Comets reign

Eastern boys, girls sweep MIC track and field championships

Kokomo Tribune - Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Russiaville — It’s no small feat for the smallest school in the Mid-Indiana Conference, Eastern, to win a track and field championship.

Just ask the boys, who hadn’t done it in since 1998 until Tuesday’s meet at Western High School when the Comets edged the defending champion Panthers 162-153.

Northwestern was a distant third with 82, followed by Hamilton Heights (62), Lewis Cass (52), Maconaquah (52), Taylor (31) and Peru (26).

Not to be outdone, the Eastern girls did something they’ve never done before, adding to their list of firsts. The Lady Comets got past runner-up Cass 133.5-115, with Western (99) third and Maconaquah (95) fourth.

Northwestern was fifth with 89, followed by Heights (43.5), Peru (40) and Taylor (4).

CLOSE RACE: Western senior Jennifer Dale, left, and Cass freshman Mariah Swartz compete in the girls 100 dash. Swartz won the event and Dale took third.

Freshman sensations Bethany and Brittany Neeley again stole the show for Eastern’s girls team.

Bethany garnered the meet’s outstanding athlete award by capturing three first-place finishes and one second. She won the 100-meter hurdles, then turned around and won the 1,600 meters just four races later before coming back to win the 800.

“I just did it for my team. That’s the only reason [for the unusual schedule of events],” said Neeley, who was runner-up to Northwestern’s Kara DeFabritis in the long jump.

“It changes about every single meet. It’s pretty much what coach [Michael Goodspeed] wants from me and where we can get the most points.

“We just have so much depth this year and it’s really showing with hard work and determination. We’re making a lot of history.”

Brittany Neeley was a four-time winner, taking the 400 and 200 meters as well as the 4x800 and the 4x400 relays.

Joy Summers and Emily Wilcox also had a hand in both relay wins, along with Sarah Wagner in the 4x8 and Zoe Wolfe in the 4x4. Wolfe won the 300 hurdles and was second to Cass’ Emily Beckley in high jump as both 2009 state qualifiers cleared 5 feet, 4 inches.

“It’s a team that I feel like really wants it,” Goodspeed said. “This was a great team effort.

“Bethany is very versatile. To do that well as a freshman is amazing. And Brittany Neeley, on any other team, she’s a superstar. She’s a superstar on our team.”

The Comets led the Kings by just 31⁄2 and the Panthers by 41⁄2 before Bethany Neeley and Wilcox finished first and second in the 800.

“We felt like if we could get 1-2 in the 800 that would put a stranglehold on the meet and it turned out it was,” said Goodspeed.

In addition to Beckley’s win, Cass was led by freshman Mariah Swartz, who won the 100-meter dash and was third in the 200. Ashley Baber won the 3,200 and was second in the 1,600 while Rhi Sanders won discus and Kassy Sprinkle won shot put.

Cass coach Grace Scott tipped her cap to the Comets.

“They are a phenomenal team and we gave it everything we had,” Scott said. “It just wasn’t enough [Tuesday] night but we’ll have another chance at [the Madison-Grant Sectional next Tuesday].”

The Eastern boys took a path similar to the girls, starting with the 4x800 relay and finishing with the 4x400 — the only difference being they needed every point to hold off the hard-charging Panthers.

Senior Mitch Padfield had three wins in both relays and the 800, where he nipped classmate Hansen Martin. Seniors Kevin Jackson won pole vault and Kelly Kingseed won long jump while junior Blake Donson won discus.

“We have been chased by a very good Western track team,” said Eastern coach Paul Nicholson. “They were hungry and we did just enough things right.

“That group of seniors, I can’t even say how much I’m going to miss them. They are a phenomenal group of not only athletes but [people] of tremendous character. They have shown this team how to win.”

Seniors Aaron Van Auken (110 hurdles) and Austin Young (3,200) posted wins for Western, along with the 4x100 relay team of Indy Mathew, James Davis, Jacob Hopkins and Lucas Luckey.

“There’s not a whole lot of track meets where you can score 153 points and still wind up second,” Panthers coach Marvin Boswell said. “We had a good night and we put our best people in the right spots. We just came up a little short.”

Northwestern’s Cory Rupert turned back Eastern’s Cale Roark in the 100, reversing last week’s bitter loss in the Howard County meet, while Purple Tiger teammate Andy Hunkeler won shot put.

Austen Conwell, who false-started out of the trials of the 110 hurdles, edged Mathew in a spectacular finish of the 300 hurdles.

Cass’ Matt Eckelbarger was the boys outstanding athlete, winning the 400 meters and high jump and finishing second in long jump and seventh in the 100.