Port girls count on track talent

Port Washington’s girls’ cross-country runners entered the 2018 track and field season ready to go, and the rest of the team helped lead the Pirates to fifth place in the Sheboygan North Raider Invitational last Friday.

Port scored 43 points. Oak Creek won the 19-team meet with 98.

Senior Emma Meyer took third for the Pirates in the 3,200-meter race in 12 minutes, 54 seconds, and anchored the third-place 3,200 relay (11:21.3). Other relay members included Katie Erlandson, Jill Cavanaugh and Bethany Stacey.

Port’s Alexis Reichardt took third in the high jump by clearing 4 feet, 10 inches, and was fifth in the 800 run (2:39.75).

“She scores a lot of our points,” Port coach Joe Adamak said.

Adamak said he liked that points were spread out among the events and that his team scored in all the relays.

Sophomore Isa Shiflett took fourth in the 55 hurdles (a personal-best 9.84 seconds), and junior Jane Kautz was fifth (9.87). It was Kautz’s first time running the race.

The 640 relay of Shiflett, Julia Greisch, Amaya Brownmiller and Kautz took sixth (1:37.44), and the 1,600 relay of Reichardt, Kautz, Isabella Reyes and Emma Goodman was seventh (4:48.38).

The 960 relay of Abby Fritsch, Reyes, Kelly Ball and Grace Schumacher was eighth (2:40).

“We’re going to get stronger in those sprint relays,” Adamak said.

“We ran one with all freshmen and sophomores. It was their first big meet. Those kids all did great.”

Shiflett placed seventh in the pole vault by clearing 7-6, and Brownmiller was eighth in the long jump (14-6).

Adamak said his team has a big freshman class this year, leading to a large team with more than 40 members.

This week, the Port girls were scheduled to participate in the North Shore Conference indoor meet at Cedarburg on Wednesday and in a meet at Milwaukee Lutheran on Saturday.

On Monday, March 26, the Pirates will travel to Oshkosh West for a meet.