Nichols earns state berth

Greencastle junior Stuart Nichols finished third in the 100-meter dash at the IHSAA Boys’ Track and Field Bloomington North Regional last Thursday, earning a spot at the IHSAA Boys’ Track and Field State Finals this Saturday at the Robert C. Haugh Track & Field Complex at Indiana University.

Nichols finished with a time of 11.35, trailing only WIC foes at the line as Sullivan’s William Newby won the event in 11.03 while Edgewood’s Zackary Raake finished second in 11.12.

Nichols was the highest place finisher for the Tiger Cubs, who finished tied for 15th overall at the regional as a team with Edgewood. The host Cougars won the meet, nearly doubling second-place Bloomington South 117-60.

Other finishes for Greencastle included a fourth-place finish for the 400-meter relay team of Nichols, Lamar Moore, Cole Hutcheson and Abram Nichols in 44.40, a fifth-place finish for Moore in the 400-meter dash in 52.75, a ninth-place and 13th-place finish for Charlie Menzel in the 3,200 and 1,600-meter runs respectively, finishing in 10:08.49 and 4:56.47, an 11th-place finish for the 1,600-meter relay team of Hutcheson, Moore, Abram Nichols and Tyler Adams in 3:41.47 and a 13th-place finish for Brennan Brendle in the 110-meter hurdles in 16.73.

North Putnam, which finished tied for 21st overall with Brown County on 10 points, had two near-misses for places in the state finals as returning qualifier Gabe Garcia finished fourth in the 300-meter hurdles in 40.37 while Nolan Hackleman finished fourth in the 400-meter dash in 52,72.

Garcia also finished 10th in the 110-meter hurdles in 16.09 while Jeremiah Miles finished 12th in the 1,600-meter run in 4:45.25, as did Hackleman in the long jump with a distance of 19-07.50.

Cloverdale’s Tyson Bridges, who qualified in the 300-meter hurdles, was unable to complete the event.