BERNE — The Berne-Knox-Westerlo girls’ track-and-field team won the Western Athletic Conference title with an impressive victory at the league championships last Tuesday.

The team placed first out of 13 teams at the Maple Hill Invitational, first out of 10 teams at the Middleburgh Invitational, and first out of 10 teams at the Cherry Valley-Springfield Invitational. BKW also won all five of its dual meets this year. The girls’ team has not lost a dual meet since 2003.

The team has been led all season by Ada Lauterbach who runs three or four distance events in big meets. Lauterbach set the school record in the 2,000-meter steeplechase earlier this year and was named Athlete of the Meet at Middleburgh and Cherry Valley.
"Ada seems to be getting stronger as the year goes on," said BKW Coach Bill Tindale. "She’s run some very good times in races where she has had no competition. I’m excited to see what happens when she is pushed a little bit."

Senior Sarah Hannay has already bettered her school records in the shot put and the discus while winning several invitational meets.
"We can always count on Sarah for 18 to 20 points in big meets," Tindale said. "She’s also a great leader who has helped us build a solid group of throwers. At Middleburgh, we had four girls in the top six in the shot put."

Allyson Bates, Faith Carney, and Ruby Moseby also placed in the meet.

Michelle Raymond has had a big year for the Lady Bulldogs. Raymond runs on the 1,600- and 3,200-meter relay teams that are both near school records. She also was league champion in the 800-meter run.
"I am very happy for Michelle," Tindale said. "Injuries have kept her from reaching her potential in the past, but, if she stays healthy this year, she’s going to be a part of some great relay teams."

Strong newcomers

Some newcomers have made the girls’ team even stronger. Senior Cara Swain and sophomore Amber Pitcher and Kayla Lee have had an immediate impact.

Swain runs on all three relay teams, which have won big races at major invitationals.
"We had Cara run four events at WAC, and she came through big," Tindale said. "She hates to lose and that makes up for her lack of experience. We wish we had her for the last three years."

Pitcher is the team’s best 400-meter runner, Tindale said. She won the Middleburgh Invitational and the Maple Hill Invitational in that event. She also runs on the 1,600 and 3,200 relay teams.
"Amber has a lot of natural talent," Tindale said of Pitcher. "But she backs it up with hard work. We think she has a chance at the school record by the end of the year."

Kayla Lee had battled pneumonia for a part of the season but she came back for the league championships. She ran a vital leg on the winning 1,600-meter relay team.
"She’s fun to watch," Tindale said. "She has a great stride. She’s still not feeling great, but we hope she’s ready to go full speed by sectionals."

Two hurdlers have also scored big points for the Bulldogs this season. Anna Kusler and Kristine Skinner have several top-three finishes at big meets. Tindale has been impressed with Kusler’s work ethic.
"She always works hard to improve," the coach said. "She knows the event and is willing to work on the little details."

Skinner is just a freshman and placed second at Cherry Valley in the 400-meter hurdles last Saturday.

BKW is strong in the sprints as well. Jessica Squires and Sabrina Stoutt provide the team with a one-two punch in the 100- and the 200-meter dashes. Tindale attributes their success to a more focused attitude in the last month.
"These girls have really come on strong in the last couple of weeks," the coach said. "They are getting faster as the season progresses."

Alyssa Wetterau set a school record in the pole vault earlier this year and has been placing in the big meets. She is also the team’s best high jumper and runs on the 400-meter relay team.
"Alyssa is invaluable to us," Tindale said. "She makes our relay a sectional contender."
"We have so many good athletes it’s tough to mention them all," Tindale added. "Christina Bartonicek often runs in the shadow of Ada, but she has a couple of top three finishes in the big meets. Jocelyn Mann and Danielle Willsey did the pentathlon for the first time on Saturday and both placed in the top five."
What explains the Lady Bulldogs string of success"
"I think it has a lot to do with good leadership," Tindale answered. "Sarah Hannay, Michelle Raymond, and Claire DellaRocco are our captains. They’ve been around for four years and have gotten used to winning. Claire won the Will to Win award at the Cherry Valley Invitational and for good reason. She’s a total team player. She has worked so hard to improve herself. Other girls notice and follow in her footsteps. You won’t see her name in the headline, but we wouldn’t be half as good without her."