SOUTH BEND — Two Saint Joseph boys track & field athletes’ experiences at the South Bend City meet Thursday, April 30, were defined by an ability to quickly move past setbacks and achieve success.
First, junior Matthew Champlin stared down an approximately 40-meter runway, where at the end towered a 14-foot, 5-inch bar he was to catapult himself over with just a pole to propel him. If he were to do so, that would become a Huskies’ pole vault school record. Head coach Mike McCarthy took over the microphone and told all in attendance to watch Champlin’s attempt at history, but Champlin stopped after running down the track just before planting his pole into the straightaway and swinging his body into the air.
His head wasn’t right; he wasn’t ready. On what was an already chilly and soon rainy evening, Champlin walked over to Saint Joseph’s bench and put on his large, black jacket to warm up. During that time, he was also psyching himself up.
He said the moment briefly overwhelmed him during his first attempt at reaching 14-05. Champlin felt all eyes were on him.
A few moments later, Champlin took off his jacket and stepped back onto the runway, pole in hand. This time, there was no hesitation.
After he successfully pole vaulted himself over a 14-foot, 5-inch-high bar and fell onto the mat below, Champlin quickly jumped to his feet and celebrated with his teammates. In just his second year in the event, Champlin had set a Saint Joseph school record and secured 10 points that played a part in the Huskies’ 203 total by the end of the night to secure the boys a city meet title.
Two years ago, Brady Farrell set the last Saint Joseph pole vaulting school record at the city meet. Champlin said he has been watching the record-setting video for “years,” wanting that to be him someday. That someday ended up being Thursday.
“Practice this week has been really good, so I just knew I could do it and got the confidence,” Champlin said. “It was just really exciting. It was really great.”
Later in the evening, senior Le’Braylen Booker was on his blocks for the 400-meter dash. He was so amped to take off when the official’s gun fired that he false started, disqualifying himself from the race. Booker took his block off the track and dropped into a crouch with his head bowed as the race restarted without him.
Shortly thereafter, Booker and his mother, Letonia Booker, walked away from the crowd of athletes, coaches and spectators for a private conversation. Booker said she helped him clear his mind of negativity before he had to take the track again at the end of the night for the 4×400-meter relay.
When he did so about an hour later, Booker was the third leg in a first-place finish at 3:20.24. After he handed the baton to junior Will Elick for the final leg, Booker raised his arm into the sky in silent celebration.
He had redeemed himself and helped his team in the process.
“Let it be known that this is our home track, and we’re willing to do whatever it takes to win,” Booker said. “I had to leave it all out on the track. That’s exactly what it was — redemption.”
Eagles fly high
The Adams girls’ celebration when the Eagles were declared winners with 185 points was almost as loud as nearby fireworks. Thanks to seven track first place finishes and two such placements in field events, Adams girls dominated.
Head coach Savino Rivera was modest in victory, reminding that his squad expected to leave Leighton Stadium Thursday as winners. Sophomore Jaidyn Kimbrough did so thrice, and DiMayah Marsh went so hard in the 400-meter dash that she had to be carried off the track by teammates due to exhaustion.
While Rivera was certainly happy to see his Eagles succeed at the city meet, he was adamant that they have bigger fish to fry in May with the Northern Indiana Conference (NIC) meet set for Thursday, May 12 and sectionals set for Thursday, May 19. Rivera said Adams was dedicating its victory to Samara Rouser, a senior shot put athlete who is out for the season with an ankle injury.
“We had a lot of PRs today, and the girls really stepped up,” Rivera said. “Every girl was prepared. They’ve been willing to work hard all season.”
Adriana Swanson’s final city meet
Finishing in 14.30 seconds, Washington senior Adriana Swanson had the fastest 100-meter hurdles time at the city meet — girls or boys. The defending state champion in the event and an Indiana University commit, Swanson’s impressive finish wasn’t even a personal best.
