Gerber earns three wins (05/31/07)

Jalen Ryder and Abigail Johnson led their teams to victory Wednesday while Miranda Gerber turned in the top individual performance.

Ryder scored a pair of wins as General Shanks dominated the boys half of the Jay County Elementary Track and Field Games, and Johnson also won twice to push East Elementary's girls to the top.

Pennville's Gerber topped everyone, winning a trio of individual events.

General Shanks scored 177 points in the boys competition, more than all of the other teams combined. Judge Haynes was second at 49 followed by Bloomfield (40).

East Elementary took the top spot in a competitive girls meet with 79 points. General Shanks was 10 points behind, and Bloomfield was third with 57.

Ryder rolled in the middle-distance races for Shanks, winning the 400-meter run in 1-minute, 30 seconds and the 800 run in 3:01. Johnson took care of the two longest events of the evening for East, taking first in the 800 run in 3:20 and the 1,600 run with a time of 7:27.

Gerber controlled the sprints for Pennville as she scored all of the school's 36 points. She won the 100 dash in 15.02 and the 200 dash in 33.45, and outdistanced the rest of the field by nearly three feet in the long jump at 11 feet, 71/2 inches.

General Shanks also took the 4x200 relay in 2:34, and its boys won all but two individual events on the night.

Joining Ryder with track event wins were Jacob Evans (110 dash - 15.55), Richard Wellman (200 dash - 35.5) and Andrew McShane (1,600 run - 7:26). In the field events it was Brandon Muhlenkamp (jump rope - 139 in two minutes) and Hunter Gillette (softball throw - 81 feet, 51/2 inches).

In addition to Johnson's two wins, East Elementary's girls took first in the 4x200 relay at 2:47.

Other boys winners were Judge Haynes' Zane Shreve (long jump - 11 feet, 61/4 inches) and Deon Denney (medicine ball toss - 14 feet, 9 inches). Additional winners in the girls competition were General Shanks' Laurann Schoenlein (medicine ball toss - 11 feet, 71/2 inches) and Breanne McIntire (softball throw (97 feet, 7 inches), Bloomfield's Amber Huelskamp (400 dash - 1:21) and Judge Haynes' Tristan Nichols (jump rope - 130).[[In-content Ad]]