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Girls track: What to watch at Bloomington North Sectional

jim gordillo, the herald-times
·7 min read

The first lap to the state finals starts this week with the IHSAA track sectionals.

Up first are the girls on Tuesday at Bloomington North, so here's what to know and the athletes to watch:

Bloomington North’s Dede Eberle competes in the long jump during the track meet against Bloomington South at North on Wednesday, May 1, 2024.
Bloomington North’s Dede Eberle competes in the long jump during the track meet against Bloomington South at North on Wednesday, May 1, 2024.

Important details

The meet will begin at 5:30 p.m. with field events. The 3,200 relay will run at 5:45 p.m., running trials at 6 p.m. (100, 200, 100 hurdles) and running finals at 6:45 p.m.

Participating schools are Bloomington North, Bloomington South, Edgewood, Eastern Greene, Lighthouse Christian, Owen Valley, Bloomfield, Brown County, Linton, Martinsville, Shakamak and White River Valley.

The top three finishers in each event and those who meet the state standard automatically advance to regional. The field in each event will be filled out to at least 16 with next best results from the four feeder sectionals at Bloomington, Terre Haute, Seymour and Jeffersonville.

North and South have won the team title here every year since Martinsville won in 1999. The Cougars and Panthers have each won 11 sectionals since, with North taking the last four.

Tickets are $7 and can be purchased ahead of time at ihsaa.eventlink.com/Tickets or by credit card at the gate. Results will be posted at bloomingtonnorthathletics.com.

Edgewood’s Emma Edwards nears the finish line in the girls' 400 meter dash during the track meet at Owen Valley on Thursday, March 28, 2024.
Edgewood’s Emma Edwards nears the finish line in the girls' 400 meter dash during the track meet at Owen Valley on Thursday, March 28, 2024.

Top athletes to watch

Impressively, North's Dede Eberle and Edgewood's Emma Edwards both enter as No. 1 seeds in three events. Eberle is favored in both hurdles events (14.67 in the 100s, 47.83 in the 300s) and the long jump (18-4¼). Give her a fourth as she is expected to anchor the 400 relay. Edwards is No. 1 in the 200 (26.19), 400 (56.30) and high jump (5-4).

North's Hadley Lucas is the overwhelming favorite in both throws (174-9 in discus, 54-10¾ in shot put, both are best in state history), while Martinsville's Laura Barco brings the fastest times to both long-distance races at 5:07.69 and 11:12.66.

That covers all the events save for the 100 (Martinsville's Kayla Bush), 800 (South's Ellie Barada) and pole vault Edgewood's school record holder, Ashley Abram (10-6).

Bloomington South’s Ellie Barada competes in the 800 meter run during the track meet at North on Wednesday, May 1, 2024.
Bloomington South’s Ellie Barada competes in the 800 meter run during the track meet at North on Wednesday, May 1, 2024.

Showdown in the 400, no, wait, 800

South sophomore Ellie Barada was a state medalist in the 400 last year and one of the state's best again this year. It appeared a fun series against Edwards, who smashed her school record at conference, would be in the works. Instead, she's turning her attention to the 800, where she leads the field at 2:12.43, her school record.

Instead of Edwards, the foil now is North's Nola Somers Glenn, a state medalist last year in the 800 and her school's record holder (2:11.64).

The 1,600 also brings together a variety of talent that should make for an interesting and fast event. Behind Barco are eight runners who have all gone 5:30 or better this year: South freshman Lexi Kollbaum (5:12.72) and senior Kate Barada, Linton's Peyton Smith (5:13.36), Edgewood's Hannah Crain and Riley Haskett and Eastern Greene's Lilyana Blais and Esther Crain and North's Hayden McGuire.

Bloomington North’s Ashley Greer competes in the girls' discus during the Conference Indiana track meet at Bloomington North on Friday, April 26, 2024.
Bloomington North’s Ashley Greer competes in the girls' discus during the Conference Indiana track meet at Bloomington North on Friday, April 26, 2024.

Throw-down showdown

While Lucas will likely be untouchable as far as the title goes, Linton's Becca Robbins and South's Anna Barnes both hold the 2-3 seeds. Robbins has been well over the state standard in discus (124-6) with a 141-0 and so has Barnes (126-4). North's Ashley Greer isn't that far away (119-4).

South also gets Molli Lucas back in shot put after an injury in basketball sidelined her nearly all season.

Bloomington South’s Violet Hall anchors the girls' 400-meter relay during the Conference Indiana track meet at Bloomington North on Friday, April 26, 2024.
Bloomington South’s Violet Hall anchors the girls' 400-meter relay during the Conference Indiana track meet at Bloomington North on Friday, April 26, 2024.

Speedy delivery

The 400 relay may well come down to handoffs.

Martinsville is the No. 2 seeded behind North (49.70) but actually broke the school record with a 49.77 last week. South comes in at 50.64, then Edgewood (50.79) with Edwards and Macey Crider, a top three seed in both sprints. Linton ran a 51.02 at SWIAC.

South owns the top seeds in the 1,600 (4:04.25) and 3,200 relay, which is the only group to post a time under 10:00 this season.

