SR’s Cole moves on to state finals

submitted photo

Hopeful racers line up for the 3200 meter race at the girls regional in Shelbyville. South Ripley’s Megan Cole is pictured on the far right, the third racer in. Elyse Hunger is seen towards the middle, six racers in from the left.

South Ripley’s Megan Cole was crowned the regional champion in the 3200 meter run on Tuesday, May 21 in Shelbyville. En route to her second regional win in that race, Cole reset the South Ripley school record. She ran in a time of 11:11.17. She now moves on to the state finals, to be held on Saturday, June 1 at the Robert C. Haugh Track & Field Complex at Indiana University, Bloomington. The 3200 meter run is scheduled for 8:15 p.m. For reference, the time of 11:11.17 meant Cole ran each of her two miles in about 5:35.5. That translates to Cole running the race at just under 11 miles per hour. Among all racers in eight regionals held around the state, Cole’s time currently ranks her in 16th place. Of course, each race is different, and therefore the outcome at the state finals may be different. Lady Raiders runner Elyse Hunger also competed in the 3200 meter race, finishing in 13th place. South Ripley’s 4×800 team of Elyse Hunger, Deborah Murphy, Lanie Nicholson, and Emily Campbell finished 11th in a time of 10:43.98. Jac-Cen-Del’s Cloey Simon finished 11th in the 300 meter hurdles, while Kayla Simon finished 15th.