State Finals

Eyes on the podium

Kokomo Tribune - Saturday, June 07, 2014

WESTERN

The Panthers 4x800 relay team has risen rapidly to stamp their names into history.

The foursome of senior Jacob Bradshaw, junior Auston Davenport, senior Matt Grider and freshman Josh Everetts were clocking in times in the 8:49 range as the postseason neared.

The team has enjoyed an incredible burst of speed in recent weeks, culminating in a third-place finish in the regional round in a time of 8:05.45, a performance which broke a school record and set a new all-time area best mark.

“To come from where they were just a few weeks ago is incredible,” Western coach Marvin Boswell said. “Knocking 44 seconds off the time is phenomenal. The kids have all worked extremely hard. It’s paid off for them. They’ve just gone out and run with the competition as we’ve moved on. I don’t think the kids even knew how fast they were running.”

They’ll be seeded in the middle of the pack among 4x800 teams in the state finals, but considering their steady improvement, just about anything seems possible.

“I just hope our kids can go down there and improve their time just a little bit, I believe that would be saying just wonders about what these kids have been able to accomplish this year,” Boswell added.

Grider has overcome foot injuries this season to return to the state finals for a third straight season. He finished

seventh in last season’s 3,200, but will have improve his time dramatically to reach the podium once more this year. His third-place regional time of 9:46.83 is 36 seconds slower than the top seed in the state, West Lafayette’s Cooper Williams.

“He is such a competitor, and he’s had such a great career here at Western,” Boswell said of Grider. “He’s coming in with the slowest seed, but we know he’s not the slowest kid out there on the track. We look for him to move into the pack and see how well things will go. He has a lot of rest after the 4x8, and I just want him to go out and enjoy his last high school race.”

Corey Hinkle will join the Panthers in Bloomington after a heave of 153-0 won a title at the South Bend Saint Joseph regional last week. The all-state football player also finished third in the wrestling state finals in the 182-pound class.

“He’s only a junior, and he’s had a pretty phenomenal junior year,” Boswell said. “That’s a pretty nice set of accomplishments for a junior. We’re really proud of what he’s been able to accomplish.”

IHSAA BOYS TRACK STATE FINALS Today, at Robert C. Haugh Track & Field Complex, IU Bloomington Field events start at 3 p.m. Running events start at 4:15 p.m.