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The 36th annual IHSAA girls track and field State Tournament gets underway this week with two of the favorites for today’s Madison-Grant Sectional taking two seemingly different approaches — at least on the surface.
From Day 1 this season, Kokomo coach Dave Barnes has been as consistent as the improvement his team has shown: The Wildkats don’t have the numbers necessary to upend defending sectional champion Western.
Despite beating the Panthers by 1 1/2 points in the Kokomo Relays May 2, despite Kokomo’s runner-up finish in the North Central Conference meet, Barnes insists Western should be favored “because of its depth, hands down.”
That declaration comes as a surprise to Marvin Boswell, who hopes to lead his ladies to their second title in his two years as coach of the Panthers.
Field events and the 4x800 relay begin at 5 p.m. today. The top four finishers in each event advance to the Bremen Regional in one week.
“I’m thinking he’s the one we’re chasing,” Boswell said of Barnes’ comments, both after the Kokomo Relays and most recently.
“He’s done an excellent job and he’s got an excellent team [at Kokomo]. I think we’re the ones trying to beat them.”
Northwestern’s girls also will have a say in the final outcome today, as will Oak Hill and Logansport, but make no mistake — Kokomo and Western are the heavyweights in this sectional.
Despite the setback at the Kokomo Relays, where a missed exchange in the 4x100 relay cost them second place, the Panthers have been dominant again this season.
A recent winner of both the Howard County and Mid-Indiana Conference meets, Western also has taken home top honors in the Big Orange Invitational and the Indian Creek Co-ed Relays.
Though not as deep as last year’s squad that won the first sectional championship in school history by 63 points, the Panthers have crafted another lethal combination of senior leaders and youthful talent.
“That is one of the things I’ve tried to develop — team depth,” said Boswell. “We want to have two top performers and score two places in each and every event. If we get that, we should be in the running for the championship. I know Kokomo will have the same approach.”
Barnes says his top priority is insuring that as many of his girls as possible advance to next week’s regional. If a team title is in the cards, so be it.
“I love winning sectionals, you know that,” Barnes said. “But there’s a point where in reality it’s a matter of advancing as many individuals as we can and giving them the opportunity to be in the fast heats at regional. That’s our goal.
“If this was a conference meet and we had boys [events] to rest on, then yeah, I could double and triple [the girls in their events] and give [Western] a run. But this is a state tournament and I won’t do that. Not without the rest.”
Western is led by seniors Cara Earlywine and Nikki McCracken.
Earlywine was a triple winner a year ago and is seeded No. 1 in the 100-meter dash and No. 3 in the 200 this year.
McCracken, already the sectional record holder, was seeded No. 1 in the pole vault, which was held Monday at Kokomo’s Cross Field. She’s also No. 2 in the 100-meter high hurdles.
Both will run the 4x100 relay today along with Danae Rittmann, who is the No. 1 seed in long jump.
“After all of the meets and the entire season, they are separated by less than a point,” Boswell said of Earlywine and McCracken’s points earned this season form the Panthers. “And with them being in such different events is one of the things that makes us so strong.”
The Kats will counter with what could be a 1-2 sweep of both throws, led by top seed Ashley DeWitt, the defending sectional and regional champion in shot put.
Kelly Hopkins is the No. 3 seed in shot put and Clarissa Woodward is No. 2 behind DeWitt in the discus.
Annika Taber is seeded No. 1 in the 800 meters for Kokomo and No. 3 in the 1,600. Madi Cassidy leads the No. 1 seeded 4x400 relay team and also could inherit the top seed in the 400 if Peru’s Shyann Szabo can’t go.
Szabo scratched from the second half of the MIC meet last week due to an injury.
Northwestern’s 4x800 relay team that includes Hannah Ault and Nicki Hendricks is a prohibitive No. 1 seed, and Ault ran a 5:25 in the 1,600 just last week.
Hendricks is seeded fourth in the 800 and school-record holder Ashley Miller was the No. 2 seed in pole vault.
The Purple Tigers were second at both the county and conference meets to Western.
“This is when you want to start showing improvement and peaking, Northwestern coach Mary Clem said. “I don’t want to [peak] too soon. I think last year we did. We’re looking forward to the sectional and the regional and who knows from there.”
Eastern’s Zoe Wolfe is the top seed in high jump at 5 feet, 6 inches and is the defending champion in the 300-meter low hurdles, where she’s the No. 5 seed today.
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