Shelbyville's O'Connor, Waldron's Williams advance to IHSAA track and field state championships

Shelbyville’s Sonora O’Connor and Waldron’s Maleah Williams set new school records and qualified for the IHSAA Girls Track and Field State Finals.

Competing at the Ben Davis Regional Tuesday, O’Connor finished runner-up in the 300 hurdles and Williams was runner-up in the discus to automatically qualify for the state championship meet.

O’Connor broke Sarah Snapp’s 18-year-old school record in the 300 hurdles with a time of 45.57. She is the first girl in Shelbyville history to run sub 46.0 seconds.

Zionsville’s Ella Ventrone won the event in 43.88. Brownsburg’s Cierra Smith finished third in 45.93 to advance.

O’Connor also finished sixth in the 100 hurdles in 15.66. Snapp, the 2008 state champion in the event, also holds the Shelbyville record in this event at 14.4.

Shelbyville’s Jordyn Noe finished 12^th in the 100 hurdles at 16.25. Triton Central’s Ryn West finished 14^th in the 300 hurdles in 51.2.

Williams (photo), a freshman, did not automatically qualify for the regional after a sub-par performance at the sectional. She was added to the field after the event concluded and made the most of her second chance.

She finished second in the discus with a best throw of 144 feet, seven inches. Franklin’s Maddison Judge won the event at 157-7. Whiteland’s Carly VonDielingen finished third at 138-11.

Williams placed fourth in the shot put at 42-5 but surpassed the state standard to automatically advance. She broke her own school record of 39-11 in the process.

VonDielingen won the event at 45-0. Avon’s Aniyah Rozier was second at 43-6. Center Grove’s Luci Barile finished third at 42-9.

Also competing at the Ben Davis Regional, Shelbyville’s Macey Robbins placed eighth in the 800 in 2:26.86. And all three Shelbyville relay teams were in action.

The 1,600 relay team of Robbins, Alyna Castanon, Noe and O’Connor finished eighth in a new school record time of 4:06.77. The old record of 4:06.9 was set in 1983.

The 400 relay team (photo) of Mary O’Connor, Diana Gasca, Wuraola Ogunmoyela and Amara Lewis finished 11^th in a season-best time of 50.47.

The 3,200 relay team of America Leon-Torres, Castanon, Aerin Garcia-Santiago and Robbins produced a season-best time of 10:13.4 to place ninth.

Greenfield-Central Regional

Morristown’s Brooklyn Carlton broke her third school record of the season in an eighth-place finish in the 300 hurdles. She lowered the school record to 47.42. She also finished 11^th in the 100 hurdles (16.99).

Carlton (photo) teamed with Ava Smith, Chloe Theobald and Anita Gesuale to lower the school record in the 1,600 relay that was set last week at the sectional. The Yellow Jackets finished 14^th in 4:15.99.

The IHSAA state championship meet is June 5 at 3 p.m. at Indianapolis North Central High School.

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