Imel leads group of six qualifiers (05/23/03)

MUNCIE — Paul Imel will run in the Lawrence North regional in a pair of events. If not for a pesky hamstring injury it might have been more.

Imel was among the top four in the 100-meter dash and the 400-meter dash at the Muncie Central sectional Thursday as he led the Jay County track team to a fifth place finish. Five other Patriot athletes also advanced to the regional as the team put together a score of 48.5 points.

The Delta Eagles cruised to the sectional victory with 149.5 points, the Muncie Burris Owls had 105 and the host Bearcats were third with 85.5. Burris had six event victories, and Delta was next with five.

Muncie Central and Winchester each won two events, and Cowan took one.

“I think we did what we expected,” said Jay County coach Shane Hill. “Hopefully we can come back here next year and take a lot more than six.”

Imel was the lone Patriot athlete to move on in more than one individual event.

The junior started his night in the 100-meter dash, starting the race in second place behind only Keith Peterson of Winchester. He slipped to fourth place with a time of 11.69, still enough to allow him to run another week.

As it turned out, Imel’s slip in the race came because he tweaked a hamstring injury he suffered last week in a dual meet against the Bearcats.

Imel came out for the 400-meter dash five events later with a strong first 100 meters. But, by the time he neared the back stretch in was clear he was trying to fight off the pain.

He slipped back in the pack considerably, but found a little extra gas in the tank at the end. He rallied back in the final 100 meters to edge Andre Webb of Muncie Southside by 22 hundredths of a second for fourth place.

Imel did pull out of his final race, the 200-meter dash. The Patriots also pulled out of the 1600-meter relay because of the injury.

Without the hamstring problems he would have been a contender for first the 100- and 200-meter dashes, and second in the 400-meter dash.

“We thought Paul (Imel) would get out in a couple events,” said Hill. “The hamstring injury in the 100 final was unfortunate. He sucked it up in the 400.”

Fellow juniors Lucas McBride and Adam Grile were among the five other athletes who will join Imel at the Lawrence North regional Thursday at 6 p.m. They each will also compete in two events.

McBride and Grile teamed with Alex Loucks and Steven Castillo for a time of 46.45 in the 400-meter relay. That time was good enough to place them third out of a pack of six teams vying for the four regional spots.

Grile’s individual qualification came in the high jump, where he was among a group of seven athletes to clear the bar at five feet, eight inches. He and Muncie Central’s Louis Johnson won the tie-breaker to tie for third-place.

He just missed moving on in another even as he took fifth in the 110-meter hurdles.

McBride didn’t have his best day in the long jump, but it was just enough to move on. He started with leaps in the 16-17-foot range before getting enough distance on his third attempt.

He soared 18 feet, 10 inches on that jump, which put him in fourth place by five inches.

McBride also had a near-miss, almost joining Imel in the 100-meter dash as he finished fifth.

David Stith had the best individual finish for Jay County in the shot put. The Olympic Athletic Conference champion took second at 49 feet, three and one-half inches.

“Dave was a little disappointed,” said Hill. “He wanted the Winchester kid [champion Brandon Mock], but he’ll get another chance at him next week.”[[In-content Ad]]