Warsaw freshman Allison Miller nears the finish line Saturday in the New Prairie Cross Country Semistate. Miller led the Tigers to a fourth place finish to earn a spot in the State Finals next Saturday in Terre Haute (Photos by Tim Creason)

By TIM CREASON

NEW CARLISLE – When the dust settled at Saturday’s New Prairie semistate girls cross country tournament, Warsaw’s top four finishers consisted of a freshman and three sophomores.

It’s not exactly a lineup you would expect to see at the IHSAA state finals.

But next weekend in Terre Haute, there they will be, Warsaw’s girls toeing the state meet starting line for a third consecutive year.

A fourth-place semistate team finish, keyed by Allison Miller’s 19^th-place individual effort, means the Tigers are traveling to the Wabash Valley Sports Center once again.

It’s not just that they keep finding a way to get there. The fact is: Warsaw’s program is growing to the point where they expect to be there.

“Some of our new girls, all they’ve heard is that we went down to state the last two years, so they get that expectation,” said Warsaw coach Scott Erba. “This is something we want to do every year; we want it to be a routine.”

To no one’s surprise, No. 3-ranked West Lafayette dominated the semistate, placing three runners among the top four and scoring a record low 32 points.

Only LaPorte senior Elena Lancioni, who won the individual title in 18:11.3, kept West Lafayette from snapping up all the blue ribbons.

LaPorte finished second with 116 points, followed by Portage at 126. Warsaw scored 167.

The top six teams advance to the state finals. Also advancing are the top 10 individual runners who are not part of a qualifying team.

Despite losing four key runners from last year’s squad, including semistate course record-holder Ashley Erba, Warsaw’s girls ran like veterans, positioning themselves at the front of the field early.

Senior Madeline Hooks sprints for the finish line for Warsaw Saturday.

The Tiger pack managed to hold together despite a cold, blustery wind that chilled spectators and competitors alike.

Miller led the way, pacing just behind the race leaders. She clocked 19:32.9 and was the fastest freshman in the meet. She also was the only freshman to finish in the top 20.

“It was good, I enjoyed it,” said Miller, who showed few nerves in her first semistate race. “It was a really quick start. The wind was pretty strong, but I pushed through it.”

A few steps behind came the real secret to Warsaw’s success. Brooke Rhodes, Hannah Dawson and Emma Hayward finished within a three-second span, placing 39^th, 40^th and 44^th, respectively.

More than anything, that sent the team to Terre Haute.

“Losing the girls we did from last year, we knew we would have a different look,” said Erba. “We knew we weren’t going to have that great frontrunner like we’ve had the last four years. So we really needed to work on packing it together. Our team motto all season was ‘pack it up,’ and today was just a fantastic day of doing that.”

A fast start was also critical. It is difficult to pass along New Prairie’s wooded trails.

“We were in great shape after the first thousand. That’s the best I’ve ever seen a Warsaw girls team get out,” said Erba. “By the end, they were hurting but they really pushed through to the finish line.”

Madeline Hooks – a senior – placed 59^th to wrap up the Tiger scoring. Claire Kehler then came home 107^th and Alethia Burritt 128^th.

Now, it’s on to state, where Erba said the runners won’t be sight-seeing.

“We do want to run the course and run well,” said Erba. “It’s something we want to get used to doing.”

IHSAA SEMISTATE GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY MEET

At New Prairie High School, New Carlisle 

GIRLS RESULTS

Team scores: West Lafayette 32, LaPorte 116, Portage 126, Warsaw 167, Lake Central 179, Twin Lakes 185, New Prairie 194, Valparaiso 196, Hobart 239, Crown Point 252, Seeger 259, Chesterton 293, West Lafayette 326, Munster 354, Western 398, Rochester 398, Winamac 435, Clinton Central 474, Hebron 477.

TOP 25 FINISHERS: 1, Elena Lancioni (LaPorte) 18:11.3. 2, Lauren Johnson (West Lafayette) 18:17.3. 3, Kristen Johnson (West Lafayette) 18:26.5. 4, Delaney Barber (West Lafayette) 18:35.1. 5, Madeline Lilly (Twin Lakes) 18:35.9. 6, Taryn Thor (Northwestern) 18:41.6. 7, Rachel Thompson (New Prairie) 18:42.1. 8, Celena Guerrero (Hobart) 18:45.7. 9, Anna Bearss (Rochester) 19:02.5. 10, Olivia Johnson (Harrison-Lafayette) 19:09.2. 11, Rachel Bales (West Lafayette) 19:10.9. 12, Mindy Whidden (Hobart) 19:12.8. 13, Mickayla Wenzel (West Central) 19:15.5. 14, Michaela Gazdich (Valparaiso) 19:17.9. 15, Grace Denton (West Lafayette) 19:19.8. 16, Kyleigh Werner (South Central-Union Mills) 19:25.3. 17, Kailee Schoof (LaPorte) 19:27.2. 18, Alison Mundell (Valparaiso) 19:27.5. 19, Allison Miller (Warsaw) 19:32.9. 20, Kelsey Tyler (New Prairie) 19:36.8. 21, Megan Zajac (Lake Central) 19:38.9. 22, Kelly O’Shea (Wheeler) 19:39.7. 23, Sarah Hunsley (Lake Central) 19:41.9. 24, Rebecca Timm (Portage) 19:43.6. 25, Carly Jones (Eastern-Greentown) 19:44.9.

OTHER WARSAW RUNNERS: 39, Brooke Rhodes 20:10.6 … 40, Hannah Dawson 20:10.9 … 44, Emma Hayward 20:13.7 … 59, Madeline Hooks 20:29.0 … 107, Claire Kehler 21:15.7 … 128, Aletheia Burritt 21:38.3.

Warsaw sophomores Brooke Rhodes and Hannah Dawson helped the Tigers place fourth in the semi state Saturday.