Boys track: Bloomington North relay makes history at state finals

The freshman could feel the senior getting closer.

Not just any senior, but Carmel's Kole Mathison, who had won the 1,600 and 3,200 state titles in 2022 and like Bloomington North's Caleb Winders, was tasked with anchoring his team's 3,200 relay. The moment was not too big for Winders.

"I heard someone behind me and I looked over my shoulder a little bit with 300 meters left and he is coming fast around me," Winders said. "So I just stayed behind his back and with 125 meters left I felt great. I knew I had it."

The race was still in doubt, but Winders ran a career best split of 1:50.2 and the top-seeded Cougars made plenty of history, winning in a state record 7:37.24, knocking out the mark Columbus North set last year by .66. North had to have it as Zionsville came in second at 7:37.84 and Carmel third.

The last boys' state champion from Bloomington was South's Deakin Volz in pole vault in 2015 while the last Cougar state champ was Max Tuttle in the 300 hurdles in 2010.

North tied its highest ever finish at state (tying with Fishers for fourth) and scored its most points with 31 (previous best was 27), thanks to six medalists, including all three relays. South scored 16 points with three medalists.

Winders would go on to take second in the 800 (1:52.68) and anchor the 1,600 relay, after it ran into some trouble with a handoff in traffic, to eighth. A freshmen with three state medals is in rare company.

"He had an unbelievable day," North coach Justin Helmer said. "He ran so smart and was put into a pretty good pressure situation on the four-by-eight and did a great job finishing. He finished every race. I don't know of any freshmen who have had a day like that."

Senior Kyle Clark got the Cougars' champion relay started with a 1:54.42 split and the lead. Reed Pierce took over and fell to fourth, but surged to second to hand off to Dominic D'Onofrio, who did the same thing, giving Winders a short deficit to Franklin Central to make up while also keeping Carmel in the rearview mirror by 1.6 seconds.

"We were finishing really well all the way through," Helmer said. "And that put Caleb in a position to do what he did. Definitely a team effort there. Dom ran a big PR 1:55. Kyle 1:54 low. Reed tied his PR 1:57 and then the 1:50.2 on the end and that is just wild. And that just generated some excitement."

Mathison made up the ground. Zionsville was there, too. The freshman was not fazed.

"I know after my leg, I felt pretty good about the lead that I got them," Clark said. "I just wanted us to stay in the race because I knew as Columbus (North) started to fall back on the third leg, I was feeling pretty good about Caleb's ability to out kick pretty much any of those guys. Especially when Kole had to use so much of his energy to catch up.

"I was still screaming and still nervous. But when Caleb got the baton and Carmel was behind I was feeling pretty good."

"I was just really excited for it because they put me in good position," Winders said. "I really wanted to win that for all of them and get the school record and maybe the meet record."

"I was really shocked by the time," Clark said.

Winders, the top seed in the 800, had the gauntlet thrown down at him before he even took a step.

Martinsville's Martin Barco, who had already won the 1,600 with a career best 4:07.45 over Cameron Todd, of Brebeuf Jesuit, and Mathison, had unfinished business in the 800 finals. Coming off uncharacteristic finish at regional that left him in third, he stormed to a win in the first timed section in 1:52.70 with Columbus North's Mateo Mendez next at 1:53.05.

And when Winders led the pack around in the fast heat in 56.46, it looked like Barco might pull off the improbable. But Nate Killeen of North Central made the move and won in 1:51.84 while Winders hung on for second in 1:52.68, just .02 better than Barco.

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"The freshman national record is a 1:49.87," Winders said. "I want to get that and I've got one more race to get that. I didn't think I could get it, but I'm getting closer and closer to it."

Winders' next race will be in the New Balance Nationals.

"Today I was most impressed with how Caleb handled the pressure," said Clark, who went on to take ninth in the 3,200 in 9:09.87. "First big state meet like this, because he wasn't in the cross country state meet. He did great. He didn't get intimidated by the really good competition. He just raced like he normally does."

South's Ryan Rheam and his father Erick had some interesting parallels going in their running careers, with Ryan matching his dad's finishes at the state track and cross country meets in 2022. It nearly happened again in the 3,200 this year as Rheam ended up taking third (not second as Erick had done in 1990).

