Caleb Winders Anchors Bloomington North To 7:43.08 At Fall Creek Pavilion

Story and Photos by David Woods for DyeStat

INDIANAPOLIS – The high school level of track and field requires coaches to identify, encourage and develop athletes. Sometimes that means challenging them, and sometimes that means waiting to do so.

The various nationals have become a showcase elevating the sport, but there is more to this sport. Take Bloomington North, for instance.

INTERVIEWS

The Cougars could have traveled to Boston or New York two weeks ago to race in the 4x800-meter relay.  Caelan D’Onofrio, a sophomore, said they weren’t ready and didn’t know their potential.

Caleb Winders, also a soph, did go to New Balance Nationals and inexplicably ran 800 meters in 1:57.08 to finish 55th – one year after winning the freshman 800 in 1:56.30.

“I got a bad start, and tried to make it up too quickly,” he explained.

Saturday, he was so quick so often that it was difficult to put it all in perspective.

Anchored by Winders’ 1:51.73, Bloomington North ran the fastest 4x800 in the nation this year, 7:43.08, at the Nike Hoosier State Relays. 

The unofficial state meet was held at Fall Creek Pavilion in what promises to be the first of many championships –high school, college, national. The new venue on the Indiana State Fairgrounds, sponsored by Indiana Farm Bureau, features a banked, 200-meter oval and a 100-year-old façade to the former Swine Barn. Indiana lawmakers allocated $50 million for the multi-use building.

“It’s the fastest track I’ve ever run on,” Fishers hurdler Tyler Tarter said. 

Bloomington North won the large-school boys title by a 64-46 margin over Fishers.

Caelan D’Onofrio (1:54.60), Jack Holden (1:55.98), Dominic D’Onofrio (2:00.80) and Winders broke Hoosier State Relays and Indiana indoor records. Both were 7:46.04 by Columbus North in 2022. The 7:43.08 ranks 16th on the all-time high school list.

“This was always the goal,” Dominic D’Onofrio said.

Holden and Caelen D’Onofrio ran for a first-place distance medley relay team that was anchored by Winders in 4:21.31. Soon thereafter, Winders ran a 49.51 anchor for a fourth-place 4x400 team.

“He’s a winner,” Bloomington North coach Justin Helmer said. “To do that, you have to have something in you.”

Winders, as a freshman, ran a 1:50.20 anchor in a record relay of 7:37.24 at outdoor state.

Bloomington North became the first outside the Indianapolis area to win the large-school title in a championship held since 2009.

Elsewhere for large-school boys, Tarter ran a US#9 of 7.81 in the 60-meter hurdles, breaking the state record of 7.85 set by Brownsburg’s John Colquitt in 2022.

“He’s coming into this season with a purpose,” Fishers coach Nathan Warnecke said. “He’s on a mission. And you saw that today.”

Tarter injured his right hamstring as he crossed the finish in placing second in the 110-meter hurdles at last June’s state meet, and he has spent every day since rehabbing. He said only recently has he felt back in form.

“This means so much to me,” he said.

Brownsburg sprinter Dominic Calhoun set a meet record of 6.74 in the 60 meters, winning by .01 over Bloomington North’s Jaidyn Johnson. Calhoun pulled up in the second turn with a hamstring strain on his leadoff of the 4x200 relay, taking Brownsburg out of that relay and the 4x400.

This meet awards double points in relays, and there are just 11 events. So indoor results don’t necessarily correspond to outdoor state.

North Central and Zionsville tied for third with 36 points. Brownsburg, the defending outdoor champion and DyeStat dual-meet national champion, was 12th with 19.5.

Carmel relays worth girls title

Carmel scored 50 of its 60 points in four relays for a repeat large-school girls title and sixth overall. The Greyhounds last won an outdoor state championship in 1999.

Hamilton Southeastern was second (50), North Central third (48), Warren Central fourth (42) and defending outdoor champion Noblesville fifth (39).

Warren Central had two individual champs: Jila Vaden, 20 feet, 0.50 inches for a meet record in the long jump, and Laila Smith, 8.74 in the 60 hurdles. Smith received her medal from cousin Ashley Spencer, the 2016 Olympic bronze medalist in the 400 hurdles.

The same HSE foursome to win at Nike Indoor Nationals – Ciara Kepner, Addison Smith, Anissa Lammie, Chloe Senefeld – set a meet record of 3:53.03 in the 4x400.

National leader Hadley Lucas of Bloomington North won a third shot put title at 49-9.75, five inches off the meet record set by Olympian Felisha Johnson in 2008.

Homestead’s Addison Knoblauch won the 3,200 in 10:17.10, five seconds off her 2022 meet record. Anchored by Knoblauch’s 4:55.70, Homestead set a DMR meet record of 12:07.36.

Heritage Christian duo stays on top

Based on indoor U.S. rankings, the top boys and girls track and field athletes in Indiana are arguably Luke Himes and Kya Crooke.

Both attend Heritage Christian in Indianapolis, enrollment 496.

That is not their important number. The overriding figures are 70 feet to Himes, 6 feet to Crooke.

Himes, seeking to become the state’s second 70-foot shot putter, broke his own small-school state record with a distance of 66-8.

“It has eluded me,” Himes said of 70 feet. “But I know it’s there, and I know I’m going to hit it. It’s just a matter of when and where.”

The Notre Dame signee threw US#4 67-5 on Jan. 27 but could only manage 63-9.50 in placing third at New Balance. On Saturday, all six of his throws exceeded what he did at Boston. He said he had trouble adjusting to the fast ring there.

He threw 67-10 outdoors last year, or US#2.

“I’m feeling it could be a big year in the discus, too,” Himes said. “I feel quicker than ever.”

Crooke is quicker than ever.

She won the 60 meters in 7.76, and her 24.75 anchor (fastest of 192 runners over all classes) brought Heritage Christian to second in the 4x200 relay.

She took one attempt in the long jump and won at 19-2, and she high jumped 5-6 before missing at 6 feet. She was second in Nike nationals at 5-10.5 – her highest jump since winning adidas nationals at 5-10.75 in June 2022.

Crooke said she intends to concentrate outdoors on the high jump and long jump, something she has not done in high school.

“I think it’s going to be up from there,” she said.

Chatard sweeps team titles

Bishop Chatard of Indianapolis was a dominant small-school team, winning 91-51 over Delta in boys standings and 73-53 over Heritage Christian’s girls.

Chatard boys scored 72 of a possible 80 points in relays. Sophomore Phoenix Boyer ran a 22.23 leg for a team setting a meet record of 1:30.10 in the 4x200 and a 49.52 anchor in the 4x400 (3:26.00). Sam Feeney, second in the 60 meters by .01, anchored Chatard in the 4x200.

Chatard’s girls scored 64 points in four relays. Julia Score, also a soph, anchored in 2:16.91 for a winning 4x800 and in 5:06.58 for a second-place DMR.

Delta’s Nicki Southerland nearly set a meet record in clocking 10:17.85 in the 3,200 for her first indoor title. She  ran a 4:58.33 anchor in the DMR and 58.33 in the 4x400. The senior has won outdoor state at 1,600 and 3,200, and she could become the first Indiana girl to win at 800, 1,600 and 3,200 in a career.

“We’ll see what happens and how the season goes,” Southerland said. “But I think that would definitely be a great goal.”

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