Ellis, Gassner and Bertieri show Germantown girls the way to the state track meet
Ellis in hurdles, 400 relay advance
By Steven L. Tietz
GermantownNow.com
May 28, 2013
It was a simple acknowledgment and a show of respect between senior teammates, friends and athletes, both of whom were putting on their warm-ups on a chilly day after the 300-meter low hurdles in the WIAA track sectional at Sussex Hamilton on May 23.
"Proud of you Jen."
"Proud of you Sammie"
"Jen," Jennifer Ellis of the Germantown track team had just earned a repeat berth in the WIAA State Meet this weekend with a school record runner-up effort in the race. Meanwhile "Sammie," Sam Gassner, who had earlier earned a second state meet berth as part of the 400-meter relay team, had taken fifth in the race, an event in which she has shown potential in since freshmen year, but for a variety of reasons, did not come back to until this season.
It's been a complicated story of near-misses, hit hurdles and other annoying pieces of bad karma for Gassner over the last three years in the 300 hurdles. She made a lot of that go away when the 400 relay qualified last year and and again this year when the group that included Erika Bethhauser, Bethany Laubenheimer, Jayne Bertieri and herself claimed third and earned a repeat state slot.
Gassner had joined Bertieri and Laubenheimer on the state relay last season but Warhawks coach Greg Siegert was hoping that Gassner could also make it in the 300 hurdles and make that demon go away.
But Gassner knew the relay was the important thing.
"She told me afterwards that she was just out of gas (in the hurdles)," said Siegert. "She was just tired (after the 400 relay). We wanted to get her back in the hurdles, but she had put so much into that relay (which earlier this season had set a school record). The schedule (the events were back-to-back) just didn't allow it.
"It was just so cool that she essentially gave up a chance at an individual state berth to help the relay out." Gassner was clocked in 47.65 in her last hurdle race.
Ellis and Gassner and the relay will be in La Crosse this weekend for the WIAA State Meet at UW-La Crosse's Memorial Stadium. Division 1 trials and some finals will be held at 4:30 p.m. Friday with the remainder of the finals slated for 10:30 a.m. Saturday.
Finals, then medal
Ellis is seeded second behind sectional competitor Valerie Thames of Milwaukee Riverside. She is looking for her first state meet medal.
"The main goal is to get onto the podium (top six), but the first goal is just make finals," she said.
Ellis' race was thrilling as Thames, who has been dominant in the event all season, had to battle the diminutive (5-0 tall) but determined Warhawk coming off the last hurdle. Thames held on for the victory with a 45.08 second clocking while Ellis was caught in 45.15.
"I knew I wasn't far behind her," Ellis said, "so I just gave it my best."
Siegert was amazed by the effort.
"It's astounding what 5 feet tall and 100 pounds dripping wet can do," he said. "All she ever does is give all she has every time."
The relay earned its slot with a third place 50.72 clocking. Bertieri, who anchored the team last year too, said she knew she was in great position when she got the stick.
"This feels so good," she said. "I'm so proud of all the legs (of the relay) because we've worked so hard for this all season. When I saw Bethany (Laubenheimer) coming (to hand off) I knew she was in the top three so all I had to do was hold form. I'm just so proud of them all."
Some near misses
Elsewhere, the Warhawks had a series of near-misses on state berths as Katelyn Turner missed out on a berth by just 21/2 inches in the shot put with a fourth-place effort of 35-1 inch, while Beth Kuske tied for fourth in the high jump at 4-10, the same height as the third-place finisher, although she had more misses.
Turner is a senior and Kuske a junior. Ellis just missed out on a second state slot with a runner-up effort in the 100 high hurdles (15.94).
Other sectional efforts included the following: 800 relay: Rosalie Campbell, Alex Kleczewski, Sydney Langmann and Shaylynn Mitchell, seventh (1:53.34); 1,600 relay: Ellis, Leah Wheaton, Bertietri and Gassner, fifth (4:13.18); 3,200 relay: Andrea Brown, Hannah Knapp, Sarah Ahles and Calli Lemke, sixth (10:32.36); and discus: Turner, fifth (95-6).
