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May 15, 2014
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Boys Tennis
Jerome set for sectional tourney ByAARON BLANKENSHIP THISWEEKSPORTS.COM
runner for Scioto, placing 90th in 21 minutes, 29.98 seconds. “When Shayla came back, she was so much slower than before that she thought maybe she would never make it back to that level,” Suttle said. “She was used to being the No. 1 or No. 2 runner, and she had a long way to go for that. “Shayla continued to work hard and was able to run well in the postseason. She did what she needed to do to stay in shape, with weightlifting and other activities. She never sits around. She’s always doing something.” This spring in her junior season, Wigand has been running relays in an effort to work her way back to excelling in the 400 and 800 meters, both in open
The Dublin Jerome High School boys tennis team entered the week having won nine of its previous 12 matches. The Celtics, who split their first four matches, were 11-5 overall after losing to Coffman 3-2 on May 12. Jerome defeated DeSales 50 on May 9 behind wins by Pranav Kaza (first singles), Tyler Stohr (second singles), Jack Bennett (third singles), Asish Katta and Ryan Worthen (first doubles) and Jason Liu and Michael Lin (second doubles). “Our second doubles has been our strongest court thus far with Jason Liu and Michael Lin,” coach Tyler Stephen said. “We just need to find some more consistency in the middle of our lineup. “Our goal is to deal with adverse situations during a tight match more maturely as the year goes on. They’re young and will improve if they keep the right mindset.” The Celtics will compete in a Division I sectional Thursday, May 15, and Saturday, May 17, at Reynoldsburg. The top four finishers in singles and doubles from each sectional advance to district May 23 and 24 at Hilliard Davidson. Katta and Worthen are seeded first in doubles and Stephen believes Liu and Lin have the potential to upset the fourth seed, Reynolsburg’s Zach Kahl and Raymond Truong, in the second round to advance to district. Playing singles at sectional are Kaza, Stohr and Chris Zhu.
WIGAND >> A21
TENNIS >> A20
Scioto junior Shayla Wigand missed last season after she found out the pain in her right ankle was caused by an extra bone floating atop a tendon. She opted for six months of rest rather than surgery. She has returned to compete in the 400 and 800 meters as well as the 1,600 and 3,200 relays. RYAN M.L. YOUNG/THISWEEKSPORTS
Track & Field
Wigand works way back to form By SCOTT HENNEN THISWEEKSPORTS.COM Running had been easy for Shayla Wigand. Then, in February 2013, it became difficult for her to walk, let alone run. During preseason workouts with the Dublin Scioto High School girls track and field team, Wigand began experiencing pain in her right ankle that ultimately would force her to sit out her sophomore season. Initially, Wigand figured she had shin splints or another minor discomfort, and so she lightened her workouts. But when the pain didn’t subside, she headed to a doctor. “It turns out I was born with an extra bone in my ankle, and that (bone) was floating on top of my tendon causing
the pain,” Wigand said. “That was what was causing the pain. It wasn’t shin splints. “(The doctors) said if I were to have surgery, I would be out two years, and I couldn’t sit around that long. That would have driven me crazy.” After her diagnosis, Wigand spent about six months resting her ankle, either on crutches or in a walking boot. “Sitting around was driving me insane because I’m used to working out every day,” she said. “I did a lot of painting. I’m into art. That helped me get through it.” Last fall, Wigand, who also is a member of the girls cross country team, gradually worked her way back to competing in that sport. “I walked around the track for the first week or two, but I was ready to
get moving,” she said. “By the third week, I could run some. But I remember my first time back in a (cross country) race, it went horribly. I wasn’t sure if I could do it anymore.” Matt Suttle, who is the head coach of the girls track and cross country programs, could see that the slow comeback was trying Wigand’s patience. “This girl never stops and to have her run five minutes like she did on the first day back instead of five miles was tough on her,” Suttle said. “She was used to running at the varsity level and she was nowhere near that. She had to build up from ground zero.” Wigand had to rebuild her endurance for distance and middle-distance running during the cross country season and competed in the Division I regional meet at Pickerington North as the sixth