By Nathan Pace
Southsider Voice web editor

Seniors on the Center Grove girls track and field squad waited four years to experience a sectional championship as a team, which they achieved last week at Columbus North. Now the Trojans are hoping for more.

One of those hopefuls is senior high jumper Taylor Pennington, a favorite to win state. “I’ve already improved my season tremendously from last year,” she said. “So I feel like I have a lot better chance. If I don’t stress out, I’ll be fine.”

Pennington, second as a sophomore and fourth last season, said she feels more at peace going into the biggest meets of the year. “I think my junior year there was a little more pressure just because I got second and I felt that I needed to get first to better myself.”

Handling the pressure in a positive way is something Pennington says is critical in her event. “High jump is 50 percent skill and 50 percent mentality. If you come in thinking, ‘I’m going to miss it,’ you’re going to miss it. I think you can get inside your own head a lot.”

Now that Pennington has let go of her fears, she owns the school record with a leap of 5 feet, 10 inches, which she set April 18. She also won the state indoor title earlier this year. These accolades have helped Pennington land a track scholarship to Indiana University, where she has spent time practicing in the offseason.

“There were a lot of other schools that wanted a visit, but once I visited IU I was set,” she said.
 Looking back, high jump was not the event Pennington dreamed of doing. It was in middle school when coaches talked her into switching her aspirations as a sprinter to a high jumper. Now she says she’s glad she started training as a high jumper in the sixth grade. 

“I had never done it before. Had no idea what it was. I did it, and I was decent. As the time went on I had more training and improved a lot.”

Pennington is not the only Trojan who received a scholarship. Victoria “Tori” Long will run for Davidson College in North Carolina. Long is a member of the 4-by-400 meter relay team and has run the 300 meter hurdles and the 400-meter dash.
“This has been my favorite year; I’m proud of everything we have accomplished. I know what we will accomplish,” Long said. “It’s been a great senior year, and I can’t wait for what is to come.”

The relay team cruised to first place in the Franklin Sectional, and Long credits the squad’s chemistry to its success. Junior Lauren Rau and sophomore Olivia Rassel join Long as returning members. Freshman Haley Goines earned a spot on relay for the sectional. The team finished fourth in the state meet last year.

“I actually think it’s better than last year because the chemistry of the team is strong,” Long said. “In practice we push each more because of what we achieved last year; it gives us that motivation to be even better this year.”

Results of Tuesday’s regional at Shelbyville were unavailable at press time. The state finals will be June 6 at Indiana University Bloomington.

By Al Stilley
Senior staff writer

Center Grove’s boys and girls track teams brought home sectional championships last week.
The girls team edged Columbus North 156-136 at Franklin, and the boys defeated the sectional host Bulldogs 161-126.
The Trojans won six girls events and two relays at Franklin, while the boys won five events and swept the three relays.

Southside teams competed in sectionals at different sites with record-setting performances by Greenwood’s Allie Dalton at Franklin in the 3,200-meter run with a time 10 minutes, 56.78 seconds and Center Grove’s Olivia Rassel’s 12.33 seconds in the 100 dash. Franklin Central’s Brooke Talhelm set a Shelbyville Sectional record in the 800, posting a 2:16.18 and winning by 8.5 seconds.

Lutheran’s Jessica Wilson claimed a title in the discus with a throw of 120 feet, 11 inches at Shelbyville.
About 100 athletes representing Southside teams qualified for the girls regionals at Shelbyville and Ben Davis Tuesday (results too late for deadline) and boys regionals tonight at North Central and Connersville. 
The top three finishers qualify for the boys state finals June 5 and the girls finals June 6 at Indiana University Bloomington.

