Lady Hawks 4×400 Meter Relay has some Unfinished Business

The Canyon Lake foursome of Mariah Ellis, Brookelynn Helmke, Hannah

Graves, and Amber Ramsey are carrying on a tradition for Girls Track in that they are running in the Region Meet for the third year in a row.

Each year they are at the doorstep knocking on that door for the State Meet. With times in the 4:10 area this team seems to be the closest in that line of 1600 Meter Relay teams to break that 4:10 barrier.

That will be something they will need to accomplish in order to give them a legitimate chance of being one of the last two Relay Teams standing.

Mariah Ellis will be running in her second Region Meet this week and certainly had a spectacular run at District 27-3A two weeks ago on her leg.

Ellis made up a some ground and caught several teams on that back stretch to get the baton to Amber Ramsey for her anchor leg.

“All I was thinking was I want to make Regions,” Mariah said with resolve. “When everyone is cheering for you it pushes you to go.”

Go, is what Ellis did on that night as she had the home crowd cheering her and the other group of girls for a place to keep having a chance of advancing.

Canyon Lake did not have their best time in district but they were not off much from their run in the Hawk Relays where they had the best 4×400 Relay time ever for the Hawks.

Hannah Graves missed her chance in the 400 Meter Run earlier in the meet but she also did not want to go home without another chance of running in Regions. She had participated in last year’s meet in the 800 Run.

Brookelynn Helmke specializes in running all of the relays, so many spectators don’t have a chance to see her blaze around the track in those individual races.

Of course, Amber Ramsey can make those long strides with her height which will always get her around the track with a fast pace.

Caitlyn Collins was the lone Senior from last years Relay group, when they ran a 4:11.41 for second place in their district meet.

Now with three Juniors and a Sophomore on this years Relay team these young ladies will see what they can do to improve on their record run.

Three years ago in Region Meet, Jessica Cunningham, Brittany Adamson, Catilyn Collins, and Tiffany Tschoepe place 5th with a time of 4:11.18.

Last year’s squad beat that time with a 4:11.15 during that year’s campaign and this year at the Hawk Relays, CL topped them all with a dazzling 4:10.53 run.

Now it will be time to break that 4:10 barrier.

“I love chasing people,” Ellis said as she now starts to focus on some more teams to chase. “Catching them and then passing them is what I like to do and that is what makes this fun.”

Canyon Lake was seeded last year in the Region Meet with a time of 4:11.41 and then went out on the track and never were in that Region race with a time of 4:23.73 a full 12 seconds slower.

That might leave some unfinished business for three of these ladies so that time might be taken in another direction this time around.

Good luck this year and do your best for Canyon Lake!!!