Ryan made up for it, however, by erasing Ken Waterhouse's school record from 1982 (9:07.4) with a 9:03.96, some 19 seconds faster than Erick ran in his final.

Rheam was sitting back in the lead pack which had chased down front-runner Will Conway of Floyd Central. As Carmel's dynamic duo (Mathison and Tony Porovenzano) took off, Rheam started to make his move with three laps to go, eventually going from fourth to third in the last 200 or so.

"Last year was a really good learning experience," Rheam said. "Because I started out way far back and by the end of the race, I was already out of it (finishing 12th) and that's how I usually like to race. But I knew there were a lot of great guys and I couldn't do that today.

"I watched a lot of video of my dad, his junior year when he ran state, and we saw a common thing of it starting to thin out really quickly, so I knew I wanted to be with that lead pack and not too far back. I decided I was going for it today. I was in second for a while. It was scary but I was confident and I was ready for it."

And rewarded for it.

"It's been a long, tough road," Rheam said. "This medal, it does mean a lot knowing I did everything in my power to put myself in the position I am today."

South junior Joe Zinkan had a solid 9:23.77 for 14th, just a couple seconds off his PR from regional.

"I'm super pleased with it," Zinkan said. "I proved last week wasn't a fluke, like I belong with this competition. It was a tremendous experience to get to race with all the top guys in the state. It really gets me excited for cross country and it'll be a good experience to have. Hopefully I'll be there next year."

North pulled off a rare feat, maybe one that has never been done in Cougar history, by putting all three relays on the podium.

The 400 relay of Cody Mikulich, Stephon Opoku, Connor Shin and Jaidyn Johnson were third, stunning most everyone, including themselves, by winning the second of three sections with a school record 41.69 knocking a full second off their previous best from sectional.

Given that Mikulich was sick Thursday, Opoku was nursing a bad leg, Shin was also coming off illness and Johnson, well, he pulled his other hamstring Thursday night in practice ... Helmer is left to wonder just how fast a healthy foursome might have spun around the track.

Brownsburg ended up blazing a an all-time Indiana best 40.70, knocking out a 41-year-old record set by Gary Roosevelt (41.02). Lawrence Central was second (41.17), while North nipped Plainfield by .1 and Mooresville by .11.

"I was really surprised," Johnson said. "Going in, we were in Lane 9, so it's hard doing that in an outer lane and it took a lot for us to do it. I'm really proud of us."

The 1,600 relay was on a good clip as well, until a runner from another school got in the way during the second exchange between Shin and Jack Holden. Winders still had a 49.53 finish to get the Cougars ahead of Fishers at the finish in 3:21.70 and help forge the tie in the team standings.

South junior D'Andre Black made sure the clock would not deny him a spot in the 110 hurdles finals as it had the year before, when he was 10th by .003. Black, with only a half-dozen races under his belt coming off his football injury and unable to compete in the 300s because of it, had more than the standard 10 hurdles to clear to get that medal around his neck.

With four heats of the 110s, the top two in each automatically made the final, leaving just one wildcard spot. Black took second in his prelim in 14.68 to avoid any more sweating on a 90-degree day, his time just .01 ahead of 10th place. Black nearly matched it in the finals with a 14.69 for seventh.

"I was just determined to run my best race," Black said. "So trying to get that top two spot was crucial, so just trying to push myself."

When he finished, his left hamstring was giving him some discomfort, but he got back out there for the finals.

"This is probably the best medal I've ever gotten throughout track," Black said. "Because it shows everybody I'm not just somebody who just comes out here and can perform. I'm working hard. I rehabbed. I worked very hard to get to this point, so I'm very happy."

South senior Sawyer Bailey set a goal and to meet it, he had one last chance after two failed attempts at 15-0 in the pole vault.

"I was pretty nervous for that one," Bailey said. "I was like, 'I have to do it.' I felt pretty good getting that."

Bailey just got over the bar at 15-0 and that's where he ended up, taking fourth in his final meet before packing up the poles for good and heading off to attend Indiana University.

"I was hoping to get above 15 but I'm glad to be here," said Bailey after a six-hour day in the field. "It was a long day, hot."

In addition to the 1,600 relay, JaQualon Roberts also had great outing in the 400, winning the second of three timed finals with a 48.39 that broke the school record of 48.51 by John Hiestand in 2004 and also earned him seventh place.

