Success at conference for FC track
May 18, 2021 at 8:58 p.m.
Success at conference for FC track
By Will Fehlinger-
At the end, the FC boys were just a few scoring athletes short as they placed third with 115 points; East Central had 127 behind winning Batesville (133.33). The Lady Cats were 5th among the eight schools, scoring 50. EC’s Lady Trojans blew away the field with 172 pts., as BHS and Greensburg were next.
Coach Joe Davidson was pleased with the six individual conference crowns, tied for most in recent history. Going in, he said his athletes were favored to win four events based on seedings. Several personal marks were also set.
Senior Grace Kruthaupt was one of those favored, who delivered. In the 200 meters, she looked to improve upon runner-up in her previous three events. The coach called her “strong and lengthy build, perfect” for the race, in addition to hurdles. The senior won the prelims, then the title with a time of 27.11 seconds.
Jacob Schatzle, a junior “superstar” in the words of his coach, won his fourth consecutive title in pole vault; his clearing 12 feet was a foot higher than Brody Bennett of EC. The versatile Wildcat totaled 32.5 points for his squad on the night.
Senior teammate Hunter Tschaenn had been battling injuries all year, according to Davidson. A great prelim time in the 100 (PR of 11.23) foretold a fast night for the sprinter.
In the finals, Schatzle and Tschaenn got out of the blocks strong and were first to the 10-meter mark as they battled with EC’s Erik Perkins. The seed order was the reverse – Perkins, Tschaenn, Schatzle. The latter flew through the finish line first at 11.12, followed by Tschaenn’s 11.14 and Perkins’ 11.18; according to athletic.net, these were all PRs. Any of these times would have won conference in five of the past six years.
“It’s hard enough to win an event in the EIAC, it’s very hard to have the best two in that event,” Davidson noted. “There have been times where intra-squad competition has driven teammates apart. These two have seemed to grow closer and I credit Hunter. As the senior leader, his attitude towards his fellow sprinters has been nothing but positive. I see him happy when he wins … but I see him even happier when his teammates win.”
Schatzle, Tschaenn, Tyreke Carr and Drew Grant were ranked first in the 4x100 and needed to hold serve for the title. This they did, their 43.84 (second-best time of the season) causing a gap between themselves and runner-up Batesville.
In the long jump, coach Garrett Rauch gave Schatzle and Sam Westerfeld pep talks after their first leaps were low-energy. When results came in, Schatzle had won in the pit (21 ft.-3.25 in.) at nearly 2 feet better than Rushville’s Carter Tague; Westerfeld was 3rd (19-6.5). Davidson credited his assistant in correcting the jumpers’ approach flaws.
Tschaenn won his title in the 200. With Perkins again seeded first, it would take a concerted effort. Carr had run a PR in the prelims to make the finals. Tschaenn led from the start and finished in 22.88 (4th in school history), ahead of Perkins’ 23.16 and Carr’s 3rd-place 23.58.
Kruthaupt’s runner-up placements came in the 100 hurdles (16.55 to Elizabeth Mitchell of Greensburg’s 16.11), 300 hurdles after a bit of a slow start (50.55 to EC’s Hope Fox – 49.81) and the 4x100 with freshman Audrey Harper, Madison Merritt and fellow senior Lauren Kelley, a late addition (53.08 to EC’s 52.98).
Junior Chad Cox was red-ribbon winner in high jump in his first year on the team. He never scratched while clearing 6 feet; Batesville standout Gabe Gunter won at 6-2. Senior Cam Smith was runner-up in shot put, his 45-1 second only to the strength of EC’s Leo Maxwell (55-8).
In another good finish, the boys 4x400 team of Tschaenn, Grant, Denver Meier and Carr held off a strong Batesville team to place second, though EC’s Perkins legged out the anchor over Tschaenn (3:30.09 to 3:30.88). This beat their seeding by one place. Adding to the anchor drama was JJ Kuisel of Batesville, earlier a winner in the 400. FC’s time was the fastest since 1993.
Smith PR’ed in discus to place 3rd (136-7) as Maxwell maxed out at 174-8. Harper took 3rd in the 100 (13.5); “she has almost put it all together,” said her coach. Grant, a senior, placed 3rd in the 400 with the 5th-best time in FCHS history of 53.02.
Kelley, the best distance runner in FC’s record books, was up against two of the best 800 runners in the state in Greensburg’s Brenner Hanna and EC’s Ellie Lengerich. Kelley went all out on the first lap to keep pace but Lengerich finished with the state’s 3rd-top time this season (2:13.87) and future Indiana Hoosier Hanna was next at 2:20.74. Kelley’s season best of 2:28.38 was third.
Other notables were Harper’s 6th in long jump (14-4.5), Lucas Stacy’s tie for 7th in high jump (5-6), Westerfeld’s 7th in shot (42-6) and PRs for Hunter Marshall (1600; 5:11.87 & 3200; 12:00.38), Adam Grant (3200; 11:32.97), Sophie Garrett (400; 1:18.7), Hannah George (400) and Owen Harvey (800; 2:18.66).
