Girls track regional: 4 wins? Bloomington North's Eberle makes it look easy

Winning four events at regional last year was something of a chore for Dede Eberle.

So the Bloomington North senior wanted to make it easier on herself the second time around. Instead of cutting back, however, she piled on more work. Her training during the season took on a different look, Cougar coach Justin Helmer said after an amazing performance.

"Dede wants to be one of the best in the state," North coach Justin Helmer said. "Last year, she struggled with the idea of doing four events and meeting that timeline. her workouts, she didn't do what she needed to do to in practice to prepare to be able handle those moments. So it did get harder.

"This year, it's totally different. She is a different person in practice on a daily basis. She's always been one of our fastest people and she's finally there in the workouts. She's pushing the pace, making people better. She's making herself better."

Not only did Eberle pull off another four-peat, she did it with flair, breaking her regional and school record in the 100 hurdles, setting a new person best in the 300 hurdles after anchoring the 400 relay to a win in the No. 2 time in school history and just .04 off the meet record set by a South squad anchored by Megan Grabowski.

After all that, she topped 18 feet three times in a row to secure first in the long jump finals. It was evident by the way she attacked the hurdles in the 100 final that she was no longer afraid of running out of gas before hitting the finish line on a warm Tuesday evening at the North Regional. She was all out, all the time.

"This is my last shot, my last chance and I really wanted a good seed at state but I also wanted to win regionals for the team," Eberle said. "So I had to go out, go hard."

And in the end, admittedly surprised herself a bit.

"I was really shocked," she said. "I wanted a good seed for state but I didn't think I would run 14.1 because I ran 14.6 at sectionals and I was running into a headwind. I was just really excited. I think that race set me up long jump and 300 hurdles and four-by-one."

Eberle's efforts were just part of the team title equation for North, which won the event for the third year in a row with 103½ points to top South (70), while Northview (48) nipped Edgewood (47) for third. The top three in each event move on to state, plus any others who meet the state standard.

North's five titles included another record-setting performance by Hadley Lucas in the shot and discus while Nola Somers Glenn was second in the 800 by .2 and helped the 3,200 and 1,600 relays make state as well.

"The Big Three were really impressive tonight," Helmer said.

South has four individuals and two champion relays headed to state, Edgewood two individuals and a relay and Eastern Greene had a runner get through as well.

Lucas da' bomb (again)

North senior Hadley Lucas has now made sure every record associated with the throws is now hers.

She let loose with a career best 175-0 in the discus to extend her school record, erase the regional record of 169-6 held by Edgewood legend Stacy Martin, and come within inches of the minimum qualification needed to make the Olympic trials.

And for good measure, she put together another series of 50-foot plus throws in shot put, peaking at 53-4½ to push her regional record to a new level.

"This season, has been really special," Lucas said. "In the back of my head, every meet, every throw I keep thinking, its my last season in maroon and gold and I want to make the most of it, make it as special as possible.

"This is my last meet here and that was really important to me. I wanted to go out with a bang."

Edwards leaves 'em all behind

By the time Edgewood senior Emma Edwards took her first strides on the backstretch, the fast heat of the 400 was over. For everyone else. Edwards still had a big goal in mind and so her strides had a purpose as she kept putting distance between her and second place.

She was playing beat the clock by the time the finish line was in sight and did she ever, posting a 56.24 that broke the regional record of 56.70 set by South's Amiyah Davis (now at Bradley) and lowered her school record from the 56.30 at WIC's. Only Davis' school record 55.84 from 2021 is faster in county history.

"I was really surprised," said Edwards, who will run at Marian. "I know I definitely went out too fast, but I was just mentally prepared for it.

"My main goal today, when I was ahead of everybody, I was just thinking, I want a good lane for state and I wanted to try and beat the record."

It was part of a strong day for the Mustangs, who saw Ashley Abram win a jump off for the pole vault title after reaching 10-3. Edgewood also had a season best 4:09.63 to easily grab third.

"Overall, feeling really good about it," Edgewood coach Zach Evans said. "Great day across the board. Everyone ran really, really well."

Barada, Somers Glenn down to the wire again

South sophomore Ellie Barada, state medalist in the 400 last year, and Somers Glenn, third in the 800 at state, had another great battle in the 800 with Barada holding on by .20 for a win in 2:12.28.

Like last year when Somers Glenn had South senior Lily Myers to push and pull her to state, she sees a similar finish unfolding and hopes her training will lead to her best race when it counts the most.

