Girls track: Edwards smashes school record as Edgewood goes after WIC 4-peat

Emma Edwards went out at her usual pace for the 200-meter dash.

The thing is, Edwards was running the 400 and that 26-second split halfway through her full lap around her home track at Edgewood Wednesday night during the Western Indiana Conference meet was the set for the race of a lifetime.

She did more than hold on after that, finishing in 56.30 to win the title, break her school record from last year by nearly two seconds (58.19) and smash the meet record as well. It's also one of top three times in county history and one of the best in the state.

Edwards, a senior, went on to win high jump (5-3), take second in the 200 and finished off the winning 1,600 relay that had a season best time as well after she quickly caught up and passed leader Indian Creek. That effort helped lead to a fourth straight WIC title for the Mustangs, who out scored Northview, 158-140 in the 11-team meet. Owen Valley was 10th at 16 points.

"It was a crazy night for her," Edgewood coach Zach Evans said. "She went 5-3 in high jump, which is just an inch off the state standard. She ran a low 26 (26.19) in the 200 and then two 56s in the 400 and the four-by-four. Those were huge.

"We knew she had been running really well, but to take another almost two full seconds off... She's just in an awesome spot and she just got faster after conference last year. It means she's starting to get set up well for the state series. All the training she's done, a lot of aerobic work, she's much stronger than she was last year."

Edgewood won the 1,600 relay in a season best 4:10.49 with Avery Rayl, Piper Stephens and Ellie Vagedas. Stephens also joined Ashley Abram, Macey Crider and Kelsey Davis for second in the 400 relay in 50.94.

The Mustangs piled up several other titles as Abram (10-0) and Harlie Robbins (9-3) went 1-3 in pole vault; Crider had a career best 12.81 to win the 100 and was third in the 200 (27.05) with Edwards (26.19) behind only West Vigo's Kyarra DeGroote, who broke the meet record again with a 25.81.

Vagedas took second in the 800 (2:25.36) in a four-second PR and Rayl was fourth in the 400. Hannah Crain (5:15.48) and Riley Haskett went 3-5 in the 1,600 and 2-3 in the 3,200 as Crain went 11:31.79 and Indian Creek standout Libby Dowty broke the meet mark with a 10:47.43. Shayli Walker added a second in shot put and third in discus.

"We had girls stepping up across the board," Evans said.

Owen Valley's big highlight came early as the 3,200 relay team of Ali Anderson, Mallory Owen, Bailey Kay and Lily Smith broke their school record that was set at last year's sectional (10:29) with a 10:26.09 for third. The Patriots were also fourth in the 1,600 relay in 4:26.21.

Anderson was also fifth in the 800 and Smith eighth in long jump.

WESTERN INDIANA CONFERENCE MEET

Team scores: 1. Edgewood 158; 2. Northview 140; 3. Indian Creek 91; 4. West Vigo 59; 5. Sullivan 43; 6. North Putnam 41; 7. Greencastle 29½; 8. Cloverdale 27; 9. South Putnam 21½; 10. Owen Valley 16; 11. Brown County 3

Individual results (top 2 and Edgewood and OV scorers)

100: 1. Macey Crider, E, 12.81; 2. Dusty Welker, WV, 12.92; 8. Avery Rayl, E, 13.80. 200: 1. Kyarra DeGroote, WV, 25.81 (meet record; old record, 25.90); 2. Emma Edwards, E, 26.19; 3. Crider, E, 27.05. 400: 1. Edwards, E, 56.30 (meet record; old record, 58.20); 2. Asyria Ford, Cl, 1:02.01; 4. Rayl, E, 1:03.57. 800: 1. Ellia Hayes, Nv, 2:22.00; 2. Ellie Vagedas, E, 2:25.36; 5. Alli Anderson, OV, 2:34.82; 8. Ryleigh Burnett, E, 2:39.67. 1,600: 1. Libby Dowty, IC, 4:56.86; 2. Hayes, Nv, 5:03.50; 3. Hanna Crain, E, 5:15.48; 5. Riley Haskett, E, 5:28.45. 3,200: 1. Libby Dowty, IC, 10:47.43 (meet record; old record, 10:55.03); 2. Crain, E, 11:31.79; 3. Haskett, E, 12:19.20. 100 hurdles: 1. Bailey Brickert, SP, 15.77; 2. Karsyn Buck, Nv, 15.94; 6. Khaliya Francke-Council, E, 18.43; 7. Harlie Robbins, E, 18.47. 300 hurdles: 1. Buck, Nv, 47.75; 2. Maddie Rummell, IC, 48.07; 4. Addison Goerges, E, 51.07; 6. Audrie Lamb, E, 53.40.

High jump: 1. Edwards, E, 5-3; 2. Buck, Nv, 5-3; 6. Goerges, E, 4-8. Long jump: 1. Brenna Stallcop, Nv, 16-9½; 2. Molly Margison, IC, 16-5¼; 8. Lily Smith, OV, 15-0½. Shot put: 1. Callee Riggle, NP, 34-2; 2. Shayli Walker, E, 32-10. Discus: 1. Mackinley Lawson, NP, 114-2; 2. Lexis Drake, Sul, 97-1; 3. Walker, E, 97-1; 8. Ava Norton, E, 94-0. Pole vault: 1. Ashley Abram, E, 10-0; 2. Skyler Byrd, G, 9-6; 3. Robbins, E, 9-3.

400 relay: 1. Northview, 50.88; 2. Edgewood (Abram, Crider, Davis, Stephens), 50.94; 10. Owen Valley (Deckard, Raymond-Schelfo, Newby, Shay), 57.88. 1,600 relay: 1. Edgewood (Edwards, Rayl, Stephens, Vagedas), 4:10.49; 2. Indian Creek, 4:13.45; 4. Owen Valley (Deckard, Smith, Owen, Anderson), 4:26.21. 3,200 relay: 1. Northview, 9:51.92; 2. Indian Creek, 9:55.97; 3. Owen Valley (Anderson, Owen, Kay, Smith), 10:26.09; 4. Edgewood (Zelhoff-Ariaga, Vagedas, Franklin, Burnett), 10:39.51.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: School record falls as Edgewood girls track goes after WIC 4-peat