Garden City girls retain indoor crown

It is challenging enough defending a national title.

It is even tougher when you are attempting to repeat while replacing three legs of a relay.

The Garden City girls sprint medley did just that Saturday, as the relay of Alexis Yeboah-Kodie Taylor Hennig, Taryn Schmelzinger and Emma Gallagher won the New Balance Indoor Nationals at The Armory in 4:04.17.

"We definitely had high expectations of ourselves because we know what we can all run," Hennig said. "But we didn't expect to win, so it's just an honor, especially to be defending champions and win again."

Only Schmelzinger returned from the 2010 Nike Indoor Nationals championship team. Three new girls were added to the mix, including eighth-grader and 800-meter anchor leg Gallagher.

"To replace three legs and come back and win is obviously awesome," Garden City coach Erica Fregosi said. "It's pretty much a whole different team."

Garden City took the lead toward the backstretch of Hennig's 200-meter second leg. Schmelzinger took the baton and maintained the lead for her 200-meter leg before handing it off to the youngster for the final 800 meters.

"They knew they had to give the baton to Emma in the lead," Fregosi said. "And then she just took the baton and went."

Gallagher split 2:13.21 to hold off Blacksburg (Va.) by more than a second. The youngster of the group acknowledged a severe case of nerves.

"I was scared, but I just kept running and pushing through it," Gallagher said. "I just pretended someone was on my back the whole time, and then I just kicked."

And she would kick her relay team to yet another national title.

St. Anthony's 4x800 team of Lauren Fontana, Sloane Russ, Danielle Cornell and Olicia Williams placed second (8:56.94). Williams ran a 2:07.3 anchor leg, good enough for the fastest split of the race. She passed several opposing teams anchor legs to push the Friars into runner-up position.

Kellenberg's 4x55 meter shuttle hurdle team of Michelle Anthony, Odrine Belot, Kim MacKay Saralee Martelly took third (33.71) to receive All-American honors. They won their finals heat by nearly two seconds.