Raider girls take second at Pacha Relays

Down to the wire went the battle between Clear Creek Amana and Williamsburg for the girls' team title in the Pacha Relays Thursday, April 27, at Tiffin.

When everything was said and done, the Clippers owned themselves a 2 1/2 point championship over the Raiders, 137 1/2 to 135.

CCA took a 129 1/2 to 121 lead into the final two events, the 4 x 100 and 4 x 400 meter relays.

Williamsburg's 4 x 1 team of Makenna Hughes, Shannon Finn, Elizabeth Stohlmann and Ailea Wetjen placed second in 52.72, just .66 behind Solon, to pull the Raiders within a half point, 129-1/2 to 129.

Needing a higher finish in the 4 x 4 to overcome the Clippers, the Raiders placed third, one spot behind CCA.

Jenna Thurm got Williamsburg off to a great start in the field events by winning the shot put (37' 0-1/2") and discus (118-5).

“Jenna was just phenomenal,” said Raiders coach Nick Nordheim. “Having a 5-foot personal best in the discus and 2 foot in the shot put is unheard of. It's so exciting to see things coming together for her as a senior. She has had a very good career, but she is moving to another level with her performances lately.”

The Clippers would run ahead of the Raiders in each of the next five relay races, but the Raiders stayed close with a victory by Wetjen in the 100-meter dash (13.37), a runner-up finish by Hughes in the 400 meters (1:03.03) and a one-two placing by Wetjen and Finn in the 200 meters (27.35 and 27.79).

CCA proved to be a bit stronger over the final four events, however, denying Williamsburg a third team championship.