Rogers Runs 6.68 For Indoor Indiana Best In 60 Meters; Bode Gilkerson Clears 7 Feet In HJ

Story and Photos by David Woods for DyeStat

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – For one Saturday, Park Tudor School was the epicenter of Indiana running.

March Madness in the Hoosier state is usually about basketball. Across a parking lot from Indiana University’s fieldhouse is the hoops hall where five NCAA championship banners hang.

But the madness on this night came in track and field, and from an Indianapolis private school whose enrollment is 378. The Panthers have a banner to hang, too.

Jasiah Rogers became Indiana’s fastest teen, and valiant quadruples by Gretchen Farley and Sophia Kennedy delivered a first state track title. Of Park Tudor’s previous 20 state championships, 17 were in tennis or basketball.

RESULTS - SMALL SCHOOLS | LARGE SCHOOLS

INTERVIEWS

Hoosier State Relays – divided by small schools in Classes 1A-2A-3A and large schools in 4A-5A-6A – are an unofficial indoor state meet. But that trophy, these times and those smiles were authentic.

“This means the world to me, honestly,” said Rogers, who set an Indiana indoor record of 6.68 in the 60 meters. “To be able to be a senior and leave my mark on the state in the last year. Hopefully, the record will stand for a good amount of time.

“All the hard work I put in, all the time, dedication and sacrifice, it’s all for this.”

How legit is Rogers? He broke his own state record of 6.69 – set March 4 at Marion, Ind. – and was fourth in 6.72 at New Balance Nationals Indoor on March 12 at Boston. His 6.68 is US#8 and ranks 15th on Tilastopaja’s under-20 world list.

Moreover, his time is worth 1,108 points on World Athletics’ scoring tables. By comparison, Plainfield’s Bode Gilkerson became the second American high schooler this year to high jump 7 feet – worth 1,030 points. Gilkerson would have needed to jump 7-3.25 to match Rogers’ score. 

While on the subject of legit, Farley favorably compares to a state quadruple turned in last June by Huntington North’s Addy Wiley. 

Farley: 10:42, 3,200 meters; 3:36, 1,200; 2:10, 800; 57.5, 400.

Wiley: 10:38, 4:38 (1,600), 2:06, 57.03.

Wiley was at peak fitness, going on to set a 1,600 national record a week later. Farley is seven weeks removed from basketball season.

“I learned a lot,” Farley said.

The quadruples came in a span of three and a half hours, with about 80-90 minutes between races.

In the opening 3,200, Kennedy made a bid for sub-10:00 by running the first half in 4:54.81. She set a small-school state record of 10:16.14, followed by Farley in 10:41.93.

Then it was on to the 4x800 relay, in which Park Tudor was second to Indian Creek, 9:34.57 to 9:37.43 (Kennedy 2:17.61, Farley 2:10.04). In the distance medley relay, Park Tudor was first in 12:24.95 (Farley 3:36.6, Kennedy 4:57.7). In the 4x400 relay, legs were Farley 57.5 and Kennedy 63.7 for fourth place.

Relays are worth double points (20-16-12, etc.). Park Tudor led Bishop Chatard 60-41 before the climactic relay, so Bishop Chatard would have won if the Panthers had come up empty in the 4x400.

Totals: Park Tudor 70, Chatard 61, Heritage Christian, Guerin Catholic and West Lafayette, all 42.

“As the season went on and we realized how fast we were running, we realized we’ve got a good shot at this,” Kennedy said. “It kind of hyped us throughout the season and kept us going.

“Gretchen and I kind of had the butterfly mentality the entire day. You finish the race, and you’re on to the next one.”

The outcome was especially meaningful for the Kennedy and Farley families. Sophia was awarded her 3,200 gold by her father, Bob Kennedy, a two-time Olympian who set six American records and won a world cross-country team bronze medal.

“At first, he was like, ‘Do I get a hug?’ Of course, you do,” Sophia said.

Gretchen was age 4 when her sisters, Hannah and Abby, bid for a state team title in 2009. Park Tudor (39) was third behind Lawrence North (51) and Warren Central (45). 

“Oh yeah. I can give them some talk,” Gretchen said. “ ‘Hey, look at us: state champs. You didn’t get that.’ “

This was actually a third state title for Farley, a 1,000-point basketball scorer who was on two Park Tudor soccer champions.

Before they head off to Notre Dame and Stanford, respectively, Farley and Kennedy aim for their first formal state titles June 3. Farley intends to concentrate on the 800, and Kennedy is undecided on a 1,600/3,200 double.

Buttressing the distance duo was swimmer Kate Wiegand, third in the pole vault at 10-6, and freshman Simone Hall, a diver who was third in the state and is trying to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Trials. Hall led off the 4x400 relay in 62.6. 

“She’s so composed,” Park Tudor coach Ryan Ritz said of Hall. “She’s got it.”

