Rain-soaked and radiant, Mogadore girls track and field wins Wildcat Invitational title

MOGADORE — Amidst a relentless rain at Mogadore Memorial Stadium, the Wildcats' track and field athletes stood quiet as the girls team scores were read before a soaked crowd.

"In fourth place, Southeast."

"In [third] place, Garfield."

"Second place, 116 points, Rootstown."

That's when the screaming began.

For the first time in recent memory, the Mogadore girls had captured the team title at the Wildcat Invitational.

“I had no idea,” Mogadore senior Natalie Lane said. “I knew we were in top three and I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh, like three, OK, two, Rootstown.’ I was like, ‘No way, that's crazy.’ It was an awesome feeling just because everyone that was here has worked so hard for it and it was so well deserved.”

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Among the Kelly green contingent, there was little such expectation Friday.

The thought was the Wildcats were in line to secure a top-three finish.

Still, the Garfield and Rootstown girls had long dominated the Wildcat Invitational, and the Portage Trail Conference as a whole.

“[It's] just crazy to me," Lane said. "In years past, we would have been runner-up, because I remember last year we were runners-up and my sophomore year we were [fourth], so just to have senior year, Senior Night, [it was] so awesome.”

As Friday's meet proceeded, there was little expectation of a title for the host school in part because the Rovers took a sizable early lead, and from there it was hard to figure out what was going on amid a rain that steadily worsened.

As the storm grew stronger, so did the Wildcats.

Mogadore's final push began with a one-two finish in the 800 meters by junior Katie Lane (2:34.41) and senior Rachel Whetstone (2:34.43) to rack up 18 points.

The Wildcats followed with a two-three finish in the 200, as sophomore Ari Tompkins (27.97) and junior Brook McIntyre (28.49) followed Akron North across the line to gain 14 points on the Rovers.

Mogadore sophomore Emma Quillen added a key runner-up finish in the 3,200 (11:37.15), trailing only Southeast freshman phenom Julia Wheeler (11:33.16), meaning the Wildcats had already clinched the invitational before the final event (the 4x400) began, even if no one realized it yet.

Then, Mogadore won the 4x400 for good measure, capturing the team title by 11 points (127-116) over runner-up Rootstown.

“It just feels amazing,” Wildcats senior Rachel Whetstone said. “We've been wanting this for so many years. Like, I can remember the seniors back then. I can remember Hope [Murphy], I can remember Sami [Karasek]. Like, we've been pushing for this and it really just shows the people who go to those extra practices and those people that practice on the weekends, it really pays off.”

Mogadore's versatility shines through

On one hand, the Wildcats' title doesn't seem surprising.

If anything, it seems like a logical consequence of the juggernaut Mogadore has built on the cross-country course.

Still, distance running is just a fraction of a track meet, and what it takes to win an event like the Wildcat Invitational.

So as good as Mogadore's distance runners were Friday, including junior Katie Lane winning all four events in which she participated (the 800, 1600, 4x400 and 4x800), the Wildcats needed — and got — points from all over.

“We have been growing over the last couple years, putting together the pieces, and they're finally falling into place,” Wildcats coach Kim Kreiner said. “We've got a lot of pieces in sprints, in distance and in the throws, so we are becoming a very well-rounded school, very well-rounded team, which is what you need to beat a school like Rootstown.”

Those pieces falling into place included Natalie Lane edging Rootstown star thrower Brooklynn McIntyre in the discus, 115-8½ to 114-8. McIntyre, a Rovers junior, won the shot put earlier with an impressive 38-½.

“It's not just for me, it's for my team,” Lane said. “I was like my team, we just need those extra points, and I thought it was just awesome. I have so much respect for [Brooklynn] as well because she's obviously an amazing thrower, and it was crazy. It was an awesome feeling.”

Those pieces falling into place also included Mogadore becoming more competitive in the sprints led by sophomore Ari Tompkins (first in the 400 and second in the 200) and Brook McIntyre (third in the 200 and the 400).

Tompkins has been a particularly key addition for the Wildcats after she was sidelined last year by an injury, impressing with her ability to excel at a wide range of distances.

“She pushes herself at practice, wants to get better and everybody feeds off everyone at practice,” Kreiner said. “So Katie's pushing Rachel, who's pushing Brook, who's pushing Ari, so it's enjoyable to watch them practice just because they push each other so hard.”

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Rain-soaked and radiant, Mogadore wins Wildcat Invitational title