Kokomo Athletics

One point. That was the difference. At the Unified Regional meet in Kokomo, the Unified Kats finished fifth with 92 points — just one point shy of a top-four finish and a trip to State. One point. One place. One moment. Field Events Set the Tone We opened the day in the field, and the Kats came ready. Ellie Neuhauser hit a personal best in the long jump, soaring 12’4” to place 5th in her flight. Donovan Davis stepped up and crushed his previous PR by a full foot, landing 12’ even and finishing 3rd in his flight — his best jump and it couldn’t have come at a better time. In the top flight, Braedyn Booker delivered on his final attempt with a 17’08” jump that landed him 4th overall. MJ McColl placed 7th with a jump of 17’00”. In throws, Aubreanna Fitts delivered under pressure, launching a personal best 21’10.5” to earn 5th in her flight and get us on the board early. Dakota Hildman, followed with a solid 27’07.5” to claim 2nd, and Ethan Lee threw 24’04.75” for 6th. In the toughest flight of the day, Hayze Herron battled big competition and launched a 36’06.75” for 6th. It was a full-team push. Every inch kept us alive. We walked off the field with momentum — and belief. Track Events Turn Up the Heat In the 100, Elmer Barber, seeded 7th, ran a gutsy PR of 15.02 to take 5th in his heat. Karsen Huffman clocked a season-best 13.23 and Josh Smith followed with a PR of 13.34, finishing second and third in their heat and moving the Kats up the scoreboard. Gage Meyers kept the energy high with a 13.09 PR in the top heat. Every sprint mattered. Every lean at the line closed the gap. In the 400, Joseph Randolph rolled out with one of the best races of the day, running a 1:09.93 PR and scored 10 big points for the Kats with a win. Justin Smith battled it out for 3rd and out kicked Noblesville with a PR of 1:04.94 to take 3rd in his heat, and Ethan Lytle added a 1:08.57 for 6th. Devon Lee, in one of the meet’s final heats, finished in 5th with a 1:02.32, refusing to let the team fade late. Relays Bring the Drama The boys 4x100 was the race of the day. Justin Smith, MJ McColl, Karsen Huffman, and Braedyn Booker came through with their fastest time of the season in an all-out sprint to the line. Two of the fastest Unified relay teams in Indiana. One finish line. And just .02 seconds separated them. Fishers: 50.73. Unified Kats: 50.75. A photo finish. A race we’ll never forget. The girls 4x100 — Claire Rowe, Maddie Armstrong, Macy Rakestraw, and Ellie Neuhauser — also ran one of their best races of the year, finishing in 1:11.00 and taking 5th. These girls kept improving week after week, rewriting their own story all season and closing it out with heart. One Point. Then came the final scores. Top four go to State. We finished fifth. By a single point. Yeah, that stings. No way around it. But here’s what it doesn’t erase: this team showed up for each other. We competed with heart, character, and grit. We believed in the work and we backed each other up, every event, every step. We didn’t get medals or a banner. But we walked away with belief. Belief in our growth. Belief in this team. Belief that this is just the beginning. Onward.