Jay girls, SA boys win

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The Starfire girls won twice as many events as the Patriots.

But it was the depth of the home team that helped it to the victory.

Despite two Starfires combining for more individual wins, the Jay County High School girls track team edged South Adams to take first place in a three-team meet Tuesday.

The Patriots totaled 74 points, just two ahead of defending Allen County Athletic Conference champion South Adams. The Flying Jets of Adams Central were a distant third with 11 points.

“Overall I thought it was a good meet right out of the box,” said JCHS coach Brian McEvoy. “Obviously for the conference championship South Adams is your benchmark. They are solid from top to bottom. Across the board, you have to develop that.

“I don’t think we are a perfect team but we have to be perfect together and fill those gaps and fill those holes.”

South Adams’ boys totaled 69 points to finish first, ahead of Jay County (60) and Adams Central (20).

“It’s still a work in progress,” Anderson said of his boys. “We have some kids that we’re still trying to figure out where their best position is.

“I love their attitude. I love their willingness to jump in and do what’s needed.”

The Jay County girls swept the throwing events behind a pair of upperclassmen. Gwen Omstead, a junior, had a distance of 30 feet, 9 inches, to win shot put, and Taylor Muhlenkamp tossed the discus 97 feet, 3 inches, for first place.

“We always talk about field events as like stealing points,” McEvoy said. “People don’t see it on the track but it’s a big difference at stealing points at the end. “They did a good job across the board.”

Jay County’s other wins came in the 100- and 200-meter dash events as well as the 4x100 relay. Sophomore Calli Stigleman was the fastest 100-meter sprinter in 13.62 seconds, and freshmen Kinsey Shannon had a time of 27.62 seconds to win the 200 dash. It was the first race victory of Shannon’s career.

Karlie Bullard, Renee Omstead, Lucy Laux and Stigleman combined to win the 4x100 relay in 55.21 seconds.

Addie Wanner, a South Adams senior, and sophomore Kallee Patch combined for six of the Starfires’ 10 event wins. Wanner accounted for four of those, as she was first in the 100 hurdles (15.89 seconds), 300 hurdles (53.72 seconds), high jump (5 feet, 2 inches) and the long jump (15 feet, 4 inches).

Patch dominated both of her races, winning the 800 run by more than 10 seconds in 2 minutes, 28.94 seconds, and taking the 1,600 run by 36 seconds in 5:28.

“She’s been really big for us,” Anderson said of Patch. “You saw in the (1,600) and the 800 she’s not afraid to just tear it out and see who wants to go with her. She’s pretty steady with it. It’s not like she’s killing herself over the first 200 and hanging on. She’s strong.”

Also getting individual wins for South Adams were Olivia Von Gunten (400 dash – 1:05.6) and Eliza Harruff (3,200 run – 13:17.26). The Starfires’ meet-opening 4x800 relay team of Olivia Von Gunten, Isabel Von Gunten, Megan Miller and Patch won in 10:56, while the same four capped the meet by finishing first in the 4x400 relay in 4:36.41.

Six different Patriots earned victories for the boys. Noah Harris had a time of 17.69 seconds to win the 110 hurdles, and he was second to teammate Isaac Robbins in the 300 hurdles. Robbins had a time of 45.19 seconds.

Nathanael Day and Matthew Paquette gave Jay County a clean sweep of the short sprints. Day was first in the 100 dash in 12.09 seconds, while Paquette won the 200 dash in 25.82 seconds. Gavin Randall placed first in both high jump (5 feet, 2 inches) and long jump (17 feet, 1.75 inches), while Skyler Myers (3,200 run – 11:11.95) also picked up a win.

Jay County’s 4x100 relay team of Logan Duran, Day, Paquette and Randall had a time of 49.08 seconds to finish first.

South Adams’ boys got two wins apiece from Victor Vasquez and Lars In’t Groen.

In the 1,600 run, Vasquez moved into first place with 500 meters to go and was first in 4:59. He also overtook Jay County’s Tayler Smeltzer 50 meters into the second lap of the 800 run and got the victory as Smeltzer dipped back to third.

“That’s a pretty smart (800) on his part because a night like tonight there’s not a big break between events,” Anderson said. “You can expend a little less energy at the start and still be right there at the front of the race. It’s still not a bad strategy.

In’t Groen didn’t throw exceptionally well on his first two shot put attempts, but got the top spot on his third with 48 feet, 6 inches. He was also first in discus at 127 feet, 1 inch.

Corbin Wentz was first in the 400 dash in 59.53 seconds, while Brett Schwartz, Clancy McIntire, Michael Rupp and Vasquez teamed to win the 4x800 relay in 9:39.92.