When Aurelia Martoglio starts circling the track, her head never strays from looking straight ahead.
The Bloomington South junior is locked in as the laps go by the 3,200, pumping her legs and arms in a steady rhythm and quick pace few have been able to keep up with this year. Her focus was the team’s focus, and it took all of it to ensure the Panthers were regional champions and loaded up for state berths as well.
There were hits: South won six events, broke two meet records, and added five more state spots. And misses: The Panthers also saw four fourth-place finishers come up just short. It all added up to 122 points to hold off Columbus North (108) as that duo left the field behind.
“I think this whole year, just crazy improvement,” South’s Ellie Barada said. “We’ve always been good but this year, we’ve just taken off as a team. Everybody has just been improving all season.
“We were definitely all wanting to put our all out to win the meet and get as many people as we can into the state meet. I think we did a good job of that today. I’m really proud of everyone.”
Bloomington North (37½) will move on two relays and its freshman standout in the 400. Edgewood had two regional champs and a third state qualifier while taking fourth (33), with Eastern Greene senior Lilyanna Blais celebrating her first run at state.
South wins six titles
South’s top-end talent took care of business with sophomore Lexi Kollbaum bolting to a six-second win over Martinsville’s Laura Barco in the 1,600 in 4:57.54.
Then in the 800 it was Ellie Barada, who heard footsteps for the first time in a while as she began her second lap, but poured it on for a 2:07.46 that took a big chunk off the meet record 2:11.64 run by North’s Nola Somers Glenn last year. She won by six seconds with teammate Mary Asplund third (2:15.44).
“It was different to hear someone behind me,” Barada said. “I like that. I’m looking forward to getting more people near me. I always run better when I’m pushed.”
Aurelia Martoglio had her career best in the 3,200 with a sterling 10:34.96 while Jasmine was next in her first time under 11 in 10:51.23.
“I was a little conservative at first, but then I went for it and it went really well,” Aurelia said.
It was a big moment for both of them to stay relatively injury-free this entire season, allowing them to be at their best, and now they’ll both get to run together at state for the first time.
“It’s really big, it’s really exciting,” Aurelia said. “I’ve worked really hard this season on trying to recover more because I wasn’t able to do it last year because I was injured.”
Violet Hall took the 200 easily in 25.54 and was second in long jump, while Maya Jackson held on to third in the 400 (1:01.89).
The Panthers bookended the day with a pair of regional relay records, with Kollbaum, Asplund, and Barada in on both of them. Neither were close as the 3,200 relay went 9:14.80 to knock out the Panthers’ 9:21.56, and the 1,600 relay went 3:58.46 to just nip the 3:58.92 from a couple of years ago.
“(Columbus North) is really strong in some events,” South coach Jill Rensink said. “We kind of bled a few points here and there we needed but we also picked up some we didn’t think we’d pick up.
“Helena Cutshall has been sick all weekend. For her to come in and be fourth in the 100, did not expect that. Anna Barnes has a bad ankle, she scored points in both shot and discus. So I’m excited.”
Big night for Edgewood
The Mustangs claimed two first-time regional champs.
Avery Rayl knew she had a chance and so did her coach, but there was a seed of doubt there for her. The seed times in the 400 were closely bunched and the top three from the Bloomington Sectional were seeded 1-2-3 for regional.
“It’s pretty surreal because I knew I had a shot going into it, but I didn’t know I was that capable of winning,” Rayl said. “I don’t think it’s hit yet.”
Rayl was fifth at last year’s regional in 1:03.46, where teammate Emma Edwards was the clear favorite. There was no front-runner this year to chase, so the junior took things into her own hands.
“She knew if she could get a good start, get ahead and make it so they didn’t have a chance to come back on her, that would give her her best shot,” Edgewood coach Zach Evans said. “That’s what she did, and she executed it perfectly and came away as a regional champion.”
In pole vault, Ella LaRoche cleared 10-0 on her first try while Madison’s Anna Black needed a second effort. That was enough to give LaRoche the title, following in the footsteps of three-time state qualifier Ashley Abram.
“We’ve got a nice streak of pole vaulters going to state,” Evans said.