"It's definitely good, having that competition," Somers Glenn said after her season best time. "It's made me a better racer and competitor. Keeping state in mind, last year, I didn't this fast until this meet. The year before, I didn't run faster that 2:16 until state. Knowing I'm competing with one of the top 800 runners in the state the past two weeks has really made me feel ready for the state meet."

Bloomington South wins 3, sneaks 3 more in

South, having battled through major illness going through the program over the past few weeks, still managed to send a contingent to state, led by Barada, who also anchored two winning relays.

Freshman Lexi Kollbaum will get her first taste of state, taking third in the 1,600 (5:16.91) while also running for both relays, which will be great experience to build upon the next three years.

There was no time to waste for senior Eden Bailey, a member of the 1,600 relay, who also earned a spot in the 200 with a third place finish in 26.74, just .11 ahead of fourth. And junior Anna Barnes secured her spot, despite placing fourth, hitting the state standard in discus with her second throw of the day, going 126-1, just a few inches off her PR.

"(Bailey) finished fourth last year by .02 of a second," South coach Jill Rensink said. "So to see her fight for that third place spot, I know she's super excited. She's worked really, really hard. Great tiem going into a headwind.

"Anna Barnes getting to go to state, I feel like that's been coming for a while and she finally connected on some good throws. And Lexi going as a freshman in the mile, awesome. And Elle coming back, that was a gutsy 800. To lead that whole thing in the wind and do the work and still pull it off in the end, that was great."

The 3,200 relay got things started with a win in 9:49.90 while the 1,600 relay finished it off with a 4:03.99, both were season best times.

"It's been a rough three weeks with a lot of illness and flu," Rensink said. "So to have them all come through tonight, they gave us the best they've got."

T-Bird making history

Sophomore Esther Crane became the first Eastern Greene girls runner to make state cross country and track in the same season, with junior Lilyanna Blais heartbreakingly close to joining her, placing fourth in the 1,600 and sixth in the 800.

Crane hung on for third in the 3,200 in 11:42.77, just a tick off her school record from last week, giving Greene County two reps in the event at state with Linton's Peyton Smith pulling away in 11:17.40.

"It's really exciting because I feel like I've worked so hard for this," Crane said. "At the beginning of the season I was injured and so I kind of got set back. I would chip away, second by second.

"So to be here, I didn't even think I was going to be able to make it to regionals this year based on my times at the beginning of the season."

More: What to watch at the Bloomington boys track regional: storylines, top seeds

But last week's results (a school record 11:41.28 for third) changed all that.

"It was a huge jump and that mentally boosted me," Crane said. "So I was really excited to make it to regionals and then I realized I could make it to state."

BLOOMINGTON NORTH GIRLS TRACK REGIONAL RESULTS

Top 20 team scores: 1. Bloomington North 103½; 2. Bloomington South 70; 3. Northview 48; 4. Edgewood 47; 5. Linton 43; 6. Terre Haute South 40; 7. Jeffersonville 34; 8. Silver Creek 31; 9. Charlestown 21; 10. Madison 20½; T11. Martinsville 16, Terre Haute North 16; 13. West Vigo 15; T14. North Central 14; Eastern Greene 14; 16. Seymour 11½; 17. Orleans 8; 18. Jennings County 6½; T19. Sullivan 6, Greencastle 6; Clay City 6; Eastern (Pekin) 6; South Putnam 6. 27. Owen Valley 4.

Individual results (top 3 to state finals, plus those who meet state standard, denoted with *)

100: 1. Lyric Steele, Jeff, 12.33; 2. Shalane Blakey, THS, 12.72; 3. Jayda Holbrook, Charlstwn, 12.94; 4. Eulaila Powell, Scottbrg, 13.10; 6. Daisy Rogers, BN, 13.23; 8. Violet Hall, BS, 13.39.

200: 1. Steele, Jeff, 25.56; 2. Kyarra DeGroote, WV, 26.03; 3. Eden Bailey, BS, 26.74; 4. Holbrook, Chrlstwn, 26.85; 5. Macey Crider, Edg, 27.02.

400: 1. Emma Edwards, Edg, 56.24 (regional record; old record, 56.70, Amiyah Davis, South, 2021)(school record; old record 56.30, 2024); 2. Holbrook, Chrlstwn, 58.93; 3. Katherine Sarver, Sull, 1:01.20; 4. Asyria Ford, Clov, 1:02.28; 5. Emma Rice, BN, 1:02.49; 8. Mary Asplund, BS, 1:03.39.

