
Senior staff writer
Forty-six athletes from Southside high schools have qualified for the state finals at the Robert C. Haugh Track and Field Complex at Indiana University Bloomington. The girls finals are Friday, boys Saturday, with events beginning at 3 p.m. both days. Admission is $10.
Greenwood sophomore Allie Dalton in the 3,200-meter run and Franklin Central’s 1,600 relay team are contenders for podium finishes (top three) on Friday.
Dalton finished seventh last year as a freshman behind record-setting state champion Aimee Rohrer of Mishawaka, who returns for her final run. Dalton won the Shelbyville Regional in 10 minutes, 57.14 seconds, just missing the 1989 regional record by eighty-eight hundredths of a second. Dalton is seeded third; Rohrer is the No. 1 seed.
FC’s 1,600 relay team of Kaylor Hoover, Laine Jackson, Olivia Koehl and Brooke Talhelm is seeded fourth. The Flashes were second to Warren Central, the state final No. 1 seed, by only 1.1 seconds in the Shelbyville Regional. Talhelm won the 800 in 2:17.56.
Lutheran’s Jessica Wilson is the school’s first regional track champion to reach the state finals after winning the discus at Shelbyville with a throw of 128 feet, 5 inches.
Center Grove’s Olivia Rassel qualified for the 100 and 200 dashes and 400 and 1,600 relays.
In the boys state finals, Center Grove senior discus thrower Cameron Tidd is the No. 2 seed but far behind No. 1 seed David Schall of Avon. Tidd won the Connersville Regional with a throw of 183-3. Schall’s best is 195 feet.
Center Grove’s 1,600 relay team of Zak Smith, Jackson Hohlt, Zach Hart and Trevor Hohlt will be in the hunt for a gold medal at Bloomington. The squad won the Connersville Sectional and are among the top six that are within less than one second of each. Kyle O’Malley won the 1,600 in 4:26.14.
Beech Grove’s 1,600 boys relay was sixth in the regional and set a school record of 3:28.59 with Tyler Ramsey, Baptiste LeClerc, Jason Smith and Seth Wilson.
Southside girls in state finals:
Center Grove : champions – Tori Long, 400, 57.88; second – Olivia Rassel, 100, 12.33; 200, 25.57; 400 relay, Hailey Goines, Lauren Rau, Allison Utterback, Rassel, 50.58; third – Taylor Hickey, 800, 2:21.43; 1,600 relay, Goines, Rassel, Rau, Long, 4:07.80; Goines, long jump, 17-0.25.
Greenwood: champions – Allie Dalton, 3,200, 10:57.14; 300 relay, Maddie Renfro, Dalton, Taylor Neeley, Kayla Rance, 9:38.22; third – Hannah Anderson, 100, 12.60.
Franklin Central : champion – Brooke Talhelm, 2:17.5; second – 1,600 relay, Kaylor Hoover, Laine Jackson, Olivia Koehl, Talhelm, 3:59.38; 3,200 relay, Cougill, Jackon, Talhelm, Welch, 9:43.79; third, Koehl, 400, 59.86.
Roncalli : second – Paige Saylor, long jump, 17-0.25; Katie Carson, shot put, 37:2-5; third – 400 relay, Halle Harris, Morgan Clarke, Madison DeWitt, Saylor, 51.06.
Southport: second – Erin Sullivan, 400, 2:17.93; 3,200 relay – Heather Blankenbaker, Laura Matsouka, Kayla Sharpe, Sullivan, 9:49.63.
Perry Meridian : second – Alexis Hill, shot put, 38-0.
Lutheran: champion – Jessica Wilson, discus, 128-5.
Boys in state finals:
Center Grove: champions – 1,600 relay, Zak Smith, Jackson Hohlt, Zach Hart, Trevor Hohlt, 3:19.65; Cameron Tidd, discus, 183-3; second – Grant Stapleton, 800, 1:58.20; 400 relay, Derek Grimmer, Grant Mason, Smith, Titus McCoy, 42.31; 3,200 relay, Noah Rhoten, Nathan Fill, Stapleton, Christopher Jones, 8:06.93; third – J. Hohlt, 400, 49.67; Fill, 800, 1:59.25; Griffin Miller, 3,200, 9:29.75.
Franklin Central: champion – Kyle O’Malley, 1,600, 4:26.14; second – Michael Parrish, 1,600, 4:26.92; Blake Settles, high jump, 6-2; third – Brayden Reynolds, high jump, 6-2.
Roncalli: third – Justin Saylor, long jump, 21-4.75.
Perry Meridian : third – Christian Buchanan, long jump, 21-11.5.