Another IHSAA track and field season has come and gone, and 22 athletes from East Central Indiana ended their seasons under the bright lights of the state finals.
Six individual girls athletes, eight individual boys athletes and two boys relay teams from East Central Indiana were state qualifiers. Both girls and boys state finals were held at North Central High School in Indianapolis, with the girls meet on Friday, June 5, and the boys on Saturday, June 6. The East Central Indiana schools represented at state included Delta, Monroe Central, Muncie Central, New Castle, Wapahani, Winchester Community and Yorktown.
Here’s how all 21 East Central Indiana athletes performed at the IHSAA state finals:
(Athletes listed in alphabetical order by last name.)
IHSAA girls track and field state finals results from East Central Indiana
Reese Backus, Delta
Delta sophomore Reese Backus was one of four area athletes and the area’s only female athlete to earn all-state honors for an event after a fifth-place finish in the long jump. Backus reset the Delta girls long jump record with a distance of exactly 19 feet on Friday. She was also a state qualifier in the 100-meter hurdles, where she placed 28th out of 29 with a time of 16.66 seconds in the preliminaries.
Jillian Barr, Delta
Delta senior Jillian Barr’s accomplished career with Eagles athletics came to an end with her second appearance at the state finals for the 100-meter hurdles. She finished in 17th out of 29 with a time of 15.47 seconds in the preliminaries.
Shiloh Bunch, Delta
Delta sophomore Shiloh Bunch’s debut season on the varsity track team ended with a state finals appearance. She placed 17th out of 30 in the 1,600-meter run with a time of 5:09.72.
Mairin Gesler, Yorktown
Yorktown sophomore Mairin Gesler was a state qualifier in both the shot put and discus throws. She placed 20th out of 29 in the shot put with a throw of 37-5.75 feet and placed 26th out of 30 in the discus with a throw of 109 feet.
Kinlie Lester, Monroe Central
After qualifying for state with a school-record distance at regional, Monroe Central sophomore Kinlie Lester placed 22nd out of 29 in the long jump with a distance of 17-2.25 feet.
Caroline Wallace, Yorktown
Yorktown junior Caroline Wallace placed 27th out of 31 in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.69 seconds in the preliminaries.
IHSAA boys track and field state finals results from East Central Indiana
Carter Campbell, Winchester Community
Winchester senior Carter Campbell was an all-state performer in the 300-meter hurdles for the second year in a row. He and Pike sophomore Kiren Oliver both finished in 38 seconds, but Campbell claimed third place by two-thousandths of a second with his 37.998-second time beating Oliver’s 38.000. Campbell’s third-place finish represented the best placement for an East Central Indiana athlete at state.
Lucas Eaton, New Castle
New Castle senior Lucas Eaton earned all-state honors in the high jump with a fourth-place finish, clearing the bar at 6-6. He tied with Northwestern sophomore Braxton Schieffer and Lakewood Park Christian senior Hayden Korte, as all three cleared 6-6 on their first attempt but failed to clear 6-7.
Jackson Foster, Muncie Central
Muncie Central junior Jackson Foster represented the Bearcats at state in the discus throw. He set a new personal best with a distance of 158-09 feet and placed 18th out of 29.
Grady Mahaffey, Wapahani
Wapahani senior Grady Mahaffey placed 14th in the high jump by clearing the bar at 6-4, finishing his Raider career as a state finalist.
Preston McCorkhill, Wapahani
Wapahani senior Preston McCorkhill finished his Raider career at state finals, placing 20th out of 30 in the 400-meter dash with a time of 49.42 seconds.
Cade Utsler, Delta
Delta junior Cade Utsler took the last all-state spot in the high jump, clearing the bar at 6-6 on his third attempt to lock in a ninth-place finish.
Henry Tokar, Yorktown
Yorktown senior Henry Tokar represented the Tigers in the shot put, placing 18th out of 28 with a throw of 51-9.75.
Wyatt Turner, Yorktown
Yorktown junior Wyatt Turner qualified for state in both the 1,600-meter run and as part of Yorktown’s 4×800 team, but he did not run with the relay team at state. In the 1,600, Turner placed 16th out of 30 with a time of 4:18.42.
Delta 4×800 relay
Delta’s 4×800 relay team — consisting of senior Cameron Deckman and juniors Carter Friend, Peyton Engle and Nolan Hutchison — placed 25th out of 30 with a time of 8:08.46.
Yorktown 4×800 relay
With Turner saving himself for the 1,600, Yorktown’s 4×800 relay team — consisting of sophomore Logan Fulton, juniors Cody Lee and Isaiah Loney (in place of Turner), and sophomore Thomas Loney — placed 30th out of 30 with a time of 8:18.03.
Contact Cade Hampton via email at cbhampton@usatodayco.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @CadeHamp10.
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: How East Central Indiana athletes performed at IHSAA track and field state finals
Reporting by Cade Hampton, Muncie Star Press / Muncie Star Press
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By Cade Hampton, Muncie Star Press | USA TODAY Network
