Triple gold: SHG's Jamarion Bardwell, Litchfield's Keenan Powell land in history books
CHARLESTON — Sacred Heart-Griffin's Jamarion Bardwell and Litchfield’s Keenan Powell each generated gold medals in the triple jump at the boys track and field state finals at O’Brien Field on Saturday.
Both summoned their best attempts on the final day.
Bardwell traveled a personal best 46 feet, 1 ½ inches for first place in Class 2A while Powell went even further and shattered his previous best mark with a leap of 46-8 in 1A.
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Powell set the tone on his first attempt by going 45-10 on Thursday. The superlative senior previously set the school record at last year’s outdoor state meet at 44-0 ¾ for third place.
Powell, who will continue track and football at Greenville University, only continued to improve throughout his final season and became the first Purple Panther to win a boys track gold medal since David Hessel in the 400-meter dash in 1980.
Harold Shindler is listed as Litchfield’s only other boys track winner way back in the 1914-15 school year in the 50-yard run, according to the IHSA web site.
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Bardwell, meanwhile, became the school’s first boys track champion in his first state appearance.
The burgeoning junior also surged throughout the course of the year beginning with 38-5 at the Capitol City Classic in April before reaching 45-8 ½ for first place in the Rochester Sectional.
Bardwell and Powell also starred in football and basketball this past school year.
Skelton leads Plains
Pleasant Plains senior Danny Skelton produced three medals and the Cardinals came away with seventh place as a team in 1A.
Skelton reached as high as fourth place in the 110-meter hurdles in 15.20 seconds. He also assisted the 4x200 relay to sixth place with teammates Jacob Crater, Michael Carter and Cayden Donnelly and the 4x100 to seventh with Carter, Donnelly and Isaiah Babington.
Sophomore teammate Elijah Teefey tallied eighth place in the 1600 (4:30.72) and yielded third in the 4x800 with teammates Jack Willenborg, Cole Payne and Garrett Beebe.
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Also in 1A, Pana senior Griffin Kimbrel claimed second place in the pole vault. He ascended 4.40 meters (14-5). He also took second at the indoor state meet in March.
Carlinville senior Mason Gilpin followed in fifth place (4.20 meters) after going state runnerup last year.
Auburn sophomore Jacob Barth earned sixth place in the 400 (51.64) while also lifting the 4x400 to fifth with teammates Hunter Piper, James Baisden and Carter Hunley.
Riverton’s Isaac Crumrine set a personal record in the 800 (1:57.36) for seventh place. Gillespie’s Chaz Oberkfell also claimed seventh in the 1600 with a personal best of 4:27.90, followed by Teefey.
Petersburg PORTA’s Bryson Schachtsiek was sixth in the 300 hurdles (41.18).
Other 2A/3A results
Taylorville senior Owen Morgan collected two medals in 2A.
He captured third place in the 800 with a personal best of 1:53.85 and ninth in the 1600 in 4:20.91. Junior teammate Drake Howard grabbed seventh place in the pole vault, climbing 4.35 meters (14-3).
Also in long distance, Williamsville’s Lucas Hollinshead was 20th in the 3200 (9:51.74).
Lincoln’s Parker Campbell was fifth in the 110-meter hurdles (14.84). Ditto Jacksonville senior Griffin Martin in the discus throw, reaching 167-1 ¾.
Chatham Glenwood sophomore Van Schneider had the best performance in Class 3A. He took 11th place in the 800 with a school record of 1:54.74.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: 2024 IHSA boys track and field state finals for the Springfield area
