By Al Stilley
Southsider Voice correspondent
Greenwood’s girls track team captured its first Mid-State championship in 30 years last week at Plainfield, and one night later the school’s highly regarded girls tennis team, ranked No. 7 in the Indiana Coaches of Girls Sports Association poll, swept all five final matches for the first time since 2000 for its second consecutive championship at Franklin.
Greenwood won four running events, two relays and set two Mid-State records May 8. The Woodmen edged Plainfield 137.50-126.50. Whiteland was fourth with 97 points.
Youth was definitely served up by the Woodmen as underclassmen won all events except the all-senior 4-by-100 relay.
Freshman Taylor Neely led the way by winning the 200-meter dash (27.02 seconds) and 400 dash (59.90). She anchored the winning four-by-800 record-setting relay with freshmen Ally Dalton and Krista Robinson and sophomore Madison Renfro in 9 minutes, 54.49 seconds, breaking the record by 6.2 seconds set last year by Plainfield.
Dalton earlier set a record in the 3,200 run with a time of 11:07.80, bettering last year’s by 16 seconds. Sophomore Tori Harper won the 100-meter hurdles in 16.83 seconds.
The all-senior four-by-100 team of Jessica Thompson, Rachel Krutulis, Sydney Hite and Taylor Allen won in 53.26 seconds.
Greenwood’s boys team finished third, nine points behind second-place Whiteland, 125.50-116.50. Plainfield won with 172.50 points.
Woodman senior David Dalton swept the 800-, 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs. He set the standard in the 800 with a time of 1:59.60, snapping the 2007 mark by 2.81 seconds. He won the 1,600 in 4:28.08, just 1.29 seconds ahead of Nick Firsich of Martinsville, and the 3,200 in 10:01.97, with sophomore teammate Hunter Smith second, 10:02.89.
Joe Sheryak won the 300 hurdles in 41.40 seconds, a quarter-second ahead of teammate Marty Wituzsinski.
Tennis sweep
Greenwood never lost a match in the three-day Mid-State meet and swept three singles and two doubles championships.
The champions:
No. 1 singles – Jade Kawamoto defeated Molly Fitzpatrick 6-0, 6-1.
No. 2 singles – Jackie Kawamoto defeated Abby Kirkman 6-0, 6-0.
No. 3 singles – McKenzie Estrem defeated Laiken Gossett 6-4, 6-2. Estrem overcame nervousness and won her first Mid-State title in her final conference tourney.
No. 1 doubles – Ali Youngman and Joanna Moran defeated Jess Rigdon and Kiera Siepman 6-3, 6-4.
No. 2 doubles – Ally Newman and Molly Jacobs defeated Rachel Wathen and Kaley Huddleston 6-2, 6-1.
The Kawamoto sisters, who have lost only one match in the past three years, switched roles this season with 2013 No. 1 singles champion Jackie voluntarily dropping to No. 2 so her sister could make a run for the No. 1 state championship.
Greenwood coach Steve Gantz, a veteran of 20 years at the girls helm, said he believed that the No. 1 and No. 2 doubles became more solidified in the tourney. “We’ve been working all year on getting stronger all the way down our lineup. We’ve had six girls going for the four positions (doubles). We’re inexperienced there and have struggled all year. It seems like it came together in this tourney.”
Southsider Voice correspondent
Greenwood’s girls track team captured its first Mid-State championship in 30 years last week at Plainfield, and one night later the school’s highly regarded girls tennis team, ranked No. 7 in the Indiana Coaches of Girls Sports Association poll, swept all five final matches for the first time since 2000 for its second consecutive championship at Franklin.
Greenwood won four running events, two relays and set two Mid-State records May 8. The Woodmen edged Plainfield 137.50-126.50. Whiteland was fourth with 97 points.
Youth was definitely served up by the Woodmen as underclassmen won all events except the all-senior 4-by-100 relay.
Freshman Taylor Neely led the way by winning the 200-meter dash (27.02 seconds) and 400 dash (59.90). She anchored the winning four-by-800 record-setting relay with freshmen Ally Dalton and Krista Robinson and sophomore Madison Renfro in 9 minutes, 54.49 seconds, breaking the record by 6.2 seconds set last year by Plainfield.
Dalton earlier set a record in the 3,200 run with a time of 11:07.80, bettering last year’s by 16 seconds. Sophomore Tori Harper won the 100-meter hurdles in 16.83 seconds.
The all-senior four-by-100 team of Jessica Thompson, Rachel Krutulis, Sydney Hite and Taylor Allen won in 53.26 seconds.
Greenwood’s boys team finished third, nine points behind second-place Whiteland, 125.50-116.50. Plainfield won with 172.50 points.
Woodman senior David Dalton swept the 800-, 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs. He set the standard in the 800 with a time of 1:59.60, snapping the 2007 mark by 2.81 seconds. He won the 1,600 in 4:28.08, just 1.29 seconds ahead of Nick Firsich of Martinsville, and the 3,200 in 10:01.97, with sophomore teammate Hunter Smith second, 10:02.89.
Joe Sheryak won the 300 hurdles in 41.40 seconds, a quarter-second ahead of teammate Marty Wituzsinski.
Tennis sweep
Greenwood never lost a match in the three-day Mid-State meet and swept three singles and two doubles championships.
The champions:
No. 1 singles – Jade Kawamoto defeated Molly Fitzpatrick 6-0, 6-1.
No. 2 singles – Jackie Kawamoto defeated Abby Kirkman 6-0, 6-0.
No. 3 singles – McKenzie Estrem defeated Laiken Gossett 6-4, 6-2. Estrem overcame nervousness and won her first Mid-State title in her final conference tourney.
No. 1 doubles – Ali Youngman and Joanna Moran defeated Jess Rigdon and Kiera Siepman 6-3, 6-4.
No. 2 doubles – Ally Newman and Molly Jacobs defeated Rachel Wathen and Kaley Huddleston 6-2, 6-1.
The Kawamoto sisters, who have lost only one match in the past three years, switched roles this season with 2013 No. 1 singles champion Jackie voluntarily dropping to No. 2 so her sister could make a run for the No. 1 state championship.
Greenwood coach Steve Gantz, a veteran of 20 years at the girls helm, said he believed that the No. 1 and No. 2 doubles became more solidified in the tourney. “We’ve been working all year on getting stronger all the way down our lineup. We’ve had six girls going for the four positions (doubles). We’re inexperienced there and have struggled all year. It seems like it came together in this tourney.”
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