Published: May 07, 2008 07:41 pm            

County schools finish strong at HCC

FISHERS — As the Hoosier Crossroads Conference (HCC) girls’ track meet came to a close Tuesday, neither Avon or Brownsburg had captured a conference championship.

That all changed after the final two events.

In the 3200-meter run, Avon senior Lorna Whaley added another accomplishment to her high school career, winning the race in 11:16.81 despite being seeded fifth.

“It’s very exciting,” Whaley said. “I’ve never won a conference championship before, so I’m pumped.”

For Brownsburg, the 4x400 relay team of Allison Weimer, Haley Miller, Haley Johnson, and Kirsten Gaerke turned in an impressive performance in the night’s final event, pulling off a win from the second seed in 4:02.66.

Weimer took control of the race with a standout run in the third leg.

“She ran third and she put it away,” Brownsburg coach Chad Neal said. “That’s what a girl like that does. She has two bad races, gets it out of her mind, comes back, and puts Haley (Miller) in a perfect position to win the race.”

After finishing behind Brownsburg in its last two meets, Avon took fifth place Tuesday with 63.83 points, while the Bulldogs placed seventh with 56.33.

“We set a lot of personal records today,” Avon coach Stephanie Chenoweth said. “Everyone’s improving from field events to running events — we’re all improving. So it’s great, a perfect time to improve.”

Meanwhile, Brownsburg will try to regroup for the sectional meet next week.

“The day didn’t go well, there were some bright spots,” Neal said. “It’s not what the girls wanted and it’s not what I wanted, but we have time to get back in the groove for sectionals.”

Westfield won the meet with 131 points, edging out Hamilton Southeastern, which scored 129.

For Avon, Whaley also impressed in the 1600, placing second with a time of 5:10.11.

“She’s an amazing leader on and off the track,” Chenoweth said. “I can’t ask for a better senior, and with her winning a lot and pushing the girls to be the best, it’s really great.”

The Orioles had many solid performances from freshmen — Briscney Fleming set the Avon school record with a long jump of 16 feet, 11 inches; Caselyn Harding was fourth in the pole vault (9 feet, six inches); Megan Westell placed fifth in the 100 (13.30) and sixth in the 200 (27.58); Rachel Lucas finished sixth in the 400 (1:01.12); and Maya Nagy was sixth in the 800 (2:26.52).

For Brownsburg, aside from her contribution to the Bulldogs’ winning 4x400 relay team, Weimer placed third in the 100 (12.95) and fourth in the 400 (1:01.04).

The Brownsburg 4x800 relay team of Rio James, Miller, Jenny Gleissner, and Haley Wittig (9:58.65) and the 4x100 relay team of Morgan Miller, Johnson, Mikyla Houston, and Kenya Owens (51.34) both finished fourth; Gaerke placed third in the 400 (1:00.30); Owens finished fifth in the 200 (27.40); and Haley Miller placed fifth in the 800 (2:25.95).

“I told the girls, this is probably top to bottom one of the better conferences in the area, maybe even the state,” Neal said. “Westfield, Hamilton Southeastern, and Zionsville — those are great teams and that’s where we want to get. We compete with them in some events, just not on a consistent basis, and that’s what we’ve got to strive to do.”

todd.taylor@flyergroup.com

        

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