West Jessamine hurdler among record-breakers at Class 3A state track and field meet

West Jessamine sophomore Aly Doyle has been a multi-event standout at the Class 3A State Track and Field Championships since she was in eighth grade.

During this year’s competition at the University of Kentucky Track and Field Facility on Saturday, Doyle found another gear in setting a state record in the 300-meter hurdles. Doyle’s time of 42.40 bested the old mark by 0.60 seconds and beat her personal best by 0.79, she said.

“I’ve been working really hard to get that record this year,” Doyle said. “That was my main goal and I beat it by way more than I thought I was going to.”

Coincidentally, Saturday marked the first day college recruiters could contact Doyle. And given that she also won the 100-meter hurdles and the long jump and finished second in the triple jump, she probably had a few messages waiting.

Doyle’s 300 hurdles win was her third straight state title in that event. Her long jump victory came over the defending champ, Paul Laurence Dunbar’s Isabela Haggard, by a half an inch.

In all, there were six state records broken Saturday with Manual’s Jessica Secor claiming two of them to help the Crimsons capture their third consecutive girls’ team championship. On the boys’ side, Louisville teams dominated as well as St. Xavier claimed its 14th overall team crown and fourth straight.

Small but mighty Colts

West Jessamine doesn’t have the biggest girls’ team, but with Doyle and senior Lillian Hodge leading the way, the Colts can put up some points. West Jessamine finished second as a team to Manual for the third year in a row.

Hodge claimed her third consecutive first-place finish in the high jump with a mark of 5 feet, 4 inches and got her first win in the pole vault at 12 feet, 6 inches. Later in the day, she took third in the triple jump.

“I knew the competition was tough and it would take some pretty good jumping,” said Hodge, who plans to continue to compete in college at Harvard. “I’m excited that it went well.”

She got an extra workout going between events since pole vault and high jump both started early on opposite sides of the infield. But maybe the hectic pace helped.

“I was very nervous this morning,” Hodge said. “The first three jumps are always very nerve-wracking. And it’s a lot of work going back and forth, but it’s a lot of fun.”

West Jessamine also got a second in the pole vault from junior Abby Rexford.

Girls’ mile record gets smoked

Manual’s Jessica Secor put down a stunning time of 4:40.06 in the girls’ 1,600-meter race, also known as the mile. The mark bested the old mark set by Madison Central’s Ciara O’Shea last year by 12.62 seconds.

Later, Secor broke the 800-meter record with a time of 2:10.13, knocking almost a second off the previous pace.

“I honestly didn’t know what to expect coming in. I was just trying to stay comfortable, trying to stay relaxed,” Secor said. “It was my last state meet, so I just wanted to have fun doing it. Records came along the way, so that’s nice.”

Vaulting into history

Madison Central senior Wyatt Stewart claimed his third consecutive pole vault state title by eclipsing his own state record in the event with a vault of 16 feet, 8 inches. He hoped to top 17 feet, which he has done in other competitions.

“We’ve had enough 17-foot jumpers in Kentucky for the state record to be 17 or higher, but I’m fine with jumping 16-8,” said Stewart, who will continue his athletic career at South Dakota. “It’s higher than 16-3, so at least I didn’t go down from last year.”

Madison Central’s Reagan Wright took third in the pole vault with a best of 15 feet.

O’Shea gets 10th crown

Madison Central distance runner Ciara O’Shea closed out her remarkable high school career with another win in the 3,200 meters. That makes five fall cross country state titles to go with five spring track titles in the 1,600 and 3,200 meters combined for the future North Carolina Tar Heel.

With temperatures in the mid-90s Saturday, O’Shea opted to run in just the 3,200 this year and cruised in with a time of 10:38.73, about six seconds off her state record pace of 2022 but well ahead of the competition.

“I knew it was going to be a tough day. Obviously, it’s very hot out here,” O’Shea said. “It was definitely a tough race to push through, but I just wanted to come out and finish off my senior year with a fun race and enjoy it as much as I can.”

