Makensie Kramer’s mindset at the start of the track season was to attempt to qualify for the girls state finals for the first time in her career.
With the sectional a week and a half away, she’s now looking to do far more than just qualify.
The Center Grove senior doesn’t high jump or pole vault, yet she continues to raise the bar anyway as one of the state’s elite hurdlers.
Heading into the Pike Invitational this evening, Kramer’s 100-meter hurdles time of 14.81 seconds at last week’s Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference meet is the fastest in Indiana this season.
In a springtime of memorable performances — one that has seen the Trojans ascend to the No. 1 ranking in Indiana for the first time in program history — Kramer, who also runs the 300 hurdles, is one of the team’s many uplifting storylines.
“Makensie’s times are just immensely better, especially in the 100s,” said Center Grove coach Wes Dodson, referring to Kramer’s sophomore accomplishments since there was no 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“She’s dropped almost a second and a half since then. Her determination the past two years has just blossomed.”
As a 10th-grader, Kramer took second at sectional in the 100s behind since-graduated teammate Julia Riley, the discrepancy being a photo finish-like 15.31 seconds to 15.32, and she was also the runner-up in the 300 hurdles.
A week later, she barely missed out on a state finals berth in both events, taking fifth in the 100s and fourth in the 300s at regional.
Kramer feels much of her improvement stems from the fact that for the first time in years, she’s focusing solely on track. A soccer player since she was 5, Kramer had always played the sport at the club level in the spring but isn’t doing so this season.
Her career-best 300 time of 46.26 while winning county earlier this spring is almost a second faster than her regional performance of two years ago.
“I have worked harder and made track more of a priority,” said Kramer, whose nine goals were third-best on Center Grove’s girls soccer squad last fall. “I think I just have a natural talent in track and field, and I enjoy it more.
“I like that the work that I put in are the results that I get.”
Kramer’s sister Madi, a freshman, runs sprints for the Trojans, but will likely transition to hurdles as a sophomore. Makensie is enjoying the siblings’ one and only season together as high school track teammates.
“So far, it’s been pretty cool,” Makensie said. “Last week at the MIC meet, a girl was sick, so I ran the 4×100 relay and we got to have a handoff together.”
Big sis ran the first leg, younger sis the second. The Trojans placed fourth with a time of 50.28 seconds.
Makensie Kramer signed a national letter of intent to be part of the Ball State women’s track and field team come this fall. An outstanding student (3.78 grade-point average), she is considering majoring in speech language pathology.
Kramer would first like to stand on the awards podium at Ben Davis, host of the state finals on June 5, with top-nine finishes in the two hurdles events.
Dodson likes her chances.
“Hurdling is an acquired skill,” he said. “Makensie’s gone out, worked at it and improved a ton.”
