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Hackleman, Switzer ready to take on state’s best at IHSAA Boys’ Track State Finals
When the IHSAA Boys’ Track and Field State Finals begins at Indiana University’s Robert C. Haugh Track and Field Complex, two Putnam County athletes will be on opposite ends of the waiting game as they prepare to take on the state’s best Friday afternoon.
North Putnam’s Nolan Hackleman will be in action early as part of the second flight of the long jump, which begins at 3 p.m.
Around four hours later, South Putnam’s Wyatt Switzer will be in the second of three heats of the 300-meter hurdles, a field in which 17 runners are within a second of each other and state placement will come down to hundredths of seconds.
Both Hackleman and Switzer finished as runners-up at the Bloomington North Regional last week, the former clearing 21-08.25 while the latter finished in 39.75 seconds, setting a new school record in the event.
Getting ready for the finals has mostly been about fine-tuning the little things that can make all the difference at the top level.
“I’ve done bounding and 1-2 drill step to work on my penultimate step,” Hackleman said about his week of practice at long jump. “One of the big things is working on getting on the board as I haven’t done a good job of that all year.
“I’m working on my steps to make sure everything is good.”
“Honestly, I surprise myself a lot of the time,” Switzer said about his school-record race at Bloomington. “But I also believe in myself and I enjoy hurdling.
“I’ve been staying loose this week, getting used to the sun but also being in the shade, staying hydrated and listening to my body in preparation for this meet.”
Another item that will be under consideration is that both athletes will be competing in a single event rather than the two or three they have been throughout the course of the season.
“It might be the weather but it’s more likely that (Nolan) has had to do so much heavy lifting with running the 400 and 1,600-meter relay,” North Putnam head coach Kevin Lutes said about Hackleman’s early season jumps crossing 22 feet but being stuck in the 21-foot range much of the rest of the campaign. “He’s very much into making sure his warmups are where they need to be and with our schedule, it’s hard to get much recovery time.
“I’m excited to see what he’ll do with fresh legs, not having to run at all and I think he’ll surprise himself as long as all the people there don’t become a distraction.”
Both athletes will be making their first appearance at the finals, providing both with chances to learn and grow from the experience.
“What’s really pushed (Wyatt) is this constant drive to prove himself, not just to other people but to himself,” South Putnam head coach Heath Pruitt said about Switzer’s improvement after just three years of hurdling. “I’ll be curious to see how things play out (Friday).
“Medaling is not out of the realm of possibility. He’s got some work to do as it’s difficult to sustain a high level from sectional to regional to state and he doesn’t have the experience base others have but I never county him out. If his goal is to be in top-nine, he has the ability and the drive to make it happen.”
Hackleman practiced at the state site on Thursday and said before going down the day before the meet that finishing the season with a strong result was the goal.
“I want to see the board, see how bouncy it is, get my steps down and see how the pit is,” Hackleman said about Thursday’s practice at IU. “I’ll try to take everything in but focus on my work at long jump.
“I definitely want to PR Friday. I haven’t jumped 22 feet since the start of the year but I feel good and want to focus on my jumps, not what everyone else is doing.”
Switzer will arrive on the day of the meet and said despite the long gap between the start and the time for the hurdles, he was ready to enjoy the experience.
“Friday will be about slowly getting ready for the race to not bet tired for the race,” Switzer said. “My goal is to have fun, take in the scenery and have a good race.”