For the seniors on Bloomington South’s girls track team, this what they’ve been building toward.
From runner-up finishes the past two years at the indoor state meet to the cross country team’s best finish ever (third) last fall, a talented group is ready to make the leap from third last year to first this year at the IHSAA state finals on Friday, June 5.
Standing in the way is No. 1 Carmel, the defending champs and its outstanding distance and mid-distance group. Also lurking are North Central’s sprint corps, Brownsburg and the distance groups at Bishop Chatard and Fort Wayne Concordia.
Carmel won its first title since 1999 and no team has won back-to-back state titles since Warren Central in 2016-17. The Greyhounds come back with two of the top three seeds in the 1,600, the No. 1 seed in the 3,200, two of the top four in the 800 and a top-eight contender in discus. Carmel is also seeded top-five in the 4×400 and 4×800 relays.
South counters with Ellie Barada (No. 1 in the 800, No. 7 in the 1,600) and Lexi Kollbaum (7 and 8); fourth-seeded Jasmine Martoglio in the 3,200; Adriene Shaevitz, No. 2 in the 100 hurdles and Violet Hall, a ninth seed in the 200. Added to the mix is freshman Reese Robertson in the high jump where she’s tied for a fifth seed (5-5) after PR’s the past two weeks.
Then there are the powerhouse relays with the 4×800 group (Kollbaum, Mary Asplund, Martoglio, Barada) back to defend their title and state record 8:51.35; a 4×400 team seeded ninth (Kollbaum, Hall, Asplund, Barada ran a 3:53 last year for fourth) and the 4×100 (Shaevitz, Helena Cutshall, Alaina Bunnell, Hall) that’s seeded seventh after a run of 47.85 that’s put them in range of the school record.
That’s a group with the serious potential to outdo last year’s 34-point total that trailed Carmel (54) and Hamilton Southeastern (46).
Going back to 2005, a point total of 50 or more has been good enough to win a state title every year but two.
Bishop Chatard has top-10 seeds in the 100 hurdles, 1,600, 3,200, 4×400 and 4×800. Concordia has top-10s in the 800, 1,600 (two), 3,200, 4×400 and 4×800. North Central is highly ranked in the 100, 200, 300 hurdles, 800 and 4×100. Brownsburg will look for medals in the 100, 100 hurdles, 4×100, 4×400, long jump and shot put.
Big change in the finals
The IHSAA is taking advantage of North Central’s 10-lane track to expand the field to the top 30 in each event, which meant call-ups went out to fill out each field where necessary.
The top 10 will make each final in races with prelims (100, 200, 100 hurdles), but only the top nine will still medal. The top two in each prelim advance, then the next best times will fill out the field. The 3,200 relay and 800 will be run in two sections.
Eastern Greene’s Kena Maddox got a second chance with the call-ups at 5-3 in high jump to a field of 34.
Bedford North Lawrence’s Paige Voigtschild had a heartbreaking finish at regional, placing fourth at the line by a mere .4 but her 2:15.59 was good enough to also earn a call-up.
Barada ready to make history
Barada comes back as the 800 champ, with eight others repeating, including Michelle Spinks of Owen Valley.
As the anchor for the 4×800, that team will be out to become the first repeat winners since West Lafayette in 2018-19.
And in the 1,600, the only other county racer to win that event was North’s Stephanie Bassett in 1984.
Team of Mustangs hit state
Edgewood is sending five to the finals, including one of the top contenders in the discus.
Sophomore Mikayla Prater is seeded fourth after her big PR throw of 141-9 last week. The top seed by 12 feet is Maddison Judge of Franklin at 157-7.
In pole vault, junior Ella LaRoche missed the opening height last year in pole vault, but has since gone on to break the school record at 11-0. She went 10-9 last week, which ties for the 15th seed. It took an 11-3 to medal last year. North sophomore Delilah Kilbride will be a first-timer at state after reaching 10-0 this year.
Senior Hannah Crain is a 20th seed in the 3,200 in her second trip to state while senior Macey Crider is 24th in the shot put (39-1) and Kelsey Davis made it in the 300 hurdles.
North will have sophomore Lucah Feagans making a return trip to state after her career PR last week in the 400 (58.86). That time would have been 13th last year at state, but it only makes her a 28th seed this time going in.
The Cougars will also run their 4×400 and 4×800 relays. That last group is within an eyelash of the school record (9:28.19) and a 20th seed.
Martinsville’s Laura Barco will run in the 800 and 1,600. Orleans will be represented by Haylee Dille in long jump.
Defending champs
Other returning champions include junior Nadia Ford of Fort Wayne Carroll (100, 200), Mallory Weller of Fort Wayne Concordia (1,600, 3,200) and Adriana Swanson of South Bend Washington (100 hurdles). New Albany sophomore Jada Harper, last year’s 300 hurdles winner, had to miss the postseason due to injury.
Evansville North’s De’Janay Layne, who won the 200 in 2024, is a contender again after taking second last year by .01 to Ford.
All the field events in 2025 were won by seniors.
What to know
The state finals will take place again at North Central High School in Indianapolis, which is also hosting the girls state tennis finals at the same time. Those attending the track meet are encouraged to enter the school property from the north off 86th Street.
