BLOOMINGTON
Two Brownstown Central athletes and one from Seymour will return to Bloomington next week.
Brownstown’s Joseph Barnes and Colton Ritz and Seymour’s Seth Ragon will take the grand stage at the state track and field meet June 2 at Indiana University in Bloomington.
To qualify for state, athletes needed to place in the top three at the Bloomington North Regional on Thursday.
After struggling in the discus, Barnes tossed 53 feet, 7.5 inches for runner-up in the shot put. Barnes threw a season-low 149-5 in the discus for seventh place.
“I shook off the horrible discus attempts before the shot,” Barnes said. “It was the first time I hadn’t made it to the finals of a meet, and it got in my head. I talked to my family to get my mind set. I let it all out in the shot. I’m just lucky to get out.”
Ragon will make his third state appearance, finishing third in high jump by clearing 6-3 at regional.
The senior missed almost half the regular season due to a stress fracture in his left foot sustained during basketball season.
“I’m not jumping the heights I would like to, but it’s nice to be back,” Ragon said. “I would like to at least get my personal best at 6-5. Coming in tonight, I wasn’t sure how it would go. I was kind of worried, but I thought to myself that it’s not a big deal and that whatever happens, happens. I’m just happy to go back.”
Ritz, a junior, will make his state debut in the pole vault after clearing 14 feet for third place.
“It’s just awesome,” Ritz said. “I always just want to go higher. That’s the great thing about pole vault. I’m hoping to not get into my head at state. I want to set a personal record. It’s my first time going in, so I’m not setting too high of expectations.”
The Braves’ Jacob Bollinger just missed the state cut, placing fourth at 13 feet.
Bloomington North edged rival Bloomington South 87-84 for first place in team scoring. Brownstown Central scored 21 points for 11th, and Seymour was 21st with 8.5 points.
Trinity Lutheran’s Matt McKay placed ninth in the 110-meter hurdles (16.02 seconds), and A.J. Goecker was eighth in the 3,200-meter run (10:13.61). Jacob Voss of Seymour was 11th in the two-mile in 10:13.61.
At 52.31 and 54.10, Seymour’s Luke Champ was seventh in the 400-meter dash and Brownstown’s Reece Covert got 15th.
Seymour’s 4×800-meter relay team of Cooper Morrow, Alex Lovins, Luke Plummer and Bradan Thomasma combined for 8:36.31 for 10th place.
With a time of 4:36.38, Hunter Bauserman placed eighth for the Owls in the 1,600-meter run.
Jake Vance, Jackson Morris, Gavin Blanton and Ethan Ortman clocked 47.10 for 14th in the 4×100 relay.
Hitting the finish in 24.36, Blanton was 15th in the 200-meter dash.
In the final event, Seymour’s Conner Lane, Thomasma, Blanton and Champ ran a 3:42.69 for 14th place.