BLOOMINGTON — The contingent of Hancock County competitors at Friday’s IHSAA Girls State Track and Field Finals may have been small, but their performances at the Robert C. Haugh Track and Field Complex on the campus of Indiana University were huge.
Both New Palestine representatives earned state medals.
Greenfield-Central senior standout Kayana Maroska, one of two Cougar competitors, did likewise earning all-state in one of her two events.
Mt. Vernon’s lone group, its 3200-meter relay team, set a new school record and finished 12th, 13 spots better than their seeding.
The Dragons dynamic duo of junior throwers Sydney Miller and Quin Lumbley brought back medals in the discus and shot put, respectively.
Miller was the county’s top finisher, placing fourth in the discus with a career-best throw of 134-feet, 11-inches.
She qualified for the finals by throwing 125-feet in the preliminary round.
One of 10 to compete in the finals, she had a career-best toss in her first of three attempts. At the time, it bumped her all the way up to second place.
Miller was seeded No. 12 with a distance of 129-11 from her regional performance. She had thrown in the 130s in both the sectional and Hoosier Heritage Conference Meet.
“I knew I didn’t want to get 12th and I wasn’t going to get 12th,” Miller said. “I knew I had thrown better than what was on paper.
“It means a lot (to earn a fourth-place medal), especially since I’m a junior. I hope to come back next year and do better.”
Lumbley came in seeded eighth in the shot put and ended up finishing eighth, but it was a tough ride to get to the finals.
She was 15th before her final preliminary try. She knocked out a throw of 41-feet, 4-inches to earn a spot in the finals and an eighth-place overall finish.
“I didn’t think I was going to make it to finals,” Lumbley said. “I placed where I was supposed to. I can’t be mad at that.
“It was nerve-racking (on my last preliminary throw). I tried not to think that I had to get x, y, or z distance. That would just mess with me even more. I came into it thinking, ‘I’m a good thrower. I made it to state. All I have to do is do what I can.’ I almost fell over (and scratched) on that last throw.”
“I’m so proud of both of them,” New Palestine throws and strength coach Kyle Ralph said. “Both girls are juniors. To come down and get the experience of throwing in a state championship event, it’s exciting that they did so well, but I think it’s even more exciting that they have the chance to do this again next year, possibly.”
Maroska, who placed eighth in last year’s state 400-meter dash, finished 18th this year with a time of 59.05 seconds.
She added the 200 dash to her schedule for this year’s meet and earned all-state honors in the event by placing ninth. In her 200 trials race, she finished in 25.37 seconds, picking up the last transfer spot into the championship race. Her ninth-place finals time was 25.61.
“I feel awesome. I feel ecstatic. I feel blessed. I feel a lot of things,” Maroska said.
The G-C star is not running in college. She is going to IUPUI to study Radiology. Friday was her last go on the track.
“I am super happy that I ended my season and my entire track career on a good note,” Maroska said.
Mt. Vernon seniors Lydia Carrell, Morgan Tharp, Alex Overshiner and sophomore Emma Gasiorek came in as the No. 25 seed with a time of 9:56.98. They finished second in their 3200 relay heat and shattered their school-record with a run of 9:37.75. It earned them 12th overall, just a few spots away from medaling.
“We decided in January that we were going to beat our 4×800 record and go to state,” Carrell said. “The race was intense.”
Overshiner said it was her last race. She is joining the Navy. Both Carrell and Tharp plan on running in college. Carrell is going to Purdue Fort Wayne. Tharp is headed to DePauw.
Greenfield-Central sophomore Savannah Lake, in her first state meet, qualified for the 100-meter dash trials, but did not advance to the finals. She ran a time of 12.69, just off her seeded time of 12.62.
