By RICHIE HALL
FISHERS – Noblesville’s Hannah Alexander started the track and field tournament season with a tremendous result, and it might be only the first of many honors to come.
The junior won both of the throwing events at the Hoosier Crossroads Conference girls track and field meet, which took place Wednesday at Hamilton Southeastern. Alexander stormed to the discus championship with a throw of 157 feet, 6 inches, then took the shot put just as easily, with a toss of 42 feet, 6 inches.
Alexander’s discus mark also established a new conference record by over 15 feet, breaking a mark (142-1) that had stood for five years. Alexander was confident that she would get the record, as her throws this season have consistently been over the old mark.
“Going in, I knew that I would break it just based on how I’ve been doing the past few meets,” said Alexander, who also achieved a personal best. “But, it still feels good to break it.”
The conference meet is the first big track competition of May. Next week is the county meet at Westfield, then everyone returns to Southeastern on May 16 for the IHSAA sectional, where the focus will be on advancing to the regional, then to state.
In addition to making her way through the post-season, Alexander has distance goals in mind as well. “Shot, I’ve been wanting to hit the 48 to 50 (foot) range, and disc, I’ve been wanting to hit 160,” she said.
Alexander was one of three Hamilton County athletes to win two events at conference. Westfield’s Lucy Hauser scored a sweep of the hurdles, comfortably winning the 100 hurdles (14.84 seconds), then getting a close victory in the 300 hurdles by 0.09 seconds. Her time in that event was 46.26 seconds.
Westfield’s Lucy Hauser swept the hurdle events at the HCC meet. (Kent Graham)
Southeastern’s Ciara Kepner also got a close win, taking the 800 run in 2 minutes, 19.79 seconds, just ahead of Noblesville’s Summer Rempe, the runner-up in 2:20.00. Kepner finished the meet by joining Maya Etheredge, Addison Smith and Chloe Senefeld for a victory in the 4×400 relay.
“I’m very happy,” said Kepner. In addition to a new personal best, Kepner said “she got to run against some great competition that we’ll see from sectionals all the way to state.”
Hamilton Southeastern’s Ciara Kepner (left) won the 800 run in 2:19.79, with Noblesville’s
Summer Rempe placing second. (Kent Graham)
Noblesville’s Summer Rempe (left) and Brinkley
Cooper (center) share a laugh with Hamilton Southeastern’s Ciara Kepner after the 800 run. In addition to her 800 win, Kepner won was part of the Royals’ winning 4×400 relay, while Rempe and Cooper both ran on the Millers’ first-place 4×800 relay. (Kent Graham)
Rempe got an event win for the Millers as part of the 4×800 relay, teaming with Brinkley Cooper, Kennedy Applegate and Riley Flynn to place first. Noblesville also got a win in the high jump, with Malina Miller clearing 5 feet, 6 inches.
Brownsburg won the team trophy, scoring 128 points. The Bulldogs won six events, including two victories for Paige Kirtz in the long jump and the 400 dash. Noblesville placed second with 104 points.
The host Royals took third with 96 points. Maggie Powers was a winner in the 1600 run, clocking in at 5:00.16.
Fishers finished fourth with 70 points. Maya Taylor got a photo-finish win in the 100 dash, edging out Westfield’s Princess Campbell by 0.01 seconds. Taylor’s time was 12.20, with Campbell finishing in 12.21.
Westfield’s Princess Campbell (left) and Fishers’ Maya Taylor battled to a close finish in the 100 dash. Taylor won the race by 0.01 seconds. (Kent Graham)
The Shamrocks scored 55 points to place seventh.
Team scores: Brownsburg 128, Noblesville 104, Hamilton Southeastern 96, Fishers 70, Avon 67, Franklin Central 56.5, Westfield 55, Zionsville 46.5.
4×800 relay: 1. Noblesville (Brinkley Cooper, Kennedy Applegate, Riley Flynn, Summer Rempe) 9:31.60, 2. Southeastern (Julianne McLean, Grace Newton, Elise Herman, Elizabeth Butler) 9:42.15, 5. Fishers (Isabella Murch, Abby Lotter, Brooke Butts, Addison Kane) 10:07.80, 7. Westfield (Olivia Barnett, Ena Durbin, Ava Britton-Heitz, Cecilia Schmidt) 10:48.82.
100 hurdles – Finals: 1. Lucy Hauser (W) 14.84, 2. Makenzie Loftin (HSE) 15.56, 4. Elia Blackmore (HSE) 16.06, 6. Anna Williams (F) 16.50, 7. Olivia Fowler (N) 16.60, 8. Mallory Kixmiller (F) 17.55. Prelims: 9. Olivia Boe (N) 17.11, 11. Madison Clary (W) 17.41.
100 dash – Finals: 1. Maya Taylor (F) 12.20, 2. Princess Campbell (W) 12.21, 8. Sanai Smith (HSE) 13.20. Prelims: 9. Mya Baker (N) 13.07, 10. Lindsay Abeo (HSE) 13.21, 12. Addy Horvath (N) 13.34, 15. Amiyah Ballard (W) 14.38.
