Aside from a stiff headwind early in the evening, the weather was just about ideal for the Johnson County track and field meet at Whiteland on Tuesday.
The athletes competing took advantage of the conditions, with half a dozen meet records falling over the course of the night, including five on the girls side.
That wind couldn’t knock Center Grove out of its championship perch, however.
The Trojan girls dominated from start to finish, outpointing runner-up Whiteland, 185 to 132. The boys meet was closer, with Center Grove pulling away from the Warriors late to win 181 to 145.33.
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"I think we kind of came together and realized we had a job to do," Center Grove senior Gavin Matheson said.
Kiyah Yeast won both the 100 and 200 meters for the Trojans, while Julia Riley added first-place finishes in the 100 hurdles and long jump. Both Yeast and Riley were on two winning relays, joining Riko Williams and Myana Pace in setting a new county mark (48.84 seconds) in the 4×100.
Taylor Jarosinski also had a record-setting day for Center Grove, clearing 12 feet in the pole vault. Whiteland got record finishes from Isabella Jackson in the 300 hurdles (46.18) and Reagan Emberton in the discus (132 feet, 8 inches).
Greenwood’s Nick Patton established a new meet record in the 110 hurdles at 15.25 seconds.
Gavin Matheson was first in the 100 and 200 for the Trojan boys, while also contributing to Center Grove wins in the 4×100 and 4×400 relays. The champs also got wins from Jacob Keith (high jump) and Lucas Roehling (long jump).
Matheson and Yeast were chosen as the meet’s outstanding performers, excelling despite a wind that probably had more of an adverse impact on the sprints than anything else all day.
"Oh my," Yeast said. "That headwind, it was terrible. It was disrespectful. I felt like it was just hitting me. It died down a little bit for the 200 and on, but it was still really strong."
The Whiteland boys got first-place finishes in both the 1,600 and 3,200 from Will Jefferson. The Warriors also got wins from Ethan Myers (shot put) and Logan Beers (discus).
The Greenwood boys, who finished third overall, also got a victory in the 400 from Lex Logan. Franklin’s boys took first in the 4×800 relay, while Indian Creek’s Nathan Decker won the 800.
In the girls meet, Lillian Lacy won both the 1,600 and 3,200 to help Franklin to a third-place team finish. Jackson added a high jump win to her 300 hurdles victory for Whiteland, Greenwood’s Emily Bonser took the shot put and Indian Creek’s Shaelyn Biddle hit the line first in the 800.