800: 1. Ellie Barada, BS, 2:12.28; 2. Nola Somers Glenn, BN, 2:12.48; 3. Ellia Hayes, Nvw, 2:19.96; 4. Ellie Vagedas, Edg, 2:27.22; 5. Katie Kent, BN, 2:29.53; 6. Lilyanna Blais, EG, 2:30.17.

1,600: 1. Hayes, Nvw, 5:06.12; 2. Peyton Smith, Lint, 5:09.28; 3. Lexi Kollbaum, BS, 5:16.91; 4. Blais, EG, 5:23.02; 7. Hayden McGuire, BN, 5:37.94.

3,200: 1. Smith, Lint, 11:17.40; 2. Gnister Grant, Nvw, 11:38.62; 3. Esther Crane, EG, 11:42.77; 4. Hannah Crain, Edg, 11:59.72; 5. Julianne Hoover, BS, 12:05.02; 6. Riley Haskett, Edg, 12:05.72; 8. Tamara Kun, BS, 12:21.00.

100 hurdles: 1. Dede Eberle, BN, 14.12 (regional record; old record, Eberle, 14.43, 2023)(school record; old record, 14.39, 2023); 2. Kathryn Ison, NC, 15.17; 3. Sophie Hale, Lint, 15.29; 4. Mariah Smith, Jeff, 15.38; 7. Adriene Shaevitz, BS, 15.92.

300 hurdles: 1. Eberle, BN, 45.26; 2. Te'Rah Cooley, THS, 46.911; 3. Ison, NC, 46.914; 4. Karsyn Buck, Nvw; 6. Annalise Coyne, BS, 48.73.

High jump: 1. Buck, Nvw, 5-5; 2. Callie Alston, Orl, 5-5; 3. Lilly Merk, THS, 5-3; 4. Mallori Bettenbrock, ClayC, 5-2; T5. Kenli Sullivan, BN, 5-1; 8. Edwards, Edg, 5-1.

Long jump: 1. Eberle, BN, 18-1¾; 2. Emily Fluke, Mart, 17-7; 3. Hale, Lint, 17-2; 4. Blakey, THS, 17-1.

Shot put: 1. Hadley Lucas, BN, 53-4½ (regional record; old record, 50-0, Lucas, 2023); 2. Sophia Scott, SlvCrk, 39-0¼; 3. Hannah Dart, Mad, 38-3½; 4. Ozofu, Magaji, SVerm, 37-8; 6. Anna Barnes, BS, 36-9.

Discus: 1. Lucas, BN, 175-0 (regional record; old record, 169-6, Stacy Martin, Edgewood, 1999)(school record; Lucas, 170-0); 2. Scott, SlvCrk, 143-3; 3. Becca Robbins, Lint, 128-10; 4. Barnes, BS, 126-1*; 7. Ashley Greer, BN, 116-6.

Pole vault: 1. Ashley Abram, Edg, 10-3; 2. Cali Wuestefeld, THN, 10-3; 3. Skyler Byrd, Grncstle, 10-0; T7. Lauren Barbu, BN, 9-0; Harlie Robbins, Edg, 9-0.

400 relay: 1. Bloomington North (Rogers, Wellman, Williams, Eberle), 48.58; 2. Terre Haute South, 49.61; 3. Jeffersonville, 49.92; 4. Martinsville (Moscrip, Wolff, Fluke, Bush), 50.38; 5. Bloomington South (Freeman, Bunnell, Bailey, Cutshall), 50.41; 7. Edgewood (Davis, Abram, LaRoche, Crider), 51.06.

1,600 relay: 1. Bloomington South (Bailey, Asplund, Kollbaum, E.Barada), 4:03.99; 2. Bloomington North (Wellman, McGuire, Rice, Somers Glenn), 4:05.53; 3. Edgewood (Rayl, Crider, Vagedas, Edwards), 4:09.63; 6. Martinsville (Tackett, Bush, Moscrip, Berry), 4:19.28; 9. Eastern Greene (Hawk, Sylvester, Hudson, Blais), 4:25.59.

3,200 relay: 1. Bloomington South (Kollbaum, Asplund, Hoover, E.Barada), 9:49.90; 2. Bloomington North (Kent, Patrick, Childers, Somers Glenn), 9:56.15; 3. Northview, 9:57.89; 5. Owen Valley (Owen, Kay, Anderson, Smith), 10:23.80.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Eberle's 4-event sweep leads North girls track to regional title