Track season ends at state finals
Sandy Mahoney
Pictured is Jake Chapman who ran 25th in the 800 run in a time of 1:57.72.
The coverage area sent six student-athletes to the IHSAA Track and Field State Finals for a second year in a row and it was the biggest stage that would allow for the six to finish out spectacular spring seasons this past weekend.
Friday and Saturday at North Central High School in Indianapolis served as the two days for the state finals with the boys competing on Friday and the girls following the next day.
Coverage area action on Friday for the boys saw the best finish of the day go to Batesville senior Ayden Eckstein who wrapped up a sensational high school career with a 12th place finish in the high jump. A podium finisher a year ago, the Marian University commit was able to surpass initial marks early but was forced to exit after a day-best height of six feet and four inches. Warsaw junior Jordan Randall took home the high jump title with a leap of seven feet and runner-up was Nolan Johnston of Chesterton at six feet and 11 inches.
Konrad Hayden of Fishers was third at six feet and eight inches.
Milan’s Gabe Riehle and Batesville’s Jake Chapman also competed. Riehle, a junior, finished 18th in the 400 dash with a time of 49.50 seconds. North Central senior Dehnm Holt won the event and in doing so set a new state record in the 400 at 46.80 seconds. He finished over a second faster than runner-up Brock DeBello of Tri-West Hendricks.
Chapman, a senior committed to run cross country at the University of Indianapolis, ran 25th in the 800 run in a time of 1:57.72. Bloomington North junior Caleb Winders was tops at 1:52.21, just barely clipping Jace Works of Columbus North in 1:52..81.
Saturday’s girls state finals for the coverage area was highlighted by the two field events featuring Batesville’s Ella King and Oldenburg Academy’s Rachel Suttman. King, a sophomore, finished 15th in the shot put which was six spots better than her state debut as a freshman. She finished Saturday with a day-best throw of 39 feet and four inches, just missing the Top 10 by a little over a foot. Whitko’s Gwen Howard earned the state title in the event at 46 feet and 11 inches and Alexa Walter of Heritage was runner-up at 44 feet and 4.75 inches.
Suttman, a junior, finished 18th in the discus with a throw of 122 feet and nine inches. A field filled with talent saw all Top 10 finishers with throws of at least 134 feet. The state champion in the discus was Greenwood senior Emma Gardner at 152 feet and seven inches and runner-up was Luci Barile of Center Grove at 146 feet and five inches.
The final competitor was South Ripley senior Alexa Yeomans who recently signed her letter of intent to NCAA Division I Northern Kentucky University as part of the track and field program. Yeomans unfortunately was forced to bow out in the preliminary heat of the 100 hurdles, finishing 17th among 27 total competitors with a time of 15.20 seconds. The championship race saw South Bend Washington’s Adriana Swanson nearly set a new state record in a time of 13.83 seconds. Pike sophomore Jai Brown ran second in 14.01 seconds.
More about Yeomans’ commitment to Northern Kentucky will be featured as part of our newspaper’s summer sports coverage.
With the track and field season complete, many of our area runners will now turn their attention to the summer road racing circuit which includes the Southeastern Indiana Racing Circuit Series. That series begins in Rushville on June 28.
