Dillon Hogan/Winonan
Following the conclusion of the NCAA Indoor Championship meet this weekend in Birmingham Alabama, the indoor portion of the track and field season has come to an end. Seven Warriors made the over 1800 mile round-trip to compete against the best competition Division II has to offer.
The 4×400 meter relay team, consisting of Kelsey Bethke, Katie Bagley, Brittney Rynda and Catherine Whitcomb joined by Megan Elliott and Shanai Guider competing in the weight throw and Alissa Rausch in the shot put, travelled to the Championship meet.
The team arrived in Alabama on Monday, March 4, and had the next few days to prepare for the upcoming events. Three of the four relay members, Alissa Rausch, and Shanai Guider all competed at the national meet in previous seasons.
The aforementioned relay group fresh off a conference record setting performance ran to a 12th place finish with a finishing time of 3:48.73. The relay team ran into trouble during the meet as one of the other teams had a runner trip and fall causing a slight delay between handoffs.
“The meet was a great opportunity,” Catherine Whitcomb said. “We ran well given the circumstances. It was a tough race with a lot of tripping and cutting off. Unfortunately we did not place as well as we would have liked or get the time we were hoping for. It was still a great experience and it was fun to run on a banked track and against some great competition.”
Alissa Rausch and Megan Elliott both earned All-American honors by finishing in seventh place each.
This was the first national event for Warrior Megan Elliot, who was happy with her results.
“I went into the track meet ranked 14th with the best throw of my life and not a huge chance of making the final nine that go to finals,” Elliot said. “My first three preliminary throws were above average throws for me but I was on the bubble about making the final. After everyone had finished I had made finals as the ninth thrower. My first throw of finals I threw my third farthest distance of the year with a distance of 18.05 meters which is 59’2” for seventh place and it held through the other two throws of finals.”
Coach Mason Rebarchek said the team’s experience in Alabama was challenging because everyone had to remain focused on the meet and schoolwork, but did well regardless.
“The girls may be disappointed with their finishes but they all did fantastic,” Rebarchek said. “It was great to see all their hard work pay off, and for Megan Elliott it was amazing for her to earn All-American honors as a senior in her first national meet. It is always tough to produce great results on the spot, but the girls really did a good job. Everyone had a hunger to win and I’m excited for what’s next.”
The Warriors have a couple weeks off before the outdoor portion of the season begins, with a meet in Oshkosh, Wis. on April 6.
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