"It was close to what we were fully expecting," Siegert said of the sectional efforts, "... but now we want to build on this. It's not enough just to get to state. Now we have to show everyone what we can do."
"Proud of you Jen."
"Proud of you Sammie"
"Jen," Jennifer Ellis of the Germantown track team had just earned a repeat berth in the WIAA State Meet this weekend with a school record runner-up effort in the race. Meanwhile "Sammie," Sam Gassner, who had earlier earned a second state meet berth as part of the 400-meter relay team, had taken fifth in the race, an event in which she has shown potential in since freshmen year, but for a variety of reasons, did not come back to until this season.
It's been a complicated story of near-misses, hit hurdles and other annoying pieces of bad karma for Gassner over the last three years in the 300 hurdles. She made a lot of that go away when the 400 relay qualified last year and and again this year when the group that included Erika Bethhauser, Bethany Laubenheimer, Jayne Bertieri and herself claimed third and earned a repeat state slot.
Gassner had joined Bertieri and Laubenheimer on the state relay last season but Warhawks coach Greg Siegert was hoping that Gassner could also make it in the 300 hurdles and make that demon go away.
But Gassner knew the relay was the important thing.
"She told me afterwards that she was just out of gas (in the hurdles)," said Siegert. "She was just tired (after the 400 relay). We wanted to get her back in the hurdles, but she had put so much into that relay (which earlier this season had set a school record). The schedule (the events were back-to-back) just didn't allow it.
"It was just so cool that she essentially gave up a chance at an individual state berth to help the relay out." Gassner was clocked in 47.65 in her last hurdle race.
Ellis and Gassner and the relay will be in La Crosse this weekend for the WIAA State Meet at UW-La Crosse's Memorial Stadium. Division 1 trials and some finals will be held at 4:30 p.m. Friday with the remainder of the finals slated for 10:30 a.m. Saturday.
Finals, then medal
Ellis is seeded second behind sectional competitor Valerie Thames of Milwaukee Riverside. She is looking for her first state meet medal.
"The main goal is to get onto the podium (top six), but the first goal is just make finals," she said.
Ellis' race was thrilling as Thames, who has been dominant in the event all season, had to battle the diminutive (5-0 tall) but determined Warhawk coming off the last hurdle. Thames held on for the victory with a 45.08 second clocking while Ellis was caught in 45.15.
"I knew I wasn't far behind her," Ellis said, "so I just gave it my best."
Siegert was amazed by the effort.
"It's astounding what 5 feet tall and 100 pounds dripping wet can do," he said. "All she ever does is give all she has every time."
The relay earned its slot with a third place 50.72 clocking. Bertieri, who anchored the team last year too, said she knew she was in great position when she got the stick.
"This feels so good," she said. "I'm so proud of all the legs (of the relay) because we've worked so hard for this all season. When I saw Bethany (Laubenheimer) coming (to hand off) I knew she was in the top three so all I had to do was hold form. I'm just so proud of them all."
Some near misses
Elsewhere, the Warhawks had a series of near-misses on state berths as Katelyn Turner missed out on a berth by just 21/2 inches in the shot put with a fourth-place effort of 35-1 inch, while Beth Kuske tied for fourth in the high jump at 4-10, the same height as the third-place finisher, although she had more misses.
Turner is a senior and Kuske a junior. Ellis just missed out on a second state slot with a runner-up effort in the 100 high hurdles (15.94).
Other sectional efforts included the following: 800 relay: Rosalie Campbell, Alex Kleczewski, Sydney Langmann and Shaylynn Mitchell, seventh (1:53.34); 1,600 relay: Ellis, Leah Wheaton, Bertietri and Gassner, fifth (4:13.18); 3,200 relay: Andrea Brown, Hannah Knapp, Sarah Ahles and Calli Lemke, sixth (10:32.36); and discus: Turner, fifth (95-6).
"It was close to what we were fully expecting," Siegert said of the sectional efforts, "... but now we want to build on this. It's not enough just to get to state. Now we have to show everyone what we can do."
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