The Chesterton girls track team finished fifth overall at the IHSAA Regional Meet on Tuesday night and advanced participants in three events to next weekend’s State Finals at Indiana University.

Lake Central took the team title for the second consecutive year with 89 team points, while Valparaiso (81), Munster (57), Merrillville (45 1) and Chesterton (43) followed.

“Last year we were sixth and this year we’re fifth with a lot of young kids running,” Chesterton coach Steve Kearney said. “We’re heading in the right direction and should only get better next year.”

The first Trojan to punch a ticket to the State Finals was junior Marissa Crafton in the long jump. One week after getting nine stitches in her right leg, Crafton jumped 16’11” to earn a berth for the second consecutive year.

“Marissa had a week of sitting around healing up and then came out and finished third to get to State again,” Kearney said. “That shows you how tough she is.”

Kelley Freeman earned the second ticket for Chesterton by finishing third in the pole vault with a top height of 10’7”.

“Kelley made it to State on the biggest showcase around,” Kearney said. “It was a good night to have a great night.”

The final berth came from senior Mallory Przybylinski with a third place finish in the 200.

“To run 26.33 in the trials to put her in contention and then come back and finish third by a step is great,” Kearney said. “Every step is important and she’ll give you her best in every step. She had a great last night on this track.

“A lot of times people remember what you do here instead of what you do at State. This is always the biggest night of the year.”

Przybylinski also finished fifth individually in the long jump, was a member of the seventh place 4x100 team and ran a 60.8 leg on the fourth place 4x400 team that missed a state berth by .11 seconds.

“She ran a real nice leg in the 4x4 and the 4x1,” Kearney said. “I’m a little miffed about the 4x4 because I thought we got fouled twice during the race. They finished .11 out of going to State and that’s too bad.

“They (Tori Schroeder, Przybylinski, Shauna Foor, Katie Behrendt) really ran great.”

The Trojans also got a superb performance by Macenzie Schoenfelt in the 100 hurdles. Schoenfelt finished seventh overall after advancing through the prelims.

“Macenzie might have had the best night of all,” Kearney said. “She ran nearly a second faster than she has all year and then did it again in the finals. To run her best twice, by a lot, is impressive.

“That’s the nature of the hurdles. She’s getting it figured out.”

Junior Milana Socha turned in a best time in the 1600 (5:26.79) on her way to a seventh place finish.

“Milana ran her best time and her best race,” Kearney said. “She was very, very patient, but fast. “

Senior Bailey Huddleston also turned in her best performance of the season with a 13.03 in the 100 prelims.

“Bailey Huddleston was the 10th best sprinter in the area based on tonight,” Kearney said. “She was .03 away from being in the finals and if she’d have run the same time in that, she’d have been fifth.”

The IHSAA State Finals are set for Saturday, June 6 beginning at 2 p.m. Chesterton time at Indiana University in Bloomington.

1. Lake Central, 89; 2. Valparaiso, 81; 3. Munster, 57; 4. Merrillville, 45 1; 5. Chesterton, 43; 6. Gary West Side, 42; 7. LaPorte, 27; 8. Michigan City, 26; 9. Crown Point, 24; 10. Thea Bowman Leadership Academy, 21; 11. (tie) Calumet and Griffith, 20; 13. Portage, 19; 14. Lowell, 17; 15. Gary Roosevelt, 13; 16. Hammond, 12; 17. South Central (Union Mills), 10; 18. (tie) Winamac, New Prairie and Hobart, 9; 21. Wheeler, 8; 22. Boone Grove, 7; 23. (tie) Hammond Morton and Andrean, 3; 25. Hebron, 2 1; 26. North Judson, 2; 27. Oregon-Davis, 1 1; 28. (tie) West Central, Gary Wallace and Rennselaer Central, 1; 31. Morgan Twp., 1.

400 - 1. Chayil Henderson (TBLA), 58.67; 2. Kemi Doss (ROOS), 58.90; 3. Blaney Keough (V), 59.32; 4. Beatrice Turpin (GWS), 59.54; 5. Kimberly Walker (V), 1:00.85; 6. Colleen Boyle (MUN), 1:01.54; 7. Brittany Dewell (BG), 1:02.13; 8. Karissa Neihouser (WC), 1:02.92.

800 - 1. Megan Plenus (LC), 2:17.08; 2. Mary Kate Mellen (MC), 2:18.13; 3. Kyela Specht (MUN), 2:20.40; 4. Kailey Jensen (LC), 2:22.11; 5. Lyndsey Kunz (MUN), 2:23.04; 6. Brittany Belkiewitz (LAP), 2:23.47; 7. Natasha Darcy (LOW), 2:24.51; 8. Megan Villarreal (AND), 2:24.61.

1600 - 1. Mary Kate Mellen (MC), 5:10.27; 2. Megan Ranegar (V), 5:10.99; 3. Anna Kacius (LC), 5:14.73; 4. Lyndsey Kunz (MUN), 5:16.71; 5. Kathryn Sommer (V), 5:19.96; 6. Kyela Specht (MUN), 5:24.82; 7. Milana Socha (C), 5:26.79; 8. Casey Boose (RC), 5:30.19.

