.png)
BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS
Sports Editor, RTC
Mackenzie Rogers won the 400 meters and Kennedy Corn won the discus to help lead the Pioneer girls track team to a third-place finish at the Northwestern sectional Tuesday.
Pioneer scored 74 points. Western topped the 13-team field with 105 points. Runner-up Northwestern had 93.5.
Rogers and Violet Montgomery will participate in three events each at the Kokomo regional on May 24. Rogers will be in one individual event and two relays while Montgomery will be in two individual events and one relay.
Sophomore Anna Shewalter and freshman Keirsten Nies will participate in two events each.
Rogers, a sophomore, won the 400 in 1:03.13, which was a 1.49-second margin over runner-up Chase Hayes of Western. Shewalter was sixth in the same race.
Rogers also ran the anchor leg on the 4 x 400 relay team that was second in 4:21.67 and on the 4 x 800 relay team that was third in 10:31.70.
Montgomery was second in the 1,600 meters in 5:42.35 and third in the 3,200 meters in 12:06.55 and advanced in both. She will be the No. 13 seed in the 1,600 and the No. 11 seed in the 3,200 at the regional.
Montgomery also joined freshman Makenna Strycker, Shewalter and Rogers on the 4 x 800 relay.
Shewalter and Nies also joined Rogers and sophomore Blair Grigsby on the 4 x 400 relay.
Nies also advanced after placing second in the high jump with a clearance of 4-10.
Corn, a senior, improved from seventh in the discus at last year’s sectional, which was held at Western. The top six finishers at last year’s sectional were all seniors. Corn threw a 93-1 at last year’s sectional but improved that mark to 104-11 this time. Western’s Kendall Rhees (101-3) was the only other thrower to break 100 feet.
Corn did not advance in the shot put, where she placed seventh.
Other Pioneer athletes to place included freshman Michelle Harding, who was fifth in the 200; freshman Rachel Harding, who tied for fourth in the high jump; Grigsby, who was eighth in the long jump; and the 4 x 100 relay, which consisted of Nies, Rachel Harding, Grigsby and Michelle Harding and took fifth.
The top three athletes in each event earned automatic berths in that event at the Kokomo regional on May 24. The next four best performances in each event from those sectionals that feed into the regional – Mishawaka, Warsaw and Bremen are the other feeder sectionals – also advanced.
Northwestern girls track sectional results: Western 105, Northwestern 93.5, Pioneer 74, Kokomo 63, Maconaquah 63, Lewis Cass 49, Eastern (Greentown) 40.5, Tipton 39.5, Logansport 30.5, Madison-Grant 24, Peru 24, Taylor 10, Tri-Central 8
Scoring on 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis for all events
Regional qualifiers (top three) plus all Pioneer results
100 m
1. Hayes (WEST) – 13.22 seconds, 2. Korba (PERU) – 13.25, 3. Perry (NW) – 13.31, 14. Michelle Harding (PIO) – 13.53, 15. Rachel Harding (PIO) – 13.59
200 m
1. Ewer (M-G) – 26.87 seconds, 2. Castillo (KOK) – 27.14, 3. Korba (PERU) – 27.48, 5. Michelle Harding (PIO) – 28.24
400 m
1. Mackenzie Rogers (PIO) – 1:03.13, 2. Hayes (WEST) – 1:04.62, 3. Hansen (KOK) – 1:05.23, 6. Anna Shewalter (PIO) – 1:07.83
800 m
1. Moore (NW) – 2:26.02, 2. Rummel (EAST) – 2:31.81, 3. Shoaff (WEST) – 2:34.94, 9. Mackenzie Rogers (PIO) – 2:47.22, 10. Makenna Strycker (PIO) – 2:49.49
1,600 m
1. Moore (NW) – 5:32.92, 2. Violet Montgomery (PIO) – 5:42.35, 3. Kanta (EAST) – 5:45.90, 17. Kylie Jamerson (PIO) – 6:52.85
3,200 m
1. Moore (NW) – 11:41.98, 2. Adams (NW) – 11:52.50, 3. Violet Montgomery (PIO) – 12:06.55
100 m hurdles
1. Scott (LC) – 15.34 seconds, 2. Daniels (KOK) – 15.95, 3. Rathbun (WEST) – 16.74, 17. Blair Grigsby (PIO) – 19.17
300 m hurdles
1. Scott (LC) – 47.34 seconds, 2. Daniels (KOK) – 49.46, 3. Rathbun (WEST) – 50.74, 10. Keirsten Nies (PIO) – 56.99
4 x 100 m relay
1. Northwestern – 51.77 seconds, 2. Kokomo – 51.98, 3. Tipton – 52.04, 5. Pioneer (Keirsten Nies, Rachel Harding, Blair Grigsby, Michelle Harding) – 52.83
4 x 400 m relay
1. Western – 4:20.95, 2. Pioneer (Anna Shewalter, Blair Grigsby, Keirsten Nies, Mackenzie Rogers) – 4:21.67, 3. Lewis Cass – 4:24.64
4 x 800 m relay
1. Western – 10:24.80, 2. Maconaquah – 10:26.80, 3. Pioneer (Violet Montgomery, Makenna Strycker, Anna Shewalter, Mackenzie Rogers) – 10:31.70
Long jump
1. Bishir (NW) – 16-4 ¾, 2. Campbell (TIP) – 16-3, 3. Daniels (KOK) – 15-11 ¾, 8. Blair Grogsby (PIO) – 14-8 ¼
High jump
1. Hale (NW) – 5-0, 2. Keirsten Nies (PIO) – 4-10, 3. Ankrum (TIP) – 4-10, t-4. Rachel Harding (PIO) – 4-8
Discus
1. Kennedy Corn (PIO) – 104-11, 2. Rhees (WEST) – 101-3, 3. Bruno (EAST) – 96-5, 18. Maggie Steffel (PIO) – 68-2 ½
Shot put
1. Miller (LC) – 32-9 ¼, 2. Richmond (EAST) – 31-8 ½, 3. Stewart (T-C) – 30-7, 7. Kennedy Corn (PIO) – 28-8, t-19. Maggie Steffel (PIO) – 23-8
Pole vault
1. Roesler (MAC) – 9-6, 2. Nord (MAC) – 9-6, 3. Parr (WEST) – 9-0, t-10. Hayley Malchow (PIO) – 7-0, t-13. Makenna Strycker (PIO) – 7-0
Mackenzie Rogers Kerrsten Nies Violet Montgomery