The rest of the records

Assumption’s winning 4x800-meter relay time of 9:12.16 by Reagan Gilmore, Julia Schmitt, Leah Penick and Mabel George knocked more than five seconds off their school’s previous state record set in 2012.

“That was definitely the goal,” Gilmore said. “We’ve been talking about this pretty much all season. It was just a matter of getting the right day, right weather and right mindset. Luckily all that came together today.”

South Oldham’s Samuel Reagan’s long jump of 24 feet, 5 inches broke a record that had stood since 1985 by 4.5 inches. He set it with his final attempt despite a nagging ankle injury.

“I came and got that 24-5. All my family’s here,” Reagan told the Courier Journal. “Really all the props to them. They got me hyped.”

Representing Lexington

Paul Laurence Dunbar’s Kaylib Nelson knew he needed a little extra to win the 200 meters after taking second in the 100 earlier in the day. Nelson’s winning 200 time of 21.17 took first by a margin of 0.02 over McCracken County’s James Barragan.

“I knew I had to get my get-back. I felt a little bit (of pressure), but I knew what I had,” Nelson said. “ I just had to run it all out and all’s good.”

Tates Creek’s Trinity Gottler took first in the discus and second in the shot put after finishing second in each a year ago. The discus win was her first outdoor state title.

“I was fine with shot put, but discus, I don’t think I did my best or what I wanted to do,” said Gottler, who won the discus with a throw of 130 feet, 2 inches. “I think I was pressing too much. But it feels good.”

Class 3A results

At the University of Kentucky Outdoor Track and Field Facility

Complete results online at khsaa.org/sports-activities-events/spring/track/

GIRLS

Top 20 teams: 1, Manual 88.50. 2, West Jessamine 72. 3, Paul Laurence Dunbar 48.50. 4, Eastern 47. 5, Oldham County 37. 6, Tates Creek 32. 7, Bryan Station 31. 8, Fern Creek 22. 8, Male 22. 10, Henry Clay 21. 10, Central Hardin 21. 12, Ryle 19. 13, Woodford County 17. 14, Notre Dame 16. 14, Assumption 16. 16, Barren County 14. 16, Apollo 14. 16, South Laurel 14. 16, Conner 14. 20, Greenwood 12.

