Hoosier State Relays: Irby scores record in 60

By Bryan Sweitzer for DyeStat

Warm temperatures inside Lambert Fieldhouse didn’t stop athletes from setting records at the Hoosier State Relays, which took place Saturday, March 26 on the Purdue University campus.  

In the Small School Girls Division, Brebeuf Jesuit freshman Semira Killebrew smashed the previous 60 meter dash record of 7.84, running 7.58 to claim victory by more than two tenths of a second.  Bowman Academy junior Tychina Scott also broke the previous record, running 7.81.  

Hammond Bishop Noll sophomore Faith Jackson upset Fairfield senior Jessica Miller in the 60 meter hurdles, edging her 9.31 to 9.32.  

Brebeuf Jesuit won the girls distance medley relay in 13:08.92, edging out a surging West Lafayette team that passed numerous competitors on the final leg with 3200 champion Kristen Johnson anchoring.  

Lakeland junior Kloee Fitch won the shot put with a throw of 40-5.75, three feet ahead of second place. 

Brebeuf Jesuit won the Small School Girls Division with 92 points.  Indianapolis Bishop Chatard was second with 88. 

The Small School Boys Division also saw impressive performances.  Hamilton Heights senior Michael DeFoe set two meet records, in both the 60-meter dash and the 60 hurdles.  DeFoe ran the 60 in 6.84, which was the fastest 60 time of the day for both small and big school divisions.  He ran the 60 Hurdles in 8.11.  

Thanks to a strong anchor leg from senior Cooper Williams, the West Lafayette 4x800 team got a meet record with a time of 8:01.73.  West Lafayette also used a balanced team to get the win in the DMR, coming away with a time of 10:39.08.  

Winamac Community High School senior Bill Williamson got a huge win in the pole vault, jumping a height of 15-2, almost three feet above second place.

West Lafayette took the Small School Boys title with 75 points.  Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran was a close second with 72. 

It didn't take long for the records to fall in the Big School Girls Division, either.  In the 60 hurdles, the very first event, the previous meet record (8.90) was broken by three athletes: Crown Point junior Kristen LaCosse (8.82), Warren Central junior Kayland Jackson (8.84), and Fort Wayne Wayne senior JeBria Green (8.88).  

In the 60 dash, Pike junior Lynna Irby broke her own meet record of 7.54, running 7.42.  Bloomington South senior Megan Grabowski also broke the previous meet record, running 7.52.

Irby's record-setting performance came just over two weeks after she placed sixth in the same event at New Balance Nationals Indoor.  

"I think that the goal of this meet was to get out well from the blocks; I think I did pretty well," said Irby, who focused her attention on the short sprints this indoor season.

"We didn't focus as much on the 400 this indoor season, we focused on making sure the speed is still there; if the speed is still there, the 400 will be fine (during outdoor)," Irby said.

The 3200 was another stacked event, with Cathedral senior Katherine Free getting a big win in 10:37.70.  Free used a strong kick in the last 400 meters to pass Carmel junior Sara Leinheiser, the defending state cross country champion, who finished second.  

"My goal during the race was to stay calm and composed and just hang onto Sarah," Free said.  "I waited for three laps to go (in the race) and then made my move."  

Leinheiser led a 2-3-4 finish in the 3200 by Carmel girls, with Christina Geisler and Stacy Morozov close behind.  

The Warren Central 4x200 team set a meet record, running 1:41.46 to beat second place Ben Davis by over three seconds.  

Pike senior Sandra Brown pole vaulted a height of 13-1, winning handily. 

Warren Central won the Big School Girls team title with 54 points.  Carmel was second with 51.

In the Big School Boys Division, one of the first races was a heated boys 3200 contest.  Homestead senior Brayden Law got the win, leading from the start and breaking away from Hamilton Southeastern sophomore Gabe Fendel with 800 meters to go.  Law ran 9:08.44. 

"It was great race. It felt like I was running through the Sahara Desert in there, but it didn't bother me too much," said Law. "My whole strategy was to go out and lead it. I think it played out pretty well." 

Law finished ninth at New Balance Indoor Nationals two weeks ago in the 3200, but his main focus for outdoors is in the 1600.

"It all helps out with my mile time. I've done hardly any mileage, and there's still time before outdoor," said Law on his current training and goals for outdoor track.  Law finished seventh in the 1600 at outdoor state last year.  

In the DMR, Carmel overcame nearly a third of a lap gap to edge Pike, finishing in a time of 10:22.90.  Ben Veatch, the defending cross country state champion, overtook Pike's Marcus Ellington with less than two laps to go in the final leg.  Veatch ran his leg in an unofficial 4:13.0, which would have gotten him second place in the 1600 at outdoor state last year.

Michigan City senior Daniel Armstrong won the high jump with 6-11, an inch off of the meet record.  Armstrong finished fifth at outdoor state last year.  

Ben Davis senior Christian Powell took the crown in the long jump, leaping 23-4.50.  Powell, the defending outdoor state champion, was pleased with his performance but thought he could have done better. 

"My personal best is 24-6.50 and I only jumped 23-4.50; I was a little upset that I scratched my 24-foot jump, but I got first place anyway," said Powell. 

Powell has a narrower focus on the long jump for this outdoor season, after sprinting last year in addition. 

"I'm focused more on long jump this year than I was last year, so I can overachieve and probably break the state meet record," said Powell.  Powell's best jump is an inch off the state meet record of 24-7.50.

Carmel won the Big School Boys state title with 55 points.  Ben Davis was second with 50.6.