Tickets are $15 and available at Eventlink.com. Streaming will be available at ihsaatv.org.
Gates open at 2 p.m. The meet will begin at 3 p.m. with pole vault, long jump and discus, followed by high jump and shot put (after discus is finished). The 3,200 relay finals start at 4:15, trials at 5 and opening ceremonies at 6:10.
IHSAA STATE GIRLS TRACK MEET
Top seeds and area competitors (State record in parenthesis_
100 (11.41, 2017): 1. Kenedi Bradley, Chesterton 11.71; 2. Emma Walter, Fairfield 11.75; 3. Aniyah McKenzie, LawrenceC 11.84.
200 (23.12, 1986): 1. Amari Lind, Goshen, 24.35; 2. De”janey, Layne, EvNorth 24.40; 3. McKenzie, LawrenceC 24.42; 9. Violet Hall, BSouth 25.07.
400 (52.72, 1986): 1. Anissa Lammie, HSE 54.73; 2. Kat Simmons, MtV (Fortville) 55.08; 3. Norah Reiger, HamHts 55.47; 28. Lucah Feagans, BNorth 58.86.
800 (2:04.95, 2023): 1. Ellie Barada, BSouth 2:08.31; 2. Kaitlyn Oshimura, Carmel 2:11.09; 3. Katy Green, Zion 2:11.88; 4. Sadie Foley, Carmel 2:12.06; 7. Lexi Kollbaum, BSouth 2:13.04; 14. Laura Barco, Mart 2:15.19; 16. Paige Voigtschild, BNL 2:15.59.
1,600 (4:38.69, 2022): 1. Mallory Weller, FWConcordia 4:33.77; 2. Addyson Bautista, THN 4:51.42; 3. Foley, Carmel 4:58.69; 4. Larkin Taylor, Carmel 4:59.20; 7. Barada, BSouth 5:01.80; 8. Kollbaum, BSouth 5:02.00; 20. Barco, Mart 5:08.15.
3,200 (10:03.16, 2021): 1. Annabel Pollert, Carmel 10:30.35; 2. M.Weller, FWConcordia 10:38.31; 3. Anya Zoeller, PendHts 10:39.99; 4. Jasmine Martoglio, BSouth 10:40.98; 5. Zoe Gebhart, HSE 10:41.06; 6. Julia Score, BishChat 10:42.47; 20. Hannah Crain, Edgwd 11:02.63.
110 hurdles (13.38, 2023): 1. Jordyn Fort, Merrillville 13.65; 2. Adriene Shaevitz, BSouth 13.84; 3. Adriana Swanson, SB Wash 13.85; 4. Jai Brown, Pike 13.90.
300 hurdles (41.36, 2014): 1. Chloe Senfeld, HSE 41.91; 2. Isabella Sotelo, EHancock 42.42; 3. Swanson, SB Wash 43.72; 29. Shaevitz, BSouth 46.55; 30. Kelsey Davis, Edgwd 46.66.
4×100 relay (45.75, 2003): 1. Brownsburg 46.87; 2. Lawrence Central 47.22; 3. FW Carroll 47.33; 4. Merrillville 47.57; 5. Valparaiso 47.57; 6. Hamilton Southeastern 47.78; 7. Bloomington South 47.85.
4×400 relay (3:43.99, 2019): 1. Hamilton Southeastern 3:48.56; 2. Goshen 3:51.35; 3. Bishop Chatard 3:51.36; 9. Bloomington South 3:56.46; 30. Bloomington North 4:05.62.
4×800 relay (8:51.35, 2025): 1. Columbia City 9:03.41; 2. Bishop Chatard 9:11.69; 3. FW Concordia 9:14.19; 4. Carmel 9:16.40; 5. Bloomington South 9:17.05; 20. Bloomington North 9:29.62.
High jump (6-0¼, 2025): T1. Karsyn Buck, Northview 5-8; Kira Smith, WarrC 5-8; 3. Peytan Denagall, Avon 5-7; T5. Reese Robertson, BSouth 5-5; T21. Kena Maddox, EG 5-3.
Long jump (20-4¾, 2025): 1. Elnora Stevenson, Whiteland 19-8; 2. Za’Nariae White, THS 19-3¼; 3. Amiah Hamilton, Brownsburg 18-4¼; 30. Haylee Dille, Orleans 16-9¼.
Pole vault (13-6½, 2023): 1. Amelia Smith, Guerin Cath 13-1½; T2. Addison Martin, Franklin 12-6; Katherine Woebkenberg, Jasper 12-6; T15. Ella LaRoche, Edgwd 10-9; T29. Delilah Kilbride, BNorth 10-0.
Shot put (51-11, 2024): 1. Ellyse Walden, Western 48-8½; 2. Carly VonDielingen, Whiteland 45-0; 3. Aniyah Rozier, Avon 43-6; 24. Macey Crider, Edgwd 39-1.
Discus (169-6, 2024): 1. Maddison Judge, Franklin 157-7; 2. Walden, Western 145-9; 3. Maleah Williams, Waldron 144-7; 4. Mikayla Prater, Edgwd 141-9.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Bloomington South girls track going for title at IHSAA state meet
Reporting by Jim Gordillo, The Herald-Times / The Herald-Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
