Kokomo Tribune - Wednesday, October 10, 2006

Panthers win title for fourth straight year

MARION — Western sophomore Jenn Elliott was looking to bust out.

Although the outspoken leader of the team has had no trouble producing for the Panthers thus far in 2006, Elliott was ready to make a statement.

The heir apparent to former teammate Annina Gruber, two-time defending individual champion, Elliott grabbed center stage for herself in Tuesday’s Marion Sectional, winning going away with a time of 15 minutes, 27.6 seconds and propelling Western easily to a four-peat of the team title with 50 points.

“I came into the meet really looking forward to running as hard as I could,” Elliott said. “I haven’t gotten my times down as well as I wanted to this year, so it took a little while but I got it down where I wanted it. I was pretty happy with that.

“I learned from Annina that you always give your best. You can’t leave anything out there and I definitely did that [Tuesday].”

Marion was second in the meet with 84 points, followed by Eastbrook (95), Kokomo (110) and Oak Hill (126). Those five teams and the top 15 individuals advance to the Marion Regional on Saturday at the same Indiana Wesleyan University course.

Elliott grabbed the lead around the midway point from Kats senior Adrienne Shepherd and Golden Eagles freshman Courtney Moses and turned on the jets down the stretch.

“Jenn just mastered the course,” said coach Dana Neer. “She did exactly what we wanted her to do, which was run behind or even [with the lead] and then hammer it back in the turns. She did great.”

Moses wound up second in 15:30.9 and Shepherd was third in 15:32.7.

Elliott got help from junior Katie Hollingsworth (4th), Kiley Camp (14th), Lacey Myer (15th) and Kelsey Durr (19th). Elliott said this year’s squad had a lot to prove with the loss of three top runners from 2005.

“All our team has worked a lot harder this year than I think we have in the past,” she said. “I’m only a sophomore, so I’m not sure, but we’ve gotten really close.”

And don’t expect a reprieve any time soon. Elliott is one of three sophomores for the Panthers as well as two freshmen. Vanessa Lorenz, a part of all four sectional titles, is the team’s only senior.

“I thought it was probably our poorest start of the year,” Neer said. “We came off slowly and got sandwiched, but they came through masterfully. It was a solid race for us [Tuesday].”

Shepherd expected a good finish, although Moses was able to pass her as the two sprinted home.

“She came out of nowhere,” Shepherd said. “She surprised me.”

Nicky Parry was another all-sectional runner for Kokomo in fifth place. Hailey Butchart was 21st, Laura Aleshire was 39th and Kellie Miles was 45th.

Northwestern was a disappointing sixth with 134. The Tigers were eight points shy of a regional berth that would have been their seventh in a row.

“Our [No.] 3 runner came up sore two days ago,” said coach Dave Stevens. “We were hoping she could go [Tuesday] and she ran hard, but she came in behind normally our fourth runner and I think we gave up eight or nine points, so that was our trip to the regional.”

Northwestern did advance two individuals, Jennifer Claudio (6th) and Nicki Hendricks (12th).

“Nicki Hendricks had a phenomenal race [Tuesday] — probably way under her personal-best,” Stevens said. “I’m really proud of all their effort. We had two in the top 15 and I’m proud of that, but I’m sad for my two seniors. They really wanted to go on.”

Tipton individuals Megan Harper (7th) and Eroica Stackhouse (8th) both will advance to Saturday’s regional.

Boys Sectional

MARION — That a coach would call his team’s sectional championship victory undeserved doesn’t come as a surprise.

That it would be in cross country and not a major team sport like basketball or football does.

Runners are almost robotic in their predictability — train ’em for the big meet, stick ’em in the lineup and watch ’em post their best times of the season. At least that’s the way Kokomo coach Ricke Stucker saw it after his Wildkats outran the Marion Sectional field here Tuesday.

Stucker likes to throw around personal-best efforts the way a baseball player throws around his batting average. In his eyes, Kokomo struck out.

“We only had three out of seven [run their personal-bests], and at sectional you need seven out of seven,” Stucker said with all honesty. “That’s what we do, year after year, but this year they didn’t do it.

“It had to be mental, because I’m in charge of the physical [preparation] and I’ve been doing this a day or two, so they weren’t ready mentally.”

The Wildkats tallied 59 points, with their top five runners among the top 16 finishers. In contrast, runner-up and defending champ Oak Hill (66) copped the top two spots but fell quickly to 12th, 24th and 27th for their top five. Marion (86) was third, with three runners among the top six finishers, but the host Giants dropped off to 31st and 40th to complete their scoring.

Ryan Perry typified Kokomo’s day. The senior who has led the Kats all season led again Tuesday, but he was unimpressed with his seventh-place finish. Perry said it was going to be a long bus ride back to Kokomo.

“Honestly, this is the weirdest feeling I’ve ever had,” Perry said. “I don’t feel like we won it but we still got it done. My legs just weren’t there [Tuesday].”

This is Kokomo’s first cross country sectional title since 2000.

“We’ve won sectionals in track and that’s the only [championships] I’ve experienced, and we won the [North Central Conference] last year, but it’s great to get [the sectional championship] this year,” said Perry.

Brandon Sheline was eighth for the Kats, Devin White was 13th, Cameron Cunningham was 15th and Ian Holtson was 16th. Stucker credited Sheline, White and Tony Robinette (24th) with quality efforts, and gave kudos as well to the Golden Eagles and Giants.

“Brandon Sheline, Devin White and Tony Robinette — those people are really the ones that helped us win,” Stucker said. “Marion deserved to win; Oak Hill deserved to win. We didn’t deserve to win, but we have a pack, and our pack really came through.”

The top five teams, which also include Western and Tipton, and the top 15 individuals all advance to Saturday’s Marion Regional right back at the Indiana Wesleyan University course.

Two of those individuals will be Northwestern runners Matt Ullmer and Kory Kennedy. The Tigers finished eighth as a team.

Ullmer finished third behind the Oak Hill tandem of Matt McClain (16:18.1) and Cameron Balser (16:31.3) with a time of 16 minutes, 36.4 seconds. Ullmer ran near McClain most of the race but was caught by Balser within the last 800 meters.

“I guess I probably went into the race with too much confidence,” the Tiger senior said. “I just kept telling myself I was the only one who could win it, but obviously not.”

Kennedy was ninth in 17:01.4. Northwestern coach Dave Stevens said the sophomore got help negotiating the course early on.

“Josh Gallaway and Jesse Bauson, they ran Kory to the front to make sure he could get through that big pack without any problems, and those two seniors sacrificed some of their own glory,” Stevens said. “That was great teamwork.”

The Panthers are back in the regional after a one-year hiatus. Sophomore Zac Martinez was 17th and freshman Kody Harmon was 19th, followed by Cory Scott (21st), Luke Minor (26th) and Alex Sigler (39th).

“[Our guys] faded a little bit and lost a few spots in the last [two kilometers], but that 17th spot through 39th was the key for us,” said coach Dana Neer. “Alex Sigler PR’d and really sealed the deal for us.”

The Blue Devils got an 11th-place finish from Brady Butler and a 23rd place from Levi Bess.