Johnson completes career sweep (05/17/06)

MUNCIE — Only her own teammate had a chance to deny the career sweep. But Alyssa Johnson wasn’t about to allow her final victory to slip away.

Johnson fought off Kylie Wellman Tuesday to win the 3,200-meter sectional title at Muncie Southside for the fourth consecutive season. It was one of two championships for the Jay County girls track team, with the other coming from Amanda Johnson in the 800 run.

The Patriots, who had eight athletes place in the top four of an event to earn a regional berth, finished third out of 12 teams for the second consecutive season with 74 points. Muncie Central won 11 of 15 events for 128 points and its third straight sectional crown, and Delta was second with 114 points.

“That feels pretty good,” said Johnson, who had to be reminded of her 3,200 dominance after the meet. “It’s nice to know that I’ve been able to keep that consistent through the years ... that’s encouraging.

“I think it was a good effort,” she added of the team score. “I’m very impressed that we got third. That’s high for us as a team. I feel pretty good about our ranking.”

Johnson, a senior, got the biggest sectional challenge of her career from Wellman, her freshman teammate.

Wellman ran out to the early lead in the 3,200 run while Johnson fought through the pack. By the end of the opening lap it was Johnson and Wellman running one-two, and that order was never challenged and never changed.

By the end of lap seven Wellman was on her mentor’s heels, but Johnson opened the gap. She won comfortably in 12-minutes, 22 seconds with Wellman in second.

“It feels good to have the two of us so that we know it’s solid for the team,” said Johnson. “She’s a great pusher for me too. It’s been intimidating lately, but she’s done a great job.”

Wellman finished ahead of Johnson a couple of weeks ago at the Blackford Invitational, and Tuesday’s 4.14-second gap between the Patriots marked the closest anyone has come to beating Johnson in the sectional race. She won by 15.1 seconds last season, 16.22 as a freshman in 2003 and a whopping 39.4 as she set the sectional record in 2004.

Johnson broke the previous record set by Muncie Central’s Emily Longworth in 1989, finishing the race in 11:59.97 during her sophomore campaign. Though her times have slowed a bit the last two seasons, she refused to give up her sectional strangle-hold on her signature event.

“I’m just thrilled to death for her,” said JCHS coach Les Bantz. “I think at times she’s a little discouraged, but at the same time it’d be hard to find another young lady like her.”

Amanda Johnson fought off Jackie Pettiford of Delta to win the 800 run as Jay County (two), Winchester (two) and Delta (one) took the only titles not won by the champion Bearcats.

Johnson, a sophomore who won the 1,600 run sectional crown last season, was back in the pack at the start of the race and remained fourth after the first 300 meters. But she surged down the home stretch of the first lap and grabbed the lead at the finish line.

Pettiford tried to rally in the final 100 meters, but never closed the small gap as Johnson won in 2:26.60. Pettiford was second in 2:27.44.

“I started out really dead because I just finished the 400,” said Johnson, who had little rest between her two individual events. “After the first lap ... I just decided to be determined.”

She also qualified for regional action in the 400 dash. She was fifth coming off the final turn in that event, but rallied to place fourth in 1:01.99.

The Johnson sisters also joined Jessica Mosier and Allison Fullenkamp to place second in the 4x800 relay with a time of 10:18.19. Amanda Johnson rallied on the anchor leg to secure a time of 4:24.99 and a fourth place finish as she joined Mosier, Erika Hunt and Sarah Mescher in the 4x400 relay.

Lindsey Current was the only other Patriot to reach the regional meet in an individual event. She placed fourth in the high jump at four feet, 10 inches.

Jay County’s eight regional qualifiers will compete at Lawrence North Tuesday at 6 p.m.

“The competition — overall the times are faster,” said Bantz. “It just got better. If you want to compete and advance out of the sectional you’ve got to work.”

Mescher and Hunt each narrowly missed qualifying in individual events.

Mescher was fifth in the 200 dash, just six hundredths of a second behind Delta’s Lindsay Moore in 28.42 seconds. She added a seventh-place finish in the 100 dash.

Hunt was fifth in the 300 hurdles in 51.82, finishing three tenths of a second out of fourth place. She also took seventh in the 100 hurdles.

Mosier turned in the best time of her career, 2:34.78, to finish seventh in the 800 run.

Sara Garringer was seventh in the shot put, and Current placed eighth in the long jump. Mescher, Nicole Pfeifer, Amber Cotherman and Janel Chittum teamed for seventh in the 4x100 relay.[[In-content Ad]]