Arabian girls track fifth at HHC meet

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FORTVILLE — The team scores showed that Pendleton Heights placed a disappointing fifth in the Hoosier Heritage Conference girls track and field meet Tuesday at Mt. Vernon High School. But the individual efforts and performances of the Arabian athletes told coach Melissa Hagerman a different story.

Two athletes came home conference champions, several established personal or season bests and no fewer than nine Arabians outperformed their seeding placement with their finishes.

For Hagerman, it was a good sign as her team gets ready for sectional later this month, and the trend started with the first event of the evening.

“That was good,” she said. “The 4×800 started us off, we were seeded sixth and ended up third. We had a couple personal bests, and (junior) Syd Parker had a career best in her leg of the 4×800, and that was their best time of the season. It’s always nice when you’re doing that now at this time of the season, because then you know sectional time is right around the corner.

“That shows that we’re getting where we want to be,” she added.

The Arabians collected their lone track championship win in a distance event. In the 3,200-meter run, senior Faith Baer took the lead at the halfway mark and never looked back. She gradually built the lead during the final four laps, eventually outdistancing the competition by nearly 60 meters.

Baer credited her teammate, fellow senior Alli McCarty, for setting the right pace early.

“Going out a little slower helps me so I can run faster in the second half,” Baer said. “Alli goes out and sets the pace, and that’s why I love Alli — I appreciate her so much. She’s really good and sets a steady pace the whole time, and I’m able to use that.”

Baer, who also placed fourth in the 1,600 earlier in the meet, said the race came to her perfectly.

“It was nice to have (a championship), especially after the mile earlier. I was a little stressed about it,” Baer said.

“That was huge,” Hagerman said. “After the mile, she was a bit loopy and I wasn’t sure she would be able to run the 3,200. I went up to her and she still wasn’t 100 percent, but she said, ‘I’m going to score you points, coach.’ And she won, which is pretty special for her right now.”

McCarty finished fourth in the 3,200.

Junior Marisa Marshall picked up the other championship for the Arabians with a win in the high jump with a leap of 5’2”.

“Marisa has a lot of potential,” Hagerman said. “I expect her to go to sectional next week, and if she keeps this up, she can go pretty far in this tournament. I hope she does.”

A strong tandem for the Arabians on the evening was comprised of Christina Magers and Sarah Dudley. The juniors ran the same three events, posting solid finishes for Pendleton Heights. In the 800, Magers placed second, while Dudley finished seventh. Both were part of the third-place 4×800 team and were also part of the fourth-place 4×400 relay.

The Arabians finished with 64 points, just three behind Shelbyville. The Golden Bears passed Pendleton Heights when the last event of the evening, the pole vault, was scored.