Boys large schools: Gilkerson first 7-footer

For a third successive indoor season, Indiana produced a 7-foot jumper, following Kamyren Garrett 7-2.50 in 2021 and Brion Stephens 7-1.50 in 2022. Gilkerson missed three times at 7-0.5, trying to break Stephens’ meet record of 7-0.25. 

Gilkerson won last year’s outdoor state title, matching the feat by Plainfield’s Greg Jones from 1978. Jones was in attendance, as was Dave Teany, who coached both to state titles 44 years apart. 

“There’s been a lot of preparation,” said Gilkerson, a Purdue recruit who skipped the three indoor nationals. “At first this season, my approach was really messed up. I worked on it a couple of weeks leading up to this meet.” 

Elsewhere, Hobart’s Cody Johnston broke his own meet record of 16-7 by vaulting 17-0. He missed three attempts at 17-4 – capturing the attention of a crowd clapping rhythmically – as he tried to exceed his US#4 vault of 17-1. 

“It was a great atmosphere, just as it always is,” Johnston said. “Runway is very fast. I went through my poles. I guess that’s a good thing, you know. Making 17-0 consistently is good now. The next step is bigger poles and bigger heights.” 

Johnston, an Illinois recruit, won at both Nike and adidas nationals. 

Kole Mathison ran relay legs of 1:51.7 in the 4x800, won by Carmel in 7:48.51, and 4:10.7 in the distance medley relay. He has been racing almost weekly since September, featuring a Champs cross country national title and under-20 world team bronze medal. 

“It’s been a lot, all the travel and racing,” Mathison said. “I’m definitely feeling the toll of it. I’m still trying to enjoy the last few moments of my senior season and go out with a bang with some crazy-good races on the track.”

Also on the track, Fishers’ Tyler Tarter lowered his PB to 8.05 – fifth nationally among juniors – in winning the 60 hurdles. He was second at state in the 300 hurdles as a sophomore. 

Nayyir Newash-Campbell, running with a wrap on a broken hand, ran a 48.69 anchor to carry Plainfield to victory in the 4x400 relay at 3:23.62. 

No. 2-ranked Brownsburg, the outdoor state runner-up in 2022 and 2021, scored 50 points to win a tight team race. No. 4 Carmel, the defending champion, and No. 9 Fishers tied for second with 49. Top-ranked Center Grove was fourth with 44. 

Girls large schools: Hadley Lucas 48-5 in shot put 

Bloomington North’s Hadley Lucas repeated as shot put winner with a 48-5 that is US#2. 

She won a shot/discus double at last June’s state meet. She traveled to Louisville, to Ky., a week ago to win the weight (50-9.25/15.47m) at the USATF youth nationals. 

“I only practiced for a week leading up to that meet in the weight throw,” said Lucas, a Wisconsin signee. “So I was pretty excited.” 

Carmel scored 58 of its 65 points in the four relays to win the girls title. Noblesville was second with 42.33, Hamilton Southeastern third with 39.5 and Brownsburg fourth with 37. 

Boys small schools: Luke Himes 63-4.5 in shot put

Heritage Christian junior Luke Himes repeated in the shot put at 63-4.5, about two inches off his meet record. He was second at New Balance nationals with a US#3 of 63-9.25.

 Chatard scored 76 of the maximum 80 points in relays and finished first with 84. Guerin Catholic was second with 48, Delta third with 45.5 and Churubusco fourth with 42.

Noah Dudik, a wide receiver for Chatard’s state football champions, ran a 48.9 anchor in the 4x400 relay. Chatard set a meet record of 3:25.20.

Girls small schools: Rachel Mehringer .01 from sprint/hurdles double

Forest Park’s Rachel Mehringer has a resume as a hurdler, having won two state titles in the 100 hurdles, finishing third in the 60 hurdles at this month’s Nike Indoor Nationals and setting an Indiana record of 8.45.

Turns out she has flat speed, too.

After repeating in the hurdles in 8.64, Mehringer came within one-hundredth of a second of  a double. Heritage Christian sophomore Kya Crooke edged her in the 60 meters, 7.71 to 7.72.

“It actually puts me at a higher level,” said Mehringer, an Indiana State recruit with a 13.92 PB in the 100 hurdles.

“This year, because my times in indoor season have gotten quite a bit faster, my goal is to get in the mid-13s.”

Crooke, after an MRI Friday, considered not competing because of a sprained ligament in her foot. She ended up as a triple winner, taking one attempt each in the high jump (5-4) and long jump (18-3.75). She ran for a team finishing sixth in the 4x200 relay, so she was in on 36 of Heritage Christian’s 42 points.

“It was a good day. I’m glad I did it,” she said.

Crooke, an age-group national champion in the pentathlon, said her probable state schedule includes 100 meters, high jump, long jump, 4x100 relay. She jumped 5-8.75/1.75m to win Nike Indoor Nationals.

Contact David Woods at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007.