WARSAW – The Wawasee girls track and field team competed as a full team for the final time this season Tuesday night at the 2015 Warsaw Girls Track and Field Sectional Meet. The Lady Warriors finished fifth overall in the 13-team field with 45 points and advanced in five events to next week’s regional while Warsaw (171 points) claimed its ninth consecutive team title.

Wawasee, which finished seventh at last week’s Northern Lakes Conference meet and 1-6 in conference duals, managed to top three NLC foes in Tuesday’s final standings with some solid performances across the board.

“We definitely had some girls step up today,” began Wawasee head coach Scott Lancaster. “We had a few pleasant surprises today, that’s good to see at this point in the season. There were a few events that we did not do as well in but, for the most part, we watched a lot of our girls do well and peak when we expected them to.”

The pinnacle moment of the meet for the Lady Warriors may very well have been Hannah-Marie Lamle’s performance in the 300 meter hurdles. Lamle, a freshman, entered the night as the sixth seed in the event but raced to a third place finish (49.29), edging out Goshen’s Jillian Kissinger (49.31) for the final guaranteed ticket to regional.

“Hannah-Marie was a pleasant surprise,” said a satisfied Lancaster of his freshman. “The field was stacked and she was seeded sixth in her heat then went out and just hammered it. I like seeing that from a freshman because she showed no fear and no anxiety.

“She went out and did exactly what we told her to do,” Lancaster continued, “Get a good start and run for your life.”

Joining Lamle with top three finishes were Hannah Winters and Katlyn Kennedy.

Winters advanced with a third place finish in the discus throw. The senior tossed a 103-3 to clinch her ticket, behind second place Andrea Hagar from Fairfield (105-10). Alexis Mangas took fourth in the event (96-11). Mangas may be picked up for the regional, depending on results from other sectionals.

Kennedy placed second in shot put with a distance of 38-5.75. Deanna Cornelius of Elkhart Memorial won the event with a 41-4.75.

“We were expecting, or at least hoping, that we would get girls through in those events,” Lancaster said of his throwers. “But, the competition was still tough. It was not a gimme kind of event for either of them. They still had to earn it. ”

After all sectionals had turned in results Lancaster and the Lady Warriors received some good news as Wawasee would advance to regional in two more events.

Shelby Swartz will have a chance at redemption after all as she cost herself a top three finish in the 100 hurdles by clipping a hurdle, allowing Aleiyah Williams of Elkhart Central to surpass her for third place. Swartz’s time of 16.54 proved to be fast enough to move her through.

The 4 X 800 relay team of Sarah Harden, Aubrey Kuhn, Delanie Bame and Reagan Atwood surprised many with their fourth place finish (10:32.33) and will be rewarded with a regional trip as well.

The regional will be held back at Warsaw Community High School Tuesday evening and will bring in additional athletes from sectionals held at Northwestern, Bremen and Rochester.