Top individuals — 4x800 relay: 1, Assumption (Reagan Gilmore, Julia Schmitt, Leah Penick, Mabel George), 9:12.16K. 2, Manual (Flora Biro, Maggie May, Bailee Montgomery, Emerson Wyatt), 9:33.26. 3, South Warren (Megan Kitchens, Hayley Best, Ryleigh Johnson, Abby Overbay), 9:43.35. 100 hurdles: 1, Aly Doyle, West Jessamine, 14.32. 2, Keira Antoni, Paul Laurence Dunbar, 14.93. 3, Taniyah Hines, Bryan Station, 14.94. 100: 1, Alexandra Allen, Manual, 12.23. 2, Jasmine Hampton, Manual, 12.29. 3, Sophia Richter, Eastern, 12.31. 4x200 relay: 1, Male (Alivia Lilly, Alyssa Hughes, Jaliyah Taylor, Grace Bethel), 1:40.54. 2, Tates Creek (Lisa Abaitey, Maiya Clark, Egypt Brooks, Keyonna Walker), 1:43.07. 3, Henry Clay (Addison Kenny, Makenna Rose, Olivia Sparks, Ainsley Wilson), 1:44.55. 1,600: 1, Jessica Secor, Manual, 4:40.06K. 2, Addison Moore, Woodford County, 4:55.65. 3, Tula Fawbush, Oldham County, 4:56.19. 4x100 relay: 1, Male (Alivia Lilly, Kymorah Mucker, Grace Bethel, Jaliyah Taylor), 47.69. 2, South Oldham (Marley Kahle, Betsy Huckaby, Ava Roberson, Taylor Duquette), 49.18. 3, Tates Creek (Keyonna Walker, Maiya Clark, Egypt Brooks, Lisa Abaitey), 49.19. 400: 1, Sophia Richter, Eastern, 55.45. 2, Gracie Hoskins, South Laurel, 56.25. 3, Alexandra Allen, Manual, 56.33. 800: 1, Jessica Secor, Manual, 2:10.13K. 2, Addison Moore, Woodford County, 2:11.42. 3, Ellie Greenwell, Notre Dame, 2:11.92. 300 hurdles: 1, Aly Doyle, West Jessamine, 42.40K. 2, Keira Antoni, Paul Laurence Dunbar, 44.13. 3, Taniyah Hines, Bryan Station, 44.67. 200: 1, Alexandra Allen, Manual, 24.86. 2, Sophia Richter, Eastern, 24.89. 3, Clara Warrick, Oldham County, 25.05. 3200: 1, Ciara O’Shea, Madison Central, 10:38.73. 2, Chesney McPherson, Barren County, 10:52.69. 3, Anna Gedritis, Paul Laurence Dunbar, 11:15.99. 4x400 relay: 1, Eastern (Aliyah Allen, Abigail Wallace, Raven Payne, Sophia Richter), 3:58.64. 2, Fern Creek (Alexandria Masden, Rianne Moss, Alanna Masden, Jordin Noah), 3:58.88. 3, Henry Clay (Addison Kenny, Olivia Sparks, Janna Whaley, Ainsley Wilson), 4:03.42. Shot put: 1, Viktoriya Emelianova, Ryle, 42-10.50. 2, Trinity Gottler, Tates Creek, 40-03. 3, Chloe Powenski, South Laurel, 39-01.75. Discus: 1, Trinity Gottler, Tates Creek, 130-02. 2, Viktoriya Emelianova, Ryle, 124-10. 3, Skylar Vaught, Paul Laurence Dunbar, 119-06, (36.42m). Long jump: 1, Aly Doyle, West Jessamine, 18-00. 2, Isabela Haggard, Paul Laurence Dunbar, 17-11.50. 3, Aubrey Elkins, Dixie Heights, 17-07.25. Triple jump: 1, Serena McNeilly, Central Hardin, 38-02.25. 2, Aly Doyle, West Jessamine, 37-08.75. 3, Lillian Hodge, West Jessamine, 37-02. High jump: 1, Lillian Hodge, West Jessamine, 5-04. 2, Hannah Wiles, Greenwood, 5-02. 3, Serena McNeilly, Central Hardin, J5-02. Pole vault: 1, Lillian Hodge, West Jessamine, 12-06. 2, Abby Rexford, West Jessamine, 11-06. 3, Bailey Howard, George Rogers Clark, 11-00.

BOYS

Top 20 teams: 1, St. Xavier 83.50. 2, Male 67.50. 3, Ballard 55. 4, Trinity (Louisville) 40. 4, South Oldham 40. 6, Manual 34. 7, Ryle 31. 8, Conner 27. 8, North Hardin 27. 10, Paul Laurence Dunbar 25. 11, Covington Catholic 22. 12, McCracken County 20. 13, Woodford County 16.50. 14, Madison Central 16. 15, Bryan Station 15. 15, Seneca 15. 17, Pleasure Ridge Park 13. 18, Great Crossing 11.5. 19, Central 11. 19, Henderson County 11.

