Posted: May 23, 2010 |(0) Comments

Stunning or brilliant were not words that would be used to describe the way the Homestead boys and girls track teams completed their North Shore Conference triple crowns on May 18 at the league outdoor test in Whitefish Bay.

But other words like gritty, tenacious, skillful and impassioned could fill the void much better anyway.

Take the girls title for example, especially those who contributed in the 3,200 meters, the next to last event on the track.

It looked something like a MASH-style triage field at the end of the race for Highlanders runners Kelsey Boyle, Dana Griepentrog and Sarah Miller

One was draped over the shoulder of head coach John Krueger, another was lying on her hip, trying to get up but her exhaustion glued her to the track, while the other was flat on her back, tired beyond all measure.

The three had claimed the fourth through sixth places, respectively, giving the Highlanders 12 valuable points in what was then still a tight meet.

"We did it together," said Miller, who earned sixth. "It was such an exceptional race, but we pulled together at the end. Knowing what we did for the team helps make the pain worthwhile."

Then there was 100 high and 300 low hurdle champ Marissa Savitch, who in response to being challenged down the final straight in the 300 by Germantown freshman Sammie Gassner, said: "I was a little tired, and she had me until the last hurdle, but then I thought about the team and I gave it my all."

And then there was senior pole vaulter Katelyn Wright, who upped her personal best and school record by six inches in winning her specialty in what coach John Krueger felt was a heart-felt effort.

Bitter taste erased

It was this kind of fortitude and mental toughness that netted the Highlanders the NSC triple crown they so narrowly missed last year.

"Last year left such a bitter taste in our mouths (a close loss in the NSC outdoor to Germantown)," Krueger said. "We talked this week about not getting too far ahead of ourselves. We've had some success the last few weeks, but this is the one that we had our eyes on the whole time.

"(It's) the one we really wanted."

Homestead scored 149 points for its crown as Milwaukee Lutheran was second with 114.

The most hard-earned of the Highlanders points came in that 3,200 as Boyle was fourth (11:34.12), Griepentrog fifth (11:34.91) and Miller sixth (11:34.97).

The only victories for the Highlanders came from Savitch in the 100 high (14.91) and the 300 low hurdles (48.08) and Wright (10-6).

Seconds went to the 3,200 relay team of Miller, Megan Starr, Carolyn Apfelbach and Keali Bjork (9:59.39); Ashley Heding in the 100 (12.73), Bjork in the 400 (1:00.07); and Natalie Goniu in the shot put (37-9.5).

Boys repeat feat

As for the boys, it was a thorough and fair effort that netted them their second consecutive triple crown

And it was not without its highlights.

For one, there was Justin Barber's new state best in the discus with a 179-11 effort. And then there was Nate Routhier's dramatic edging of teammate Doug Mueller by 0.01 in the 800 as Routhier completed an 800-1,600 sweep.

There was also Gabe Genovesi's gritty pull-away to win the 400 with a 49.45 time.

There were also the field events expected domination that came from unexpected players like Brian Hoffmann winning the triple jump and Taylor Ruffin the long jump, as well as the usual (Danny Schiller in the high jump).

And, of course, there was the punctuation mark that is the high-profile 1,600 relay team of Andrew Holtorf, Gabe Genovesi, Mike Collins and Doug Mueller, which set a new league record of 3:22.34.

It's just a matter of covering all the bases, said a pleased Highlanders coach Dan Benson.

"The real strength of our team is its balance," he said. "We try to cover all 18 events and we did that pretty well with the exception of not having an entry in the 3,200. Part of our motivation was completing the triple crown, which is something we never took for granted, because we have to remember we only won the league indoor by two points.

"If we didn't perform today, there were teams more than capable of doing the job."

But Homestead did do the job, scoring 201 points, which far outdistanced runner-up Germantown (140).

So thorough was the Highlanders' showing, that you could have combined the totals of fourth through seventh-place finishers Port Washington, Cedarburg, Grafton and Nicolet (186 total points) and still not beaten them.

Routhier was one of the leaders. He was timed in 4:27.92 for his 1,600 win and then rallied past teammate Mueller for the win in the 800 as both were clocked in personal bests of 1:57.29 and 1:57.3, respectively.

"Success has been great," Routhier said. "This has been a fantastic team to be on. We keep setting one record after another even the (NSC champion) girls. Everyone is contributing."

The same could be said of Ruffin, who won the long jump with a 20-11 effort with teammate Zach Enea taking second (20-10 1/2 ). Ruffin said he doesn't get much practice in the jumps as he's concentrating a great deal on the hurdles. He took second in both the 110 highs (15.03) and 300 intermediates (40.24).

"There's such competition on this team," Ruffin said. "... We have a great diversity of ability."

Hoffmann took the triple with a 42- 1/4 showing while Schiller cleared 6-6 for his high jump win.

The team was happy for this collaborative victory, but now the Highlanders are ready to take that big step of getting to state.

"This (the triple crown) is one of the major goals we set at the beginning of the year," said Collins, "but it's just starting us on the good road toward (WIAA) regional, sectional and state. Everything we did up to this point is great, but it won't mean as much if we're not there in June (at state)."

UP NEXT

WHAT: The Highlanders competed in WIAA regional competition at Grafton on Monday and now will send qualifiers to their own sectional on Thursday. Field events start at 4:15 p.m. and the running events at 5 p.m. The top three finishers in each event, plus all those whose efforts are among the top eight of all sectionals statewide advance to the WIAA State Meet in La Crosse on June 4 and 5.

QUOTE: "We're going to keep working hard. Working hard for that one goal (state)."

-Doug Mueller