MISHAWAKA - Despite the weather conditions at the Tuesday's Indiana High School Athletic Association Mishawaka girls track and field sectional, LaVille remained positive, continued to work hard and kept pushing forward. That positive vibe and overriding confidence in the end helped four Lancer track and field members advance to the IHSAA regional round at Warsaw High School on May 27. Field events are scheduled for a 6pm ET start. After arriving at Steele Stadium at Mishawaka High School Tuesday, teams began to stretch and prepare themselves for the competition ahead. Then heavy rain and thunderstorms moved into the area resulting in a weather delay of well over an hour. "It's never great when you start warming up, and then you have to sit for an hour and then warm up again," said LaVille coach Erin Ecker. "I was really proud of the girls, they all locked in and maintained focus throughout the night. It really set the tone for what was to come." What was to come for the Lancers added up to a show of poise in challenging conditions as LaVille student-athletes provided outward support for their teammates. Seniors Reagan Bollenbacher, Brooke Edison, Mikalah Kuskye and Moriah Richhart advanced to the regional round in spite of the elements. "Discus was tough, the number 1 seed scratched all three throws," said Ecker when asked about Bollenbacher and the discus competition. "That is something that can get into your head, but Reagan seems to do her best in the worst conditions. The ring was slick, everyone was scratching, but she launched a PR toss straight out of the gates (104'10"). That was her best throw of the night and put her in 3rd place." At the high jump runway, the order of jumping due to the rain proved vital. "Brooke also finished 3rd, luckily she didn't have to jump in the rain," said Ecker. "But it was chilly, which really makes it hard for that event. She jumped really well, luckily she was able to overcome a physical/mental block and get over 4'8", and went on to clear 4'10." She was really happy with the outcome. At the end of the day, the goal is advancement." As for Richhart, the weather delay forced the LaVille senior to decide if she would participate in the 4X400 relay or try to advance in the shot put arena. She opted for the throwing event and the rest will be etched in Richhart's memory forever. "Moriah was slated for the 4x400, but due to the delay, she had to make the decision to stick to the shot and try to earn her way out. She worked hard to earn that spot (in the relay) so it was disappointing going into the contest," Ecker said about Richhart's situation. "Shot put started out rough; it rained and rained harder. They had to break out the floodlights to see the ring and sector. It really got to several of the throwers and when you see someone else struggle, that can create a mental block. (Moriah) was stuck in the 32s, which wasn't what she wanted. I was really proud of her. Her growth and maturity came through with all the wild cards thrown into the mix, she stayed calm and focused and her last throw of finals was a bomb to secure her spot at advancing." For Kuskye, a motivation to make a return to the regional round with the help of her teammates and coaches during her heat helped achieve a big goal in the 400. "Mikalah came into the season hoping to make the return trip to regionals she achieved her freshman year," said Ecker. "We knew it would be tough; she didn't have a time in the 400M, and that gave her the disadvantage of a "no time" in an unpopulated heat. She didn't have competition to push her, so it was just her and the clock. We spread out to yell her time to her so she would have some idea, and she ran a heck of a race! She finished about 75M ahead of her competition and 5th overall, which is crazy. There were two scratches in our Sectional, so that bumped her into that third-place spot and punched her ticket to the Regional contest next week. We are all so excited for her." Ecker summed up the LaVille sectional performance, saying "Overall, the conditions handed us our fair share of disappointment in a few events, but overall, the maturity and composure were impressive. The girls were in a good place; they were really positive and didn't let anything get to them. It was also humbling to watch them have those last moments together, celebrating together and lifting one another up, and cheering for one another. There were several times throughout the night, while listening to conversations, that I was thinking, "Who are you?" I've seen so much growth in them throughout their careers. Last night, the little things didn't faze them, and they were in the moment. It was fun to end with some sweet glimpses of who they have become. There are some very bright futures in store for these ladies." IHSAA Mishawaka Girls Track & Field Sectional At Mishawaka Team Scores Penn 159, Adams 129, Saint Joseph 60.5, Mishawaka 55, Washington 50, Riley 48, John Glenn 40, LaVille 32.5, South Bend Trinity at Greenlawn 24, South Bend Career Academy 10, Marian 9 Running Events 100: Sofia Ugwoke (P) 12.23, Jaidyn Kimbrough (A) 12.65, Kayanna Ellis (R) 12.68 200: Kimbrough (A) 26.01, Tinayja Summers (Mish) 26.33, Lydia Goodsell (JG) 26.40 400: DiMayah Marsh (A) 1:01.46, Ella Neuenschwander (P) 1:03.36, Quinn Driscoll (P) 1:04.79 800: Agnes Hasler (A) 2:18.95, Janine Mbianda (P) 2:19.50, Audrey Lee (Trinity) 2:20.75 1,600: Shreya Nayee (P) 5:09.94, Agnes Hasler (A) 5:20.36, Arianna Balinnang (P) 5:21.66 3,200: Lila Van Hoveln (P) 11:01.63, Izzy Frabutt (SJ) 11:40.25, Annika Lute (Trinity) 11:46.84 100 hurdles: Adriana Swanson (W) 14.51, Isis Robbins (W) 16.26, Charis Balsbaugh (Trinity) 16.58 300 hurdles: Adriana Swanson (W) 45.13, Getsemani Cruz (A) 47.21, Ella Lutz (SJ) 47.60 400 Relay: Adams (Marsh, Kimbrough, Destiny Perry, Verriyan Wiliams) 49.59, Penn (Ugwoke, Emma Heintzelman, Zoya Turk, Brianna Brisco) 49.83, Mishawaka (Sapheria Lewis, Maya Hiller, Leah Thomas, Tinayja Summers) 50.05 1,600 Relay: Penn (Ugwoke, Driscoll, Turk, Neuenschwander) 4:07.64, Adams (Marsh, Perry, Hasler, Kyra Franklin) 4:08.73, Riley (Julie Ashley, Keyeira Burton, Abby Wittrock, Angela Almagro) 4:17.84 3,200 Relay: Penn (Balinnang, Nayee, Morgan, Mbianda) 9:35.27, St. Joe (Rebecca Anatolios, Frabutt, Cathy Lutz, Ella Trenerry) 10:16.84, Trinity (Gretchen Rea, Cecelia D'Agostino, Madonna Drake, Gloria Connolly) 11:10.28 Field Events High Jump: Quinn Driscoll (P) 5-0, Monique Mitchell (W) 4-10, Brooke Edison (L) 4-10 Pole Vault: Layla Hurley (P) 9-0, Lucia Lozar (P) 8-6, Grace Mellor (A) 8-6 Long Jump: Lydia Goodsell (JG) 18-0.05, Tinayja Summers (Mish) 17-9.5, Kimbrough (A) 17-6 Shot Put: Samara Rouser (A) 39-7.5, Moriah Richhart (L) 35-2, Haley Savannah (P) 31-4.5 Discus: Talina Riley (A) 106-7, Arianna Stanley (JG) 105-5, Reagan Bollenbacher (L) 104-10