Miller leads the way at CIC
By Lenny Sementi
McKinlee Miller and her Lady Warrior teammates made the most of a rainy night in Macon this past Thursday the 2nd while competing at the Central Illinois Conference. The senior state qualifier from a year ago showed up in the jumps collecting 13 of her 18 team points in the long and triple jumps helping the Lady Warriors to a sixth place effort with 68-points to their credit.
Miller secured second in her signature event, the triple jump, denting the sand at 33-feet 10.5-inches adding eight points to the team totals then donated five points in the long jump with a leap of 15 feet 7 inches, capturing fourth place overall. Newcomer Carli Seip found her way to some team points as well in the long jump. The freshman hit the pit at 32 feet 4.5 inches to take fifth place overall.
Miller also added points to the mix in the open 100-meter hurdles and in the 4×200-meter relay. She took sixth in the hurdles and joined with Seip, Laney Cummings, and Sophie James to take fourth in the 4×200 with a time of 1-minute 58-seconds. Seip, James and Cummings connected with Brynn Tabeling in the 4×400-relay turning in a time of 4:35 to take fourth place. James, Cummings and Tabeling also handed off to freshman Skylar Wilkins for yet another fourth place effort in the 4×100. Cummings produced points in all four relays having her hand in 19 points thanks to a fifth place outing in the 4×800. She linked up with Katie Wells, Kyla Gough and Maddie Stahler.
Seip found her way to four points in the high jump with a fifth place clearing 4 feet 10 inches. Hannah Lemay garnered three points in the pole vault with a sixth place, but it was Karli Dean that secured the squad’s only other second place medal on the night. Dean fired the discus for long time throws coach Stan Wienke 109 feet 4 inches taking second out of more than 15 throwers. Senior Gabi Ainsworth put four more points on the board for head coach Lacey Diaz taking fifth in the disc. Dean scored in the shot as well taking seventh place.
Tabeling was tops for the black and gold in the open running events. The second year runner took third place in a loaded 400-meter field crossing the line in 1 minute and 4 seconds. Ashton Smith and Ashlynn Donnals both found some points in the distance races. Smith was eighth overall in the 1600 with a time of 6:25, while Donnals took eighth in the 3200-meter rounding the track eight times in 16:28.