Columbus North’s Tucker Smith competes in the shot put during the sectional track meet at Columbus North High School in Columbus, Ind., Thursday, May, 20, 2021.
Columbus North has championship potential, Columbus East has a new coach and Hauser has a couple of the state’s top athletes in an event for the first time in years.
That’s the synopsis of Bartholomew County’s three boys track teams heading into the 2022 season. Here is a look at them, as well as the other five area teams:
Columbus North
The Bull Dogs have high-end quality with the ability to score big at the state meet.
Senior Tucker Smith won the state title in the shot put and finished 11th in the discus last season, earning Gatorade Indiana Boys Track and Field Athlete of the Year honors. Senior Reese Kilbarger-Stumpff was state runner-up in the 1,600 meters and won the cross-country state title in the fall.
“Tucker is looking really good and has took up the challenge of working on his discus, too,” North coach Rick Sluder said. “Our distance guys, we’re looking at some individual high places, and we think we can compete very well in the 4×800 (relay).”
Kilbarger-Stumpff also had one of the state’s fastest times in the 800 last year. Senior Matt Newell and juniors Clayton Guthrie, Kellen Hottell and Will Russell were on the 4×800 relay team that finished 19th at state. Newell, Guthrie, Hottell and junior Mateo Mendez have the state’s fastest indoor time in that event going into today’s Hoosier State Relays, the unofficial state indoor meet.
Senior Evan Carr just missed qualifying for state in the 3,200. He and senior Will Kiel joined Kilbarger-Stumpff and the 4×800 group on the Bull Dogs’ cross-country team that finished third at state last fall.
“Our distance group looks as strong or stronger than they did in the fall,” Sluder said. “They’ve continued to work hard. We’ll have tough competition in our regional with Center Grove, but I think we can be sending three or four individuals to state, as well as the 4×800.”
Sluder will look to senior Noah Abfall in the 400 and long jump, junior Alex Narvaez and seniors Luke Hammons and Keegan Castetter in the sprints. Senior Jack Wright and sophomore Josh Wright return in the hurdles, but are being pushed by freshman Owen Russell. Junior Liam Phillips is back in the pole vault , and junior Savion Miles will join Smith in the throws.
“It’s great when you go into a meet with six events where you know you’re going to have athletes at the top, and that’s our throws and our distance,” Sluder said. “Our goal is to compete with the Bloomington schools for the conference and Center Grove for our sectional and regional and set ourselves up for as good a state meet as we can have.”
Columbus East
Jerone Wood, a 2006 East graduate who ran track for the Olympians and has been an assistant the past three years, takes over as head coach.
“We’ve ran pretty hard this year, just getting prepared for the beginning of the season,” Wood said. “I’ve been running them a lot.”
Columbus East’s Ethan Duncan, center, crosses the finish line in the 4×100-meter relay during the Boys Track and Field State Finals at Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis, Friday, June 4, 2021.
The Olympians qualified for state in the 4×100 and 4×400 relays last season. The only returner from those teams is junior Ethan Duncan.
Senior Anthony Lloyd returns in the high jump, 400 and sprints. Senior Rocco Duffy is back in the sprints and long jump, and juniors Tommy Anderson and Renden Scott return in the sprints. Junior newcomer Devon Tekulve will compete in the sprints and jumps.
Other top returners are senior Charlie Russell in the hurdles, junior Jacob Guse in the throws and senior Gavin Edgecomb in the pole vault, long jump and high jump. Freshman Jackson Brookes is leading the distance crew.
“I think we’ll be competitive,” Wood said. “We have a bunch of guys that have all bought in. They’re putting in a good effort, and as long as we continue to do that, I think we’ll do pretty well this season.”
Hauser
The Jets have a pair of long jumpers who have had breakout performances this indoor season. Junior Cameron Toole and senior Aleck Lopez are ranked third and fourth in the small-school division going into today’s Hoosier State Relays.
Toole and Lopez also are sprinters. Junior Alex Bower will do the sprints, high jump and long jump, sophomore Colin Kistler returns in the distance events and sophomore Will Walters is back in the throws.
Cephas Zulu, an exchange student from Liberia, will run sprints and hurdles. Other top newcomers are freshman Alex Cord in the sprints and jumps and freshman Luke Bruner in the throws.
“We have pretty good numbers, kind of on par from the past few years,” Hauser coach Ben Finke said. “I’m pleased with the progress of the new athletes we have.”
Jennings County
The Panthers have a new coach in Justin Smith, and he has a large team with more than 50 athletes, including 14 seniors.
Seniors Aiden Ernstes, Brenden Baker and Lane Elsner and junior Eli Wahlman lead the distance group. Sophomore Branden Braun and senior Bryce Barnes are the top sprinters, and Braun also long jumps.
Sophomore Will Barnes returns in the hurdles and long jump, and junior Cole Marksberry is back in the hurdles and 400. Junior Nate Davis returns in the sprints.
Senior Jake Sturgeon and senior Payton Hayden, who has played baseball in previous springs, lead the throwers. Other top returners are juniors Evan Sochacki and Levi Marsh in the pole vault, senior Colton Ross in the long jump and sprints and sophomore Dylan Harrison in the high jump.
