By Colin Altevogt
Staff Writer
HUNTINGTON â??? On a day that will be remembered for one of the most unpredictable
NFL drafts in recent history, the Homestead
girls may have pulled the biggest surprise of the weekend.
The
unranked Spartans won the Lime City Relays with a score of 138 to outdistance
fifth-ranked Hamilton Southeastern (126), host Huntington North (106), 15th-ranked
Carroll (Fort Wayne)
(94), and No. 2 Fort Wayne
Northrop (88).
Katie
Veith, whose 13â??9â? clearing in the pole vault eclipsed her previous state best
by nearly a foot, was Homesteadâ??s
only individual champion. The Spartans did not place first in any relay or
individual event, instead relying on superior depth to shock two of the stateâ??s
top five teams.
Northrop,
whose focus rested on the Summit Conference meet just three days away, got
individual victories from Faith Sherrill in the shot put (41â??1.25â?) and discus
(136â??5â?). The Bruinsâ?? star, Tamara Adams, did not compete. Adams
holds state-best times in the 100-meter dash and 300-meter hurdles, two events
that were held at the meet.
Fort Wayne
Northâ??s Jessica Burnett took advantage of the absence, clocking â??12.97 in the
100 to defeat Adamsâ?? teammate, Allison Wims,
who finished in :13.03. Burnett had another close call in the long jump where
she defeated Hamilton Southeasternâ??s Michelle Harrison by half an inch.
Burnettâ??s effort of 16â??10.5â? qualifies for the outdoor leader board, as does Harrisonâ??s.
Carrollâ??s
Chelsea Blanchard, an All-Stater in the 3200 meters, was dominant in a pair of
distance-race victories. In the 3200, Blanchard employed the simple tactic of
running away from the field, covering the first 400 in a blistering 1:13 on her
way to a time of 11:15.06, the stateâ??s fifth-best performance. Blanchard
similarly broke the will of her competitors in the 1600, leading from start to
finish on her way to 5:15.48.
Carrollâ??s
4×800 meter relay ran 9:59.72 sans Blanchard, going mano a mano with South Bend Adams the entire race. Carroll lost a
similar duel to Hamilton Southeastern in the mid-distance medley
(400-800-400-800) earlier in the meet.
Northrop,
meanwhile, won three relays: the sprint medley (1:50.95), 4×100 (:50.73), and 4×400
(4:06.55).
Other
individual winners included Hamilton Southeasternâ??s Bailey in the 100-meter high
hurdles (:15.79), Southeasternâ??s Brittany Brand in the 300 low hurdles (:46.92),
and Huntington Northâ??s Traci Reed in the high jump (5â??1â?).
So
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