.png)
BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS
Sports Editor, RTC
Boys track
Rochester senior R.J. Keranko finished in 19th place out of 26 runners in the 800 meters at the IHSAA boys track and field state finals in Bloomington Friday.
Keranko’s time was 1:57.91, a personal best. His previous personal best was 1:58.86 at the Warsaw regional on May 25.
Keranko was seeded 24th coming into the event. He was competing in his first state finals.
North Central (Indianapolis)’ Nate Killeen won the title in 1:51.84.
Meanwhile, Tippecanoe Valley junior Wade Jones finished 23rd out of 29 runners in the 200 meters. Jones ran a 22.51 in his preliminary heat and did not advance to the finals.
Brownsburg’s Dominic Calhoun went on to win the title in 21.30 seconds.
Jones ran a 22.07 in winning the Warsaw regional.
Jones was competing at state in the 200 for the second straight year. He finished in 24th place at the 2022 state finals in 22.70 seconds.
Brownsburg won the state title with 55 points. Calhoun also anchored Brownsburg’s victorious 4 x 100 relay team, which broke Gary Roosevelt’s 41-year-old state record in 40.70 seconds.
Other state record setters included Bloomington North, who won the 4 x 800 relay in 7:37.24, which beat Columbus North’s 7:37.90 set last year; and Plainfield’s Nayyir Newash-Campbell, who ran the 400 in 46.98 seconds, breaking a 21-year-old record that Merrillville’s David Neville had held.
The girls track state finals will start at 3 p.m. Saturday. Culver’s Kennedy Jackson, the only RTC area state qualifier, will compete in the shot put.
.png)
