Kokomo Athletics

Kokomo secured its first team win of the season, scoring 117.5 points at the Lafayette Jeff Invitational meet with Harrison, Lafayette Jeff, McCutcheon, and Western. The conditions were cold, but we were ready. No excuses. Just work. Field Events The meet started at the long jump pit, where Ellie Neuhauser and Aaron Cruz placed 4th and 5th, with both recording their second-best jumps of the season. We also had a little in-house sandpit duel between Carter McClain and Braedyn Booker for the top two spots in the first flight. Booker finished with a solid jump of 17'8", while McClain took the win at 18'1.5". The exhibition flights gave us another good look at the depth we have at the pit. Marc Cuberta and Donovan Davis went 1-2 overall out of a field of 41, with marks of 11'6" and 10'5". Erik “I’ll be with McCutcheon” Carter posted his second-best jump of the season at 4'05", Izzy Sargent hit one of her best marks of the season at 6'11", Josh Smith added a season-best 7'4", and Addi Cline set a personal best at 8'11". Shot put added another layer to the day, and once again, our athletes stepped in ready to compete. Taniya Jones won her flight with a throw of 15'07", Claire Rowe secured 3rd at 14'05", Seth Rowe finished 4th at 23'05", and Austin Jewell placed 7th with a throw of 29'03". The exhibition flights once more showed our depth. Hayden Humbarger, Dawson Early, and Ethan Lee swept the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th spots in Flight 7 with throws of 27'10", 27'08.50", and 23'10". In Flight 6, Aiden Riegler placed 3rd at 19'11.50", followed by Kendall Novinger in 4th at 19'09" and Brooklyn Smith in 5th at 18'06.50". Bella Steele won Flight 5 with a throw of 18'11", while Victoria Pulver stayed consistent in Flight 4, placing 7th at 14'10.50". Flight 3 brought more strong efforts, with Lily Walton taking 2nd at 15'06", Kalyn Williams placing 3rd at 14'05.50", and Ruby Mosley finishing 4th at 14'03". Emma Rahl rounded things out in Flight 2 with a 4th-place finish at 8'06". That early work in the field events gave us the kind of start we needed and put us in a good position for the rest of the meet. On the Track Once we hit the track for the 100 meters, the momentum picked up. Carter McClain gave us one of the biggest moments of the day, taking 1st overall in the 100 with a personal best of 11.6. That was a statement race, and it showed exactly what he is capable of when he puts it all together. But the 100 wasn’t just about the top-flight. It was one of our strongest events across the board. Jakobi Reece and Seth Rowe both secured heat wins, with Rowe earning his first victory of the season. Clarissa Landrum followed with a season-best run for 2nd in her heat, while Addi Driver, Bella Steele, and Izzy Sargent all finished with personal bests in the same heat. The highlights kept coming. Brayley Rayl won her first-ever 100-meter race with a personal best of 15.03. Ethan Lytle won his heat in 14.26, with Addi Cline right behind him in 14.51. Hutch Munsey ran a season-best 12.42 and finished 2nd in his heat. Aaron Cruz took the top spot in his heat, leading a Kokomo sweep with Donovan Davis and Callie Canady taking 2nd and 3rd. We also saw personal bests from Brooklyn Smith at 16.38, Hayden Humbarger at 13.28, and Austin Jewell at 14.5. That’s what made the 100 stand out. It wasn’t one or two athletes having a good race. It was a whole team closing gaps, gaining confidence, and setting new bests for themselves. The 400 gave us another look at the progress we’re making. Leo Serra led the way, winning his heat in a season-best 1:08.16. Ethan Lytle and Aaron Cruz followed with 4th- and 5th-place finishes in their section. Josh Smith ran 1:12.98 in his race, and Mia Van Horn added a personal best of 1:28.77. The times matter, but what stood out most was the progress. Athletes are starting to run smarter, pace better, and stay composed when the race starts to hurt. And let’s be honest, the 400 usually starts hurting early. Closing with the Relays We closed the meet with the 4x100 relays. The girls’ team of Brooklyn Smith, Ellie Neuhauser, Macy Rakestraw, and Maddie Armstrong kept their winning streak alive, running 1:05.61. The biggest difference right now is in the exchanges. They’re sharper, more confident, and it’s showing. The boys followed with a hard-fought 2nd-place finish in 54.27. Our exhibition team of Emma Rahl, Brayly Rayl, Claire Rowe, and Addi Cline added another bright spot, running a personal best of 1:29.41 . Bottom Line This meet gave us a lot: personal bests, first wins, and athletes stepping into bigger roles. We did it in the cold. We did it across every event of the meet. And we did it as a team. Earning us our first official team win of the season Great job, Kats. P.S. Coach Lorenz finished the Mini Marathon in 2:39:27—nice work!