July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Fort's Stein starts strong (03/26/07)
FRHS girls track
Fort's Stein starts strong (03/26/07)
By By RAY COONEY-
VERSAILLES, Ohio - From the very start, Holly Stein was all business.
Stein, a Fort Recovery senior, showed why she has a chance to be standing on the state podium at the end of the season as the Fort Recovery girls track team opened the year Saturday at the Lady Tiger Classique. She dominated both the shot put and the discus, leading the Indians to a fourth-place finish in the White Division.
Fort Recovery scored 87 points at Versailles, solidly ahead of fifth-place Russia (76.5) and 19 behind third-place Fort Loramie. New Bremen finished first in the White Division with 154, and Ansonia was second with 130.
"This is the first time we've been at this invitational for years. ... At these big invitationals we just haven't had enough numbers, but this year we were able to bring a team here and we didn't do too bad," said FRHS assistant coach Jason Grieshop. "Fourth out of eight is a pretty good accomplishment for these girls."
Minster edged the host Tigers in the Blue Division 124-118 while Vandalia Butler scored 171 points to easily win the Red Division.
Stein, a state qualifier last season in both the shot put and discus, was the best thrower in the meet, and the division didn't really matter.
She was especially impressive in the discus, where she had set a goal of reaching 110 feet. She easily took care of that task, launching her second attempt of the day 114 feet, 2 inches.
No one else, in any division, even came close as the next best throw went just 102 feet.
Stein was equally solid in the shot put. After each of her first two attempts traveled 34 feet, 9 inches, she sent her third 35 feet, 11/2 inches.
That distance was good enough to win the White Division by more than 3 feet, and was again the best effort across all three groups.
Sophomore Annie Koesters finished fourth in both events, throwing 92 feet, 8 inches in the discus and 29 feet, 1 inch in the shot put.
"What Holly threw was better than everybody in all the divisions combined. To come out with a 114 is unbelievable," said Grieshop of the senior, who had never thrown farther than 110 feet before shattering her own school record four times at the 2006 regional and eventually setting the new mark at 119 feet, 2 inches. "It took us last year a long way through the season before we ever got to that level. To get there in the first meet of the year is a heck of a start."
Fort Recovery's other returning state qualifier, junior Mindy Vogel, added a pair of top-three finishes.
Vogel ran in second place through most of the 800-meter run, then took the lead as the top four runners turned the corner for the final 100 meters. But Amber Niekamp made a move from the outside and Vogel couldn't hold her off, finishing in second place by 21 hundredths of a second in 2-minutes, 34.12 seconds.
She also ran a strong 1,600-meter race, battling for second place most of the way before finishing third by less than a second in 5:50.33.
Tina Roessner trailed just behind Vogel in the 1,600 run, placing fifth in 5:56.95. The sophomore also gave the Indians their only other top-three effort of the day as she ran to third place with a time of 12:58.33 in the 3,200 run.
Junior Sam Bihn was fifth behind Roessner in the 3,200, finishing fifth in 13:47.95.
The meet was a career-opener for three other Indians who scored points in individual events.
Top among the newcomers was freshman Emily May, who narrowly missed a top three finish. She placed fourth in the 200 dash, just one hundredth of a second out of third place.
May also ran an excellent opening leg in the 4x400 relay, handing off the baton in first place. The Indians went on to finish sixth in the race.
"Emily May, I had no idea what she could do at the high school level," said Grieshop, "and she proved to me today that she's very capable."
Kelsey Brockman may well have been the surprise of the meet for the Tribe as she stepped into the 100 dash. The freshman made the finals and finished in fifth place, just one hundredth of a second out of fourth, in 14.65.
Beth Muhlenkamp, also a freshman, gave the Indians a sixth-place finish in the high jump as she cleared the bar at 4 feet, 8 inches.
"Kelsey was a replacement today," said Grieshop, "and she just stepped it up and ran great.
"She came out today and just really performed. ...
"We haven't done a whole lot of high-jumping in practice yet ... and (Muhlenkamp) jumped four-eight. That's not as high as she's gone in the past ... but to come out and go four-eight in your very first meet is a good first step."
Fort Recovery's best relay effort came in the opening event, the 4x800, where Bihn was fourth for most of the opening leg and handed off the baton in fifth. Amber Heitkamp and Roessner held the Tribe's position, and Vogel rallied on the anchor leg to pull the team back to fourth place in 11:01.34.
