Six girls track and field athletes from East Central Indiana are heading to state.
The IHSAA girls track and field postseason continued with regionals across the state on Tuesday, May 26. Two Delta Eagles won individual regional titles in their respective events, while another Eagle, two Yorktown Tigers and a Monroe Central Golden Bear placed in the top three of theirs to punch tickets to the IHSAA girls track and field state finals, which will be held Friday, June 5, at North Central High School in Indianapolis.
Here’s a look at each of the six East Central Indiana athletes heading to state, ordered alphabetically by last name.
Reese Backus, Delta
The Delta sophomore continued her stellar season with two state finals qualifications at the Carroll (Fort Wayne) regional, becoming the only athlete from the area to qualify in multiple events. She placed third in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 15.41 seconds and won the long jump regional title with a distance of 18-4 feet.
Backus is now a HSR indoor state champion, Delaware County champion, two-time sectional champion and regional champion in the long jump.
Jillian Barr, Delta
Barr will return to state in the 100-meter hurdles, this time as a regional champion. The senior won the event at the Carroll regional with a time of 15.13 seconds.
In the 100-hurdles, Barr is now a regional champion in addition to a three-time sectional champion, three-time county champion, and three-time Hoosier Heritage Conference champion.
Shiloh Bunch, Delta
The Eagles’ third state qualifier was sophomore Shiloh Bunch, who placed second in the 1,600-meter run at the Carroll regional with a time of 5:02.47. A first-year runner for Delta, Bunch’s debut season will end on the biggest stage the state has to offer.
Mairin Gesler, Yorktown
Yorktown sophomore thrower Mairin Gesler was a sectional champion in both the discus and shot put. She became a state qualifier in the former with a throw of 115-7 feet at the Carroll regional, good for a second-place finish.
Kinlie Lester, Monroe Central
Monroe Central sophomore Kinlie Lester will join Backus in the long jump state finals after a third-place finish at the Carroll regional. Her jump of 17-6 feet broke a 19-year-old school record.
Caroline Wallace, Yorktown
Yorktown junior Caroline Wallace punched her ticket to state in the 100-meter dash. After setting a new school record in the event with a sectional time of 12.39 seconds, Wallace shaved 0.03 seconds off her time to reset the record at 12.36 seconds. She placed third at the Carroll regional behind a pair of runners from the host Chargers.
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: Six East Central Indiana athletes qualify for girls track and field state finals
Reporting by Cade Hampton, Muncie Star Press / Muncie Star Press
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