“We actually have a little more depth than what we’ve had,” Smith said. “We’ve been really focusing on getting kids running properly and working on technique running. We’ve tried to be event-specific and where kids would like to be at and work from there.”
Brown County
The Eagles will be distance heavy with about 13 distance runners out for the team.
Junior Chase Austin, a state qualifier in cross-country, leads that distance crew. He is joined by junior Rafe Silbaugh, senior Rhett Silbaugh and sophomore Cord Smith.
“We’re really heavily distance right now with our team,” Brown County coach Kirk Wrightsman said. “We have a really strong throws group. Sprints is an area where we need to develop. We’re trying to develop some high and long jumpers and a pole vaulter, but distance and throws is what we’re going to heavily rely on.”
Junior Ethan Spiece and senior Waylon Patrick are the Eagles’ top 400 runners. Spiece also will run the sprints.
Other top athletes are junior Wyatt Barnett and senior Jack Redding in the throws, junior Blake Grider and freshman Kody Shugars in the hurdles and freshman Case Smith in distance, high jump or hurdles.
South Decatur
The Cougars will look to defend the Mid-Hoosier Conference title that they won last season.
Senior Ian Frensemeier won the shot and discus at the MHC meet. Seniors Corbin Mitchell and Josh Edwards return in the sprints, Kelby Shook is back in the sprints and high jump and Ryken Winchester returns in the throws and jumps.
Seniors Trevor Newby and Josh Shouse and junior Chase Kalli lead the distance and middle distance crew and are joined by sophomore Donovan Hale and senior Bradley Walling. Sophomores Campbell Johannigman and McKinley Shook return in the hurdles.
Freshman Lucas Ballard won the 100 and 200 at the MHC junior high meet last year. Freshman Corbin Johnson will join the throwers group.
“All three of our boys relay teams will be competitive this season, as we have a lot of boys who are running well and can contribute to relay success,” South Decatur coach Dan Wenning said. “It will be fun to see how it all shakes out as we progress through the year.”
Edinburgh
The Lancers will have a larger team than usual with about 20 athletes.
Junior Enrique Callejas in the 300 hurdles was Edinburgh’s top runner last season. Freshman Jackson Hartwell steps in for the 100 hurdles and long jump.
Junior Tanner Kohr will be a sprinter, and sophomore Austin Brockman will do the 400 and long jump. Other top athletes are seniors Travis Vidal and Connor Douglass and sophomore Gavin Mullis in the throws; juniors Braylon Bryant and Blaze Jensen in the sprints, long jump and high jump and freshman Irving Luis-Orosco and sophomores Anduan Chavez and Ethan Campbell and freshmen Cole White and Brian Callejas in the middle distance events.
“We have a pretty solid group,” Edinburgh coach Amy Schilling said. “We’re excited about that. We should be able to compete in conference. We do have a lot of good athletes that came out this year.”
Trinity Lutheran
After having only three boys runners last season, the Cougars have 10 for new coach Keith Dyer, who takes over after coaching cross-country at Immanuel Lutheran the past four years.
Junior Adam Everroad returns in 800 and 1,600. Freshman Jake Holland has shown promise in the hurdles, and junior Matt Cobb and sophomore Zander Roggow are the top sprinters.
“I’m very encouraged about having 10 guys out,” Dyer said. “They’re coming together as a team, pushing each other and supporting each other.”
The 2022 boys track schedules for Bartholomew County schools:
Columbus East
April 2;at Bloomington South;10:30 a.m.
April 5;at Seymour;5 p.m.
April 9;at Columbus North Invitational;11 a.m.
April 12;at Shelbyville (with Southwestern);5:30 p.m.
April 14;at Jennings County (with Brownstown Central);5 p.m.
April 19;Bloomington North;5:30 p.m.
April 21;Columbus North;5 p.m.
April 26;at Seymour Invitational;6 p.m.
May 3;Brown County;5 p.m.
May 12;Hoosier Hills Conference meet;6 p.m.
Columbus North
April 5;Bloomington South;6 p.m.
April 9;North Invitational;11 a.m.
April 12;Seymour;6 p.m.
April 15;at Franklin Central Showcase;6 p.m.
April 21;at Columbus East;5:30 p.m.
April 23;at Pike Invitational;11 a.m.
April 26;at East Central;6 p.m.
April 29;Conference Indiana at Southport;6 p.m.
May 10;at Franklin;5 p.m.
Hauser
Tuesday;Jennings County;5:30 p.m.
April 4;at Crothersville;5:30 p.m.
April 12;at Indianapolis Lutheran;5 p.m.
April 18;at Triton Central (with Waldron);5 p.m.
April 21;at Jac-Cen-Del (with Morristown);5 p.m.
April 22;at Edinburgh Lancer Relays;5 p.m.
April 26;at Batesville (with Jac-Cen-Del, North Decatur);5 p.m.
April 28;Indy Genesis;5:30 p.m.
May 5;Brown County;5 p.m.
May 10;MHC at Southwestern (Shelby);5 p.m.
