Track: North sweeps South as coaches seek answers to sectional questions

The annual City Meet is the last dual of the year for Bloomington North and South, with only the North Invitational remaining next week before the season ends.

Sectional lineups are due about the same time, so as the coaches decide which three to enter in each individual event and which four to group up for the relays, Wednesday's meet at North was one of the last gasps for many to make their mark.

A few did, making it tough on their coaches in the coming days. It's a good problem to have with the number and talent all four programs possess.

North's dramatic 67-65 win came down to a .07 difference in the 1,600 relay while the Cougar girls didn't have to sweat nearly that much, winning 85-47. It left plenty for the veteran coaches to mull over moving forward in choosing a sectional lineup that will maximize the potential, and points, of their respective teams.

"I think probably tonight made it more confusing," North coach Justin Helmer said. "Because more people put their names in the hat. Some people had some big performances today, so when it comes down to a four-by-one or a four-by-four, we want to make those things so as fast as they can and now we've got multiple people fighting for positions. So that makes everybody better."

Coming off the indoor state title, the Cougar boys are aiming to add their first outdoors.

"For us, we need to build backward from the state meet, especially with our guys," Helmer said. "With the idea of, can we go there and win? Sure, we have a shot, so what do we need to do at the state meet to have a chance and work off that.

"The girls, the Big Three (last year's returning medalists: Dede Eberle, Nola Somers Glenn and Hadley Lucas), make they're where they need to be and build the pieces around them to see how good we can be."

South still has a few question marks as well.

In the 800, each boys' squad had four guys under 2:06. And South head coach Larry Williams, for example, with a couple of his mid-stance guys dinged up, now has to consider Carter Cutshall (second in the long jump), who ran his first 400 last week on a relay and came back to take third in the open 400 in 51.5.

"Adding to the potential arsenal that we have, so now we just have to figure out who is going to do what," Williams said. "We found some and in some cases, we found more than we thought so it gets murky. It goes back to the way they competed tonight. It was a pretty good night for track and field."

Molli Lucas' return from her basketball injury has shored up the Panthers' girls throws behind Anna Barnes, who had a strong night taking second in discus (126-6) and shot put 36-8). Mary Asplund had her best 800 and had a best split by two seconds in the 1,600 relay.

"We're still a little unsure on a few places, so lucky at the North Invite, we get to run three kids per event, so that will help sort things out," Rensink said. "We have a few holes in the lineup we're looking to fill and really asking girls to step up.

"I gotta go home tonight and map it out. So we'll still be looking at next week's results and race people in different events and see, can they step it up in one event or do we need to keep them in this one."

North sweeps titles, barely

The South boys squad is getting healthier and knew it had a chance to knock off its rivals. They certainly competed like it. The Cougars were missing a couple of key sprinters, Louisville-bound Jaidyn Johnson (resting until sectional) and Joe Powell.

So Helmer figured the boys meet could come down to the 1,600 relay. It did and Caleb Winders and the rest of the crew knew what was on the line as well.

"It gave us the opportunity to compete and just do the best that we had today," Helmer said. "We had a lto of good and some places where we were not very good.

"That was a lot of fun. A rival coming down to the four-by-four and luckily, we got to be the one that celebrated."

South has a deep and talented group in the 400 but James Bosco got North off to a great start, giving it the lead, which shrank as the race went on, coming down to a duel between Winders and Josh Tait, winner of the open 400 earlier in the evening with a 49.81, who went a 47.9 split, Williams said.

"The job is to give Caleb the baton where he feels like he has a chance," Helmer said. "Because Caleb just has something different in him, that competitor that ability to go to a really uncomfortable place and push through. We've been chasing their 400 guys. James put us in a great spot."

They raced to the wire, North going a season best 3:21.71 and South a 3:21.78, which broke the school record set back at the 1984 state finals.

"It was an exciting finish and we really would have liked that win," Williams said. "As I told the boys, 'I'm not really about moral victories, but I challenged them yesterday to come in here and compete. We had to push them, make them earn it."

Winders won the 800 (1:54.44) and Jack Holden the 3,200 (9:30.0). Adis Hamidovic posted a career best 167-9 (just a few inches off the sophomore school record) to take discus with Lucas Rice second (150-0) while Max Wynalda won shot put (55-5). The team got a big win in the 400 relay (sans Jaidyn Johnson) as Evan Cheng (long jump winner at 21-6½), Stephon Opoku, Kijuan Hayes and James Bosco finished in 43.47 and took the 3,200 relay.

The 100 saw three sub 11.2s led by South's Khaliq Akou (11.11), who was second to teammate Gabe Taylor in the 200 (22.60) by .07. South's D'Andre Black won the 110s with ease in 14.51 and then came back to complete the 300s without incident, recording a 39.13 that's not far off from Kaleb Budde's school record 39.00. Andrew Elsesser hit a career best 6-3 to take high jump. Guy Drummond went 50-11½ for second in shot.

