STATE CHAMP X 2: Emma Wilson wins state titles in 1,600 and 3,200

Emma Wilson runs with the leaders before taking control in Saturday's IHSAA state finals.

Banner Graphic/JOEY BENNETT

BLOOMINGTON – Only three runners competed in both the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs on a hot and muggy evening Saturday at the IHSAA girls’ track and field state finals at Indiana University.

One of them didn’t finish the 1,600, but later placed sixth in the 3,200.

The other finished both races, but didn’t crack the top 10 in either one.

Neither of those young ladies, though, was Greencastle’s Emma Wilson.

The talented Tiger Cub sophomore lived up to her top seed in the 1,600, winning in a time of 4:56.34 by a margin of 1.35 seconds over runnerup Josey Korte of Angola. She led at the end of each of the first three laps before crossing the finish line for the victory.

Ninety minutes later, Wilson lined up for the 3,200 against the two other repeat performers and 24 fresher athletes.

LaPorte’s Shelby Riehle and Carmel’s Christina Geisler led Wilson by an eyelash for the first four laps, but on the fifth lap Miya Wai of Fishers joined the frontrunners and battled Wilson for lap. Wilson took the lead after six laps by a few thousandths of second, and held off Riehle and Wai at the end to record a rare double victory in the two longest running events.

Wilson is the first athlete to win both long distance events in the IHSAA state meet since Mishawaka’s Anna Rohrer in 2015.

The Greencastle star is only the seventh runner in the 44-year history of the girls’ track state finals to win both events in the same year.

Rohrer now stars at Notre Dame, and the comparisons between Wilson and her have now begun.

“That’s something I want to live up to,” Wilson said. “I wasn’t sure how season was all going to go down, but I’m really excited.”

Wilson fully recognized the heat factor, but did not think it affected her performance.

“After the 1,600, I felt kind of energized,” she said, probably one of the few people among the more than 5,000 in attendance who would make that claim. “I wanted to go out faster, and from there I was able to take the lead. The heat wasn’t too bad in the 3,200 once the sun went down.

Wilson did not get a lot of time to enjoy her first state title, spending her time between races preparing for the second one.

“I tried to not get too caught up in what I did in the 1,600,” she said. “I wanted to just keep my mind in the race.”

Craig Jordan is in his first year as head coach of the girls’ track and field team at Greencastle, and Wilson credits him and his staff with doing a great job of preparing her for this huge stage.

“The coaches have definitely worked with us a lot this year, and not just me but the whole team,” she said. “My teammates have really improved. We have a much better training program this year, and the team supports each other.”

Jordan admits not being concerned about Wilson’s effectiveness to run well in both races, with the heat factor and the short turnaround time.

“We weren’t concerned about it,” he said. “We did a lot of training this year, and she did it at the regional. If you do it once, you should able to do it twice.”

Jordan was pleased with Wilson’s execution of race strategy.

“In the 1,600, she did a good job of getting out fast,” he said. “They let her control the pace from the start, which was awesome. In the 3,200, all she knew was that she needed to sit on everybody until she felt ready to go. It worked out great.”

Now only halfway through her high school career, a logical question will be whether Wilson can repeat her titles over the next two years. Several of the contenders in both races on Saturday were also underclassmen, and Jordan warns that she cannot get complacent.

“You never know who’s going to come out of the woodwork,” he said. “There are fast eighth-graders out there who are going to put in the work and come back better. You always have to be healthy too.”

Craig Jordan

Jordan recognizes the effect that Wilson’s success can have on the remainder of the many returning athletes in his program who won the Western Indiana Conference title this spring and finished second in the sectional.

“It means a lot to them,” he said. “For them to see her do it, going back to practice to get ready for cross country, they know they get to work with a two-time state champ.”

So what does a two-time state champion do all day while preparing for the biggest day of her athletic career?

Wilson woke up about 7 a.m. on Saturday, eating a breakfast of oatmeal and then just relaxing for the remainder of the morning and afternoon before making the trip to Bloomington.

“I had lunch, and had a few snacks too,” she said. “I like to make sure I’m full.”

Wilson plans to take a little time off, then get busy training for cross country. She has placed in the state meet the past two years, but hasn’t yet been able to stand on the top rung of the medal stand.

Every mile she will run between now and then will be focused on that goal of winning the state meet in October.

“Definitely,” she said.

Wilson was one of three multiple winners of individual events.

In her final high school event, the Indianapolis Pike senior Lynna Irby completed her legendary career with a fourth consecutive sweep of the sprint events. Before finishing her four-peat in the 200 and 400 dashes (with times of 23.41 and 53.81, respectively), Irby broke her own state record in the 100 with a blazing time of 11.41. She finished her high school career with a record 12 state championships.

Irby will run for the University of Georgia next year.

Lafayette Jeff thrower Essence Henderson defended her discus title with a throw of 15-81, and won the shot put with a toss of 46-11.75 to break the two-year state title winning streak of Portage senior Victoria Farley.

Warren Central won the 1,600-meter relay for the second straight year to get a come-from-behind victory in the team totals.

IHSAA girls' state track and field state champions

4x800 relay — Noblesville (Maria Anderson, 10; Susanna Sharples-Gordon, 12; Abigail Little, 11; Kat Dombroski, 12), 9:07

100 — Lynna Irby, 12, Pike, 11.41 ( State Record) 

100 hurdles — Kayland Jackson, 12, Warren Central, 14.00

200  — Lynna Irby, 12, Pike, 23.41

1,600 — Emma Wilson, 10, Greencastle, 4:56.34

4x100 relay — Hamilton Southeastern (Olivia Burgess, 9; Tierra Sydnor, 10; Mia Mackenzie, 11; Camille Christopher, 11), 47.19

400 — Lynna Irby, 12, Pike, 53.81

300 hurdles — Addison Coy, 12, Culver Academies, 42.30

800 — Madison Kiser, 12, Pioneer, 2:11.96

3,200 — Emma Wilson, 10, Greencastle, 10:43.94

4x400 relay — Warren Central (Mikeisha Covington, 10; Dejah Johnson, 12; K’Ja Talley, 9; Tyler Tiler, 12), 3:48.55

Discus — Essence Henderson, 12, Lafayette Jefferson, 158-01

Shot put — Essence Henderson, 12, Lafayette Jefferson, 46-11.75

Long jump — Paige Saylor, 12, Roncalli, 19-01

High jump — Shelby Tyler, 10, Noblesville, 5-10

Pole vault — Kennedy Drish, 10, Hamilton Southeastern, 12-00