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BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

RTC4 Girls Track Athlete of the Year Betty Shepherd

She is only halfway through high school, but Tippecanoe Valley’s Betty Shepherd has already fashioned a career in the hurdles that most could only dream to achieve.

She broke the Valley school record to get to state. She broke the 48-second mark in the 300 hurdles to get to state. Then she broke the 47-second mark at state to break the school record.

Shepherd finished 18th at state. It has us wondering if Shepherd could make the state podium during the next two years. Of the 17 that finished ahead of her, seven were seniors, so it’s not out of the question as she only gets stronger.

And as the only area athlete to reach the state finals, Shepherd is an easy pick for RTC4 Girls Track Athlete of the Year.

We would like to thank area coaches for sharing their results and their insights with us. Track coaches brave bad weather every year just to hopefully see their athletes cut their time by one-tenth or two-tenths of a second. And many of those athletes are just trying to push themselves to be their best and not necessarily be a high achiever like Betty Shepherd.

That is why we are advocates for having a track meet every Friday night. We would love for the phrase “Friday night lights” to be as synonymous with track during the spring as it is with football during the fall. Or said another way, there is no reason the most important meets of the season should occur at 5 p.m. on a Tuesday.

Anyway, this list is ours and ours alone, and we take full responsibility. We place greater importance on conference and postseason meets that draw the best competition as well as more accurate timing and measurements.

We try to put athletes in their best events, but we might adjust our lineup in order to recognize all of the best athletes.

Sprinters

Rachel Harding (Pioneer) – Harding won the Hoosier North title in the 100 meters in a blazing 13.09 seconds and finished sixth at the loaded Kokomo sectional.
Michelle Harding (Pioneer) – While her sister excels at the 100, Michelle Harding dominates the 200. She won the Hoosier North title going away in 27.43 seconds. Only one competitor was within a second of her at the tape. Then she went 26.95 seconds to win the Kokomo sectional. Girls who can consistently get under 27 in the 200 are state contenders, and we think Michelle Harding has a chance in 2025.
Chesnee Miller (Tippecanoe Valley) – Miller had another exceptional year running the 400, smooth but powerful, and she made it to the regional again, where she scored points. She also anchored the 4 x 400 relay that made it to regional and finished 0.29 seconds away from scoring.

Distance runners

Violet Montgomery (Pioneer) – The indefatigable Montgomery closed out her career by finishing fourth at conference in the 800, second in the 1,600 and first in the 3,200. She then made the regional in the 3,200 after running a 12:14 at the sectional.
Allyson Calloway (Rochester) – The sophomore was third at the TRC meet in the 3,200, and she later advanced to regional after running a 13:01 at the Bremen sectional. She is one of the few runners in our area who has broken six minutes in the 1,600 and 13 minutes in the 3,200.
Maggie Smith (Winamac) – The Southern Indiana recruit qualified for the regional in the 800, and she is also a very capable sprinter.

Hurdlers

Betty Shepherd (Tippecanoe Valley) (Athlete of the Year) – Shepherd’s time of 47.51 seconds in the 300 hurdles at the Kokomo regional was eye-popping in and of itself, but then she ran a 46.40 at state. Unlike most hurdlers, she rarely loses steam the second half of the race. She has also gone under 17 seconds in the 100 hurdles and is a member of the 4 x 400 relay team that reached regional.
Audrey Wagner (Rochester) – Wagner just started the 300 hurdles this season, and she was an immediate hit, winning the TRC, breaking 50 seconds and then finishing second behind only Shepherd at the sectional.
Kyra Doran (Rochester) – Doran excelled in the 100 hurdles as a freshman as she took second in the TRC and then shocked by running a 16.88 and finishing third at the sectional and advancing to the regional.

Jumpers/pole vaulters

MaKenna Jackson (Rochester) – Jackson broke the Rochester school record with a pole vault of 9-7, and she later went on to win the TRC before an injury in practice prevented her from competing in the sectional. We think she would have been a contender to make state.
Aspen Moolenaar (Pioneer) – Moolenaar was the sectional champion in the pole vault and can consistently break the nine-foot mark. She is also one of the area’s top hurdlers.
Keirsten Nies (Pioneer) – Nies, a junior, and her teammate Rachel Harding were the only area high jumpers to clear five feet, and she made it to regional. She gets bonus points for winning the Hoosier North title in the 800 meters.

Throwers

Ashlynn Weyant (Rochester) – Weyant qualified for the regional in the shot put with a throw of 31-6 ¼ at the sectional, and she narrowly missed advancing in the discus as well. She is the best thrower Rochester has had in the post-Kennedy Jackson era, but she will still have to compete against Whitko’s Gwen Howard at conference and sectional for one more year.
Breana Amezquita (Caston) – She was Caston’s first regional qualifier since Adrianna Dague, coming up clutch to throw the discus 94-11 at the sectional to finish third.
Sadie Popejoy (Winamac) – Popejoy beat Amezquita in the discus at the conference meet, and she made the final round of the sectional. She has a 90-foot throw under her belt, and she has three years left.

Honorable mention