After falling about a foot short of qualifying for state in the shot put as a sophomore, Emily Herndon had some big goals for her junior track and field season.
That season ended up being canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving Herndon to repurpose those goals for this year. So far the Columbus North senior has met one of them, and her other big goal of making it to state is well within reach.
“It was really difficult not having a season last year because it was the year I was looking to really improve and figure some things out,” Herndon said. “This year, I have to figure out all the things I would have already done last year.”
Herndon will lead the 13th-ranked Bull Dog girls into today’s Conference Indiana meet at Bloomington North. She will be a heavy favorite in both the shot and discus.
This outdoor season, Herndon is undefeated in both events.
“She’s been disciplined in her weight room commitment, so that’s been consistently leading to her growth throughout her career,” North throwing coach Jordan Sharp said. “Technically, she’s continued to develop. She’s not anywhere near her peak technically, and that’s the great thing about Emily. She has a great upside, and her ceiling is way up there and she just continues to approach it.”
Herndon threw 39 feet, 7 1/2 inches in the shot as a sophomore, placing second in and fifth in the regional. She was two spots and 13 inches away from the third-and-final state-qualifying spot.
In last week’s dual meet at Seymour, Herndon threw a personal-best 41-6, which ranks her second in the state this season. She came back with a 41-4 1/2 effort in Tuesday’s quad meet at Shelbyville.
“Last year, I didn’t have a season, and I really wanted to break 40 feet then,” Herndon said. “So it’s kind of like starting this year, trying to do it. I’ve already broken 40 feet, so it’s just, keep working from there. My goal this year is to actually break the school record, so I’m kind of working toward that.”
The school records is 45-5, set by Tessa Krempel in 2014. Krempel also has the discus record at 145-4, but Herndon’s best in that event this season is 118-3.
“I think she’s really starting to find her groove in the discus, and I think she has a big one coming,” Sharp said. “Shot, we’re working on some things technically, but she’s been right around her 41-foot PR. We’re just trying to fine-tune her technique so she can break through and find 42 or 43 feet.”
At the same time, Herndon is trying to get better at the discus.
“My goal is to get fundamentally better and really just get consistent on discus, mostly, since I’ve been working on my spin a lot,” Herndon said. “I didn’t have a junior season to get set and comfortable in it, so it’s more like getting comfortable and consistent and figuring out any of these problems I’m having before I go to college.”
Herndon, who also was a key player on the Bull Dogs’ Conference Indiana champion girls basketball team, has been talking track coaches at Indiana University and Brown University. She has has been accepted into IU’s Kelley School of Business.
“I got into Kelley, and then their track coach started talking to me, so it’s kind of coincidental,” Herndon said. “I haven’t committed yet, but right now, IU is my top choice.”
For now, Herndon is focused on getting to state in at least the shot — if not both of her events. But the road won’t be easy.
Whiteland’s Drew Mallory is only a few inches off Herndon’s personal-best in the shot, and Center Grove’s Shelby Wingler is only a foot off. They will join Herndon in the Franklin Sectional, along with Center Grove’s Ella Rasche, who beat her in the sectional and regional in 2019.
“I think she has a very realistic chance of making it in the shot, and she’s probably one of the favorites heading into that regional,” Sharp said. “In the discus, there’s going to be a group of girls that are around that 120 to 125 mark. But in shot put, I think she has a very real chance, and she just has to bring her A game that day and show the competition what she’s made of.”
Conference Indiana boys and girls track meet
When: 5 p.m. today
Where: Bloomington North
Teams: Columbus North, Bloomington North, Bloomington South, Southport, Terre Haute North, Terre Haute South
