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Lawrence Central dethroned defending state champion and rival Lawrence North en route to the Bears’ second girls track and field state championship, their first since a shared title with Harding in 1996. Lawrence Central compiled 44 points, just three more than second place finisher Lawrence North. Pike rounded out the top three, turning in 40 points on the night.

It was a night of repeat performances by several individuals at the 37th Annual IHSAA State Finals at the Robert C. Haugh Track and Field Complex in Bloomington, Indiana.  Senior Ellie Tidman of Batesville made history by becoming just the fourth girl in state history to be named a four-time event champion and the first to do so in the high jump.  She joins North Central’s Maicel Malone (100m dash, 400m dash), Jeffersonville’s Tonya Sedwick (long jump), and Courtney Adams of Brebeuf Jesuit (1600m run) in the elite category.  Tidman dueled with Lawrence Central senior Camille Hayes; both athletes cleared 5-8 and Tidman captured the crown with the least number of attempts used to clear the height.

Park Tudor junior Abby Farley established a new state record in the 800 with a time of 2:09.50, besting the previous mark of 2:09.82 by Lawrence North’s Temeka Kincy in 2003.  This is the second 800 meter title for Farley, who won the race last year as a sophomore.

Pendleton Heights senior Ellie McCardwell cleared 13-3 to claim her second consecutive pole vault state title.  McCardwell set the state meet record last year with a mark of 13-6.25.  2008 champion Margo Tucker finished second, topping out at 12-6.

Tori Bliss was a double winner, taking the titles in both the shot put (48-8) and the discus (144-2).  This is the third state championship for the junior from Portage, who took home first place last year in the shot put.

Carmel’s 4x800 meter relay team (senior Ellen Taff, junior Irene Gibson, sophomore Sarah Bennett, and junior Alex Chitwood) and Lawrence North’s 4x400 relay team (junior Ashley Spencer, senior Ahlivia Spencer, junior Antonia Franklin, and senior McKenzie Carney) each successfully defended their championships from a year ago.

In the 100 meter dash, Jeffersonville junior Shanice Gholson edged Pike’s Morgan Yeadon to win her second consecutive title in the sprint.  Yeadon bounced back to finish first in the 200 meter dash, turning a time of 24.41.  The sophomore also anchored Pike’s victorious 4x100 relay, adding valuable points for the Red Devils.

Logan Hayes, the junior from Warren Central, battled with Lawrence North senior Ahlivia Spencer to capture the 400 meter dash crown for the second straight year.

Lawrence Central senior Lauren Cowden leaped 18-3 in the long jump to outdistance the rest of the field.  It was Cowden’s first state title and a first for Lawrence Central in the event.

In keeping with the day’s theme of repeat performances, Kate DeSimone of Fort Wayne Canterbury again took the state title in the 1600 meter run coming in at 4:54.32.

Carroll (Fort Wayne) senior Kaylee McClanahan claimed her first state title in the 3200 meter run with a winning time of 10:50.47.  Teammate Brianna Johnson finished right behind her, making it a 1-2 finish in the event for the Chargers.  Sophomore Skyler Carpenter of Westview and Lawrence North junior Ashley Spencer joined McClanahan as fellow first-time winners, emerging victorious in the 300 hurdles and 100 hurdles, respectively.

Fort Wayne Canterbury's Kate Desimone Awarded Mental Attitude Award
Members of the IHSAA Executive Committee announced Kate DeSimone of Fort Wayne Canterbury as the winner of this year’s Mental Attitude Award in Girls Track and Field.

DeSimone successfully defended her title in the 1600m race at today’s state finals, crossing the line 4:54.32.  She also turned in a time of 2:20.33 in the 800m, good for 16th place overall.  This year marks DeSimone’s fourth trip to the state finals. The multi-talented athlete also participates in soccer, swimming, and cross country for the Cavaliers.

DeSimone is ranked first in her class and scored 2370 on the SAT, recording perfect scores in both the verbal and math portions.  She is a National Merit Finalist and AP Scholar of Distinction.  She is also a member of the Student Athletic Advisory Committee, Key Club, and is co-editor-in-chief of the school newspaper.

DeSimone will attend Brown University in the fall to major in Biology.  Kate is the daughter of James and Marta DeSimone of Fort Wayne.

Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance, the proud corporate partner of all IHSAA tournaments, presented a $1,000 scholarship to Fort Wayne Canterbury in DeSimone’s name.

37th Annual IHSAA Girls Track & Field State Finals
Friday, June 4, 2010
Robert C. Haugh Track and Field Complex
Indiana University, Bloomington, Ind.

Top 10 Teams
 1.    Lawrence Central    44
 2.    Lawrence North    41
 3.    Pike    40
 4.    Warren Central    37
 5.    Fort Wayne Northrop    32
 6.    Westview    25
 7.    Evansville Central    23
T8.   Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran    20
T8.   Lake Central    20
T8.   Portage    20
T8.   Franklin Central    20

State Champions
Pole Vault – Ellie McCardwell, 12, Pendleton Heights, 13-03.
Long Jump – Lauren Cowden, 12, Lawrence Central, 18-03.
Discus – Tori Bliss, 11, Portage, 144-02.
High Jump – Ellie Tidman, 12, Batesville, 5-8.
Shot Put – Tori Bliss, 11, Portage, 48-08.
3200 Relay – Carmel (Ellen Taff 12; Irene Gibson 11; Sarah Bennett 10; Alex Chitwood 11) 9:10.90.
100 Hurdles – Ashley Spencer, 11, Lawrence North, 14.35.
100 Meters – Shanice Gholson, 12, Jeffersonville, 12.02.
1600 Meters – Kate DeSimone, 12, Fort Wayne Canterbury, 4:54.32.
400 Relay – Pike (Lauren Ford 12; Terrice Hooks 12; Chelsea Yeadon 9; Morgan Yeadon 10) 46.58.
400 Meters – Logan Hayes, 11, Warren Central, 55.22.
300 Hurdles – Skyler Carpenter, 10, Westview, 43.31.
800 Meters – Abby Farley, 11, Park Tudor, 2:09.50. State Meet Record
200 Meters – Morgan Yeadon, 10, Pike, 24.41.
3200 Meters – Kaylee McClanahan, 12, Carroll (Fort Wayne), 10:50.47.
1600 Relay – Lawrence North (Ashley Spencer 11; Ahlivia Spencer 12; Antonia Franklin 11; McKenzie Carney 12), 3:48.05.