WINONA LAKE – Two 5K races, two very different finishes. The common theme, however, was Warsaw won them both, as the sixth-ranked Tigers and the 13th-ranked Lady Tigers used incredible individual efforts to win team titles in Tuesday’s Tiger Cross Country Invitational at Miller Field in Winona Lake. Senior Ashley Erba won the girls race in a record time of 18:04, beating her previous course record set last year by 16 seconds. The Warsaw standout, who is the defending state champion in cross country and the 3,200-meter event in track and field, beat runner-up and teammate Sarah Ray by nearly a minute and a half. “One of Ashley’s goals is to stay undefeated,” said her father and Warsaw girls coach Scott Erba. “She’s done a great job reaching her goals. She does what she does because of the hard work she’s put in.” The Lady Tigers won the team title with 31 points, while Columbia City was a distant second with 88 points. Huntington North, ranked 18th in the latest state poll, was third with 90 points, followed in the 11-team field by Northfield (98), Fairfield (130), West Noble (140), Whitko (215), NorthWood (215), Wabash (265), Peru (290) and Tippecanoe Valley (294). On the boys side, junior Ellis Coon thrilled the crowd with a spectacular finish. Coon shifted into another gear toward the end of the 3.2-mile race and passed West Noble’s Brandon Arnold just before crossing the finish line. Coon finished in a time of 16:38.64, while Arnold was second in a time of 16:39.18. “Ellis is the most competitive guy,” said Warsaw boys coach Jim Mills. “He’s a fiery competitor. I held my top three guys back a little today and let them loose at two miles. We wanted to close the gap with our (No.) 4 through 7 guys. We know what our top three guys can do. Ellis was like ‘when can we take off?’” With all five of its scoring runners in the top nine, Warsaw won the boys team championship with 27 points. West Noble was a distant second in the 10-team field with 72 points, followed by Northfield (77), Huntington North (89), NorthWood (137), Fairfield (157), Columbia City (212), Wabash (242), Peru (247) and Tippecanoe Valley (282). Robert Murphy (16:42.17) finished third for the Tigers, while Ismael Calderon (16:54.37) was sixth, Jacob Poyner (16:58.84) was eighth and Brysten James (16;59.07) finished ninth. “We know how good this team is,” said Mills. “Our concern right now is getting our (No.) 4 through 7 guys closer to our top three. This team has a lot of depth. These guys have worked hard and earned this.” There were 182 competitors in the boys race. Other Warsaw boys to finish in the top 20 and earn a medal were Daniel Messenger (16th, 17:49.54), Nate Haller (17th, 17:53.68), Cam Hoskins (18th, 17:54.26) and Brandon Lee (19th, 17:55.40). Brandon Maull led Tippecanoe Valley with a 57th-place time of 19:07.06. Whitko had three competitors in the boys race. The Wildcats were led by the 78th-place finish of Lane Wolfe (19:56.31). Alex Plastow was the lone boys competitor for Lakeland Christian Academy and finished 141st in a time of 22:23.48. En route to winning the girls team championship, the Lady Tigers had six runners finish in the top 14. Ray, a senior who moved to Warsaw from Illinois prior to her junior year, has been quite the addition to the team. Anna Bearss, who teammed up with Erba for two years and gave Warsaw a dynamic one-two punch, transferred to Rochester. Ray, who crossed the line in 19:29.50 Tuesday night, has certainly filled the void. While Erba was the class of the 116 competitors in the girls race, Ray was impressive in her own right and finished 25 seconds ahead of third-place runner Jenna Halderman of Northfield. “It’s been great having Sarah out this year,” said Scott Erba. “She’s been a great asset with both her performances and her attitude. We haven’t missed a beat, even with all the girls we lost from last year’s team. We’re in a good position.” Other Lady Tigers to finish in the top 20 and earn a medal included Hannah Dawson (3rd, 20:17.90), Madeline Hooks (11th, 21:16.60), Emma Hayward (13th, 21:27.70) and Tayler Mylin (14th, 21:30.10). Brigit Nemitz led Whitko with a fifth-place time of 20:19.10, while Lakelenad Christian’s Hannah Remington (22:51.90) was 46th and Tippecanoe Valley’s Britany Childers (24:47.60) was 71st.
TIGER CROSS COUNTRY INVITATIONAL (GIRLS) Team scores – Warsaw 31, Columbia City 88, Huntington North 90, Northfield 98, Fairfield 130, West Noble 140, Whitko 215, NorthWood 215, Wabash 265, Peru 290, Tippecanoe Valley 294 Top 10 Individuals – 1. Ashley Erba (War) 18:04.80, 2. Sarah Ray (War) 19:29.50, 3. Jenna Halderman (NF) 19:54.80, 4. Hannah Dawson (War) 20:17.90, 5. Brigit Nemitz (Whi) 20:19.10, 6. Hannah Stoffel (HN) 20:26.60, 7. Samantha Roush (CC) 20:41.50, 8. Amairany Cruz (WN) 20:55.70, 9. Valeria Guzman (WN) 21:11.90, 10. Taylor Stidham (FF) 21:15.40 (Listed are top seven individuals for local teams) Warsaw – 1. Ashley Erba 18:04.80, 2. Sarah Ray 19:29.50, 11. Madeline Hooks 21:16.60, 13. Emma Hayward 21:27, 14. Tayler Mylin 21:30.10, 24. Hannah Thompson 22:03.20 Whitko – 5. Brigit Nemitz 20:19.10, 49. Holly Frantz 22:56.10, 66. Melanie Kelsey 24:27.80, 79. Michelle Kelsey 25:37.30, 87. Becca Thomson 26:15.00, 88. Courtney Edwards 26:28.50 T. Valley – 71. Britany Childers 24:47.60, 77. Brooklyn Conley 25:22.90, 80. Karly Kitch 25:39.20, 83. Emily Childers 25:44.00, 94. Kayla Long 27:39.70 LCA – 46. Hannah Remington 22:51.90, 69. Emilee Catron 24:39.40
(BOYS) Team scores – Warsaw 27, West Noble 72, Northfield 77, Huntington North 89, NorthWood 137, Fairfield 157, Columbia City 212, Wabash 242, Peru 247, Tippecanoe Valley 282 Top 10 Individuals – 1. Ellis Coon (War) 16:38.64, 2. Brandon Arnold (WN) 16:39.18, 3. Robert Murphy (War) 16:42.17, 4. Caleb Augustus (NF) 16:42.54, 5. Devin Tracy (NF) 16:45.73, 6. Ismael Calderon (War) 16:54.37, 7. Evan Harney (CC) 16:56.30, 8. Jacob Poyner (War) 16:58.84, 9. Brysten James (War) 16:59.07, 10. Aaron Mast (WN) 17:08.17 (Listed are top seven individuals for local teams) Warsaw – 1. Ellis Coon 16:38.64, 3. Robert Murphy 16:42.17, 6. Ismael Calderon 16:54.37, 8. Jacob Poyner 16:58.84, 9. Brysten James 16:59.07, 16. Daniel Messenger 17:49.54, 17. Nate Haller 17:53.68 T. Valley – 57. Brandon Maull 19:07.06, 86. Maverick Wagley 20:02.89, 102. Adam Solano 20:33.38, 123. Tyler Ross 21:15.08, 133. Cody Runyon 21:53.38, 136. Noah Clampitt 22:06.22, 145. Mark Hicks 22:33.57 Whitko – 78. Lane Wolfe 19:56.31, 80. Jonathon Johnson 19:58.00, 159. Cole Eberly 23:12.18 LCA – 141. Alex Plastow 22:23.48
