INDIANAPOLIS — After four laps around the sun, the Bloomington South girls track finally arrived at their destination.
Waiting at the finish line was the runner-up trophy at the IHSAA state meet on Friday, June 5 at North Central High School, the best finish in school history, following up on 2025’s third place run. The journey here was filled with transformations, redemption, gutty performances and too many miles and reps to count.
“It’s just amazing my class has been able to make a big difference,” senior sprinter Violet Hall said. “We’ve been able to pull everyone up with each other, encourage each other. I’ve never had a team environment like this one. All these girls are really special to me.”
The Panther seniors went out with a bang, breaking three school records and medaling in all three relays and in three individual events as Ellie Barada repeated as the 800-meter run champ. It was time to pose for photos, with the sound of medals ‘plinking’ together as the Panthers celebrated with teammates and family after the meet.
“When they came in, they were all so little,” South coach Jill Rensink recalled. “They were these tiny little girls. But we also knew freshman year this was a special group. They all had a ton of talent, it was just finding out what where the magical events for them, what kind of training is going to work for them.
“They’ve been fun to work with. I’m a little bit said, but I’m mostly happy.”
They have left quite a legacy, from the school records to the best finishes in track and cross country.
“It’s honestly crazy,” Barada said, “It went by so fast. Four state meets done. It’s been a really great run. No pun intended.”
As always, they came through when they needed to in the last race of the meet and the score tied with Whiteland for second, 33-33 and Carmel too far to catch. The Warriors did not have a team in the 4×400 relay, but Fort Wayne Concordia did, lined up with South in the final heat and lurking with 29 points.
The Panthers stayed ahead of Concordia the whole way and took eighth in 3:57.96 to sew it up.
“We talked about it last year,” Rensink said. “We didn’t want to be third and not win a medal, we wanted to step up and they accomplished it today. Not everything went our way, but the four-by-one breaking the school record and coming fourth, that was a big bonus for us. Those four seniors broke that record, that was so exciting.
“For the team, we knew we had a chance to do something special from the beginning,” Barada added. “Last year, we got third and we were returning everybody plus, we were going to be bringing more people back who had gotten a lot better who didn’t score last year.
“So, we knew we that we had a chance to really do something special. I’m really proud of everybody. We did it for each other.”
South works around injury bug
South was thrilled to have junior Mary Asplund healthy enough to help the 4×800 relay and 4×400 relays grab second and eighth, respectively.
“I could not be more proud of Mary,” Barada said. “She’s been dealing with injury stuff since December and I’m really proud of how she’s fought through that.”
“It’s been kind of tricky this season, we’ve had a couple people out with injuries,” senior Jasmine Martoglio added. “Just kind of taking it week by week and see how it goes. And I think coming into this meet, we didn’t have everything together, but we wanted to see what we could do and make something special happen.”
It was a rough day for junior Lexi Kollbaum, who came in with tape on her right leg where her hamstring was bothering her. She gutted out a four-race day, insisting on carrying the baton at the top of the 4×400 as usual after placing 11th in the 1,600 (5:05.76) and 17th in the 800 (2:18.04), a bit off her best times.
“Not feeling 100%, she just kept going,” Rensink said. “When we got to the four-by-four, we were like, ‘Can you do it?’ She said, ‘Yep, I’m going to do it.’ She’s got a ton of grit.”
Big day for Barada
Barada was the wire-to-wire leader in her quest to repeat as 800 champion. She came up with a blink of an eye from Gretchen Farley’s meet record of 2:04.95, but her 2:05.33 was plenty good enough to win and lower her school record.
“I just wanted to defend my state title and if (the record) was going to happen, it would happen,” Barada said. “It gets a little bit difficult going out by yourself. So props to everyone in the race, too. And my teammate Lexi, I’m really proud of her and how she battled.”
Barada anchored Kollbaum, Asplund and Martoglio to a 9:01.93 as Carmel sped to a meet record 8:49.46. Kollbaum, Asplund, Hall and Barada took care of business in the 4×400.
Speedy delivery by 4×100 relay
Senior Adriene Shaevitz is the leadoff for the 4×100 relay, so she had the longest wait-and-worry segment as a series of nearly perfect handoffs ensued.
