Best of the Decade for Girls Track
By: Coach Davyd Cash
100m
Christina Poulson –Delta
She always found a way to win. She was not a heavy favorite in any of her three state meet wins.
200m
Candyce McGrone –Warren Central
One of the most decorated sprinters in history, she also excelled on the national stage.
400m
Shauntel Elcock-Northrop
She would have won four straight titles in this event, but having to run the anchor leg in the 4x1 in her final state meet prohibited that from happening. Notorious for dropping 52 second splits in the 4x4.
800m
Temeka Kincy –Lawrence North
Won a title at 400 meters in her freshman year, but opted for the half mile instead of battling with Elcock, who was one year younger.
1600m
Katie Harrington –Carmel
Definitely the best and most decorated runner in the storied history of Carmel… male or female. She just edged out Alissa McKaig of Concordia. The deciding factor was Katie’s two runner-up finishes.
3200m
Alex Banfich -Culver Academies
While she doesn’t have the State Meet records, Banfich does have the title of The Greatest Female Distance Runner in Indiana History. She should be on Indiana’s Mount Rushmore of Distance Greats.
100h
Tamara Adams –Northrop
She was the best of the great Bruin hurdlers of this era. Adams was an extremely tough competitor; rarely seen competing without something taped up or wrapped up. She capped her career by completing the only “100 meter dash/100 meter hurdle” double in history at the State Meet.
300h
Vanneisha Ivy –Muncie Central
She was short, and ran with ugly form, and her hurdle technique left something to be desired. That’s what you would say if you saw her on video. When you saw her race in person, you would know that she was something special. She possessed the rare ability to impose her will on other hurdlers.
Long Jump
Erynn Young- Muncie Central
She was most competitive jumper that I have ever seen. She won State her junior year while hobbling down the runway (she had injured herself moments earlier in the high jump).
High Jump
Ellie Tidman –Batesville
While she has one more chapter remaining in her storybook career, she has yet to be beaten at this point. The only question that remains is whether she will join the elusive “Six Foot Club”.
Discus
Rachel Deloney –Bloomington North
Monroe County serves as a hotbed for throwers, and Deloney certainly embraced her environment. She was the most technically-savvy thrower of this decade.
Shot Put
Felisha Johnson –Lawrence North
While she does get credit for her imposing size and brute strength, she never got any credit for her athleticism. She was also a star basketball player for the Wildcats
Pole Vault
Katie Veith –Homestead
Until Ellie McCardwell starts this season, Veith is the only Hoosier vaulter to scratch fourteen feet. And no one has ever gone higher than she has at the State Meet; her lone loss coming by way of misses after she tied Northrop’s Brianna Neumann at 12’9.
4x1
Warren Central
Even though Northrop has set a state record in this event during the decade, Warren Central gets the nod because of their consistency. Aside from winning three state titles, the Warriors have placed in the top 4 five other times this decade.
4x4
Northrop
There were some years that Northrop could have run a “B” team that placed in the top five at State. Some will say that the quartet that set the State Meet record in 2002, was not the best team ever fielded by the Bruins.
4x8
Chesterton
A case could have been made for a few other schools, but what separates the Trojans form the rest is the fact that they flirted with the nine minute barrier. They didn’t beat good teams en route to their titles, they beat GREAT teams.
Athlete of the Decade
Tori Allen Lawrence Central
Allen wins this award because she was so instrumental in bringing women’s pole vault to Indiana. She was a great ambassador of the sport, and an awesome competitor. In her senior year, she gave gift baskets to her pole vault competitors at the State Championship. She was also an X-Games Champion as well as a World Champion in rock climbing while in high school.
Team of the Decade
Northrop
Warren Central was a close second, but second nonetheless. I think that Northrop’s athletes changed the sport in many ways, and help Indiana become more competitive at the national level. They had six girls run under 26 seconds in the 200 meters…in one year. Of the 25 Northrop athletes that competed in individual tournament events in 2003, 15 advanced to the state meet…including a 1-2-3 finish in the 200 meters at the state meet. They were like “The U”, only without the bad stuff.
They were flashy.
They were intimidating.
They were great.