"(Getting the record) was a real hassle for me. These meets going into state, I hadn't quite gotten to the point where I wanted to be at," said Roberts, who will head from one big stage to another, turning his attention to his role with the Indiana All-Stars boys' basketball team and its upcoming series against Kentucky next weekend. "I hit 48.2 split in the four-by-four, so that was kind of a glimpse of what I could do.

"But these races, I got too much in my head trying to look at the time while I was running. So I just wanted to lock in and focus and run my own race and compete and that's what I did."

Other performances included South's 400 relay of Adrian Rheam, Sam Cosner, Gabe Taylor and Elijah Berry slicing more time off their school record, from 43.05 at regional to a 42.86. That was an unexpected development.

"Sam Cosner came in a more fit individual and he's just been tearing it up," South coach Larry Williams said. "Adrian Rheam has just been a very consistent start for us. Eli Berry's been healthy all season. And then the freshman Gabe Taylor, he turned a 23.2 in the 200 at regionals, for a freshman. Pretty good.

"They just blended and with the great guidance of (assistant coach) Megan Pedersen, their handoffs today were as good as they've ever been."

Cosner also had a season best of 22.52 for 25th in the 200 while Josh Tait was 25th in the 400 (51.23) and anchored the 1,600 relay to 19th in a season best 3:23.44. The Panthers also had a 3,200 relay take 19th (8:10.03), with junior Hunter Tabor running a leg before using his lungs to sing the National Anthem.

North's Max Wynalda was 13th in the shot put (54-4), Mikulich was 15th in discus (154-10) and Broc Murphy was 20th in the 300 hurdles (40.83).

Orleans' three-event standout Xavier Alston tied with Braydon Patterson of Bedford North Lawrence for 14th in high jump (6-6), was 20th in the 400 (50.35) and 25th in long jump. Larron Childers of Springs Valley was 24th in discus (147-0) while Mooresville's Denton Jacobs was 14th (156-8).

IHSAA STATE BOYS' TRACK MEET

Top team scores — 1. Brownsburg 55; 2. Carmel 50; 3. Plainfield 48; T4. Bloomington North 13; Fishers 31; T6. Zionsville 28; Mt. Vernon (Fortville) 28; 8. Center Grove 24; 9. Lawrence Central 22; 10. Warren Central 21; 11. Homestead 19; 12. Brebeuf Jesuit 18; T13. Floyd Central 17; Martinsville 17; T15. Bloomington South 16; Angola 16; T17. Evansville Reitz 15; North Central (Indpls) 15; Heritage Christian 15; 20. Ben Davis 14. T39. Mooresville 5.

Individual results (top 4 and area results)

100 — 1. Elijah Jackson, LawC, 10.52; 2. Dominic Calhoun, Brwnbrg, 10.57; 3. William Riley, Grwd, 10.71; 4. Kellen Watson, Penn, 10.74. 17. Jaidyn Johnson, BlmNorth, 10.98.

200 — 1. Calhoun, Brwnbrg, 21.30; 2. Xavier Thomas, ERtz, 21.44; 3. Matthew Wray, Whtld, 21.49; 4. Troy Larrison, Plnfld, 21.54. 25. Sam Cosner, BlmSouth 22.52.

400 — 1. Nayyir Newash-Campbell, Plnfld, 46.98 (state record; old record, 46.99, David Neville, Merrillville, 2002); 2. Riley Buroff, Churub, 47.22; 3. Thomas, ERtz, 47.67; 4. Nickens Lemba, Southoprt, 47.95; 7. JaQualon Roberts, BlmNorth, 48.39 (school record; old record, 48.51, John HIestand, 2004). 20. Xavier Alston, Orleans, 50.35; 25. Josh Tait, BlmSouth, 51.23.

800 — 1. Nate Killeen, NCent, 1:51.84; 2. Caleb Winders, BlmNorth, 1:52.68; 3. Martin Barco, Mart, 1:52.70; 4. Matthew Kim, Fish, 1:52.71.

1,600 — 1. Barco, Mart, 4:07.45; 2. Cameron Todd, BrebfJ, 4:08.76; 3. Kole Mathison, Carm, 4:09.44; 4. Caden Click, Noble, 4:10.04. Nate Burns, Moore, DQ.

