The state’s best track and field athletes are in Indianapolis this weekend for the IHSAA track and field finals at North Central High School.
Six Lafayette-area schools will be represented in each of Friday’s girls state finals meet and Saturday’s boys meet. Lafayette Jeff’s unified track and field team will compete at the state finals prior to Saturday’s boys meet after the Bronchos advanced out of last week’s Kokomo Regional.
Runners and field event athletes are seeded based on their regional performances last week.
Below is who to watch from Greater Lafayette in the girls and boys state meets.
Area girls track and field state finals participants
Audrey Alexander, West Lafayette
Events: Discus (17th); Shot put (13th)
Alexander finished sixth in the state shot put finals last season. The Red Devil senior earned a return trip with her toss of 41 feet, 8 1/2 inches in the Lafayette Jeff Regional. Alexander also got a call to compete in discus after throwing 130-1.
Allison Caplinger, Faith Christian
Event: 400 (13th)
The junior received a callback after regionals with the fastest non-automatic qualifying time in the May 26 regional. Caplinger finished fourth at the regional meet in 57.62 seconds. The three runners ahead of her last week are seeded first, third and fourth on Friday.
Ashley Caplinger, Faith Christian
Event: 800 (6th)
After setting a sectional record at West Lafayette, Caplinger shaved another two seconds off her time to finish third at the Lafayette Jeff Regional in 2:12.48. The junior joins her twin and younger sister at the state meet, with a chance to be Faith’s first podium finisher at the IHSAA state finals.
Kimberly Caplinger, Faith Christian
Event: 1,600 (17th)
The freshman is part of a sister trio that, on May 26, became the first runners in Faith Christian’s girls track history to qualify for state. Her sixth-place finish in the event at the Lafayette Jeff regional is indicative of how deeply talented the race was. Caplinger’s regional time was 5:06.52.
Olivia Dahlenburg, North White
Event: High jump (10th)
Dahlenburg is right in the mix with many podium hopefuls after clearing 5-5 at the Lafayette Jeff Regional.
Kynlee Dunbar, West Lafayette
Event: Pole vault (12th)
A fifth-place finish at the Lafayette Jeff Regional, where nine pole vaulters made it to state, has Dunbar on the cusp of a podium spot. She cleared 11 feet at the regional.
Katya Hupy, Harrison
Event: Pole vault (22nd)
Hupy was one of nine Lafayette Jeff Regional pole vaulters to reach the state meet after she cleared 10-9 to finish eighth. She’s cleared 11-3 this season, which, if she can replicate, puts her in contention for a podium finish.
Nami Inoue, McCutcheon
Event: 800 (27th)
Inoue benefited from the state’s fastest overall regional time in her event and, despite finishing sixth at the Lafayette Jeff Regional, received a callback with her school-record time of 2:18.45.
Makayla Ketterer, Harrison
Event: High jump (6th)
Ketterer was one of six jumpers to clear 5-5 at the regional, creating a seed log jam after the top four at state. Her mark won the regional over Dahlenburg based on number of attempts. At last year’s state meet, Ketterer cleared 5-7 to finish fourth.
Kaitlyn Manfra, Harrison
Event: 1,600 (5th)
Manfra is a returning state qualifier, finishing 17th in the 1,600 last season and also placing sixth with Harrison’s 3,200 relay. The three automatic qualifiers in the event from the Lafayette Jeff Regional are seeded second, third and fifth. Manfra was third at the regional in 5:01.44.
Carla Rodriguez, Harrison
Event: 3,200 (24th)
Rodriguez earned a call back after regionals for being one of the state’s fastest non-automatic qualifiers with a time of 11:12.15. The senior has a podium finish already, helping the Raiders’ 3,200 relay team to a sixth-place finish a year ago at the state meet.
Eva Stokes, Harrison
Events: Discus (5th), Shot put (8th)
After a disappointing premature ending to her sophomore season, Stokes set her sights on qualifying in both throwing events as a junior. After throws of 140-11 in discus and 42-9 in shot at the Lafayette Jeff Regional, she’s put up numbers that, if replicated, could earn her two podium finishes.
Sophia Zarate, Benton Central
Event: Discus (10th)
There were six individuals who hit the automatic state qualifying standard mark at the Lafayette Jeff Regional. Zarate was one who placed fifth with a throw of 138-2.
