BLOOMINGTON — This weekend, Brown County High School will compete against the best track and field programs from each corner of the state.
Eagles from both the boys and girls teams qualified for the state meet at Indiana University. The boys compete Friday, the girls Saturday.
Top three finishes in both regional meets received automatic bids. Athletes finishing in the top eight scored team points, but did not advance.
At regionals May 25, the Brown County boys advanced a relay team and an individual.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]Wyatt Wyman, Job Lawson, Jackon McPheeters and Isaiah Keefauver combined for a time of 7 minutes, 59.21 seconds to finish as runners-up in the 4×800 relay. The foursome finished 1.2 seconds behind the championship team of Terre Haute South Vigo.
Tim Kilburn, Nathan Kilburn and Marino Dolph are listed as the alternates for the state contest.
Lawson and Wyman both qualified for the same relay in last year’s state meet.
Wyman will compete in a second event this weekend as well. He finished second in the 800-meter run, at 1:58.19. Lawson got 12th (2:05.22) while Terre Haute South’s Thomas Haley was champion in 1:57.78.
In the 400-meter, the Eagles’ Isaiah Keefauver clocked 51.87 for sixth place.
Dolph’s time of 10:12.05 placed 10th in the 3200-meter for the Eagles.
Wyman, Lawson, McPheeters and Keefauver teamed up again in the 4×400 relay, finishing fifth (3:28.63).
Dawson Williams cleared 6 feet for eighth in the high jump, and Keefauver placed 13th (5-10).
Bloomington North edged cross-town rivals South 87-84 for the team title and Terre Haute South was third with 62 points.
Brown County collected 24 points for ninth place of the 36 teams that scored.
On May 23, BCHS senior Madison Fields was the first to punch a ticket to state. She finished second by clearing 10-6 in the girls’ pole vault.
Madison’s Maddie Holland (13-0) was the regional champ.
After a brief scare at 9-6, Fields found her bearings.
“At 9-6, (Fields) had two scratches and it came down to her final attempt,” Eagles assistant coach Jay Myers said. “We were all a little nervous, but she perserved. She then cleared 10 and 10-6. Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to get to 11, but she still got second place and we’re pretty happy with that.”
Bloomington South won its 12th straight girls regional title with 84 points. Bloomington North was runner-up with 72 points and Jeffersonville placed third with 54.
Terre Haute South Vigo’s score of 49 points was good for fourth and the Brown County girls placed fifth in the 38-team field, with 27 points.
Brown County junior Kathleen McCann qualified for both the 100 and 200 finals at regional, and finished in eighth (13.27) and fifth (26.72) in the sprints.
Vivien Crimmins clocked 16.91 for eighth place in the 100-meter hurdles.
Crimmins, McCann, Eleanor Wertz and Marley Nickels combined for a time of 50.88 in the 4×100 for fourth place.
The Eagles’ 4×400 relay team also fell just short of a state berth, as Wertz, McCann, Fields and Isabel Rygiel ran a 4:17.17 for fourth.
Wertz’s leap of 16-4 earned her fifth place in the long jump.
Myers said he was happy with the girls’ performances despite coming up just short in a couple events.
“Overall, we did pretty well,” he said.