The Tribe finished fifth in the 4x200 relay and seventh in the 4x100.[[In-content Ad]]
Stein, a Fort Recovery senior, showed why she has a chance to be standing on the state podium at the end of the season as the Fort Recovery girls track team opened the year Saturday at the Lady Tiger Classique. She dominated both the shot put and the discus, leading the Indians to a fourth-place finish in the White Division.
Fort Recovery scored 87 points at Versailles, solidly ahead of fifth-place Russia (76.5) and 19 behind third-place Fort Loramie. New Bremen finished first in the White Division with 154, and Ansonia was second with 130.
"This is the first time we've been at this invitational for years. ... At these big invitationals we just haven't had enough numbers, but this year we were able to bring a team here and we didn't do too bad," said FRHS assistant coach Jason Grieshop. "Fourth out of eight is a pretty good accomplishment for these girls."
Minster edged the host Tigers in the Blue Division 124-118 while Vandalia Butler scored 171 points to easily win the Red Division.
Stein, a state qualifier last season in both the shot put and discus, was the best thrower in the meet, and the division didn't really matter.
She was especially impressive in the discus, where she had set a goal of reaching 110 feet. She easily took care of that task, launching her second attempt of the day 114 feet, 2 inches.
No one else, in any division, even came close as the next best throw went just 102 feet.
Stein was equally solid in the shot put. After each of her first two attempts traveled 34 feet, 9 inches, she sent her third 35 feet, 11/2 inches.
That distance was good enough to win the White Division by more than 3 feet, and was again the best effort across all three groups.
Sophomore Annie Koesters finished fourth in both events, throwing 92 feet, 8 inches in the discus and 29 feet, 1 inch in the shot put.
"What Holly threw was better than everybody in all the divisions combined. To come out with a 114 is unbelievable," said Grieshop of the senior, who had never thrown farther than 110 feet before shattering her own school record four times at the 2006 regional and eventually setting the new mark at 119 feet, 2 inches. "It took us last year a long way through the season before we ever got to that level. To get there in the first meet of the year is a heck of a start."
Fort Recovery's other returning state qualifier, junior Mindy Vogel, added a pair of top-three finishes.
Vogel ran in second place through most of the 800-meter run, then took the lead as the top four runners turned the corner for the final 100 meters. But Amber Niekamp made a move from the outside and Vogel couldn't hold her off, finishing in second place by 21 hundredths of a second in 2-minutes, 34.12 seconds.
She also ran a strong 1,600-meter race, battling for second place most of the way before finishing third by less than a second in 5:50.33.
Tina Roessner trailed just behind Vogel in the 1,600 run, placing fifth in 5:56.95. The sophomore also gave the Indians their only other top-three effort of the day as she ran to third place with a time of 12:58.33 in the 3,200 run.
Junior Sam Bihn was fifth behind Roessner in the 3,200, finishing fifth in 13:47.95.
The meet was a career-opener for three other Indians who scored points in individual events.
Top among the newcomers was freshman Emily May, who narrowly missed a top three finish. She placed fourth in the 200 dash, just one hundredth of a second out of third place.
May also ran an excellent opening leg in the 4x400 relay, handing off the baton in first place. The Indians went on to finish sixth in the race.
"Emily May, I had no idea what she could do at the high school level," said Grieshop, "and she proved to me today that she's very capable."
Kelsey Brockman may well have been the surprise of the meet for the Tribe as she stepped into the 100 dash. The freshman made the finals and finished in fifth place, just one hundredth of a second out of fourth, in 14.65.
Beth Muhlenkamp, also a freshman, gave the Indians a sixth-place finish in the high jump as she cleared the bar at 4 feet, 8 inches.
"Kelsey was a replacement today," said Grieshop, "and she just stepped it up and ran great.
"She came out today and just really performed. ...
"We haven't done a whole lot of high-jumping in practice yet ... and (Muhlenkamp) jumped four-eight. That's not as high as she's gone in the past ... but to come out and go four-eight in your very first meet is a good first step."
Fort Recovery's best relay effort came in the opening event, the 4x800, where Bihn was fourth for most of the opening leg and handed off the baton in fifth. Amber Heitkamp and Roessner held the Tribe's position, and Vogel rallied on the anchor leg to pull the team back to fourth place in 11:01.34.
The Tribe finished fifth in the 4x200 relay and seventh in the 4x100.[[In-content Ad]]
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