Hainje, A Relative Newcomer To Hurdling, Runs State Record And No. 10 All-Time 13.28 In 110 Hurdles Against Indiana's Fastest Field; Noah Bontrager Doubles 4:02/8:51

By David Woods for DyeStat

RESULTS

INDIANAPOLIS – In less than 15 months, Rylan Hainje has gone from never hurdling to fastest high school hurdler in Indiana history. Indeed, one of the fastest ever.

The Franklin Central junior smashed all-time Indiana records in the 110- and 300-meter hurdles on an historic Friday featuring six state meet records. Not since 1980 had there been as many as six.

Hainje ran the 110 hurdles in 13.28 for a US#3 (wind-legal) and 300 hurdles in 35.82 for a US#2.

His 13.28 (+0.8) ties for10th on the all-time list, excluding a hand-timed 12.9 by Renaldo Nehemiah from 1977. The junior-class record is 13.22 by Jamar Marshall, St. Marys, Stockton, Calif., 2019.

“I was not expecting to break anything today because I’m only a junior,” Hainje said. “I came out here a little bit nervous. It’s my first outdoor state.”

He beat the deepest field in Indiana history. Fifth place was 13.82, a time that would have won 39 of 44 state finals since auto-timing was introduced in 1980.

Lawrence Central junior Evan Williams was second in 13.65 and indoor champ John Peters of Merrillville third in13.80.

After being held at Indiana University since 2004, the meet returned to a former location, North Central High School (1972-82 and 1997). Drizzling rain began during the 1,600 meters, holding off until after the 110 hurdles.

Hainje’s previous best was 13.57 at a regional. In clocking 13.28, he cleaned up some messy stats.

The Indiana High School Athletic Association listed the state meet record as 13.64 by Indianapolis Tech’s Jerry Hill from 1976. (That was a hand-timed 13.4, adding a conversion of 0.24 seconds.) Fastest at state with automatic timing was 13.69 by Evansville Harrison’s Bryce Brown in 2007. All-time Indiana best was a wind-aided 13.42 by Brown or a hand-timed 13.3 by Gary Roosevelt’s Elbert Turner in 1986.

Moreover, Hainje became the fourth since 1925 to set two records at the same state meet. The others: Jerry Saffel, LaPorte, 120- and 180-yard hurdles, 1963; Clyde Peach, Brebeuf Jesuit, 100- and 220-yard dashes, 1966; Austin Mudd, Center Grove, 800 and 1,600 meters, 2011.

Hainje was nearly joined by another junior, Westview’s Noah Bontrager, who ran a record 4:02.60 in the 1,600 and was less than a tenth from a record with 8:51.22 in the 3,200. Bontrager broke the record of 4:03.00 set by Mudd, and nearly the 8:51.15 by North Central’s Futsum Zienasellassie from 2012.

Bontrager said he was aiming for sub-4 but won’t have another chance this season. Instead, he plans to run a 5,000 at New Balance nationals and then join his Christian youth group at a summer camp.

He won the1,600 by five seconds. He ran the closing 400 of the 3,200 in 59.60, completing a negative split of 4:29/4:22.

“I know I have something left in the tank. Just came up short,” said Bontrager, who has committed to Notre Dame.  “But that’s OK with me. It’s such an amazing experience here at state. Just a whole different feeling, I guess.”

Fishers’ Sam Quagliaroli, who beat Bontrager in state cross country, was second in the 3,200 in 8:54.99.

Other meet records were by Lawrence North sophomore Monshun Sales, 21.09 in prelims of the 200; North Central’s Dehnm Holt, 46.80 in the 400, and Bloomington North, 7:37:01 in the 4x800 relay for US#12.

Holt broke the meet record of 46.98 set by Plainfield’s Nayyir Newash-Campbell in 2023. Newash-Campbell holds the all-time record of 46.67, and Holt nearly broke that with a 46,76 on this track May 14.

“I’ve dreamt of a moment like this, I prayed, I manifested a moment like this,”  said Holt, a DePaul signee. “So for it to finally come true, it means the world to me.”

His 46.42 anchor carried North Central to victory in 3:14.34 in the 4x400 relay.

Holt was to board a flight early Saturday for Seattle. He will have another chance at a record Sunday in the Brooks PR Invitational at Renton, Wash.

With four sprinters from a No. 1-ranked football team, Lawrence North won its first team title since 2003 by a 47-45 margin over indoor champion Bloomington North.

Bloomington North has been fourth, third and second over three years. Not since the inaugural state meet of 1904 has a Bloomington school won the team championship.

Bloomington North’s Caleb Winders, also a junior, had a notable triple: 1:51.23 anchor in the 4x800, 1:52.21 victory in the 800, 48.27 anchor for sixth in the 4x400 relay.

Coincidentally, Lawrence North had its bid for a Class 6A state football title ended by a track power, Brownsburg, the 2023 DyeStat dual-meet national champion. Brownsburg beat Lawrence North 22-21 in a regional and went on to win state in football.

“To watch these kids suffer that disappointment in football season and come right back on the first of December and start working on track . . . “ said Pat Mallory, the Wildcats’ coach in both sports. “They had a slight chance at it tonight. As the year kept going, we shuffled some guys around in positions that they haven’t normally done, and it paid off for us today.”

Lawrence North won the 4x100 relay in 40.85 with the four of Davion Chandler, Jerome Smith, Sales and Damario Moore. For football, Chandler has signed with Indiana University, Smith with Miami of Ohio and Moore with Division II Gannon (Pa.).

Sales is the nation’s No. 1 wide receiver prospect in the 2027 class, according to On3.

Lawrence North scored in just four events. Smith and Moore were 2-3 in the 100, Sales and Smith 2-3 in the 200, Moore third in the 300 hurdles.

Merrillville was third with 40 points, North Central fourth with 35 and Warsaw fifth with 34. Lawrence North, North Central and sixth-place Franklin Central (32) are all from Marion County.

Greenwood’s Will Riley, after finishing third as a sophomore and fourth last year, won the 100 in 10.40.

Junior champions in the field were high jumper Jordan Randall of Warsaw, 7-0 (he missed at 7-3.25); pole vaulter Demarco Easter of Merrillville, 16-3, and discus thrower Kaleb Rasheed of Avon, 191-10.

Contact David Woods at dwoods1411@gmail.com. Follow him on  Twitter: @DavidWoods007.