By Jeff Manes, Gary Post-Tribune correspondent
11/6/2008
TERRE HAUTE -- Lake Central's girls cross country team finished second in the state for the second year in a row -- quite an accomplishment. The Indians compiled a team score of 160. Unfortunately, they ran in to a buzzsaw from Carmel.
The Greyhounds went the speed limit: 55.
Valparaiso took fourth in the state with a team tally of 172. None of the three remaining area teams, Portage (12th), Crown Point (15th) and Kankakee Valley (23rd) had a senior in their top seven.
Three Northwest Indiana runners medales -- Lake Central's Dana Payonk (fourth), Wheeler's Christina Blair (sixth) and Boone Grove's Jordan Chester (ninth).
It was a hot 70 degrees for all who toed the line, but the girls from the region might have went out a little too hard.
Ninety seconds into the race, Payonk and Blair led a field of 174. They continued their lead after 1,000 meters.
"I had a very good start," Blair said. "I was in the lead just before the second mile. Those girls from downstate came on strong in the second half of the race. I tried to surge but, they caught me and Dana.
"Hey, I got sixth today (18 minutes, 35 seconds)," Blair added. "I got to lead part of the state race. I've learned so much this season."
Blair is rare; she prefers hot weather. Payonk admitted the fluctuation in temperature was tough. But the junior from LC was the highest finisher from Northwest Indiana.
With 600 meters to go, the kid with the kick was in 11th. When the smoke cleared, Payonk placed fourth in the state with a time of 18:31.
"I'm happy, but we haven't run in weather like this in a while," Payonk said. "The last few meets, we've been running up to the starting line in our sweats."
The top 15 medal; the top 25 are named all-state. Payonk's teammate, Rachel Zajac, placed 24th.
With just less than one mile to go, Sarah Higgens (Center Grove) and Emily Mossler (North Central) had taken a 15-meter lead on the rest of the lead pack. Higgens was the state champ with a time of 18:14, 10 seconds ahead of Mossler.
Chester, a sophomore at Boone, is a "money player."
"I had motivation and was mentally prepared," Chester said. "It definitely helps having raced the course before. I missed medaling by a second as a freshman. The thought of that one second definitely pushed me today.
"My goal was to stay right behind Christina (Blair). It's a friendly rivalry between Boone Grove and Wheeler in cross country -- basketball is a different story."
Chester finished eighth in the state by running a personal record of 18:43.
Some were just glad to be there.
"I didn't make it last year; I had a sucky race at semistate," said Crown Point's Laicee Pierce. "I wanted to leave it all out here today. I think my first two miles were good. I died the last mile. But I like this course; it reminds me of Lemon Lake."
Said LaPorte senior Rebecca Kuehn: "Oh my gosh, I was 15th at regionals (the last qualifying spot) and then 13th at semi-state. I had so much support from everybody: My family, teammates, coach and friends. I've never been here before. I got mono my junior year and didn't make it to semistate. It's just cool to be down here; it's a really awesome experience."
Kuehn placed a very respectable 56th.
"We're extremely proud to have come as far as we did," said Kankakee Valley coach Lane Lewallen. "All we ask the girls to do is their best -- they did that. This was a great experience for them. It's nothing but big women down here -- symbolically, not physically."
They don't come any bigger than Valparaiso's Megan Ranegar. A potential state championship contender, injuries caught up to her, and she finished 22nd.
"Megan lost her shoe in the first half-mile of the race, and it was her bad leg (achilles injury)," Valparaiso coach Karen DeVries said. "I haven't talked to her yet; I think she's pretty upset about it. She gutted it out for her team and ran extremely well. Megan has had a tremendous career; she proved that she is a true champion."
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