“I was standing at the edge of the field, watching the screen, hoping we got that record,” Shaevitz said. “Because we were trying so hard to get that record. That was our big goal for the day. That medal means more to me than the hurdles.”
It should as the Panthers’ Helena Cutshall and Alaina Bunnell got the baton to Hall for a 47.54 that nudged out the old mark anchored by Megan Grabowski in 2015 by .04.
“Like (assistant coach Jay Rensink) has said, that record Megan ran an 11.7,” Hall said. “We haven’t had a team that fast, so we’ve just improved so much.
“I think a lot of it is that we all see each other trying to get better, so we wanted that for each other, not just ourselves. We, freshman, sophomore year, probably never would have imagined placing, medaling at state. And the school record, that was our bigger thing.”
Having come so close the week before gave them the belief they needed to get over the top.
“Coach had been showing us the record board,” Hall said. “But I don’t think until we finally broke 48 that we all were like, ‘I guess we could.'”
Earlier, Shavitz nailed down a fourth place finish into a strong headwind in the 100 hurdles in 14.24.
“It was really exciting to make it here,” said Shaevitz, who got stuck at regional last year. “It doesn’t feel real until you actually make it here. So whenever I was on the line, it was a little overwhelming, but it was super exciting.
“I’m just happy because I know freshman me would be so proud. I’m just happy I ended the season with two medals.”
Martoglio medals in the 3,200
South senior Jasmine Martoglio set herself up perfectly for a state medal and a school record in the 3,200.
About halfway through the race, she was hanging out in 19th place, but not so far back she lost contact with the next dozen racers in front of her. She started to really make her move in the last 800, surging into medal contention in the last 300 and finishing in seventh in 10:33.48.
“That’s just how I race the best,” Martoglio said. “I just kind of start out how I feel and try to kick it in as the race continues. So it worked out pretty well.”
It was just a tad faster than the school record time twin sister Aurelia ran at state last year (10:34.56) to take 10th while Jasmine was 12th.
“Last year, my mindset was just to have fun,” Jasmine said. “I didn’t get to complete sophomore track season. so I kind of just wanted to go in with that this year and I think it worked pretty well.”
Area roundup
Martinsville’s Laura Barco had a lifetime best race to take fourth in the 1,600 in 4:56.23.
No other school in the area found the podium, though Edgewood came close.
Sophomore Mikayla Prater made it to the finals in the discus with a big throw of 134-5 to end her prelims, but she ended up 10th, just one spot off the stand.
Elsewhere for the Mustangs, senior Macey Crider was 19th in shot put (37-10¾); junior Ella LaRoche tied for 27th in pole vault, senior Hannah Crain was 28th in the 3,200 and Kelsey Davis was 29th in the 300 hurdles.
Bloomington North was 21st in the 4×800 relay and 27th in the 4×400 relay. Sophomore Lucah Feagans was 29th in the 400. and Delilah Kilbride was 29th in pole vault.
Eastern Greene’s Kena Maddox tied for 29th in high jump while South freshman Reese Robertson tied for 25th .
Paige Voigtschild of Bedford North Lawrence was 15th in the 800 in 2:17.83 after earning a call-up from regional.
IHSAA GIRLS STATE TRACK MEET RESULTS
Top 20 team scores: Carmel 49½; Bloomington South 35, Whiteland 33; Fort Wayne Concordia 29, Hamilton Southeastern 28; North Cenrteal 22; Bishop Chatard 21; Lawrence Central 20; Lake Central 20; Merrillville 20; Evansville North 18; Franklin 18; Eastern (Hancock) 18; Zionsville 17; Goshen 15; Columbia City 15; Avon 14; South Bend Adams 14; Warren Central 14; South Bend Washington 14; Chesterton 14; Western 14. 40. Martinsville 6; 46. Orleans 5; Bloomington North NS; Edgewood NS, Eastern Greene NS.
Top three finishers and area competitors (State record in parenthesis).
100 (11.41, 2017): 1. Kenedi Bradley, Chest 11.94; 2. De’Janay Layne, EvNorth 12.12; 3. Emma Walter, Fairfield 12.15.
200 (23.12, 1986): 1. Layne, EvNorth 24.30; 2. Jaidyn Kimbrough, SBAdams 24.45; 3. Amari Lind, Gosh 24.79. (13. Violet Hall, BSouth 25.47).
