Hamilton County girls track and field meet: Royals pull away for team title; ‘Hounds, Miller, Tigers win multiple events

Hamilton Southeastern's Olivia Brown (left) and Allie Latta finished 1-2 for the Royals in the 800 run at the Hamilton County girls track and field meet, which took place Tuesday at Carmel. Southeastern's 800 performance was a turning point for the Royals that helped them to the team championship. (Kent Graham)

By RICHIE HALL
CARMEL – With the girls track and field sectional now only a week away, Tuesday’s Hamilton County meet at Carmel was a good way to help teams figure out their plans for the start of the post-season.
The county meet, of course, always provides good competition, and everyone had something to celebrate. Six different schools won at least one event, and there was a good back-and-forth between Hamilton Southeastern and Noblesville for the team championship.
“They had some really good performances and then we stepped up and had some really good performances there at the end,” said Royals coach Julie Alano.
That helped Southeastern to win the team title, finishing with a score of 154.5 points. Carmel also asserted itself in the later stages, rising to second place with 126.5 points, with the Millers a strong third by scoring 123.5 points. Fishers picked up two event wins, Westfield and Hamilton Heights both had one victory, and Guerin Catholic had solid performances as well.
The tide began to turn the Royals’ way at the 800 run. Southeastern finished 1-2 in that event, with both runners clocking under 2 minutes, 20 seconds for the first time. Olivia Brown led the way with a 2:19.46, followed by Allie Latta in 2:19.98. Both were personal bests.
“To battle together and finish that way was just amazing,” said Alano.
Next up was the 200 dash. Jocelyn Davis came up big for HSE, winning that race in 26.55 seconds.
“Without (Fishers’) Ella (Scally) in there, it was wide open as to who would win, and she stepped up and ran a great race there,” said Alano.
The Royals then won their third consecutive event when Halle Hill placed first in the 3200 run. All in all, it was a solid effort for Southeastern.
“I think we had some good breakthroughs in some areas that are going to help us do well at the next level,” said Alano.
The Greyhounds had four event wins, including both the first and last running events of the meet. Carmel started with the 4×800 relay, in which Mahalet Zeruesenay, Annie Christie, Abbey Grogan and Jasmine Klopstad finished first, clocking in at 9:30.08.
Grogan would later take first in the 400 dash, then later join Ellie Marsella, Claire Swigart and Ashlyn Guerrant for a victory in the final running event, the 4×400 relay. Tristan Barr won the pole vault.
Noblesville’s Kiana Siefert got three of the Millers’ five victories. She swept the 100 and 300 hurdles, then also took the long jump. All of that earned her the high-point award at the end of the meet. She scored 31.5 points, also accounting for her part in Noblesville’s third-place finish in the 4×100 relay.
“I just wanted to do the best I could,” said Siefert. “It was so much fun. I just come in and I try to get my PR. It’s not really about beating other people, it’s more just the fun of it, like, can I get my best time or can I get my best jump. Just doing it for myself and just having fun the other girls here and my teammates and cheering them on and everything.”
Malina Miller also won for the Millers, leading a 1-2 finish in the high jump. Rylee Hassan placed second. Freshman Hannah Alexander continued her solid season by winning the discus.
Fishers’ two victories came from Ella Scally in the 100 dash and from Grace Carroll in the shot put. Westfield scored a win in the 4×100 relay, with the team of Kierstyn Ballard, Lucy Hauser, Jadeyn Hammes and Princess Campbell finishing in 50.73 seconds.
Hamilton Heights’ Maria Mitchell won the 1600 run in 4:56.60, a Huskies school record and the first time she finished that race in under five minutes. Mitchell also placed second in the 3200 run with a 10:47.03. That is another school record, and over six seconds faster than her Friday time at the Hoosier Conference meet.
Guerin Catholic’s Emersen Jennings placed third in the 100 dash, while the 4×800 relay team of Sophia Woods, Allison Wozniak, Rosie Barrett and Bridget Gallagher also took third.

