Lady Devils Win Monier Meet!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mosbach leads Hall to Team Title
by Mike Struna
April 09, 2010
PRINCETON — The weather conditions were not ideal for a track meet with temperatures in the low 40 degrees and the windchill temperature in the low 30 degrees.That did not stop a pair of area athletes from giving record performances Thursday at Princeton’s Monier-Howard Invitational girls track meet.
Hall sophomore Liz Mosbach tied the meet record in the 400 meters. Mosbach ran 1 minute, 2.9 seconds. She tied the meet record set by Bureau Valley’s Hillary Monier in 2005.
Bureau Valley senior Melanie Thompson broke the meet record in the shot put. Thompson won the shot put with a throw of 37 feet, 10 ¾ inches. Thompson broke the 2004 record held by Bureau Valley’s Madison Lebahn.
“We threw pretty heavy at practice (Wednesday) so I wasn’t expecting a whole lot. I’m happy I threw 37-10,” Thompson said. “I’m really happy with how I’ve been throwing, especially (that it is) just the beginning of the year. … I’ve been working hard at practice, and it’s paying off and I am excited for the season.”
Thompson won the discus along with the shot put. Her discus throw of 111-6 is her best this season.
The only other events Bureau Valley won Thursday were the 800-meter relay and the 1,600-meter relay. Both relays had the same four girls with the girls running in different orders. The four relay members listed alphabetically are junior Amber Day, junior Jessie Jacobson, freshman Danae Ross and sophomore Kimi Sanden.
“We think we’ve got some strong relays that could be pretty good,” said Bureau Valley head girls track coach Dale Donner. “We’ve just got to work on handoffs. Every one had some weak handoffs, but it’s early. Outdoors is different than indoors. We will get things settled.”
Bureau Valley’s 400-meter relay nearly gave the Storm a third relay win, but Sanden was edged in the anchor leg of the 4x1 by Mosbach. “I felt really good. We are just getting used to having new people,” Mosbach said of the 400-meter relay. “Katie Hoffert was new and (ran the) second (leg of the relay). She was pretty good. Her and Claire (Tostovarsnik’s) handoff was good. Her and Amber (Huffaker’s handoff) was shaky. She’s getting used to it as a freshman.”
Mosbach anchored Hall’s 400-meter relay to a winning time of 54.3 seconds. It was one of three wins Thursday for Mosbach along with the open 200 meters (28.5 seconds) and 400 meters. “I feel pretty good, especially since the weather,” Mosbach said after she finished running all her events Thursday. “It’s really cold. My feet, I can’t feel them right now.” Mosbach led Hall to the girls team title Thursday.
Hall finished with 157 points ahead of Princeton’s second-place point total of 133 points. It is the third consecutive year Hall’s girls have won the Monier-Howard Invitational. The last team to otherwise win the meet was Bureau Valley in 2006, since the 2007 meet was cancelled due to bad weather.
Bureau Valley finished third Thursday (87 points) with St. Bede taking fourth place (61 points) in the six-team meet.
“I’m pleased,” said first-year Hall head girls track coach Nick Hanck of his team’s performance. “Being this cold and our first cold meet, I’m relatively happy.” The events Hall won Thursday that did not include Mosbach were sophomore Jenna Sobin’s triple jump win (29-11 ½) and Huffaker in the 100 meters (13.93 seconds).
Hall just had more depth with four second-place finishes and seven third-place finishes.
Princeton’s team won the most events Thursday with five first-place finishes.
Princeton senior Sarah Maynard won long jump (15-5 ½). Laura Fredenhagen beat the field in pole vault (8-6). Linnea Stephens took the 800-meter title (2:35.2). Princeton sophomore C.J. Rhodes claimed the 3,200-meter title (12:57.2), and the Tigresses’ 3,200-meter relay won (11:02.40).
Maynard only jumped once in long jump because of a tender ankle, and Maynard did not compete in triple jump Thursday. Maynard may be done competing in triple jump for the rest of the year depending on how her ankle heals.
Maynard gave some nice performances on the track to go with her long jump win. Maynard finished second in both the 100 and 200 meters, with her losing the 100-meter race by 0.01 seconds to Huffaker.
Princeton could maybe have won another event Thursday, but freshman Hannah Read decided to go to St. Bede rather than stay at home and go to Princeton. Read won the 100-meter hurdles in 17.4 seconds, and she was second in the 300 hurdles (52.9 seconds).
“She did very well in that, and she’s only a freshman,” said St. Bede assistant track coach Mickey Venegas of Read. “That’s really exciting that she’s got a lot of potential there. She really works hard. That was her second time running the 300s, and she did better (Thursday) than the first time.”
St. Bede head track coach Mike Skoflanc attended Thursday’s St. Bede boys track meet.
Other winners Thursday for St. Bede were Kayla MacDavitt in the high jump (5-0) and Taylor Miller in the 1,600 meters (6:06.1).
The St. Bede, Hall, Bureau Valley and Princeton girls track teams will be back in action Saturday in Mendota for the Don Gooden Invitational, which is scheduled to start at 10 a.m.
Notes: This is the first year the Monier-Howard Invitational boys and girls meets have been split into separate nights. The Monier-Howard Invitational boys meet is scheduled for Tuesday. … Members of Princeton’s winning 3,200-meter relay were Laura Nelson, Kara Birch, Taylor Smith and Allie Youngren
