In the IHSAA State Finals in Bloomington on Friday and Saturday, several Grant County athletes set new records, while others saved their best performances for last.
For the Eastbrook Panthers, that was certainly the case for Connor White, who finished in eighth place in the 1600 Meter Run with a time of 4:15.90, a new personal best.
The same could be said for Mississinewa junior Brennan Butche, who put an exclamation point on another excellent year with a 13th place finish in the 3200 Meter Run. Butche finished with a time of 9:25.35, which is both a personal record, as well as a school record for Mississinewa.
Marion’s season came to a disappointing end, as freshman Zaimar Burnett did not advance past the preliminary round of the 100 Meter Dash, while the 4X100 Meter Relay team of Burnett, Justin Johnson, Billy Rodgers, and Khalid Stamps were disqualified due to a false start.
Oak Hill’s Margo Hornocker, the only female runner representing Grant County in the State Finals this year, capped off her brilliant high-school career on Friday evening, finishing in fifth place in the 1600 meter with a time of 4:57.49.
With another record-breaking performance, Hornocker heads to Butler University with five school/county records on her already impressive resume.
Alongside that achievement, Hornocker ends her Oak Hill tenure with three First Team All-State Medals in five State Final appearances and two Indiana All-Star Team selections.
A day after Hornocker’s record run, Oak Hill sophomore Tahj Johnson, who already won a state championship this year in boys basketball, finished as the runner up in the 400 Meter Dash, clocking in at 48.42.
Junior Sammy Sommers also performed well in the State Finals, ending the day as a First Team All-State medalist with a ninth place finish in the long jump.
