By RICHIE HALL
Based on the performance list, Hamilton Southeastern was favored to win Friday’s IHSAA girls state track and field meet.
All the Royals had to do was take care of business. And they did.
Southeastern won its first ever girls track and field state championship, waiting out a one-hour weather delay and some very tough competition to triumph at Indiana University. The Royals used their superior depth to score 62 points, pulling away from runner-up Brebeuf Jesuit as the meet went into its later stages. The Braves scored 44 points.
“We were favored to win, but there’s so many things that can happen,” said HSE coach Julie Alano. The Royals coaches impressed upon their athletes that everybody needed to do their part – “You go take care of what you’re supposed to do,” said Alano – and if that happened, Southeastern would win.
“And that’s what we talked about, and making sure that you did whatever you need to do to make sure you score your points and do your part,” said Alano.
Brebeuf held an early advantage due to its strength in the 4×800 relay (which finished third), the 100 hurdles (which placed second) and wins in the 100 dash and 4×100 relay. Alano admitted that the Royals were a little worried after those events.
But Southeastern wasn’t too far behind. Junior Tierra Sydnor helped out with a fifth-place finish in the long jump, then senior Mia Mackenzie added another five points by taking fifth in the 100 hurdles.
“It’s amazing, because last year we weren’t even expecting to get second, because there’s only seven of us who made it,” said Sydnor. “And this year, we were really working hard towards it in practice, saying that we can do it.”
Senior Camille Christopher finished third in the 100 dash, and was part of the Royals’ runner-up 4×100 relay, along with sophomore Olivia Burgess, Sydnor and freshman Alyssa Barker.
The tied began to turn in HSE’s favor once the pole vault results came in. Royals junior Kennedy Drish defended her state championship in that event, with a winning vault of 12 feet, 6 inches. Drish went for 13 feet, but 12-6 isn’t bad either – “I just came in, did what I did, what I’ve been practicing, and got 12-6, so I’m happy with that.”
Drish’s teammate, senior Jessica Bray, helped out with a sixth-place finish in the pole vault, clearing 11-6.
“It’s been a really exciting past two years,” said Bray, who has committed to Grand Valley State University. “I never really expected to be here when I first started, so I’m just happy to be here. I’m happy to be here again this year.”
With the pole vault points in, Southeastern moved into the lead. The Royals got more points from Mackenzie, who took seventh in the 300 hurdles, then Christopher earned a runner-up finish in the 200 dash. Junior Lulu Black added two more points after taking eighth in the 3200 run; Black’s time was 10:47.67, a new school record.
By now, Southeastern had the meet in hand, but why not finish with a bang? That’s what the Royals did in the 4×400 relay. The team of Burgess, junior Mya Hammons, freshman Annice McFarland and Sydnor finished the meet with a win in that event.
HSE’s 4×400 time was 3:51.10. The Royals edged out Perry Meridian by .04 seconds. Sydnor ran the anchor leg, and she got that extra inch in the end.
“Last week was a lot of pushing, it was a lot of roughhousing going around, so no one really ran their best best times,” said Sydnor. “Like today, we were a whole two seconds faster.”
“Exclamation point. Oh, my gosh,” said Alano. “They’ve done it in practice. I knew they could run faster. That was a school record for us.”
“There were a lot of good teams in that race,” said Alano. “We had practiced all kinds of crazy situations, but not really out front by ourselves, because we weren’t sure that would happen. We were so excited. We had a pack there, we were so excited, it was so crazy. That was awesome. All the girls ran well there. It was every person doing their part on that relay, too.”
Southeastern’s win was the first state championship for the Royals since the boys track and field team won in 2013. It also puts HSE in an exclusive club: Friday’s state title was the school’s 10th IHSAA state title.
After Brebeuf’s 44 points, two-time defending state champion Warren Central placed third with 40 points. Carmel finished in fourth place with 38 points.
Sophomore Phoebe Bates led the way, claiming the state championship in the 1600 run. Bates made a strong kick in the last 100 meters to finish the race in 4:51.79. Bates also took fifth in the 3200 run.
“I thought the mile went really well, and then the 32, I just gave it everything I had,” said Bates. “It was a good day.”
Senior Kara Deady finished up her high school career with another medal in the pole vault. Deady, who will vault for IU next year, placed fourth by clearing 11-9.
“It was very tough this year,” said Deady. “We had a lot of good vaulters. But you just got to try your best. It wasn’t what we had hoped, but I’m happy to be back here. It was fun.”
Junior Reagan Hune earned three medals at the meet. She placed fifth in the 400 dash, then was part of Carmel’s ninth-place 4×100 relay, joining sophomore Kiara Gill and seniors Carly Markley and Josie Upton. Hune ran the anchor on the Greyhounds’ eighth-place 4×400 relay, teaming up with freshman Abbey Grogan and seniors Beverley Thompson and Alexis Waples.
Carmel opened the meet with its 4×800 relay team of freshmen Annie Christie and Mahalet Zeruesenay, senior Anna Morozov and sophomore Sydney Haines finishing in fifth place. Senior Maddie Dalton took sixth in the 1600 run.