3,200 — 1. Mathison, Carm, 8:53.18; 2. Tony Provenzano, Carm, 8:54.94; 3. Ryan Rheam, BlmSouth, 9:03.96 (school record; old record, 9:07.4, Ken Waterhouse, 1982); 4. Will Conway, FloydC, 9:05.96; 9. Kyle Clark, BlmNorth, 9:09.87. 14. Joe Zinkan, BlmSouth, 9:23.77.

110 hurdles — 1. George Burhenn, MtVF, 14.33; 2. Tyler Tarter, Fish, 14.37; 3. Jake Ottersbach, Chrstwn, 14.48; 4. David Carnell, BenD, 14.52; 7. D’Andre Black, BlmSouth, 14.68.

300 hurdles — 1. Parker Doyle, CG, 37.78; 2. Jacob Martin, Homest, 38.31; 3. Burhenn, MtVF, 38.75; 4. James Finley, Andrean, 38.81; 20. Broc Murphy, BlmNorth, 40.83.

High jump — 1. Bode Gilkerson, Plndfld, 7-0; 2. Elliot Ryba, Greenfield, 6-8; 3. Kaden Stewart, FloydC, 6-8; 4. Alex Meyer, Angola, 6-8. T14. Alston, Orleans, 6-6; Braydon Patterson, BNL, 6-6.

Long jump — 1. Meyer, Angola, 24-2; 2. Justin Marshall, Merril, 23-9¾; 3. Elijah Coker, Penn, 23-7¾; 4. JonAnthony Hall, Fish, 23-1. 25. Alston, Orleans, 17-7½.

Shot put — 1. Luke Himes, HeritageChr, 65-1½; 2. Colin Wilson, HamiltnHts, 62-6¾; 3. Trevor Lauck, Roncalli, 58-3¼; 4. Isaiah Smith, Brwnsbg, 58-3. 13. Max Wynalda, BlmNorth, 54-4.

Discus — 1. Seamus Malaski, CrownPt, 187-8; 2. Fin Essley, Zion, 178-2; 3. Issac Masquelier, Plnfld, 175-4; 4. Damien Shanklin, WarrenC, 174-3. 14. Denton Jacobs, Mooresvillle, 156-8; 15. Cody Mikulich, BlmNorth, 154-10; 24. Larron Childers, SpringsVly, 147-0.

Pole vault — 1. Cody Johnston, Hobart, 17-0; 2. Eli Griffin, Homest, 15-3; 3. Lincoln Hulsey, LaVille, 15-0; 4. Sawyer Bailey, BlmSouth, 15-0.

400 relay — 1. Brownsburg, 40.70 (state record; old record, 41.02, Gary Roosevelt, 1982); 2. Lawrence Central, 41.17; 3. Bloomington North (Mikulich, Stephon Opoku, Connor Shin, Jaidyn Johnson), 41.69; 4. Plainfield, 41.79; 5. Mooresville (Holden McBride, Colin McBride, Jai Dindiyal, Jayden Enderle), 41.80. 19. Bloomington South (Adrian Rheam, Cosner, Gabe Taylor, Elijah Berry), 42.86 (school record; old record, 43.05, 2023 regional).

1,600 relay — 1. Center Grove, 3:16.41; 2. Warren Central, 3:16.89; 3. Plainfield, 3:17.15; 4. Mt. Vernon (Fortville), 3:17.57; 8. Bloomington North (Roberts, Shin, Jack Holden, Winders), 3:21.70; 12. Bloomington South (Teagan Bullock, Rheam, Julian Dusleag, Tait), 3:23.44.

3,200 relay — 1. Bloomington North (Clark, Reed Pierce, Dominic D’Onofrio, Winders), 7:37.24 (state record; old record, 7:37.90, Columbus North, 2022)(school record; old record, 7:43.67, 2023 regional); 2. Zionsville, 7:37.84; 3. Carmel, 7:39.56; 4. Fishers, 7:43.42. 19. Bloomington South (Bullock, Hunter Tabor, Joseph Merkley, Jack Gildea), 8:10.03.

Contact Jim Gordillo at [email protected] and follow on Twitter @JimGordillo.