Area Athletes Earn Track Titles
GOSHEN – A quartet of area boys track individuals overcame the elements and the competition Saturday to claim championships at the Goshen Relays.
Fairfield and Carroll (Allen) claimed the team titles in the 73rd edition of the prestigious event, which was held in cold and wet conditions.
Warsaw, which is undefeated on the season, had a trio of champions to finish in sixth in the final team standings among 15 squads in Class A.
Rashaan Jackson sailed to the title in the long jump for the Tigers with a leap of 21-7.
The duo of Daniel Messenger and Owen Glogovsky each won a 1,600 race. Messenger was first in 4:40.26 and Glogovsky won his event in 4:31.46.
Whitko also had an individual champion in Class B. Walker Hobbs earned the shot put title with a throw of 50-9 1/2 to lead the Wildcats.
Wawasee, also competing in Class B, claimed the title in the 400 relay race. The foursome of Clayton Cook, JJ Gilmer, Cole VanLue and Tyler Courter won the event with a time of 45.57.
Warsaw had a second-place finish from its 4 X 400 relay team of Ross Armey, D’Andre Street, Landan Perry and Messenger in a time of 3:37.99.
The foursome of Rane Kilburn, Brandon Reinholt, Tommy Hickerson and Street placed third in the Sprint Medley Relay for the Tigers in 1:42.45. The 4 X 200 relay team of Hickerson, Perry, Reinholt and Will McGarvey also placed third in 1:38.28.
The 4x 800 relay team of Messenger, Glogovsky, Lucas Howett and Trent Thompson was fifth in 8:38.05 for Warsaw.
Jaceb Burish was fifth in the discus with a throw of 13-17 and Caleb Klusman sixth in the 110 hurdles in a time of 16.49 for Warsaw. Brock Riley was eighth in the high jump at 5-8 and Dylan Childers eighth in the shot put at 43-8 1/2.
Alex Morales was second in the 110 hurdles for Whitko in 15.08. Jacob Helton placed fourth in the pole vault by clearing 10-0 and Garret Elder was fifth in the 100 and sixth in the long jump for the Wildcats.
Cook earned a runer-up finish in the long jump for Wawasee with a best of 20-8. Gilmer was second in the high jump by clearing 6-1 and Hunter Jones placed fourth in the shot put with a toss of 43-6 for the Warriors.
Carroll won the Class A team title with 117.83 points. Goshen was second with 79, followed by Northridge (73), Elkhart Central (66), Penn (63.5), Warsaw (63.33), Elkhart Memorial (52), Fort Wayne North (51.83), Concord (40.5), Gary West (33), South Bend Adams (26), East Noble (18), Mishawaka (18), Fort Wayne Wayner (11) and South Bend Clay (10).
Fairfield claimed its sixth championship in the last seven years in Class B with 87 points. South Bend St. Joseph and Bremen tied for runner-up honors with 72 points each, West Noble was fourth with 65, followed by NorthWood (63), Jimtown (52), Wabash (51.5), Whitko (51), Wawasee (50), Culver Academies (49), Westview (49), Plymouth (43), Lakeland (42.5), Columbia City (41.5), Central Noble (32.5), LaVille (32), Mishawaka Marian (29), Prairie Heights (28), Garrett (26) and South Bend Washington (5).
The duo of Treyton Harris of Elkhart Central (Class A) and Mitch Dewitt of Fairfield (Class B) earned High Point honors. Harris won the high jump and ran on the winning 800 Sprint Medley Relay team, while Harris placed first in the long jump and ran on the first-place 800 relay team.
Warsaw will host Northridge and Wawasee will travel to Elkhart Memorial for conference meets Thursday. Whitko is back in action at Northfield Tuesday for a league meet.