Top individuals — 4x800 relay: 1, Covington Catholic (Mitchel Drees 12, Will Sheets, Luke Meagher, Joe Mayer), 7:52.14. 2, Conner (Nathan Hopper, George Johnson, Drew Moore, Joey Carroll), 8:00.52. 3, Butler (Oubry Gibson, Eli Maraman, Danico Trowell, Didie Drogba), 8:03.66. 110 hurdles: 1, Kameron Horton, Ballard, 14.11. 2, Christian Coleman, St. Xavier, 14.35. 3, Clinton Bass, St. Xavier, 14.60. 100: 1, Kameron Horton, Ballard, 10.63. 2, Kaylib Nelson, Paul Laurence Dunbar, 10.81. 3, James Barragan, McCracken County, 10.82. 4x200 relay: 1, Manual (Jeremiah Blakey, Howie Gant, Coryon Alston, Romaro Knight), 1:27.45. 2, St. Xavier (Christian Coleman, Logan Raymond, Clinton Bass, James Burnett), 1:27.93. 3, Male (Brandon Richardson, Demarcus Robertson, Jayden Jarrett, Matthew Hinz , 1:28.79. 1,600: 1, Thomas Ashby, Apollo, 4:14.92. 2, Tiger Bartlett, Ryle, 4:15.47. 3, Cates Duncan, Greenwood, 4:17.50. 4x100 relay: 1, Ballard (#718 Ben Shuler 12, #723 Journey Wyche 11, #711 Lennox Jackson 12, #710 Kameron Horton 12), 41.94#. 2, North Hardin (#1147 Shaun Boykins 11, #1164 Jayden Thorpe 12, #1155 Kaleb Jett 11, #1158 Shawn Rose 12), 42.57. 3, Male (#1081 Demarcus Robertson 11, #1070 Brandon Anthony 12, #1076 Antonio Harris 10, #1074 Myles Gentry 12), 42.61. 400: 1, James Burnett, St. Xavier, 48.64. 2, Camran Mitchell, Trinity, 49.54. 3, Matthew Hinz, Male, 49.81. 300 hurdles: 1, Romaro Knight, Manual, 37.90. 2, Jayden Jarrett, Male, 38.85. 3, Kaden Gardner, Ryle, 39.16. 800: 1, Ben Dunkle, South Oldham, 1:54.28. 2, Evan Smith, Ryle, 1:55.37. 3, Armando Montes, Dixie Heights, 1:56.60. 200: 1, Kaylib Nelson, Paul Laurence Dunbar, 21.17. 2, James Barragan, McCracken County, 21.19. 3, Malik Dudley, Seneca, 21.33. 3,200: 1, Will Sheets, Cov. Catholic, 9:16.81. 2, Joey Carroll, Conner, 9:25.73. 3, George Johnson, Conner, 9:30.57. 4x400 relay: 1, Male (Antonio Harris, Brandon Richardson, Braydon Cannon, Matthew Hinz), 3:20.52. 2, Trinity (Louisville) (Camran Mitchell, Jackson Heim, Noah LeBoeuf, John Bryant), 3:21.88. 3, Central (Jakoby Graves, Ashton Tunstull, Amontez Woolfolk, Adrian Johnson), 3:22.71. Shot put: 1, Grayson Brashear, South Oldham, 63-04.50. 2, Ashton Jones, St. Xavier, 54-01.50. 3, Casey Hurr, Lafayette, 51-05. Discus: 1, Grayson Brashear, South Oldham, 171-00. 2, Bryce Tapp, Henderson County, 167-10. 3, Connor Kalvar, Trinity, 158-07. Long jump: 1, Samuel Reagan, South Oldham, 24-05K. 2, Myles Gentry, Male, 22-07.25. 3, James Burnett, St. Xavier, 22-02. Triple jump: 1, Jaden Smith, Pleasure Ridge Park, 48-09. 2, Quentin Gentry, Male, 46-04.25. 3, Bryson Carpenter, Bryan Station, 44-11.25. High jump: 1, Devin Sealey, North Hardin, 6-08. 2, Jordan McIntyre, Trinity, 6-06. 3, Sosthene Kamba, Eastern, J6-06. Pole vault: 1, Wyatt Stewart, Madison Central, 16-08K. 2, John Phelps, St. Xavier, 15-00. 3, Reagan Wright, Madison Central, J15-00.

K — State record.