BLOOMINGTON — Tucker Smith was the only freshman among the 27 entrants in the shot put in Friday’s Boys Track and Field State Finals.
He certainly wasn’t intimidated.
Smith finished second place with a throw of 56 feet, 9 ¾ inches to lead a Columbus North contingent at the state meet.
“I started transferring (my weight) after the prelims because I wasn’t able to get the big throw,” Smith said. “Soon after I did that, I put that big one. It felt good as soon as I released it.”
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Smith was seeded third going into the state finals, based on his school-record throw of 58-2 3/4 in last week’s Warren Central Regional. He threw 56- ¾ on his first throw in Friday’s prelims, and that was good enough for fourth going into the finals.
In the finals, Smith fouled on his first attempt, but then uncorked his 56-9 ¾ to move from fourth to second.
“Tucker threw phenomenal,” North coach Lou Sipe said. “He was seeded fourth going into the finals, and then he improved on that throw and ended up taking second, so that’s a really a mature thing for him to be able to increase his place in the finals.”
Terre Haute South junior Jason Swarens won the event with a throw of 60-2 1/2.
“Everyone dropped like two or three feet, so I was just trying to pull through,” Smith said. “From my past two meets, I’ve dropped probably a foot-and-a-half from my best throw, so to be able to climb on the leaderboard was really lucky. After (Swarens) threw 60, it was just a fight for second.”
Meanwhile, Columbus East senior Cody Horner just missed a spot on the medals podium. He finished 10th in the prelims of the 100 meters in 10.95 seconds, missing the ninth and final qualifying spot to the finals by four-hundreths of a second.
“I’m super happy,” Horner said. “Coming over here I was seeded 14th, and to be able to beat a few guys out and get that top-10 spot, that’s awesome. I was never expecting to come here this season, but with all the hard work that we put in throughout the season, it’s definitely paid off. It was a good way to go out.”
Two other North athletes also were close to medaling. Freshman Matt Newell finished 11th in the 1,600 in 4:17.68, breaking his own school freshman record from the regional by about nine seconds.
“I felt really good on the first two laps, so from there on, it was all about being tough and holding on the next two,” Newell said. “Since I was fresh today (by not running the 4×800 relay), I think I had a good advantage.”
Bull Dog sophomore Preston Terrell finished 12th in the high jump at 6-6. It was the third consecutive meet in which Terrell made 6-6.
Terrell, who did not clear the opening height of 6-2 in last year’s state finals, cleared 6-2 and 6-4 on his first attempts and 6-6 on his second try Friday before missing three times at 6-7.
“I was more prepared than I was last year,” Terrell said. “From last year, I definitely improved on my jumps and placed higher than last year. I’m happy about that. I’m kind of upset about the 6-7. I should have gotten that.”
North freshman Reese Kilbarger-Stumpff finished 19th in the 1,600 in 4:24.72. Juniors Carson Littrell and Collin Pruitt, sophomore Andy Stohr and senior Sam Horak took 25th in the 4×800 relay in 9:24.68.
Stohr and Horak were replacing Kilbarger-Stumpff and Newell, who had run in the 4×800 team in the sectional and regional.
“It was a great state meet for these guys,” Sipe said. “I’m proud of them. They’ve been working hard all year. They’re young. It’s very exciting as they move forward.”
Brown County senior Jackson McPheeters finished 18th in the 800 in 1:58.50. Eagles senior Dale Phelps was 24th in the 300 hurdles in 40.97.
North Central edged Pike 42-41 to win the team title. Columbus North tied for 31st with eight points.
