The REPORTER
With consistent excellence and depth across the board, the Fishers boys track and field team won its first-ever team state championship last Saturday.
The Tigers battled with its Mudsock rival Hamilton Southeastern throughout the meet, which took place at Indiana University. At the end of the meet, Fishers finished just ahead of the Royals, totaling 60 points. Southeastern was the team runner-up, also using excellence and depth to total 54 points for its highest state finish since 2013.
Senior Tyler Tarter led the way for the Tigers, sweeping both hurdles events. Tarter took care of business in the 110 hurdles, winning that race in 13.85 seconds. Then in the 300 hurdles, Tarter cruised to victory in a time of 37.25 seconds.
Tarter finished the meet by joining Matthew Kim, Leo Morrow and Makell Wiggins to place sixth in the 4×400 relay, a performance that helped clinch the team title for Fishers. Wiggins and Kim helped the Tigers get off to a great start in the meet, as they teamed with Declan Mohr and Bryson Slagle to take second in the 4×800 relay.
Kim joined Tarter in winning three medals at state. The senior also placed fifth in the 800 run. Fishers’ 4×100 relay also did its part. The Tiger team of Joe Syrus, Carsen Eloms, JonAnthony Hall and Tristan Capps finished third, meaning Fishers got 19 points for its relays alone.
Hall provided additional assistance with an outstanding long jump, placing second in that event. Joel Gates was equally superb, placing second in the discus.
The Tigers had finished in fourth place at state the three previous years and continued a streak of finishing in the top 10 every year since 2018. Fishers also won the boys basketball state championship this past spring, making the 2023-24 school year the first time the Tigers won multiple state titles.
Royals champions
Southeastern matched Fishers in that both schools scored in eight events at state, more than any other team at the big meet. The Royals also got two event victories.
Josiah Bird claimed the discus championship, with a best throw of 182 feet, 9 inches. Meanwhile, the Southeastern 4×100 relay team of Silas Newton, Christian Ortiz, Chandler Weston and Mason Alexander also raced to a blue ribbon, finishing that race in 41.79 seconds.
Alexander already had a state medal to his credit, finishing fifth in the 100 dash. Ortiz would go right from the relay to the open 400, where he also placed fifth. The Royals also picked up a fifth-place result in the 4×400 relay, with Hunter Hoeft, Michael Griffith, Jaxson Wanza and Mason Schmitz participating in that event.
Griffith had a great long jump day, placing third, while Schmitz zoomed to a fourth-place finish in the 800 run. Connor Langsford placed fourth in the pole vault to complete HSE’s list of medalists.
Carmel takes fifth
Carmel’s long distance runners gave the Greyhounds a boost towards the end of the meet, vaulting their team to a fifth-place finish with 25 points.
Tony Provenzano won the 3200 run, breaking away at the end to finish the race in a time of 8 minutes, 51.40 seconds. His running mate Kyle Grove placed fourth, giving the Hounds 16 team points to cement their top-five result.
Also helping out Carmel were Adom Quist, who took fifth in the 110 hurdles and Theo Thurmond, who placed sixth in the discus. They were also a part of the Greyhounds’ success; Carmel placed in the top five for the fourth consecutive year, a nice way to finish coach Ken Browner’s career.
McQuinn for the win
Hamilton Heights’ Peyton McQuinn also went out with a victory. The senior won the pole vault, leaping to a personal best of 16 feet, 3 inches. McQuinn clinched the victory by clearing 16-3 on his second try; as a result, McQuinn won the Huskies’ first ever boys state track event.
Noblesville’s 4×800 relay team of Alec Moor, Luke Mumaw, Banner Barnes and Bradyn Livingston placed sixth in that event, while Westfield’s 4×800 squad of Maxim Poirier, Caleb Haney, Jack Loiselle and Will Snedeker also made the medal stand by placing eighth.
Hamilton Heights’ Peyton McQuinn won the pole vault event,
becoming the first Huskies boys track athlete to win an event at state. (Photo courtesy Hamilton Heights Athletics)
STATE CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS
Team scores (top 10 and all county): 1. Fishers 60, 2. Hamilton Southeastern 54, 3. Bloomington North 40, 4. Franklin Central 26, 5. Carmel 25, T6. Brebeuf Jesuit 24; Center Grove 24; North Central 24, T9. Martinsville 20; Penn 20, T23. Hamilton Heights 10, T48. Noblesville 4, T63. Westfield 2.
4×800 relay: 1. Bloomington North 7:47.94, 2. Fishers (Declan Mohr, Makell Wiggins, Bryson Slagle, Matthew Kim) 7:52.93, 6. Noblesville (Alec Moor, Luke Mumaw, Banner Barnes, Bradyn Livingston) 7:55.68, 8. Westfield (Maxim Poirier, Caleb Haney, Jack Loiselle, Will Snedeker) 7:56.90, 12. Carmel (Max Meisner, Kiefer Jay, Carson Szotek, Drew Grogan) 8:00.98.
110 hurdles – Finals: 1. Tyler Tarter (F) 13.85, 5. Adom Quist (C) 14.58.
100 dash – Finals: 1. Jaidyn Johnson (Bloomington North) 10.52, 5. Mason Alexander (HSE) 10.93.
1600 run: 1. Martin Barco (Martinsville) 4:06.34, 13. Caden Click (N) 4:21.26, 14. Jack Strong (N) 4:22.68.
4×100 relay: 1. Southeastern (Silas Newton, Christian Ortiz, Chandler Weston, Alexander) 41.79, 3. Fishers (Joe Syrus, Carsen Eloms, JonAnthony Hall, Tristan Capps) 42.37, 12. Westfield (Caleb Terril, Deacon King, Cato June, Cade Parker) 42.93.
400 dash: 1. Cainen Northington (Evansville North) 48.38, 5. Ortiz (HSE) 49.12, 17. Cole Taylor (C) 49.78.
300 hurdles: 1. Tarter (F) 37.25, 22. Elijah Adams (HSE) 41.03.
800 run: 1. Barco (Martinsville) 1:50.97, 4. Mason Schmitz (HSE) 1:52.98, 5. Kim (F) 1:53.36.
200 dash – Finals: 1. Johnson (Bloomington North) 21.77. Prelims: 15. Alexander (HSE) 23.03.
3200 run: 1. Tony Provenzano (C) 8:51.40, 4. Kyle Grove (C) 9:00.93, 14. Sam Rinker (N) 9:2 0.95.
4×400 relay: 1. North Central 3:16.88, 5. Southeastern (Hunter Hoeft, Michael Griffith, Jaxson Wanza, Schmitz) 3:19.79, 6. Fishers (Tarter, Kim, Leo Morrow, Wiggins) 3:20.34, 12. Carmel (Taylor, Myron Pack, Andrew Moss, Michael Delaney) 3:22.86.
Discus: 1. Josiah Bird (HSE) 182-9, 2. Joel Gates (F) 180-3, 6. Theo Thurmond (C) 163-6.
Shot put: 1. Nylan Brown (Ben Davis) 63-1.5, 20. Gates (F) 49-3.
Long jump: 1. Elijah Coker (Penn) 23-3, 2. Hall (F) 23-1, 3. Griffith (HSE) 22-7.25, 19. Blake Braden (HSE) 20-11.75, 20. Dylan James (HSE) 20-8.75.
High jump: 1. Elliot Ryba (Greenfield-Central) 6-10, T22. Damon Winston (Sheridan) 6-2.
Pole vault: 1. Peyton McQuinn (HH) 16-3, 4. Connor Langsford (HSE) 15-3, 16. Alex Wilson (W) 14-0.