On the girls' side, North's Dede Eberle was a force again, winning long jump at 18-4¼, 100 hurdles in 14.72 and posting one of the fastest times in school history in the 200 (25.77, third fastest in school history) and anchoring the 400 relay to a season best 49.70 and a win. Hadley Lucas took care of shot put (54-0½) and discus (167-0). Other winners were Grace Wellman (100), Nola Somers Glenn (400), Hayden McGuire (1,600 with a PR), Evie Peterson (3,200), Kenli Sullivan (high jump), Lauren Barbu (pole vault) and the 3,200 relay.

South, missing Lexi Kollbaum (illness), saw Annalise Coyne win the 300 hurdles and the 1,600 relay took first place (4:04.25). Eden Bailey went a PR of 12.93 for second in the 100 and Violet Hall, who is giving 100 hurdles a try, had a 26.37 for second in the 200, which was the best time by any Panther this year.

Barada juuuust missed it

The math seems odd, but for South sophomore Ellie Barada, 200+800=400.

She looked like she was running a 400 while taking off in the 800, leaving the field well behind as she attempted to clock a 64-second split, and then see how long she could hang on. Maybe she could break her school record in the event (2:12.43), which she set early this season.

"I knew I was going to be running by myself today," said Barada (knowing her chief competition, North's Nola Somers Glenn was running the 400). "Usually the practice before we have a goal sheet and instead of having an 800 time, I had a 400 split.

"I ended up doing a 64, so I was just trying to push through the second lap. I think it worked well. I felt really good. I felt like I had a second gear to kick in in the last 50, so I think I can go faster in the future."

She had a terrific effort but came up just .06 short. She's been as fast as 26.39 in the 200 and had her season best in the 400 at the CI meet last week (57.46). She crtainly wants the 400 record, too, a 55.84 by Amiyah Davis in 2021.

"The endurance has gone up this year," Barada said. "Last year, I always ran the four-by-eight, but I only ran two open 800s. Running more this year has helped my endurance and with the 200s that's helped my speed. I think they're run. They feel fast and quick. It's helping with the first 200 of my 400 because that needs to be faster."

Cougar vaulter Isles flying high

North senior Ethan Isles and junior Will Steiner have been in a race to the top this year, giving the Cougars a solid 1-2 punch in pole vault.

Both have been as high as 13-0 but Isles has been in a groove over the past week, raising his best to 13-6 to win a Conference Indiana title last Friday and then rejoicing after landing a 14-footer to win the City Meet.

"Fourteen means so much to me," Isles said. "Starting last year, only going 11-6, it was my dream to go this high, so I'm really living it right now."

Sprinting and work the weight room combine with his work and study on the runway. He took three cracks at 14-6.

"It felt great but I was getting a little tired there at the end," Isles said. "I think by next meet, I should have that down, hopefully, got to have the confidence. But 15 I see coming in the future, hopefully by the end of the year."

Steiner had to settle for second at 12-0 with South freshman Arthur Banks third (11-6).

"It's always great having a teammate who can push you to go higher heights," Isles said. "He's pushing me. I push him every single day."

Rheams on the right track

South's Ryan Rheam gave the 800 and 1,600 a go on Wednesday. He had finally opened his season with a pair of 3,200s, going 9:18.45 at Carmel two weeks ago and then 9:23 for third at the CI meet,, in the lead pack most of the way. The shorter races provided a chance to test his footspeed and maybe score a few more points for the Panthers in the team standings.

He looked strong in both races, winning the 1,600 in 4:18.39 with a strong burst in the last 200 to get by North's Jacob Mitchell. It led a dozen runners who crossed in under 5:00. Then Rheam went 1:56.74 for second to Winders in the 800, the best time South's seen in five years.

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"After conference last week I knew it was unacceptable," Rheam said. "I've been in this boat before and I knew I needed a confidence booster like today. So I said, "It's time to stop messing around. Senior year, I gotta go. I can't let these under classmen determine who is going to win.

"I put myself out there in paces I wanted to run and my body responded. Workouts I've been doing the past few weeks have been very helpful."

Ryan, whose brother Adrian, a sprinter, made his first appearance Wednesday, has been mostly watching since winter, from the Hoosier State Relays on, its just been fuel during the few days of running interspersed with cardio workouts. He let it loose in the 3,200 at Carmel.

"When I came back, what the heck? I did not know I was going to do that," Rheam said. "I was in way better shape than I thought. My body's been responding. It's the base I've been building.

"It feels great to be back out. Feels great to be competitive with these guys. Only up from here."