400 (52.72, 1986): 1. Anissa Lammie, HSE 54.32; 2. Norah Reiger, HSE 55.25; 3. Kat Simmons, MTVF 55.33. (29. Lucah Feagans, BNorth 1:01.70.
800 (2:04.95, 2023): 1. Ellie Barada, BSouth 2:05.33 (school record); 2. Katy Green, Z 2:10.66; 3. Kaitlyn Oshimura, Carm 2:10.69. (15. Paige Voigtschild, BNL 2:17.83; 17. Lexi Kollbaum, BSouth 2:18.04; 27. Laura Barco, Mart 2:29.35).
1,600 (4:38.69, 2022): 1. Mallory Weller, FWConc 4:46.34; 2. Sadie Foley, Carm 4:49.51; 3. Larkin Taylor, Carm 4:51.47; 4. Barco, Mart 4:56.23. (11. Kollbaum, BSouth 5:05.76; Barada, BSouth DNS).
3,200 (10:03.16, 2021): 1. Weller, FWConc 10:18.66; 2. Kenya Leitch, ColmbaCity 10:23.17; 3. Libby Dowty, IndCrk 10:24.85; 7. Jasmine Martoglio, BSouth 10:33.48 (school record). (28. Hannah Crain, Edgwd 11:44.63).
110 hurdles (13.38, 2023): 1. Jordyn Fort, Merril 13.86; 2. Isabella Sotelo, EHancock 14.03; 3. Adriana Swanson, SBWash 14.11; 4. Adriene Shaevitz, BSouth 14.24.
300 hurdles (41.36, 2014): 1. Sotelo EHancock 41.49; 2. Chloe Senfeld, HSE 42.19; 3. Swanson, SBWash 43.19. (29. Kelsey Davis, Edgewd 51.34; Shaevitz, DNS).
4×100 relay (45.75, 2003): 1. Lawrence Central 46.37; 2. FW Carroll 47.17; 3. Valparaiso 47.50; 4. Bloomington South (Shaevitz, Helena Cutshall, Alaina Bunnell, Hall) 47.54 (school record).
4×400 relay (3:43.99, 2019): 1. Hamilton Southeastern 3:47.29; 2. Goshen 3:51.16; 3. Brownsburg 3:51.29; 8. Bloomington South (Kollbaum, Mary Asplund, Hall, Barada) 3:57.96. [27. Bloomington North (Feagans, Hayden McGiure, Rilynn Williams, Lila Childers) 4:10.83].
4×800 relay (8:51.35, 2025): 1. Carmel 8:49.46 (state record); 2. Bloomington South (Kollbaum, Asplund, J.Martoglio, Barada) 9:01.93; 3. Columbia City 9:05.62. [21. Bloomington North (McGuire, Tori Bilohlavek, Penny Eads, Feagans) 9:37.76.
High jump (6-0¼, 2025): 1. Kira Smith, WarrC 5-10; 2. Karsyn Buck, Nview 5-9; 3. Peytan Denagall, Avon 5-7. (T25. Reese Roberton, BSouth 5-2; T29. Kena Maddox, EG 5-0).
Long jump (20-4¾, 2025): 1. Elnora Stevenson, Whitld 19-7¼; 2. Za’Nariae White, THS 19-5½; 3. Madison Mattingly, Chrstwn 19-4¾.
Pole vault (13-6½, 2023): 1. Amelia Smith, GuerCath 13-0; 2. Addison Martin, Frnkln 12-9; 3. Ella Jenkins, Westfld 12-6. (T27. Ella LaRoche, Edgwd 9-6; 29. Delilah Kilbride, BNorth 9-6).
Shot put (51-11, 2024): 1. Ellyse WAlden, Westrn 47-8½; 2. Carly VonDielingen, Whtlnd 44-9; 3. Keira Gunn, Whtlnd 44-0½. (19. Macey Crider, Edgwd 37-10¾).
Discus (169-6, 2024): 1. Maddison Judge, Frnkln 152-8; 2. Maleah Williams, Waldrn 148-10; 3. VonDielingen, Whtlnd 146-1; 10. Mikayla Prater, Edgwd 134-5.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Seniors save best for last as Bloomington South girls track take 2nd at state
Reporting by Jim Gordillo, The Herald-Times / The Herald-Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jim Gordillo, The Herald-Times | USA TODAY Network