Edgewood’s other state qualifier was Hannah Crain, who ran a season-best 11:00.14 for third in the 3,200. She went out with the Martoglio sisters as they soon separated themselves from the field. They got away near the end, but Crain finished with a comfortable 29-second margin over fourth place.
It’s her first run at the state meet and came after a not-so-good ending at last year’s regional. But a strong cross-country season worked into a better junior season on the track.
“I’m definitely with how it went today,” Crain said. “Just wishing I could have gotten that .14 but I’m still happy with it. Definitely happy that I’ve got a new mentality coming into this season and I’m excited for next week and my first time at state track and field.
“Building off a good cross country season helps me physically. Mentally, coming off cross country too, I was excited for this season to see what I could do especially with how disappointing last year was for me. I was ready to get after it.”
Blais blazes to state
Like Crain, Eastern’s Blais was shut out of running at state last year and came back aiming to get the job done. Only this was her last shot.
And she prepared like it in the months leading up to it, running road races, piling up miles. Maybe a few too many, she noted, having to get past an injury early in the cross country season. But it was a lesson learned and did little to dampen her determination.
Kollbaum was at another level in the 1,600 but Blais, a Southern Indiana recruit, stayed close to Martinsville’s Laura Barco and broke her own school record, finishing in 5:04.97 for third. She put some icing on that cake at the end of the meet when she anchored the 1,600 relay to a six-second school record of 4:19.28 for seventh.
“It feels amazing,” Blais said. “Because last year, I missed state by one (spot) and I was really upset. And this year, I was not losing. I was definitely coming to win.
“I just went out there. I was very mentally strong. As soon as I heard someone was close to me, I gave it my all. I wanted to make it so bad.”
North leaned on relays
Feagans had to settle for a runner-up finish in the 400 (1:00.69) but she also had the added duty of starting off her night with a leadoff leg for the 3,200 relay for the first time this year.
It helped the Cougars take third in 9:36.90. Then she came back and anchored the 1,600 relay to another third place finish in 4:10.66. It’ll give North a chance to take a number of runners to state.
“We knew our best shots were those two relays, and Lucah in the 400,” North coach Justin Helmer said. “She ran on the four-by-eight for the first time so how was she going to come back off a four-by-eight, then a 400 then a four-by-four, someone who has sprinted all season long.
“And she handled that well.”
Owen Valley lowers record
Owen Valley coach Chad Smith sees a bright future ahead for his young distance group and the present isn’t looking so bad either.
Payton Lukowski, Bailey Kay, Isabelle Sylvester and Alli Anderson sped to a 10:20.20 in the 3,200 relay for seventh, breaking the school record Kay and Anderson helped set at last year’s regionals in 10:22.87. None of them are seniors.
BLOOMINGTON NORTH REGIONAL
TOP 10 TEAM SCORES: Bloomington South 122; Columbus North 108; Bloomington North 37½; Edgewood 33, Columbus East 32; Martinsville 31; Silver Creek 22; Greensburg 20; Eastern Greene 18; Madison 18; Springs Valley 18. (17. Orleans 11; T24. Bedford North Lawrence 7; 29. Pwen Valley 3; T31. Mitchell 1.
Top 3 advance to state finals
100: 1. Madison Spilman, SwitzCo 12.59; 2. Carsyn Schlehuser, ColE 12.72; 3. Ava Merkel, Lawbrg 12.79; 4. Helena Cutshall, BS 12.96; 6. Kayla Bush, Mart 13.05; 8. Daisy Rogers, BN 13.24.
200: 1. Violet Hall, BS 25.54; 2. Addyson Russell, Hauser, 26.40; 3. Schlehuser, ColE 26.60; 7. Jossilyn Draughn, BN 27.39.
400: 1. Avery Rayl, Edg 1:01.45; 2. Lucah Feagans, BN 1:01.69; 3. Maya Jackson, BS 1:01.89; 4. Lily Scott, BNL 1:02.30; 7. Emma Rice, BN 1:02.53; 8. Kaitlyn Spurgeon, Mart 1:02.63.
