Three years, three titles

May 18, 2022 at 8:24 p.m.
Three years, three titles
Three years, three titles

By Will Fehlinger-

How often can a high school athlete say they were undefeated in sectional competition?

Well, that's the case for Union County's Kaleah Louden.

Tuesday at Connersville High School, the senior completed a clean sweep of the 100-meter hurdles event across her Patriot career. Three sectional titles as the 2020 state tournament was lost to Covid.

At the 2022 CHS sectional, Louden cruised through the barriers in 16.92 seconds, soundly defeating the effort of Seton Catholic's Lydia Reichley (17.33). As a freshman in 2019, Kaleah was even swifter with a time of 16.57. Last spring, her time of 17.09 was good enough to take gold at the Connersville tourney.

In the 300 hurdles event, Louden finished in fourth place with a time of 53.1 seconds, leaving her outside the top three automatic qualifiers and the top 16 finishers at the feeder sectionals into next Tuesday's regional at Franklin Community – Franklin, East Central and New Palestine.

The IU East recruit will take her talents to the regional, along with a few other Patriot teammates.

Freshman Katie McCashland had a dazzling sectional debut by winning the 100-meter dash in a time of 13.09, as well as the long jump competition with a winning leap of 15 feet, 10 inches. She also joined sister Carly, a junior, sophomore Haley Alcorn and senior Emma Cox in placing third in the 4x100 relay (53.86), good for advancement. Carly McCashland rounded out the UC regional qualifiers by taking third in the 400 (1:04.68).

Also scoring for the Lady Pats were Libby Page in the high jump (4th; 4-10), the 4x800 team of Priscilla Kelley, Alcorn, Marissa Young and Johanna Nelson (5th; 11:47.31), the 4x400 unit of C. McCashland, Kelley, Cox and Young (7th; 4:45.5). Brooklyn Vauthier was 8th in shot put, heaving it 30-01.

UC placed fifth as a team with 59.5 points. The host Lady Spartans won with 104, followed by Richmond's 102.5 and Rushville's 97.

How often can a high school athlete say they were undefeated in sectional competition?

Well, that's the case for Union County's Kaleah Louden.

Tuesday at Connersville High School, the senior completed a clean sweep of the 100-meter hurdles event across her Patriot career. Three sectional titles as the 2020 state tournament was lost to Covid.

At the 2022 CHS sectional, Louden cruised through the barriers in 16.92 seconds, soundly defeating the effort of Seton Catholic's Lydia Reichley (17.33). As a freshman in 2019, Kaleah was even swifter with a time of 16.57. Last spring, her time of 17.09 was good enough to take gold at the Connersville tourney.

In the 300 hurdles event, Louden finished in fourth place with a time of 53.1 seconds, leaving her outside the top three automatic qualifiers and the top 16 finishers at the feeder sectionals into next Tuesday's regional at Franklin Community – Franklin, East Central and New Palestine.

The IU East recruit will take her talents to the regional, along with a few other Patriot teammates.

Freshman Katie McCashland had a dazzling sectional debut by winning the 100-meter dash in a time of 13.09, as well as the long jump competition with a winning leap of 15 feet, 10 inches. She also joined sister Carly, a junior, sophomore Haley Alcorn and senior Emma Cox in placing third in the 4x100 relay (53.86), good for advancement. Carly McCashland rounded out the UC regional qualifiers by taking third in the 400 (1:04.68).

Also scoring for the Lady Pats were Libby Page in the high jump (4th; 4-10), the 4x800 team of Priscilla Kelley, Alcorn, Marissa Young and Johanna Nelson (5th; 11:47.31), the 4x400 unit of C. McCashland, Kelley, Cox and Young (7th; 4:45.5). Brooklyn Vauthier was 8th in shot put, heaving it 30-01.

UC placed fifth as a team with 59.5 points. The host Lady Spartans won with 104, followed by Richmond's 102.5 and Rushville's 97.

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