D-III REGIONAL GIRLS TRACK
Cedarville pair heading to state
Gerhardt advances with discus toss of 138 feet, 7 inches; Bunker wins 800 meters in 2:16:61.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
PIQUA — Cedarville junior Katie Gerhardt and freshman Katie Bunker have been winning all season.
They continued their dominance at the Division III regional track meet at Piqua High School on Friday.
Katie Gerhardt of Cedarville High School competes in the discus throw during the Division III track and field regional championships at Alexander Stadium in Piqua Friday. Gerhardt won the discus for the second straight year with a toss of 138 feet, 7 inches, topping runner-up Christine Borchers of Versailles by 20 feet, while Bunker won the 800 meters in a time of 2 minutes, 16.61 seconds.
The top four individuals and relay teams advanced to the state meet at Ohio State's Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. Preliminaries take place Friday, while the finals will be on Saturday.
Gerhardt felt strong and was consistently throwing more than 138 feet. She already holds the regional record of 150-1 set last season and has hit that mark three times this season.
"Everything felt good," Gerhardt said. "But I just couldn't get any oomph on it."
She hasn't had much competition this season in the discus, but knows the state meet "will be a whole different ball game."
Meanwhile, Bunker was overwhelmed with nerves before running the 800. As a freshman, she said she felt "so small compared to everyone else."
But she ran pretty big. She took the lead on the second lap and never looked back, but admitted the race was tough.
"I haven't had anyone push me as much as I have this race," Bunker said.
Southeastern's Amber Hayslip finished tied for sixth in the high jump at 4-10, while Mechanicsburg's Mary Bline was 15th at 4-8.
West Liberty-Salem's Heather Bumbalough finished eighth in the 100 hurdles (17.37).
Reach this reporter at 328-0365 or
e-mail at mcooper@coxohio.com.