Regional qualifiers: Girls results
Center Grove : Sectional champs – Olivia Rassel, 100, 12.33; 200, 25.85; Victoria Long, 400, 58.79; Taylor Hickey, 800, 2:24.16; 400 relay, Haley Goines, Lauren Rau, Allison Utterback, Rassel, 51.08; 1,600 relay, Goines, Rassel, Rau, Long, 4:07.51; Taylor Pennington, high jump, 5 feet, 2 inches; Stephanie Stone, shot put, 38-5; second – Long, 200, 26.41; Goines, 100 hurdles, 15.42; Alysha Cheek, shot put 36-0; third – Valerie Clark, 1,600, 5:25.82; 3,200 relay, Isabelle Anderson, Hickey, Alyssa King, Alexa Novacs, 10:17.40; Goines, long jump, 16-3.
Southport: sectional winners – Erin Sullivan, 800, 2:15.89; Delaney Bucker, 1,600, 5:31.96; 3,200 relay, Heather Blankenbaker, Bucker, Kayla Sharpe, Sullivan, 9:54.66; second – Bucker, 3,200, 12:15.70; 1,600 relay, Olatundun Awosanya, Micah Harvey-King, Kayla Sharpe, Sullivan, 4:09.96; third – Shayla Wright, pole vault 9-0; 400 relay, Chloe Elliot, Cedera King, Alexa Walker, Shelby Shook, 50.88.
Greenwood: sectional champions – Allie Dalton, 1,600, 5:10.88; 3200, 10:56.78; 3,200 relay, Maddy Renfro, Dalton, Taylor Neely, Kayla Rance, 9:52.91 second – Hanna Anderson, 100, 12.74; Neely, 400, 1:02.49; Renfro, 800, 2:27.62; 400 relay, Katy Allen, Anderson,  Sydney Neely, Lanie Leininger, 52.33; 1,600 relay, Anderson, T. Neely, Rance, Renfro, 4:12.61; third – Anderson, 200, 26.48; Tori Harper, 100 hurdles, 16.22; Olivia Weston, high jump, 5-1.
Perry Meridian: sectional winners – Bailey Webber, 100 hurdles, 47.39; Alexis Hill, shot put, 35-11.25; second – Ariana Newhouse, 400, 58.87; Heather Orr, high jump, 5-3; Brianna Adams, discus, 116-3; third – Olivia LeMasters, 1,600, 5:31.96; Kayla O’Brien, 12:35.15; Daiva Wilson, shot put, 35-4. 
Roncalli: sectional champs – 400 relay, 51.06; second – Paige Saylor, 100, 13.23; Katie Carson, shot put, 37-2.5; third – Morgan Clarke, 100, 13.23; Saylor, 200, 26.97; Halle Harris, 300 hurdles, 47.71; Saylor, long jump, 16-10.
Franklin Central: sectional champions – Kaylor Hoover, 400, 59.43; Brooke Talhelm, 800, 2:16.18; second – Olivia Koehl, 400, 59.59; 1,600 relay, 4:01.07; 3,200 relay, 9:52.52; third – 400 relay, 5:05; 
Lutheran: Sectional champion – Jessica Wilson, discus, 120-11.

Boys results
Center Grove: sectional winners – Derek Grimmer, 100, 11.01; 200, 22.62; Jackson Hohlt, 400, 50.0; Trevor Hohlt, 300 hurdles, 39.93; 400 relay, Grimmer, Grant Mason, Zak Smith, J. Hohlt, 42.76; 1,600 relay, Smith, J. Hohlt, Zach Hart, T. Hohlt, 3:24.54; 3,200 relay, Noah Rhoten, Nathan Fill, Grant Stapleton, Zane Libke, 8:13.37; Cameron Tidd, discus, 170-6; second – Hart, 400, 50.02; Stapleton, 800 1:57.97; Griffin Miller, 1,600, 4:25.91; Josh Hall, pole vault, 12-4; third – Grant Mason, 100, 11.14; Fill, 800, 1:59.45; Miller, 3,200, 9:38.86; Blake Moran, 110 hurdles, 15.61; Christian Goines, high jump, 6-0; Hart, shot put, 48-0.
Franklin Central: sectional champions – Robbie Talhelm, 800, 1:59.99; Kyle O’Malley, 1,600, 4:21.11; second, Robert Ritter, 200, 22.55; Robby Lawson, 3,200, 10:15.80; 400 relay, Travon Padgett, Aaron Austin, Ritter, Andrew DeRidder, 43.09; 1,600 relay, Austin, Ritter, Talhelm, O’Malley, 3:26.16; Brayden Reynolds, high jump, 6-3; third – Ritter, 200, 22.47; Michael Parrish, 1,600, 4:35.01; Elijah Basile, 3,200, 10:19.39; 3,200 relay, Collin Hassinger, Lawson, Kyle McCann, O’Malley, 9:26.28; Blake Settles, high jump, 6-0.
Southport: sectional winner – Cooper Davis, 110 hurdles, 14.84; second; Kevin Wagner, pole vault, 12-4; third – Charlie Stroub, 300 hurdles, 41.07; 400 relay, Andrew Mappes, Eli Walton, William Griffin, Devin Walker, 43.65; 1,600 relay, Stroub, Amone Miller, Walton, Walker, 3:29.08; Kyle Raisor, pole vault, 10-10.
Perry Meridian: second – Stathis Kraut, 400, 49.71; third – John Tansy, 1,600, 4:33.59; Dean Fraker, discus, 153-9.
Roncalli: second, Conner James, discus, 148-07; third – Mich Schiefelvein, 1:58.99; Nat Otley, 300 hurdles, 40.60. 
Greenwood: second – Joseph Sheryak, 110 hurdles, 15.59; 300 hurdles, 41.25.
Lutheran – Tyler Reed, shot put, 51.0.