all year since Mother Nature finally cooperated. Warsaw, which won the sectional and was runner-up to Penn in the regional in 2012, has been on a roll after having its first three meets of the season cancelled due to the awful weather early on this spring.
Thacker has a deep and talented lineup, led by senior stars Jake Poyner and Robert Murphy in the distance events. Poyner, who will run at Wake Forest, and Murphy, who is headed to Vincennes, have been sensational. Murphy clocked in at 1:54.95 to win the 800 at Memorial last week, the second fastest time in the state this season. Poyner has been dominant in the 1,600.
Warsaw has plenty of firepower all over the track and in the field events. Among those to watch are sprinter Wyatt Jones, hurdlers Taylor Cone and Ryan Goon, high jumper Stephen Kolbe and Seth Fouts in the shot put. Fouts, in his first meet this season last week, uncorked a throw of 56-03. The Tigers also count on the likes of Gabe Furnivall, Chad Goon, Tristan McClone and Nate Kolbe.
Erba’s girls team has just continued its run of success. The Tigers, even without defending state champion Ashley Erba, have dominated this spring.
“It has been our goal to win the outright NLC title all season and we are looking forward to making that a reality,” said coach Erba. “We have been blessed with great training and racing weather lately so we are eager to see some great efforts and performance results. We have been able to spread our depth throughout the line up so we have more rested athletes and we also give a lot of girls quality big meet experience for future seasons.”
“Our main goal is to be healthy from mental and physical standpoints,” Erba remarked. “Our season has been one challenge after another and to finally get all of these important meets in a row is great but also requires that the athletes believe in what they can actually do; they need to know without a doubt when they step to the start line, onto the runway or into the ring that they have done everything possible to prepare for this moment and then be excited to show it.
“Our success over the past eight years is not based on wins and losses. It is a result of doing the right things the right way everyday. For the athletes’ perspective, it is something that they embrace and work for because they know a tradition has been established and it is something they want to uphold. I believe it says a lot about the nature and mindset of the girls and the staff to consistently produce outstanding results year after year with a constantly changing roster.”
The Tigers are led by the likes of Sarah Ray, who has had a stellar senior season in the distance events in her first season running track. Warsaw also counts on big time talents in sprinter Ann Harvuot, along with Tennie Worrell and Jackie Ferguson on the track. The Tigers have plenty of standouts in the field events too, including Claire Hickerson in the pole vault, Sam Alexander in the long jump, Jamie Lacheta in the high jump and Sam Jensen in the discus.
Action tonight at the NLC Meet starts with field events at 5 p.m. at Warsaw. The 4 X 800 relay final kicks off action on the track at 6 p.m. The girls races will be contested first, with the boys events to follow.