Last Tuesday, on one of the nicest evenings of the entire spring sports season, all five Grant County girls’ track and field teams represented themselves well in the 2019 IHSAA track and field sectionals at both IWU and Eastern High School.
At IWU, the Eastbrook Panthers finished in second place with 93.25 points – their second-best finish in school history. Shauna Singer placed first in the 100 meter dash with a time of 13.29, while Audrey Altum advanced in both the 100 meter and 300 meter hurdles with first and second place finishes, respectively, recording times of 15.64 in the 100 and 47.18 in the 300. Eastbrook freshman Emma Neargardner also advanced in the 100 meter hurdles with a third place finish of 16.07, as did the Panthers’ 4×100 and 4×400 relay teams.
Rachel Manning placed third in the high jump with a mark of 4’8”, Baylee Ditsler finished third in the shot put with a toss of 35’7”, and Jenna King placed second in the discus with a throw of 107’3”.
The Oak Hill Golden Eagles finished just behind Eastbrook with a score of 90. Mollie Gamble led the way in the running events, placing second in both the 1600 (5:09.48) and the 3200 (11:06.98), while Selah Jackson placed third in the 800 with a time of 2:29.68. The Golden Eagles’ 4×400 relay team placed first with a time of 4:15.59, while their 4×800 relay team finished second with 10:36.55.
In the field events, Taylor King was second in the pole vault with a mark of 8’6” and Adrianna Trexler was the second in the long jump with 15’ 1 ¼” inches.
Mississinewa finished in fifth place with a team score of 52, and was led by Carli Fones, who advanced in both the 200 and the 400. Fones placed second in the 200 with a time of 26.31, before winning the 400 with a time of 57.40. Beth Lucas advanced in the 300 meter hurdles with a first place finish of 46.88, while the Indians’ 4×100 relay team placed third with a time of 53.57.
Leilanu Jackson will be the lone Marion Giant represented in the regional after placing third in the discus with a throw of 101’5”, while M-G’s Payton Freel was the only Argyll to advance out of the Eastern sectional, winning the shot put with a toss of 40’ 11 3/4”.