3200 - 1. Megan Ranegar (V), 10:54.45; 2. Christina Blair (WHE), 11:04.72; 3. Dana Payonk (LC), 11:13.08; 4. Jordan Chester (BG), 11:28.41; 5. Rebecca Kuehn (LAP), 11:34.92; 6. Lauren Bigger (V), 11:39.68; 7. Rachel Zajac (LC), 11:40.83; 8. Jessica Kitchell (MUN), 11:50.40.

110 HUR - 1. Rebecca Neville (MER), 14.70; 2. Whitney Freeman (MUN), 14.75; 3. Stephanie Fisher (V), 15.94; 4. Kristina Hemmerling (LC), 16.21; 5. Amanda Gnerlich (LC), 16.36; 6. Sarah Wallace (V), 16.44; 7. Macenzie Schoenfelt (C), 16.47; 8. Allison Hesters (OD), 17.77.

300 HUR - 1. Whitney Freeman (MUN), 45.47; 2. Elizabeth Schrader (CP), 47.04; 3. Stephanie Fisher (V), 47.11; 4. Katie Bekavac (SC), 47.34; 5. Kristina Hemmerling (LC), 47.64; 6. Tabatha Halleck (WIN), 47.89; 7. Haley Whipps (V), 48.47; 8. Megan Behrendt (C), 48.84.

4x100 - 1. Gary West Side, 49.16; 2. Merrillville, 50.21; 3. Valparaiso, 50.23; 4. Lake Central, 50.33; 5. LaPorte, 50.56; 6. Portage, 50.88; 7. Chesterton (Bailey Huddleston, Mallory Przybylinski, Catherine Pannekoek, Katie Behrendt), 50.91; 8. Munster, 51.25.

4x400 - 1. Lake Central, 4:01.50; 2. Munster, 4:04.25; 3. Crown Point, 4:04.69; 4. Chesterton (Tori Schroeder, Mallory Przybylinski, Shauna Foor, Katie Behrendt), 4:04.80; 5. Gary West Side, 4:07.49; 6. Merrillville, 4:11.21; 7. Gary Roosevelt, 4:11.78; 8. Portage, 4:12.19.

4x800 - 1. Lake Central, 9:29.23; 2. Munster, 9:34.58; 3. Crown Point, 9:39.26; 4. Chesterton (Jamie Norgaard, Tori Schroeder, Tina Guidarelli, Jenna Norgaard), 9:54.52; 5. Portage, 10:03.70; 6. New Prairie, 10:06.06; 7. Andrean, 10:07.72; 8. Valparaiso, 10:13.19.

HJ - 1. Allison Manchester (L), 5-3; 2. Haley Whipps (V), 5-4; 3. Mary Gamble (NP), 5-3; 4. Katie Bekavac (SC), 5-2; 5. Beatrice Turpin (GWS), 5-1; 6. Ruth Sanders (V), 5-1; 7. Carley Dunn (G), 5-1; 8. (tie) Levisa Evans (LC) and Britney Tuskan (LC), 5-0.

PV - 1. Ericka Markiewicz (LC), 12-1; 2. Taylor Rose (V), 10-7; 3. Kelley Freeman (C), 10-7; 4. Nicole Thiel (L), 10-7; 5. Alexis Villarreal (CP), 10-1; 6. Michelle Richsteig (C), 10-1; 7. Emily Pulsen (WIN), 9-7; 8. (tie) Jasmine Turner (MTWP), Christy Reick (HEB), Alexandra Domoras (MER) and Courtney Surma (OD), 9-1.

LJ - 1. Rebecca Neville (MER), 18-5 1; 2. Denisha Mitchell (LAP), 17-6; 3. Marissa Crafton (C), 16-11; 4. Rylee Sullivan (LC), 16-8 1; 5. Mallory Przybylinski (C), 16-4; 6. Melissa Moeller (V), 16-4; 7. Alycia Corral (HOB), 16-3 1; 8. India Carter (GWAL), 16-2 1.

SP - 1. Tori Bliss (P), 48-2; 2. Stephanie Negrete (G), 40-3; 3. Eva Foley (MER), 38-4; 4. Nakel McClinton (MER), 38-3 1; 5. Alexandria Parks (WIN), 37-7 1; 6. Stephanie Wilson (MC), 37-0; 7. Alyssa Kepshire (HOB), 36-10; 8. Alana Ribera (MC), 36-5 1.

DIS - 1. Stephanie Negrete (G), 133-4; 2. Brittany Coburn (LAP), 124-6; 3. Kate Krull (LC), 124-4; 4. Alyssa Kepshire (HOB), 123-8; 5. Latesha Mitchell (MC), 118-10; 6. Kacey Cole (MER), 118-5; 7. Rebecca Bunkowfst (NJ), 116-8; 8. Tori Bliss (P), 114-11.

Posted 5/27/2009