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Wilson, Kaeff eye track state titles
The Indiana High School Athletic Association’s state track and field meets will be conducted today and Saturday at Indiana University’s Robert C. Haugh Track and Field Complex.
Greencastle’s Emma Wilson and Cloverdale’s Tyler Kaeff are no strangers to the big stage, and will represent Putnam County this weekend.
Both days of competition will be streamed online at www.urstreet.tv/sports.
Here is a look at the competition for each, plus other track and field notes:
Emma Wilson
Wilson is the defending state champion in the 1,600 and the 3,200.
She is one of only seven female athletes to win both of the distance titles in the same year, and only the second sophomore. If she repeats the sweep this year, she will be only the second person to do it twice.
Wilson is seeded first in the 3,200, exactly seven seconds ahead of the second-place finisher. She is seeded third in the 1,600, only 1.52 seconds behind the leader. Wilson won the 1,600 in 4:54.94 at the Flashes Showcase earlier this season.
Seedings are based only on the best times turned in by athletes in the first two levels of competition.
Tyler Kaeff
Kaeff qualified for the state finals in both the low and high hurdles in 2016, but fell short in both events last year.
He had to scratch from the low hurdles at the sectional meet after suffering a mild groin strain in the high hurdles, and is seeded seventh on Saturday
The top nine individuals in each event receive medals.
Gellman saluted
Greencastle boys’ coach Craig Jordan saluted the efforts of senior Ben Gellman in the 3,200 after last Thursday’s Bloomington North Regional.
“Ben was our lone regional qualifier and did a phenomenal job of representing our program,” Jordan said. “As a 12th seed, he ran well to finish ninth and set a new personal record of 10:18.
“He had a ‘home run’ performance and I couldn’t be any more happy for him and how he did this season.”
Gellman will run for Colorado College.
Barker falls short
Aubrey Barker, who qualified for the state meet in the long jump last year while competing for South Putnam, barely missed a return trip this season.
Barker, a junior who now attends Plainfield, finished fourth in the Lafayette Jeff Regional by the smallest of margins — one fourth of an inch.
Barker was fourth with a leap of 17-3.5 feet, just a hair behind third-place Sydney Spears of Westfield’s leap of 17-3.75.
Barker’s leap was better than eight of the 27 state qualifiers, but was a few inches short of the state standard of 17-10 to earn automatic qualification.