“Our girls showed up and competed their hearts out,” said Greyhounds coach Aaron McRill. “The coaches are so very proud of this group. The meet itself was incredibly exciting from start to finish. Lots of great teams and lots of great competition. We fell just six points shy of the podium, but we feel we had a pretty great meet. Congratulations to HSE and Brebeuf, well deserved.”
Noblesville tied for 13th place with 15 points. Junior Shelby Tyler soared to another state championship in the high jump, in yet another battle between her and Zionsville senior Katie Isenbarger.
Both athletes cleared 5-11, but Tyler got the win on fewer misses. Thus Tyler defended her state title, becoming the first Millers athlete to win back-to-back track championships.
“It felt good,” said Tyler. “I had really good competition. And it was fun, and I think that’s the most important part.”
Noblesville’s 4×800 relay team of senior Abi Little, junior Aubrie Deal, freshman Bella Sharples-Gordon and sophomore Anna Hazelrigg placed sixth in that event. Little also finished ninth in the 1600 run; she has committed to run at IU.
Fishers scored nine points to place 28th as a team. Junior Tamia Perryman won three medals for the Tigers, first placing eighth in the 100 dash. Later, she finished ninth in the 200 dash. In between, Perryman joined seniors Toni Grace and Danielle Harrison and junior Grace May to take fourth in the 4×100 relay.
Team scores (Top 10 and all county): 1. Hamilton Southeastern 62, 2. Brebeuf Jesuit 44, 3. Warren Central 40, 4. Carmel 38, 5. Perry Meridian 32, 6. West Lafayette 27, 7. North Central 26, 8. Valparaiso 21, T9. Lawrence Central 19; South Adams 19, T13. Noblesville 15, 28. Fishers 9.
4×800 relay: 1. West Lafayette 9:11.21, 5. Carmel (Annie Christie, Mahalet Zeruesenay, Anna Morozov, Sydney Haines) 9:16.44, 6. Noblesville (Abi Little, Aubrie Deal, Bella Sharples-Gordon, Anna Hazelrigg) 9:19.93, 17. Southeastern (Ellie Pedersen, Samantha Alphin, Maddie Mirro, Annice McFarland) 9:33.93,
100 hurdles: 1. Destiny Washington (Lake Central) 13.93, new state record, 5. Mia Mackenzie (HSE) 14.45.
100 dash: 1. Semira Killebrew (BJ) 11.55, 3. Camille Christopher (HSE) 11.81, 8. Tamia Perryman (F) 12.22. Preliminaries – 13. Olivia Burgess (HSE) 25.45.
1600 run: 1. Phoebe Bates (C) 4:51.79, 6. Maddie Dalton (C) 4:59.63, 9. Little (N) 5:05.94.
4×100 relay: 1. Brebeuf Jesuit 46.87, 2. Southeastern (Burgess, Tierra Sydnor, Alyssa Barker, Christopher) 47.25, 4. Fishers (Perryman, Toni Grace, Danielle Harrison, Grace May) 47.73, 9. Carmel (Kiara Gill, Reagan Hune, Carly Markley, Josie Upton) 48.87.
400 dash: 1. Mikeisha Covington (WC) 54.74, 5. Hune (C) 57.00, 11. Alexis Waples (C) 57.63, 14. Sydnor (HSE) 58.23.
300 hurdles: 1. Beth Barnes (Bishop Chatard) 43.76, 7. Mackenzie (HSE) 44.88.
800 run: 1. Maddie Russin (Crown Point) 2:12.35, 10. Kamya Lapsley (F) 2:16.05, 17. Pedersen (HSE) 2:20.48.
200 dash: 1. Tionna Brown (Kokomo) 23.86, 2. Christopher (HSE) 24.19, 9. Perryman (F) 25.35. Preliminaries – 13. Burgess (HSE) 25.45.
3200 run: 1. Emma Wilson (Greencastle) 10:27.83, 5. Bates (C) 10:44.77, 8. Lulu Black (HSE) 10:47.67.
4×400 relay: 1. Southeastern (Burgess, Mya Hammons, McFarland, Sydnor) 3:51.10, 8. Carmel (Abbey Grogan, Beverley Thompson, Waples, Hune) 3:55.64.
High jump: 1. Shelby Tyler (N) 5-11.
Pole vault: 1. Kennedy Drish (HSE) 12-6, 4. Kara Deady (C) 11-9, 6. Jessica Bray (HSE) 11-6.
Long jump: 1. Prommyse Hoosier (WC) 20-1.25, 5. Sydnor (HSE) 18-2.
Shot put: 1. Alicia Tiney-Williams (Fort Wayne Northrop) 45-0.5.
Discus: 1. Sadie Hill (PM) 143-5.
The Hamilton Southeastern girls track and field team won its first ever state championship Friday. The Royals scored 62 points to triumph at Indiana University and also won two events: The pole vault and the 4×400 relay. (Kent Graham)
Noblesville’s Shelby Tyler made it back-to-back state championships in the high jump, with a winning vault of 5 feet, 11 inches. (Kent Graham)