The
Warriors held a slim four point lead over Lawrence North leading into the final
event, but without a team competing in the 1600 meter relay, Warren Central
left the door wide open. The Wildcats,
needing to finish the evening’s final event with a sixth place finish or
better, won the relay and sealed the first state championship by a girls team in school history. Lawrence North senior Stacia
Weatherford anchored the 1600 relay team of sophomore Antonia Franklin,
sophomore Ashley Spencer, and junior Ahlivia Spencer
with a winning time of 3:51.39.
Weatherford also defended her state championship title earning her
second straight crown in the 300 meter low hurdles with a time of 43.55, and
took second in the 100 meter high hurdles.
Warren
Central senior Ebony Wright and sophomore Logan Hayes combined to lead the
Warriors with individual state titles and a relay victory. Wright earned her first championship crown in
the 200 meter dash with a winning time of 25.16, narrowly defeating Pike senior
Erica Campbell by 1/100th of second (25.17). Both Wright and Hayes helped pace Warren
Central’s 400 meter relay team with the help of sophomores Brianna Aikens and Brionna Harrison to a
state title (46.94). Hayes also fended
off Park Tudor’s defending three time state champion Hannah Farley to claim her
first state title in the 400 meter dash with a winning time of 54.53.
Pendleton Heights
junior Ellie McCardwell set a new state meet record
in the pole vault by soaring to 13-6.25, eclipsing the previous state mark of
13-6 set by Katie Veith from Homestead in 2006. McCardwell posted
one of the nation’s top vaults of the year, 13-5, towards the end of the
regular season.
Junior
Ellie Tidman of Batesville cleared 5-8 in the high
jump to claim her third straight state title.
Tidman becomes just the second girls high jumper to win the event three times.
Hamilton
Southeastern senior Paige Smith heaved the discus 146-0 to earn her first state
title, a first in the event for the Royals.
Senior teammate Portia Bailey also took home her first state title in
the 100 meter high hurdles, just edging Lawrence North’s Stacia
Weatherford, with a time of 14.65.
In the 100
meter dash, Jeffersonville
junior Shanice Gholson edged Warren Central’s Ebony
Wright for her first title with a time of 12.14.
Merrillville senior Rebecca Neville leaped
19-1.75 in the long jump to out distance three time defending champion Erynn Young of Muncie Central. It was Neville’s first state title and a
first for Merrillville
in the event.
In the 800
meter run, Park Tudor sophomore Abby Farley blazed past the competition to
finish first with a time of 2:12.42.
Kate DeSimone of Fort Wayne Canterbury took the state title in
the 1600 meter run coming in at 4:56.98.
Valparaiso senior Megan Ranegar
claimed her first state title in the 3200 meter run with a winning time of
10:43.45.