Area boys track and field state finals participants
Harrison 3,200 relay
Seed: 4th
Participants: Evan Lottes, Jonathan King, Ossama Belal, River Bender
The regional championship relay team opened last week’s meet with a time of 7:50.53, better than two seconds ahead of runner-up Westfield.
Harrison 400 relay
Seed: 24th
Participants: Zion Clopton, Sullivan Garrett, Jacob Schwartz, Jeremiah McCray
The Raiders had to come out of the slow heat at the regional, but posted a time just off the state standard, earning a call back as the fastest non-automatic qualifier from a regional with a run of 42.38 seconds.
McCutcheon 1,600 relay
Seed: 19th
Participants: Kaiden Konkle, Jaymar Johnson, Andrew Weinman, Kamarion Ayres
The Mavericks placed fifth at the Lafayette Jeff Regional in a fast race, earning a call back with their time of 3:21.39 for the team comprised of three seniors and a junior.
West Lafayette 1,600 relay
Seed: 12th
Participants: Grant Johnson, Mason Wright, Caleb Landess, Ethan Landess
Three sophomores and a junior capped the Lafayette Jeff Regional in a big way, racing to a runner-up finish less than a second behind regional champion Fishers in a time of 3:19.94.
Kamarion Ayres, McCutcheon
Events: 110 hurdles (8th), 300 hurdles (1st), 1,600 relay (19th)
The hurdles specialist returns to the state finals, but this time as a regional champion. Ayres ran away from the pack to win the 300-meter hurdles in 37.56 seconds. That held up as the best regional time in Indiana. Ayres has a chance to place in two individual events after he placed 14th in the 110 hurdles and 12th in the 300 hurdles at last year’s state meet.
Zion Clopton, Harrison
Events: 110 hurdles (4th), 300 hurdles (16th), 400 relay (24th)
Clopton placed 15th in the 110 hurdles as a freshman last year and now returns with state finals experience and in three events.
Elijah Curry, McCutcheon
Event: 100 (15th)
The sophomore won a regional championship at Scheumann Stadium last week in 10.78 seconds. However, it came in a regional that wasn’t particularly strong in the event. Still, he’s only a few hundredths of a second off from being a top-10 seed.
Landon Dispennett, Seeger
Event: 400 (22nd)
The senior represented for the small rural schools in a regional dominated by some of Indiana’s highest enrollment schools. Dispennett was a runner-up at the Lafayette Jeff Regional in the 400 meters in 49.09 seconds.
Owen Hudspith, Frankfort
Event: Pole vault (2nd)
An impressive regional winning performance saw the Hot Dog junior beat his personal best mark by a foot. It was a major confidence boost going into state, where last year’s state runner-up Isaac Roman of Crown Point owns the top seed by six inches. Hudspith was one spot from a podium finish last year, placing 10th based on the number of attempts it took to clear 14-6.
Ethan Landess, West Lafayette
Events: 200 (21st), 1,600 relay (12th)
After not even qualifying for the regional as a freshman, Landess eyed three events at the state meet as a sophomore. He false-started in the 100 meters at the regional, his best event, but made it through in the other two, including with a run of 21.90 in the 200.
Hunter Lehe, Faith Christian
Event: 800 (26th)
After a banner day for Faith Christian runners, getting three through the regional, Lehe joined the parade with a call back following his run of 1:55.85 at the Lafayette Jeff Regional.
Jacob Schwartz, Harrison
Events: Long jump (14th), 400 relay (24th)
Schwartz didn’t have his best stuff at last year’s state meet while coping with an injury and placed 16th. Now healthy, he still returned to state despite not hitting his best marks during the regional. The senior will be a threat for a podium finish.
David Warner, Harrison
Event: Pole vault (19th)
Two weeks after clearing 14 feet, Warner has been chasing that mark again. Still, his mark of 13-9 at the Lafayette Jeff Regional got the senior to the season’s final meet.
Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on X and Instagram @samueltking.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Here are the Lafayette area athletes to watch at IHSAA track and field finals
Reporting by Sam King, Lafayette Journal & Courier / Lafayette Journal & Courier
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Sam King, Lafayette Journal & Courier | USA TODAY Network
