Noblesville edges Warren Central by 1 point for IHSAA girls track and field state title
BLOOMINGTON -- It came down to a single point. You could look to any event in the IHSAA girls track and field state meet Saturday at Indiana University to find the point that separated state champion Noblesville and runner-up Warren Central.
Noblesville coach Jim Pearce thought of one moment in particular, relatively early in the meet. Hannah Alexander, after winning the discus earlier in a bit of an upset over Bloomington North’s Hadley Lucas, was sitting in seventh place going into her final shot put attempt.
“Then she went and got it,” Pearce said. “Awesome.”
More: Cathedral's Kailee Swart goes from verge of upset loss to setting state meet record
IHSAA girls track and field: 2023 state meet results, winners
Alexander’s 45 foot, 8 ½ inch shot put on her final attempt pushed her from seventh to third and added four points to Noblesville’s final tally. The Millers needed them all, finishing with 45 points to edge Warren Central, which went third in the 4x400 relay on the final race of the night to finish with 44 points.
Like Brownsburg the night before in the boys meet, the Noblesville girls were the state runner-up last year. Pole vaulter Laina Lillge drenched Pearce with an ice bath, a fitting end to a steamy weekend of track and field.
“The (team title) is always on my mind,” said Alexander, a junior who edged Lucas 158-8 to 157-7 to win the discus. “I look to see what some of our other girls are doing to see if I need to push myself to get out there to get more points. It’s always something that’s in my head.”
Alexander’s 17 points were big, but obviously not enough on their own. The Millers also received key performances from Malina Miller (second in the high jump at 5-9), Delaney Teachnor in the pole vault (fourth place at 12-0), the 4x800 relay team (fourth place at 9:17.25), Summer Rempe (sixth place in the 800) and Paige Hazelrigg (sixth place in the 1,600).
If any one of those performance is a rung lower, the Millers at best share the title.
“One position in the high jump or one position in the pole vault, any little thing,” Pearce said. “Anything could have tipped it really quickly.”
It was not a team title for Park Tudor, but it certainly seemed like it considering the circumstances. Gretchen Farley and Sophia Kennedy, both decorated seniors in search of their first state titles in track and field, were successful in their pursuit in vastly different races.
Farley’s came first. She battled Delta junior Nicki Southerland in the 800 meters in a thrilling duel between two of the state’s most versatile runners. In the final straightaway, Southerland caught Farley and appeared she was going to take the lead.
Farley seemingly willed herself not to allow it to happen. She broke the state meet record with a 2:04.95, the second-best time in state history in any meet. Amazingly, Southerland’s 2:05.06 would have also broke the meet record set by Huntington North’s Addy Wiley last year.
“Mind over matter,” Farley said. “Going into the race, I knew it was going to be a battle. Nicki is an amazing runner, a tough runner, and she doesn’t go down without a battle. Coming into that final stretch, I felt her there. So I kicked to another gear and kicked to another gear until I won the race. I wasn’t going to quit.”
Kennedy watched the end of Farley’s race, prior to her 3,200, then ran over to the podium area to congratulate her longtime teammate. “I told her she had one heck of a race and I was super proud of her,” Kennedy said. “And that I was going to go take it home for her.”
Kennedy did just that, dominating the 3,200 event to finish with an impressive 10:07.86 to outdistance Homestead’s Addison Knoblauch by 12 seconds in a race that was never in doubt. Kennedy was hoping to break the 10-minute mark, but the heat played a role in keeping her just off that pace. But the championship itself was more than enough.
“It’s very fulfilling and sentimental,” Kennedy said. “I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time beginning with my freshman year cross-country season when I thought, ‘Maybe I can be pretty good at this.’ To finally achieve my first state championship is very meaningful and a very ‘full circle’ moment. I had a lot of ups and downs but thankfully I ended on an up.”
More IHSAA girls track and field state meet highlights:
>> Forest Park senior Rachel Mehringer was the Mental Attitude Winner and took home the titles in both hurdles events. Mehringer broke the state meet record in the prelims and again in the 100 finals (13.38 seconds). The Indiana State recruit came back in the 300 hurdles later and won a close race (42.72 seconds) to edge Heritage Christian’s Kya Crooke (42.85) and Warren Central’s Laila Smith (42.97).
“Coming to the state meet, there is always going to be competition,” Mehringer said. “So it’s a little nerve-wracking knowing there is more competition than my school meets. If you go down, you’re done (in the hurdles).”
>> Coming a point short of Noblesville was a bit bittersweet, but Warren Central’s Laila Smith was all smiles at the end of the night. A third-place finish in the 300 hurdles was a bit disappointing, but it was a busy night for Smith, who was second in the 100 hurdles (14.19), second in the long jump (19-5) and anchored the third-place 4x400 relay team (3:54.66).
“It was a slight disappointment (not to win the 300), but I did PR and a 42 is what I wanted to run,” Smith said. “I’m just happy with what I got. If my PR couldn’t do it, I still have next year.”
The silver lining to Warren Central coming a point short is that most of the team returns. Junior Jill Vaden was third in the long jump (18-11) and the 4x100 relay team took third (47.44).
“It’s kind of bittersweet (to come up a point short), but we still have one more year and most of us are coming back,” she said. “Next year we know how to come back and do better.”
>> Heritage Christian sophomore Kya Crooke was another multi-event star. Crooke won the long jump (19-10 ¾), took third in the high jump (5-9), second in the 300 hurdles (42.85) and eighth in the 100 finals (12.38).
Crooke ran three races and jumped 18 times in all (12 on the high jump) on a hot day.
“When I get in a groove I want to keep going,” Crooke said. “I probably should have stuck with my best long jump instead of trying to do more. Then when I got to high jump, I kind of lost that pop. Usually when I get going at something, I don’t want to stop. I need probably to save my energy a little more when I’m doing all these events. Juggling everything was really hard, especially between the long jump, high jump and 100.”
Considering the difficulty of juggling those events at roughly the same time, Crooke’s 300 hurdles effort was impressive. She battled Mehringer and Smith, finishing second.
“I couldn’t even stand,” Crooke said. “It was definitely all my energy.”
>> Cathedral’s Kailee Swart set a state meet record with 13-6 ½ pole vault. That came after it took her three tries on her opening jump at 12-3.
>> Southerland cruised to the title in the 1,600 (4:43.73).
>> Brownsburg’s 4x100 relay team ran a 46.71 to defeat Fishers and Warren Central. Paige Kirtz anchored that race for Brownsburg and finished third in the 400.
>> Alexia Smith of Evansville Bosse ran a 54.12 in the 400 to defeat Center Grove senior Kate Henselmeier (55.46).
>> Connersville freshman Ahniyah Bennett took home gold in the 200 (24.50). Maya Taylor of Fishers was second (24.78).
>> Carmel ran a blistering 3:47.86 to win the 4x400 relay.
Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IHSAA girls track and field state meet: Noblesville wins by 1 point