800: 1. Ellie Barada, BS 2:07.46 (meet record; old record, 2:11.64, Nola Somers Glenn, BN); 2. Carys Glyn-Jones, ColN 2:13.07; 3. Mary Asplund, BS 2:15.44; 6. Lilyanna Blais, EG 2:24.01; 7. Paige Voigtschild, BNL 2:24.28; 8. Ellie Vagedes, Edg 2:24.47.
1,600: 1. Lexi Kollbaum, BS 4:57.54; 2. Laura Barco, Mart 5:03.67; 3. Blais, EG 5:04.97; 8. Julianne Hoover, BS 5:28.93.
3,200: 1. Aurelia Martoglio, BS 10:34.96; 2. Jasmine Martoglio, BS 10:51.23; 3. Hannah Crain, Edg 11:00.14; 5. Esther Crane, EG 11:39.61; 6. Hope Cooper, BN 11:44.93; 7. Ruth Bartlett, BN 11:50.43.
100 hurdles: 1. Emerson Chambers, ColN 14.62; 2. Alexa Yeomans, SRipley 14.72; 3. Mariah Smith, Jeff 15.28; 4. Adriene Shaevitz, BS 15.57.
300 hurdles: 1. Madilynn Allen, NDecatur 46.14; 2. Lydia Ramsey, Henry 47.17; 3. Kai Scott, ColE 47.18; 6. Clara Hawk, EG 48.89; 8. Kesley Davis, Edg 49.00.
400 relay: 1. Columbus North 49.47; 2. Bloomington South (Shaevitz, Cutshall, Alaina Bunnell, Hall), 49.53; 3. Seymour 50.54; 4. Martinsville (Wolff, Robinson, Fluke, Bush), 50.73; 5. Bloomington North (Nelson, Draughn, Williams, Rogers), 50.89.
1,600 relay: 1. Bloomington South (Kollbaum, Asplund, Hall, Barada), 3:58.46 (meet record: old record, 3:58.92, South); 2. Columbus North, 4:07.73; 3. Bloomington North (Rice, Rilynn Williams, Hayden McGuire, Feagans), 4:10.66; 5. Martinsville (Spurgeon, A.Berry, C.Berry, Bush) 4:16.47; 7. Eastern Greene (Sylvester, Hawk, Filinger, Blais), 4:19.28 (school record).
3,200 relay: 1. Bloomington South (Kollbaum, Asplund, J.Martoglio, Barada), 9:14.80 (meet record; old record, 9:21.56, South); 2. Columbus North 9:31.30; 3. Bloomington North (Feagans, Lilah Reed, Ellie Patrick, McGuire), 9:36.90; 5. Martinsville (Kocher, C.Berry, Greenwell, Spurgeon) 10:12.70; 6. Owen Valley (Lukowski, Kay, I.Sylvester, Anderson), 10:20.20 (school record).
High jump: 1. Callie Alston, Orl 5-5; 2. Emma Haston, ColN 5-4; 3. Anna Black, Madison 5-2; T5. Kenli Sullivan, BN 5-1.
Long jump: 1. Emmy Saliba, SprgVly 17-7; 2. Hall, BS 16-10½; 3. Emily Fluke, Mart 16-8½; 7. Shaevitz, BS 15-8¼; 8. Alston, Orl 15-6¼.
Shot put: 1. Olivia Grimes, Grnsbrg 41-0; 2. Becca Robbins, Lint 40-2¾; 3. Sydni Schiefer, ColN 39-4¾; 6. Anna Barnes, BS 38-0; 8. Kaylynn Kohlhaas, Mitch 36-6½.
Discus: 1. Grimes, Grnsbrg 148-7; 2. Sophia Scott, SilvCrk 142-10; 3. Robbins, Lint 142-2; 4. Barnes, BS 118-10; 5. Mikayla Prater, Edg 116-0.
Pole vault: 1. Ella LaRoche, Edg 10-0; 2. Black, Madison 10-0; 3. Sierra Newell, ColN 9-0; 6. Emeleia McLauchlin, BS 8-6; 7., Anya Figert, BS 8-6; 8. Jenna Abram, Edg 8-6.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: IHSAA track: ‘Crazy improvement’ leads Bloomington South girls to regional title
Reporting by Jim Gordillo, The Herald-Times / The Herald-Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