Her father and Panthers head coach Adrian Swanson said Adriana still had some work to do as she ramps up her training for the state tournament, which begins in less than three weeks. However, Swanson also spoke up about her desire for constant self-improvement.
It’ll be a 5 a.m. alarm, an early morning weight training session and two-a-day practices seven days a week until the end of the season until she accomplishes her goal of becoming the first South Bend girls track athlete to win back-to-back individual state titles. That doesn’t mean she couldn’t be a little sentimental about competing in her final city meet Thursday — an annual event in which she has never lost.
“I hadn’t even thought about it, because I was more so living in the moment, but now it kind of hits a little bit,” Swanson said.
Hearing his pride and joy say that allowed Adrian to be reflective, too — even if just for a moment.
“To me, it’s our last hurrah for high school,” he said.
For Dwight
Before track finals began around 6:45 p.m., a moment of silence was held for long-time Clay track & field coach Dwight Mood, who died unexpectedly at the age of 68 Monday, April 26. Mood was someone many in the South Bend track community looked up to, especially McCarthy, who plans to attend Mood’s funeral Friday after missing his viewing Thursday.
How fitting that the only reason McCarthy wasn’t at both was because the city track meet was in the way. An event so many in the area care passionately about, especially McCarthy, who fell in love with the annual event in his first year as a head coach in 2004.
“It’s something I think about genuinely every day of the year,” McCarthy said. “It’s a special night. It’s fun to be running around outside in the dark. You can see downtown, and it just feels a little different than the rest of the regular season.”
Other results
Girls 4x800m relay: Saint Joseph (10:09.23)
Boys 4x800m relay: Saint Joseph (8:38.35)
Boys 110m hurdles: Will Elick, Saint Joseph junior (14.75)
Girls 100m dash: Jaidyn Kimbrough, Adams sophomore (12.46)
Boys 100m dash: Richard Halliburton, Saint Joseph junior (11.41)
Girls 1600m run: Annika Lute, Trinity Academy sophomore (5:24.79)
Boys 1600m run: Max Howk, Adams junior (4:31.65)
Girls 4x100m relay: Adams (49.45)
Boys 4x100m relay: Washington (43.75)
Girls 400m dash: DiMayah Marsh, Adams sophomore (1:02.46)
Boys 400m dash: Timon Johnson, Adams senior (51.38)
Girls 300m hurdles: Getsemani Cruz, Adams senior (47.75)
Boys 300m hurdles: Will Elick, Saint Joseph (39.17)
Girls 800m run: Agnes Hasler, Adams junior (2:26.28)
Boys 800m run: Trevor Crump, Riley senior (2:03.16)
Girls 200m dash: Jaidyn Kimbrough, Adams sophomore (25.84)
Boys 200m dash: Mateo Garcia-Jimenez, Adams senior (23.11)
Girls 3200m run: Annika Lute, Trinity Academy sophomore (12:01)
Boys 3200m run: Max Elick, Saint Joseph senior (10:25.26)
Girls 4x400m relay: Adams (4:11.60)
Girls pole vault: Keira Kinney, Adams senior (8-06)
Girls high jump: Morgan Whittrock, South Bend Riley senior (4-10)
Girls long jump: Lydia Goodsell, Saint Joseph junior (18-01)
Boys long jump: Will Elick, Saint Joseph junior (21-08)
Girls discus: Talina Riley, Adams junior (110-11)
Boys discus: Brody Hill, Saint Joseph senior (147-03)
Girls shot put: Samara Kiwale, Riley senior (31-01)
Boys shot put: Jalil Neely, Washington senior (45-05)
Full team standings
Girls
Boys
Kyle Smedley is a sports reporter at the South Bend Tribune. Contact him via email at ksmedley@usatodayco.com or follow him on X @KyleMSmedley.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Adams girls, Saint Joseph boys win South Bend City Track & Field meet
Reporting by Kyle Smedley, South Bend Tribune / South Bend Tribune
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