Team scores: Hamilton Southeastern 154.5, Carmel 126.5, Noblesville 123.5, Westfield 76, Fishers 52, Guerin Catholic 44.5, Hamilton Heights 40.
4×800 run: 1. Carmel (Mahalet Zeruesenay, Annie Christie, Abbey Grogan, Jasmine Klopstad) 9:30.08, 2. Southeastern (Katherine Kesler, Maggie Powers, Halle Hill, Allie Latta) 9:33.12, 3. Guerin Catholic (Sophia Woods, Allison Wozniak, Rosie Barrett, Bridget Gallagher) 9:46.76, 4. Noblesville (Paige Hazelrigg, Delaney Boles, Mya McGavic, Summer Rempe) 9:47.32, 5. Westfield (Margaret Barnett, Lizzie Hirschfield, Nezira Djour, Liz Smith) 10:07.74, 6. Fishers (Erica Combs, Brooke Butts, Baileigh Stewart, Nithya Murthy) 10:22.95.
100 hurdles: 1. Kiana Siefert (N) 15.11, 2. Ally Elsbury (HSE) 15.50, 3. Molly Moskovitz (W) 15.84, 4. Makenzie Loftin (HSE) 15.94, 5. Lucy Hauser (W) 15.99, 6. Ella Ewing (HH) 17.28, 7. Jayla Logan (HH) 17.47, 8. Reagan VanDermark (C) 17.74.
100 dash: 1. Ella Scally (F) 12.13, 2. Princess Campbell (W) 12.27, 3. Emersen Jennings (GC) 12.82, 4. Jadyn Durden (HSE) 12.99, 5. Maddie Coates (N) 13.01, 6. Daniela Rios-Rojas (HSE) 13.22, 7. Sidney Wayman (C) 13.34, 8. Chloe de Leon (C) 13.53.
1600 run: 1. Maria Mitchell (HH) 4:56.60, 2. Christie (C) 5:00.95, 3. Alivia Romaniuk (C) 5:12.89, 3. Hazelrigg (N) 5:22.26, 5. Nadia Perez (N) 5:22.90, 6. Grace Newton (HSE) 5:22.94, 7. Megan Mybeck (F) 5:26.67, 8. Brooke Ratliff (HSE) 5:34.59.
4×100 relay: 1. Westfield (Kierstyn Ballard, Hauser, Jadeyn Hammes, Campbell) 50.73, 2. Southeastern (Durden, Alyssa Barker, Jocelyn Davis, Rios-Rojas) 50.84, 3. Noblesville (Olivia Boe, Siefert, Jenna Chatterton, Coates) 51.38, 4. Carmel (Wayman, Flora McKay, Lauren Bailey, D’Ahni Branch) 51.66, 5. Guerin Catholic (Kennedy Eloms, Mia Chang, Emma Bock, Jennings) 51.76, 6. Heights (Victoria Lopez, Jenna Peterson, Taylor Standridge, Ewing) 52.78.
400 dash: 1. Grogan (C) 1:00.97, 2. Barker (HSE) 1:01.08, 3. Boles (N) 1:01.10, 4. Annice McFarland (HSE) 1:01.67, 5. Cambell Wamsley (C) 1:01.94, 6. Joelle Klavon (GC) 1:03.33, 7. Evelyn Butler (F) 1:04.24, 8. Zoe Cheah (W) 1:04.89.
300 hurdles: 1. Siefert (N) 47.00, 2. Hauser (W) 48.17, 3. Loftin (HSE) 48.50, 4. VanDermark (C) 49.47, 5. Reagan Wilson (N) 49.75, 6. Moskovitz (W) 50.13, 7. Ava Sinex (C) 50.56, 8. Anna Williams (F) 51.08.
800 run: 1. Olivia Brown (HSE) 2:19.46, 2. Latta (HSE) 2:19.98, 3. Klopstad (C) 2:20.53, 4. Gallagher (GC) 2:22.64, 5. Anna Runion (F) 2:23.75, 6. Jamie Klavon (C) 2:24.55, 7. Vera Schafer (F) 2:24.90, 8. Ashley Baldwin (F) 2:26.69.
200 dash: 1. Davis (HSE) 26.55, 2. Chatterton (N) 26.65, 3. Ashlyn Guerrant (C) 26.81, 4. Camryn McKinney (HSE) 27.22, T5. Wamsley (C) 27.26; Jaydi Jones (N) 27.26, 7. Corinne Watson (W) 28.30, 8. Eloms (GC) 28.42.
3200 run: 1. Hill (HSE) 10:45.59, 2. Mitchell (HH) 10:47.03, 3. Cara Naas (C) 10:57.45, 4. Elizabeth Barrett (F) 11:05.07, 5. Abby Parker (C) 11:17.02, 6. Sophie Porter (W) 11:22.18, 7. Powers (HSE) 11:34.89, 8. Kennedy Applegate (N) 11:46.49.
4×400 relay: 1. Carmel (Ellie Marsella, Claire Swigart, Guerrant, Grogan) 4:04.73, 2. Southeastern (McFarland, Kesler, Mirro, Brown) 4:06.22, 3. Noblesville (Boles, Wilson, Elana Chatterton, J. Chatterton) 4:09.14, Heights (Camryn Runner, Kelsey Smith, Lopez, Mitchell) 4:10.13, 5. Fishers (Butler, Chloe Schroeder, Aubrey Baldwin, Erica Combs) 4:21.44, 6. Westfield (Hirschfield, Sophia Brown, Cheah, Maya Francisco) 4:22.28, 7. Guerin Catholic (Klavon, Kyndall Osborne, Barrett, Anna Jacoby) 4:24.80.
High jump: 1. Malina Miller (N) 5-6, 2. Rylee Hassan (N) 5-4, 3. Smith (HH) 5-2, 4. Elsbury (HSE) 5-0, 5. Madi Etheredge (HSE) 5-0, 6. Runner (HH) 4-10, 7. Amiyah Ballard (W) 4-8, 8. Sarah Reddan (F) 4-8.
Pole vault: 1. Tristan Barr (C) 12-5, 2. McKay (C) 11-9, 3. Alison Casey (F) 11-3, 4. Parker Davis (N) 11-3, T5. Alyssa Chang (C) 11-0; Ella Wilhelm (HSE) 11-0, 7. Jenna Springirth (C) 11-0, 8. Ballard (W) 11-0.
Long jump: 1. Siefert (N) 18-2.25, 2. Sydney Black (W) 17-8, 3. Mirro (HSE) 17-2.5, 4. Bock (GC) 16-11.25, 5. Megan Feltner (N) 16-10.75, 6. Hannah Debusk (HSE) 16-4, 7. Eloms (GC) 16-3.5, 8. Bailey (C) 16-2.5.
Shot put: 1. Grace Carroll (F) 38-1, 2. Taylor Reagor (C) 37-7.5, 3. Alli McEvoy (W) 36-11, 4. Rosie Fiabema (HSE) 34-0, 5. Maris Bulger (GC) 32-7, 6. Delaney Richards (HSE) 32-2.5, 7. Hannah Alexander (N) 31-11.5, 8. Olivia Norris 31-1.5 (F).
Discus: 1. Alexander (N) 124-3, 2. Fiabema (HSE) 115-1, 3. McEvoy (W) 113-0, 4. Reagor (C) 105-8, 5. Marina Alphin (HSE) 105-1, 6. Bulger (GC) 105-1, 7. Jackie Lawrence (N) 94-4, 8. Kayla Gregory (F) 90-8.