Brownsburg Relay Takes Down 41-Year-Old State Record A Week Out From State Meet

By David Woods for DyeStat

LAFAYETTE, Ind. – In what looms as a potential historic state meet in Indiana, Brownsburg could be forgiven for not wanting history to repeat.

Bulldog boys finished second at state in 2021 and 2022. With 16 individual qualifiers – three each in the 100 meters and shot put – and all three relays advancing to state, they are poised to climb one rung June 2 at Bloomington.

INTERVIEWS

On a night in which Cody Johnston vaulted a US#2 17-6 (5.35m) and Jasiah Rogers ran 100 meters in 10.30, Brownsburg’s domination of Indiana’s strongest regional was the Thursday theme.

Coach Casey Popenfoose said it’s because those on Brownsburg’s team are unselfish in a sport that can create conceit.

“I don’t feel that with this group,” he said. “The group as a whole connects well. We care about the team.”

Deandre Cooper, Josh Handy, Caleb Heldman and Dominic Calhoun connected on exchanges to produce a state record of 40.88 in the 4x100 relay. It was jacket weather at the Lafayette Jeff Regional – temperatures in the 60s and winds from 10-15 mph – so Brownsburg could lower that record again. Heldman is the lone senior, too.

Previous state record of 40.91 by Gary Roosevelt had lasted since 1982. Brownsburg’s time is fastest in the nation outside California, Texas, Florida, Georgia and Archbishop Carroll DC (40.81).

Brownsburg has kept the same foursome together, prefacing the record with 41.16, 41.37 and 40.96. In fact, its sprint corps is so deep five Bulldogs have met the 10.99 state qualifying standard in the 100 this spring.

Brownsburg, which had never won a regional until last year, beat runner-up Carmel 126-80. Defending state champion Plainfield scored 65 points, Zionsville 56 and Fishers 54.

If results assembled by Indiana Runner from eight regionals were scored. Brownsburg would have 64.8 points, Carmel 54, Plainfield 43 and Fishers 39. That’s right, the state’s top four teams all come from the same regional.

Based on the entire season, state meet records are in jeopardy in as many as eight of 16 events. Excluding introduction of metric distances in 1980, there have not been that many records since 1967.

The 40.88 was a regional record, as were Calhoun’s prelims of 10.46 in the 100 and 21.35 in the 200. (No wind readings were announced.) Calhoun, a junior, won finals in 10.48 and 21.43. His summary: five races, three regional records, one state record, two state leaders (200 and 4x100).

Other state-leading times were by Fishers junior Tyler Tarter (37.49) in the 300 hurdles and Plainfield (3:18.19) in the 4x400. Nayyir Newash-Campbell set a regional record of 47.53 in the 400, finished fourth in the 200, and then anchored Plainfield’s relay in 46.6.

Newash-Campbell eased up 25 meters from the end in a 21.43 prelim of the 200. He calculated he could chase state meet records of 21.10 and 46.99.

“In he last 30 meters of my sectional, I know I had more left in me,” said Newash-Campbell, a Penn recruit who set a 400 state record of 46.67 there. “Definitely trying to hit a faster time than what I ran. Because I think I have it in me.”

Carmel’s Kole Mathison, defending state champ at 1,600/3,200, won those in 4:12.99 and 8:59.81, setting a regional record in the latter. He ran the closing 400 in 57.0 in the 1,600 and 62.2 in the 3,200.

He started the night with a 1:54.9 leg in the 4x800 relay, completing a triple in a span of 105 minutes.

“I’m not trying to focus on times right now,” said Mathison, a national champion in cross-country and Colorado recruit. “I’m trying to focus on winning and scoring as many points for my team.”

Zionsville won the 4x800 relay in 7:46.80, followed by Fishers, 7:46.88, and Carmel, 7:50.66.

Defending state champ Bode Gilkerson of Plainfield high jumped 7 feet for the second time in eight days.

Cody Johnston vaults to family record

>> At Valparaiso: Hobart’s Cody Johnston comes from a family of vaulters – grandfather, father, uncle, brother, three cousins. Now the Illinois signee can claim the family record. Johnston, who won Nike and adidas indoor nationals, made it over 17-6 despite temps in the 50s and tricky winds. His father and coach, Jim Johnston Jr., held the family record of 17-4.5. Cody is No. 3 in state history behind former World under-20 champion Deakin Volz of Bloomington South (17-11.25/5.47m indoors in 2015) and Frankfort’s Colton Crum (state meet record of 17-6.25/5.36m in 2018). Only higher vault nationally in 2023 is 17-7.75 (5.38m) by Wyatt Stewart of Madison Central KY.

>> At Lawrence Central: Park Tudor’s Jasiah Rogers sprinted to the fastest all-conditions 100 in Indiana in 21 years with his 10.30. Not since Gary West’s Mark Jelks clocked 10.25w at the 2002 state meet had a Hoosier been so fast. Rogers, a Purdue recruit, edged North Central’s Christian Woodson, 21.76 to 21.79, in the 200. Mt. Vernon’s George Berhenn, a Purdue football recruit, won a 14.31/38.74 hurdles double. Heritage Christian junior Luke Himes, who has a US#1 67-10 (20.67m), won the shot put at 62-7 (19.07m).

>> At Bloomington North: Martinsville junior Martin Barco, who upset Mathison in an April 14 mile, won the 1,600 in 4:08.75. Caleb Winder set an Indiana freshman record of 1:53.49, best in the regionals, after anchoring Bloomington North to a state-leading 7:43.67 in the 4x800 relay. Barco was third in the 800 in 1:56.94.

>> At Evansville Central: Floyd Central’s Will Conway, after scratching from the 1,600, had the top 3,200 time of 8:57.22. In a sectional, Conway had clocked 4:05.72 for fastest 1,600 in the nation by a junior.

>> At Greenfield-Central: Center Grove’s Parker Doyle won a 14.33/39.27 hurdles double and ran on a winning 4x400 relay. Greenwood sophomore William Riley won the 100 in 10.80.

Contact David Woods at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007.