Lucas looking to make history: Here's what to look for at IHSAA girls' state track finals

The IHSAA state track meets have returned to Bloomington and Indiana University's Robert C. Haugh Complex after a two-year hiatus, including the 2021 meets at Ben Davis.

Here's what to know going in, with representatives from Bloomington North, South, Edgewood and Eastern Greene competing in the girls' meet on Friday.

How to watch

Tickets are $12 per person, with children 24 months and younger admitted free. All tickets will be sold digitally through GoFan.co. Present your phone purchase at the gate for admission.

Parking is available in the IU lots by the outdoor pool and tennis center.

The meets will also be streamed live at IHSAAtv.org via pay-per-view for $10 per day.

The meet begins with field events at 3 p.m., the 3,200 relay at 4:15, trials at 5 and opening ceremonies at 6:10.

Take home some hardware

The top nine in each individual and relay event will earn state medals.

The top two teams will be awarded state trophies as well. Cathedral won last year's title over Warren Central, 39-38.

Lucas seeing double

North sophomore Hadley Lucas has a chance to join a short list of athletes to sweep the throws.

Essence Harrison of Lafayette Jefferson is the last to do it in 2017. Prior to that, Tori Bliss of Portage pulled off the feat in 2010. Edgewood's Stacy Martin (1999) is the only county athlete to do it and still the area's only shot put champ.

The throws will be back on center stage, on the infield in front of the stands, after a year behind and to the side of the main stands at Ben Davis in 2021.

Lucas comes in as the No. 1 seed in discus (161-9) by nearly 20 feet, but her career best came at sectional with a 163-8 that is the school record.

Her margin in the shot put, however, is the slimmest it could be with a 46-11 last week to top the field by just ¼-inch. But Lucas' best this this season is 49-6, also North's best ever.

Center Grove's Shelby Wingler, s double-medalist last year, is the No. 2 in both events. The discus competition includes 15 who hit the state standard (127-0), while 11 did so in shot (40-9¼).

Lucas, competing with an injured throwing hard, was the top finishing non-senior and top freshman in discus last year.

Interestingly, North's Rachel Deloney is the only female athlete not a junior or senior to win a state discus title, taking the 2005 competition as a freshman, while seven sophomores have won shot put.

Deep field to hurdle

North's Kyla Kante comes in tied for ninth in the 100 hurdles prelims, a strong accomplishment given that 16 met the state standard (15.08), with 14 under 15 seconds.

That group includes last year's state champ, junior Rachel Mehringer of Forest Park, and third place finisher Reese Sanders of Cathedral, the defending champ in the 300s.

North's Nola Somers Glenn also faces a tough field in the 800, with the top four from last year's race back. She's seeded ninth to make the fast heat.

North's Ella Francis' career best time at regional (45.70) also fortunately put her in the fast heat for the 300 hurdles.

2021 rewind: Edgewood's Annalyssa Crain, Bloomington South's Amiyah Davis take 2nds at state meet

Defending champs

North Central senior Ramiah Elliott is not only back and in position to repeat as champion in the 200 and 400, she's also the top seed in the 100 and anchors a 1,600 relay team that comes in ranked second to Carmel by .14.

A 100-200-400 sweep would make history.

She flashed a 12.00 (100), 24.68 (200) and 54.89 (400) last week.

Also back are are 800/1,600 champ Addison Wiley of Huntington North, Sanders in the 300 hurdles and Michelle Nazarov of Zionsville in the long jump.

Wiley's time in the 1,600 last week was six seconds under the state record (4:43.46).

Two for Tieman

Senior Anna Tieman has etched her name in the school record books, making it to the state finals in the 200 and the long jump while breaking the program records in each event.

More: Eastern Greene record holder Anna Tieman quick change artist on the track

She is also the first T-Bird girls to make it this far since Lindsey Stephens qualified in both hurdles in 2008.

She's seeded 21st in the long jump (where 16 hit the state standard of 17-8¾) and 24th in the 200.

Lily pad

South's Lily Myers comes in with the 23rd best time from regional but figures to be a threat to medal after posting a school record and career best 10:50 at sectional. She wasn't pushed over the last half of the regional race, cruising to an 11:21.

Nicku Southerland of Delta went 10:23.96 while Sophia Kennedy of Park Tudor, third in last year's race, had a 10:41.12 and Wiley went 10:46.88.

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Myers is also usually a part of South's 3,200 relay, which is seeded 23rd.

IHSAA STATE GIRLS' TRACK MEET SEEDS

Meet records in parenthesis

100 (11.41): 1. Ramiah Elliott, NCentral, 12.00; 2. Camryn Dunn, Chesterton, 12.14

200 (23.12): 1. Elliott, NCentral, 24.68; 2. Alana Springer, Avon, 24.79; 24. Anna Tieman, Eastern Greene, 25.85.

400 (52.42): 1. Elliott, NCentral, 54.89; 2. Jaylie Lohmeyer, WL Harrison, 55.52.

800 (2:06.62): 1. Kaylie Politza, Valparaiso, 2:11.71; 2. Summer Rempe, Noblesville, 2:13.34; 9. Nola Somers Glenn, BNorth, 2:16.58.

1,600 (4:43.46): 1. Addison Wiley, Huntington N, 4:37.98; 2. Nicki Southerland, Delta, 4:48.72; 17. Bea Cakmak, BNorth, 5:09.75.

3,200 (10:03.16): 1. Southerland, Delta, 10:23.96; 2. Sophia Kennedy, Park Tudor, 10:41.12; 23. Lily Myers, BSouth, 11:21.00.

100 hurdles (13.93): 1. Morgan Patterson, FW Northrop, 14.36; 2. Jaliyah Paige, FW Northside, 14.43; 10. Kyla Kante, 14.84.

300 hurdles (41.36): 1. Reece Sanders, Cathedral, 43.53; 2. Leah Handshoe, Leo, 44.44; 8. Ella Francis, BNorth, 45.70.

Shot put (50-9): 1. Hadley Lucas, BNorth, 46-11; 2. Shelby Wingler, Center Grove, 46-10¾.

Discus (168-6): 1. Lucas, BNorth, 161-9; 2. Wingler, Center Grove, 142-1.

High jump (6-0): 1. Emily Nannenga, Kankakee Valley, 5-9¼; T2. Malina Miller, Noblesville, 5-7; Ellie Irwin, Greenwood, 5-7.

Long jump (20-4): 1. Michelle Nazarov, Zionsville, 18-9¼; 2. Modupe Awosanya, Southport, 18-9; T21. Tieman, Eastern Greene, 17-3¾.

Pole vault (13-6¼): 1. Kailee Swart, Cathedral, 12-6; T2. Gwen Schilling, Lake Central, 12-0; Ashlyn Schwab, Brownsburg, 12-0; T25. Ashley Abram, Edgewood, 9-6.

400 relay (45.75): 1. Zionsville, 47.68; 2. Fort Wayne Northrop, 48.03; 23. Bloomington North, 50.10.

1,600 relay (3:43.99): 1. Carmel, 3:54.24; 2. North Central, 3:55.38; 15. Bloomington North, 4:03.04.

3,200 relay (8:53.74): 1. Columbus North, 9:14.85; 2. Carmel, 9:18.68; 23. Bloomington South, 9:55.01.

Contact Jim Gordillo at jgordillo@heraldt.com and follow on Twitter @JimGordillo

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Lucas looking to make history: What to look for at girls state track finals