CITY MEET

BOYS: NORTH 67, SOUTH 65

100: 1. Khaliq Akou, S, 11.11; 2. Stephon Opoku, N, 11.13; 3. Gabe Taylor, S, 11.18. 200: 1. Taylor, S, 22.53; 2. Akou, S, 22.60; 3. James Bosco, N, 23.13. 400: 1. Josh Tait, S, 49.81; 2. John Sobiech, S, 51.12; 3. Carter Cutshall, S, 51.99. 800: 1. Caleb Winders, N, 1:54.60; 2. Ryan Rheam, S, 1:56.74; 3. Reed Pierce, N, 1:57.85. 1,600: 1. R.Rheam, S, 4:18.39; 2. Jacob Mitchell, N, 4:21.14; 3. Dominic D'Onofrio, N, 4:23.79. 3,200: 1. Jack Holden, N, 9:30.00; 2. Joe Zinkan, S, 9:33.07; 3. Caleb Webb, N, 9:35.58. 110 hurdles: 1. D'Andre Black, S, 14.51; 2. Alan Hays, N, 15.71; 3. Aazam Zaidi, S, 15.83. 300 hurdles: 1. Black, S, 39.13; 2. Noah Liell-Beyene, S, 42.46; 3. Ben Boland, N, 42.61. 400 relay: 1. North (Cheng, Opoku, Hayes, Bosco), 43.47; 2. South (Taylor, Tornsend, S.Barnes, Akou), 43.81. 1,600 relay: 1. North (Bosco, C.'D'Onofrio, R.Pierce, Winders), 3:21.71; 2. South (Sobiech, Bullock, Ryan, Tait), 3:21.78 (school record; old record, 3:22.40, 1984). 3,200 relay: 1. North (R.Pierce, Holden, Gentry, Winders), 8:28.18; 2. South (R.Rheam, J.Zinkan, Rice, Ross), 8:32.10.

High jump: 1. Andrew Elsesser, S, 6-3; 2. Alex Shaevitz, S, 6-0; 3. Amare Draughn, 6-0. Long jump: 1. Evan Cheng, N, 21-6½; 2. Cutshall, S, 20-5½; 3. Elijah Bennett, N, 19-10. Shot put: 1. Max Wynalda, N, 55-5; 2. Guy Drummond, S, 50-11½; 3. Ethan Barnes, S, 48-10. Discus: 1. Adis Hamidovic, N, 167-9; 2. Lucas Rice, N, 150-0; 3. Ivan Lynch, S, 145-6. Pole vault: 1. Ethan Isles, 14-0; 2. Will Steiner, N, 12-0; 3. Arthur Banks, S, 11-6.

GIRLS: NORTH 85, SOUTH 47

100: 1. Grace Wellman, N, 12.91; 2. Eden Bailey, S, 12.93; 3. Daisy Rogers, N, 13.19. 200: 1. Dede Eberle, N, 25.77; 2. Violet Hall, S, 26.37; 3. Wellman, N, 27.05. 400: 1. Nola Somers Glenn, N, 59.08; 2. Emma Rice, N, 1:02.82; 3. Maya Jackson, S, 1:03.38. 800: 1. Ellie Barada, S, 2:12.49; 2. Mary Asplund, S, 2:29.72; 3. Grace Stringer, S, 2:30.47. 1,600: 1. Hayden McGuire, N, 5:23.90; 2. Kate Barada, S, 5:25.63; 3. Julianne Hoover, S, 5:30.04. 3,200: 1. Evie Peterson, N, 12:46.09; 2. Tori Bilohlavek, N, 13:14.69; 3. Penny Eads, N, 13:16.09. 100 hurdles: 1. Eberle, N, 14.72; 2. Adriene Shaevitz, S, 16.05; 3. Lucy Tait, S, 17.50. 300 hurdles: 1. Annalise Coyne, S, 50.93; 2. Danielle Yang, S, 51.80; 3. Sofia Garcia, N, 52.90. 400 relay: 1. North (Rogers, Wellman, Roberts, Eberle), 49.70; 2. South (Freeman, Bunnell, Bailey, Hall), 50.64. 1,600 relay: 1. South (Bailey, Asplund, E.Barada), 4:04.25; 2. North (Rice, McGuire, Hinebaugh, Somers Glenn), 4:07.26. 3,200 relay: 1. North (Kent, Peterson, Bilohlavek, Bartlett), 10:23.74; 2. South (Stringer, Yang, Pierce, Beshkar), 10:37.17.

High jump: 1. Kenli Sullivan, N, 5-0; 2. Morgan Barrow, N, 4-10; 3. Teagan West, S, 4-6. Long jump: 1. Eberle, N, 18-4¼; 2. Rogers, N, 15-9; 3. Mackenzie Freeman, S, 15-7¾. Shot put: 1. Hadley Lucas, N, 54-0½; 2. Anna Barnes, S, 36-8; 3. Molli Lucas, S, 33-9½. Discus: 1. Lucas, N, 167-0; 2, A.Barnes, S, 126-6; 3. Ashley Greer, N, 117-0. Pole vault: 1. Lauren Barbu, N, 9-0; 2. Aryana Wallace, N, 8-6; 3. Audrey Freeman-Day, S, 7-0.

Contact Jim Gordillo at jgordillo@heraldt.com and follow on X @JimGordillo.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Sectional spots still up for grabs as North track sweeps South