Five individuals, 400 relay advance
May 25, 2012 3:42 p.m.
Germantown - It's like Germantown girls track coach Greg Siegert said: "In the end, it just comes down to the time, the height and the distance, and if it's good enough, then it's good enough."
And in the end, the Warhawks were good enough, as the collective scream of approval coming from the Germantown tent settled under the trees on the west side of the Menomonee Falls track on May 24 testified.
Public address announcer Gerry Mislang had just called out the results of the girls WIAA sectional 400-meter relay. In that race, Warhawks anchor Jayne Bertieri had to run hard to chase down the Grafton anchor for the third and final WIAA state qualifying spot, only the finish was too close to call at the line.
No one really knew if Germantown was in or not. The aforementioned joyful noise clarified what the all-underclassmen team of Bertieri, Sammie Gassner, Bethany Laubenheimer and Sydney Langmann already knew.
They were going to La Crosse, they had finished third.
"I had to make up so many meters, I couldn't remember, make up a number," laughed Bertieri, who also will go to La Crosse in the 100 dash. "I think we were sixth or so when I got the baton. This is just great, amazing, because it's so much more fun going to state with a group.
"When we found out, we just had to scream at the top of our lungs (laughs)."
"I know there was a lot of pressure on Jayne, but she responded well," Siegert said. "Like everyone else, she had a job to do and she got it done."
As did a number of other Warhawks this day, as Bertieri and the relay will be joined in La Crosse this weekend by senior distance ace Caitlin Dillon (800), Jennifer Ellis (300 low hurdles), Katelyn Turner (shot put) and Melissa Asmondy (discus).
WIAA Division 1 preliminaries and some finals will be held at Memorial Stadium on the UW-La Crosse campus starting at 9:30 a.m. Friday. The remainder of finals are at 10:30 a.m. Saturday.
Both of Bertieri's efforts were school records as the Warhawks finished fourth in the 15-team sectional field with 64 points as Arrowhead won with 135.
She was second in the 100 in an impressive 12.34 seconds and she led the relay to a 50.3 time, which was the same time that Grafton recorded.
The two hugged and laughed afterward.
"This feels great," Dillon said. "I knew I had a chance in the 800 (after taking fifth in the 1,600). I just had to keep my mind to it. I just knew I had to stay with Lauren and I'd be OK. I needed to get back to La Crosse and I want to get on that podium (top six) next week."
Dillon was on the school record state-place-winning 3,200 relay of a few years ago that included Wendt and Sielicki.
The weight crew more than held up its end for the Warhawks, as Turner, a junior, edged out her senior teammate Asmondy for the third and final spot in the shot put. Turner tossed it a personal best of 36-4 1/2 , which was two feet better than her regional seed while Asmondy was fourth with a 35-9.
But Asmondy came back to snag the third and final spot in the discus with a throw of 102-10, three inches better than a competitor from Cedarburg.
"It would have been a little sad for the junior (Turner) to have beaten out the senior (for a state spot), but it was great that Melissa was able to bounce back like that (in the discus)," Siegert said.
Ellis remained very steady in the 300 hurdles, taking second in a school record effort of 45.58.
"I was a little worried about the heat and the wind (gusting wind and 80-degree temperatures), but it all worked out," Ellis said. "I just wanted to go out as hard as I could and then just keep the speed up. I'm hoping for good things next week (at state). I was there last year, so I think I know how it works now."
Other sectional efforts for the Warhawks included the following: 100 high hurdles: Ellis, sixth (personal best 15.72); 1,600 relay: Ellis, Bertieri, Gassner and Dillon, fifth (4:08.49); and 1,600: Dillon, fifth (5:39.57).
And in the end, the Warhawks were good enough, as the collective scream of approval coming from the Germantown tent settled under the trees on the west side of the Menomonee Falls track on May 24 testified.
Public address announcer Gerry Mislang had just called out the results of the girls WIAA sectional 400-meter relay. In that race, Warhawks anchor Jayne Bertieri had to run hard to chase down the Grafton anchor for the third and final WIAA state qualifying spot, only the finish was too close to call at the line.
No one really knew if Germantown was in or not. The aforementioned joyful noise clarified what the all-underclassmen team of Bertieri, Sammie Gassner, Bethany Laubenheimer and Sydney Langmann already knew.
They were going to La Crosse, they had finished third.
"I had to make up so many meters, I couldn't remember, make up a number," laughed Bertieri, who also will go to La Crosse in the 100 dash. "I think we were sixth or so when I got the baton. This is just great, amazing, because it's so much more fun going to state with a group.
"When we found out, we just had to scream at the top of our lungs (laughs)."
Stepping up to the pressure
The rally to advance ends a series of very disappointing near-misses for the Warhawks at sectional meets in recent years and is a validation for a Germantown team that has had to battle injuries (both Gassner and Laubenheimer had to overcome situations themselves just to get this far)."I know there was a lot of pressure on Jayne, but she responded well," Siegert said. "Like everyone else, she had a job to do and she got it done."
As did a number of other Warhawks this day, as Bertieri and the relay will be joined in La Crosse this weekend by senior distance ace Caitlin Dillon (800), Jennifer Ellis (300 low hurdles), Katelyn Turner (shot put) and Melissa Asmondy (discus).
WIAA Division 1 preliminaries and some finals will be held at Memorial Stadium on the UW-La Crosse campus starting at 9:30 a.m. Friday. The remainder of finals are at 10:30 a.m. Saturday.
Both of Bertieri's efforts were school records as the Warhawks finished fourth in the 15-team sectional field with 64 points as Arrowhead won with 135.
She was second in the 100 in an impressive 12.34 seconds and she led the relay to a 50.3 time, which was the same time that Grafton recorded.
Continuing the tradition
Dillon was another nice story for the Warhawks, as she is the last of the great recent line of distance runners for Germantown that included Kate Lydy, Andrea Sielicki and Liz Wendt. She earned second in the 800 to friend and competitor Lauren Holtz of Homestead. Holtz was clocked in 2:17.91 and Dillon in 2;18.96.The two hugged and laughed afterward.
"This feels great," Dillon said. "I knew I had a chance in the 800 (after taking fifth in the 1,600). I just had to keep my mind to it. I just knew I had to stay with Lauren and I'd be OK. I needed to get back to La Crosse and I want to get on that podium (top six) next week."
Dillon was on the school record state-place-winning 3,200 relay of a few years ago that included Wendt and Sielicki.
The weight crew more than held up its end for the Warhawks, as Turner, a junior, edged out her senior teammate Asmondy for the third and final spot in the shot put. Turner tossed it a personal best of 36-4 1/2 , which was two feet better than her regional seed while Asmondy was fourth with a 35-9.
But Asmondy came back to snag the third and final spot in the discus with a throw of 102-10, three inches better than a competitor from Cedarburg.
"It would have been a little sad for the junior (Turner) to have beaten out the senior (for a state spot), but it was great that Melissa was able to bounce back like that (in the discus)," Siegert said.
Ellis remained very steady in the 300 hurdles, taking second in a school record effort of 45.58.
"I was a little worried about the heat and the wind (gusting wind and 80-degree temperatures), but it all worked out," Ellis said. "I just wanted to go out as hard as I could and then just keep the speed up. I'm hoping for good things next week (at state). I was there last year, so I think I know how it works now."
Other sectional efforts for the Warhawks included the following: 100 high hurdles: Ellis, sixth (personal best 15.72); 1,600 relay: Ellis, Bertieri, Gassner and Dillon, fifth (4:08.49); and 1,600: Dillon, fifth (5:39.57).
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