1600 run: 1. Maggie Powers (HSE) 5:00.16, 3. Paige Hazelrigg (N) 5:03.92, 6. Nadia Perez (N) 4:19.68, 9. Emily Loiselle (W) 5:25.75, 10. Catey Campbell (HSE) 5:31.17, 13. Lotter (F) 5:39.41, 14. Sydney Klinglesmith (W) 5:47.21, 15. Grier Swaim (F) 5:48.79.
4×100 relay: 2. Fishers (Mireya Benjamin, Zinnia Pineda, Kya Hoskins, Taylor) 48.46, 4. Southeastern (Loftin, Sanai Smith, Jocelyn Davis, Chloe Senefeld) 49.74, 5. Westfield (Tobi Faeptu, Hauser, Campbell, Brittany Brown) 49.75.
400 dash: 6. Camryn McKinney (HSE) 1:01.55, 7. Maddie Coates (N) 1:01.98, 8. Rylan David (F) 1:02.32, 10. Jordyn Landrum (W) 1:03.02, 11. Maya Etheredge (HSE) 1:03.03, 12. Clara Cameron (W) 1:03.36, 13. Devyn Day (F) 1:03.84, 16. Devyn Johnson (N) 1:04.62.
300 hurdles: 1. Hauser (W) 46.26, 4. Blackmore (HSE) 48.00, 5. Williams (F) 49.00, 6. Kixmiller (F) 50.01, 7. Clary (W) 50.41, 10. Jaydi Jones (N) 52.12, 11. Ally Hutchinson (N) 52.15.
800 run: 1. Ciara Kepner (HSE) 2:19.79, 2. Summer Rempe (N) 2:20.00, 3. Cooper (N) 2:24.89, 5. Addison Smith (HSE) 2:27.06, 9. Murch (F) 2:28.92, 10. Gianna Ferreri (W) 2:32.42, 14. Robyn Schemel (W) 2:35.54, 15. Butts (F) 2:36.20.
200 dash – Finals: 3. Fapetu (W) 25.60, 4. Davis (HSE) 25.89, 5. Taylor (F) 25.90, 6. Hoskins (F) 26.35. Prelims: 11. Kate Rollins (N) 27.64, 13. Alyssa Karwowski (HSE) 27.90, 14. Mallory Cahill (N) 28.45, 16. Emily Burns (W) 29.61.
3200 run: 2. Liz Smith (W) 10:56.06, 3. Butler (HSE) 11:06.57, 4. Brooke Lahee (N) 11:16.11, 5. Ava Powers (HSE) 11:24.56, 7. Ansley Applegate (N) 11:37.55, 11. Ashley Wright (F) 12:25.97, 12. Tanvi Pothuri (F) 12:42.61, 15. Angelina Abriani (W) 13:03.91.
4×400 relay: 1. Southeastern (Kepner, Etheredge, Smith, Senefeld) 4:04.15, 3. Noblesville (Cooper, Coates, Horvath, Rempe) 4:07.54, 6. Westfield (Brown, Cameron, Lauren Linville, Jordyn Landrum) 4:13.73, 8. Fishers (Marina Agapios, Day, Hannah Samson, Murch) 4:18.05.
Discus: 1. Hannah Alexander (N) 157-6, new conference record, 3. Macey Miller (F) 115-5, 8. Victoria Vance (HSE) 104-9, 9. Kayla Gregory (F) 97-1, 13. Katie Wooden (HSE) 88-0, 14. Thalia Siefert (N) 87-4, 15. Alana Halsted (W) 83-11, 16. Margi Foland (W) 73-3.
Shot put: 1. Alexander (N) 42-6, 3. Miller (F) 37-0, 5. Mia Tobias (F) 33-9, 9. Wooden (HSE) 30-11, 13. Marielle Fitch (N) 28-2, 14. Elaina Constantine (HSE) 28-1.5, 15. Halsted (W) 27-6, 16. Alexandria Peltonen (W) 26-8.5.
Long jump: 3. Elle Gilbert (N) 17-6.5, 4. Jurnee Hall (F) 17-0, 5. Loftin (HSE) 16-7.75, 7. Madison Paciorek (F) 16-6, 8. Rotimi Aluko (HSE) 16-5.5, 9. Gracie Czubik (W) 16-0.75, 15. Baker (N) 14-7.5.
High jump: 1. Malina Miller (N) 5-6, T3. Kixmiller (F) 5-0; Rylee Hassan (N) 5-0, 9. Julia Syljebeck (W) 4-8, 10. Lucy Hagan (HSE) 4-8.
Pole vault: 2. Delaney Teachnor (N) 11-9, 3. Riley Williams (HSE) 11-0, 4. Laina Lillge (N) 10-6, 7. Ashlyn Bauer (W) 9-6, 9. Savannah Strange (F) 9-6, 10. Paige Lemieux (W) 9-0, 11. Olivia Maynard (HSE) 9-0, 12. Ruby Schnitzius (F) 8-0.