Bloomington North’s Hadley Lucas smiles after throwing a school and meet record 54-10¾ in the girls' shot put during the Conference Indiana track meet at Bloomington North on Friday, April 26, 2024.
Bloomington North’s Hadley Lucas smiles after throwing a school and meet record 54-10¾ in the girls' shot put during the Conference Indiana track meet at Bloomington North on Friday, April 26, 2024.

BLOOMINGTON NORTH SECTIONAL SEEDS

State standard in parenthesis

100 (12.24): 1. Kayla Bush, M, 12.60; 2. Violet Hall, BS, 12.74; 3. Macey Crider, Edg, 12.80; 4. Grace Wellman, BN, 12.81; 5. Layla Wolff, M, 13.00; 6. McKenzie Alen, L, 13.06.

200 (25.40): 1. Emma Edwards, Edg, 26.19; 2. Eden Bailey, BS, 26.57; 3. Crider, Edg, 26.73; 4. Allen, L, 26.81; 5. Wellman, BN, 26.98; 6. Emily Fluke, M, 27.32.

400 (58.17): 1. Edwards, Edg, 56.30; 2. Emma Rice, BN, 1:02.82; 3. Elayni Stone, Shk, 1:03.15; 4. Maya Jackson, BS, 1:03.38; 5. Avery Rayl, Edg, 1:03.57; 6. Mary Asplund, BS, 1:03.93.

800 (2:15.53): 1. Ellie Barada, BS, 2:12.43; 2. Nola Somers Glenn, BN, 2:17.67; 3. Ellie Vagedas, Edg, 2:25.36; 4. Katie Kent, BN, 2:29.37; 5. Lilyanna Blais, EG, 2:30.00; 6. Grace Stringer, BE, 2:30.18.

1,600 (5:00.45): 1. Laura Barco, M, 5:07.69; 2. Lexi Kollbaum, BS, 5:12.72; 3. Peyton Smith, L, 5:13.36; 4. Hannah Crain, Edg, 5:15.48; 6. Blais, EG, 5:23.39.

3,200 (10:52.34): 1. Barco, M, 11:12.66; 2. Crain, Edg, 11:23.77; 3. Riley Haskett, Edg, 11:40.53; 4. Julienne Hoover, BS, 11:43.68; 5. Esther Crane, EG, 11:46.12; 6. Tamara Kun, BS, 12:07.02.

100 hurdles (14.91): 1. Dede Eberle, BN, 14.67; 2. Sophie Hale, L, 15.03; 3. Adriene Shaevitz, BS, 16.04; 4. Annalise Coyne, BS, 17.31; 5. Onika Rutledge, BN, 17.50; 6. Harlie Robbins, Edg, 17.91.

300 hurdles (45.78): 1. Eberle, BN, 47.83; 2. Coyne, BS, 49.41; 3. Maddie Moscrip, M, 49.95; 4. Addison Goerges, Edg, 51.07; 5. Danielle Yang, BS, 51.51; 6. Emma Peterson, M, 51.67.

High jump (5-4): 1. Edwards, Edg, 5-4; 2. Kenli Sullivan, 5-1; 3. Kena Maddox, EG, 5-0; T4. Morgan Barrow, BN, 4-10; Ema Janouskova, Shk, 4-10; Sydney Jerrells, L, 4-10; Hall, BS, 4-10.

Long jump (18-0¾): 1. Eberle, BN, 18-4¼; 2. Fluke, M, 16-8¼; 3. Hale, L, 16-3¼; 4. Daisy Rogers, BN, 16-2¼; 5. Wolff, M, 15-10; 6. Mackenzie Freeman, BS, 15-7¾.

Shot put (41-4¼): 1. Hadley Lucas, BN, 54-10¾; 2. Becca Robbins, L, 39-1½; 3. Anna Barnes, BS, 36-8; 4. Molli Lucas, BS, 34-1; 5. Ashley Greer, BN, 33-9½; 6. Shayli Walker, Edg, 32-10.

Discus (124-6): 1. Lucas, BN, 170-0; 2. B.Robbins, L, 141-0; 3. Barnes, BS, 126-6; 4. Greer, BN, 119-4; 5. Lilian Waldrep, BS, 100-5; 6. Walker, Edg, 97-1.

Pole vault (11-6): 1. Ashley Abram, Edg, 10-6; 2. H.Robbins, Edg, 9-3; 3. Lauren Barbu, BN, 9-0; 4. Aryana Wallace, BN, 8-6; 5. Kady Eichhorst, L, 8-0; T6. Bush, M, 7-6; Aaliyah Samm, L, 7-6; Audrey Freeman-Day, BS, 7-6.

400 relay (48.46): 1. Bloomington North, 49.70; 2. Martinsville, 50.45; 3. Bloomington South, 50.64; 4. Edgewood, 50.79; 5. Linton, 52.00; 6. Eastern Greene, 54.90.

1,600 relay (3:59.20): 1. Bloomington South, 4:04.25; 2. Bloomington North, 4:07.26; 3. Edgewood, 4:10.49; 4. Martinsville, 4:19.25; 5. Linton, 4:25.83; 6. Owen Valley, 4:26.21.

3,200 relay (9:26.01): 1. Bloomington South, 9:45.95; 2. Bloomington North, 10:15.53; 3. Owen Valley, 10:26.09; 4. Martinsville, 10:33.43; 5. Edgewood, 10:39.51; 6. Shakamak, 10:45.87.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: What to watch at the Bloomington North girls track sectional