FC’s girls competed at sectional Tuesday (results not available at press time) while the boys visit East Central Thursday to start the state tourney.
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At the end, the FC boys were just a few scoring athletes short as they placed third with 115 points; East Central had 127 behind winning Batesville (133.33). The Lady Cats were 5th among the eight schools, scoring 50. EC’s Lady Trojans blew away the field with 172 pts., as BHS and Greensburg were next.
Coach Joe Davidson was pleased with the six individual conference crowns, tied for most in recent history. Going in, he said his athletes were favored to win four events based on seedings. Several personal marks were also set.
Senior Grace Kruthaupt was one of those favored, who delivered. In the 200 meters, she looked to improve upon runner-up in her previous three events. The coach called her “strong and lengthy build, perfect” for the race, in addition to hurdles. The senior won the prelims, then the title with a time of 27.11 seconds.
Jacob Schatzle, a junior “superstar” in the words of his coach, won his fourth consecutive title in pole vault; his clearing 12 feet was a foot higher than Brody Bennett of EC. The versatile Wildcat totaled 32.5 points for his squad on the night.
Senior teammate Hunter Tschaenn had been battling injuries all year, according to Davidson. A great prelim time in the 100 (PR of 11.23) foretold a fast night for the sprinter.
In the finals, Schatzle and Tschaenn got out of the blocks strong and were first to the 10-meter mark as they battled with EC’s Erik Perkins. The seed order was the reverse – Perkins, Tschaenn, Schatzle. The latter flew through the finish line first at 11.12, followed by Tschaenn’s 11.14 and Perkins’ 11.18; according to athletic.net, these were all PRs. Any of these times would have won conference in five of the past six years.
“It’s hard enough to win an event in the EIAC, it’s very hard to have the best two in that event,” Davidson noted. “There have been times where intra-squad competition has driven teammates apart. These two have seemed to grow closer and I credit Hunter. As the senior leader, his attitude towards his fellow sprinters has been nothing but positive. I see him happy when he wins … but I see him even happier when his teammates win.”
Schatzle, Tschaenn, Tyreke Carr and Drew Grant were ranked first in the 4x100 and needed to hold serve for the title. This they did, their 43.84 (second-best time of the season) causing a gap between themselves and runner-up Batesville.
In the long jump, coach Garrett Rauch gave Schatzle and Sam Westerfeld pep talks after their first leaps were low-energy. When results came in, Schatzle had won in the pit (21 ft.-3.25 in.) at nearly 2 feet better than Rushville’s Carter Tague; Westerfeld was 3rd (19-6.5). Davidson credited his assistant in correcting the jumpers’ approach flaws.
Tschaenn won his title in the 200. With Perkins again seeded first, it would take a concerted effort. Carr had run a PR in the prelims to make the finals. Tschaenn led from the start and finished in 22.88 (4th in school history), ahead of Perkins’ 23.16 and Carr’s 3rd-place 23.58.
Kruthaupt’s runner-up placements came in the 100 hurdles (16.55 to Elizabeth Mitchell of Greensburg’s 16.11), 300 hurdles after a bit of a slow start (50.55 to EC’s Hope Fox – 49.81) and the 4x100 with freshman Audrey Harper, Madison Merritt and fellow senior Lauren Kelley, a late addition (53.08 to EC’s 52.98).
Junior Chad Cox was red-ribbon winner in high jump in his first year on the team. He never scratched while clearing 6 feet; Batesville standout Gabe Gunter won at 6-2. Senior Cam Smith was runner-up in shot put, his 45-1 second only to the strength of EC’s Leo Maxwell (55-8).
In another good finish, the boys 4x400 team of Tschaenn, Grant, Denver Meier and Carr held off a strong Batesville team to place second, though EC’s Perkins legged out the anchor over Tschaenn (3:30.09 to 3:30.88). This beat their seeding by one place. Adding to the anchor drama was JJ Kuisel of Batesville, earlier a winner in the 400. FC’s time was the fastest since 1993.
Smith PR’ed in discus to place 3rd (136-7) as Maxwell maxed out at 174-8. Harper took 3rd in the 100 (13.5); “she has almost put it all together,” said her coach. Grant, a senior, placed 3rd in the 400 with the 5th-best time in FCHS history of 53.02.
Kelley, the best distance runner in FC’s record books, was up against two of the best 800 runners in the state in Greensburg’s Brenner Hanna and EC’s Ellie Lengerich. Kelley went all out on the first lap to keep pace but Lengerich finished with the state’s 3rd-top time this season (2:13.87) and future Indiana Hoosier Hanna was next at 2:20.74. Kelley’s season best of 2:28.38 was third.
Other notables were Harper’s 6th in long jump (14-4.5), Lucas Stacy’s tie for 7th in high jump (5-6), Westerfeld’s 7th in shot (42-6) and PRs for Hunter Marshall (1600; 5:11.87 & 3200; 12:00.38), Adam Grant (3200; 11:32.97), Sophie Garrett (400; 1:18.7), Hannah George (400) and Owen Harvey (800; 2:18.66).
FC’s girls competed at sectional Tuesday (results not available at press time) while the boys visit East Central Thursday to start the state tourney.
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