2002 IHSAA Boys Track & Field State Finals

Saturday, June 1, 2002, Carroll Track & Soccer Stadium, IUPUI, Indianapolis

 

 

Lawrence North Repeats As State Champion

The 99th running of the IHSAA Boys Track and Field Championship was being headlined as a showcase for Lawrence North High School, the state's number one team and the defending champion.  It proceeded to be exactly that as head coach Bob Potter watched his Wildcats, in front of a crowd of 5,457, score in every event except the 400 Meter Dash to race to an 84-40 margin over second place Ben Davis for their third championship, having also captured the top slot in 1990.

 

The evening got off to a strong start for the Indianapolis northeastside school as the foursome of freshman Scott Geisinger, juniors Marcus Phelps and Nathan Elliott and senior Robert Jackson raced to victory in the 3200 Meter Relay in a time of 7:57.17.

 

Lawrence North picked up another ten point first place total from senior Marcus Lewis as he defended his title in the Long Jump.  After a 23' 6" effort in 2001, Lewis sailed to 24' 3 3/4" this time around and became the event's first back-to-back winner since Frank Young of Kokomo set the state mark of 24' 7 3/4" in 1994 and 1995.

 

The Wildcats were back at the top of the podium again at the finish of the 3200 Meter Run in the person of Nef Araia.  Araia, who was also this year's cross country champ, was over three and a half seconds ahead of his nearest competitor as he finished with a clocking of 9:22.78.

 

Elkhart Memorial reached the win column in the night's second running event with junior Corey Miller showing the way in the 110 Meter Hurdles in 14.21.  One of the strong favorites, Lorenzo Swanson of South Bend Clay, who had never lost in the event, was disqualified in the prelims, along with Marques Deloney of Richmond and Jim Ladd of Center Grove.

 

Gary West Side, a five time state champion, picked up its first 10 points of the meet in the 100 Meter Dash with Mark Jelks carrying the mail in what appeared to be a state record time of 10.25.  However, moments later it was announced that the junior's time was wind aided and, thus, not allowed.

 

To make the situation even more difficult for the youngster, it happened again in the 200 Meter Dash as he turned in a 20.88 to apparently set a new standard...only to have it disallowed because of winds in excess of the allowed speed variance.  The event's second place finisher, senior Leroy Dixon of South Bend LaSalle,  finished in 21.11 also nearly surpassing the record of Jeffery Patrick of Gary Roosevelt in 1982.

 

A state record was set in the 400 Meter Dash with David Neville of Merrillville exciting the crowd with a run of 46.99, bettering the converted time of 47.10 which was set by Leon Tubbs of Fort Wayne South Side and had stood since 1978.

 

Lake Central senior Nick Kruse finished in front of the pack in the 1600 Meter Run in a time of 4:17.20.

 

Ben Davis quarterback and Indiana's Mr. Football for this past season for the state champion Giants, James Banks, was a member of this year's 400 Meter Relay team that rocketed to a win on Saturday evening.  Along with fellow senior Marcus Cooksey and juniors Bruce Williams and Michael Richardson they finished in a time of 41:37 for the school's second triumph in the event in the last three state meets.

 

James Banks returned to the winner's circle again in the 1600 Meter Relay as he and fellow seniors Darius Robinson, Marcus Cooksey and Kevin Kempf combined their speed to cross the finish line first in 3:17.47.

 

In Pole Vault competition, those same Ben Davis Giants were well represented by senior Ray Scotten who cleared 16' 6", exactly a foot higher than second place finisher, senior David Stead from Norwell.  Scotten returned to take a shot at the state record of 16' 9", but was unable to clear that mark.

 

Ben Davis garnered its fourth victory of the night in the 300 Meter Hurdles as senior Kevin Kempf crossed the finish line in a time of 37.61, which propelled the Giants into second place in the team standings.

 

Senior Tyron Green allowed Lawrence Central to take home a first place finish on the night and dominated the field in the 800 Meter Run, turning in a time of 1:51.91, better than three seconds in front of second place finisher, John Hiestand of Bloomington North.

 

In the other field events, Plainfield senior Mike Brown led the way in the Discus with a toss of 173' 7", over one foot longer than runner-up Brandon Cook of Borden.

 

In the High Jump, Rodney Carney, a senior from Indianapolis Northwest, took a shot at  7" 1 1/2", which would have been a state record.  He failed in his attempt, but by that time he already proved himself the best of the field when he cleared 6' 11" for the win.

 

Jason Brown of South Bend Clay grabbed the top position in the Shot Put as the junior heaved it some 58' 5 1/2".

 

 

Kevin Kempf Of Ben Davis Named Hinshaw Mental Attitude Award Winner

Kevin Kempf of Ben Davis High School was named the winner of the 2002 Robert S. Hinshaw Mental Attitude Award for Boys Track and Field.

 

Kempf ranks 14th in his class of 681 and has been selected to the National Honor Society. He is a member of the Student Council, Key Club, German Club, DECA, FCA, and Business Professionals of America.  He was the Sophomore and Junior class presidents and Senior class treasurer.  He plans to attend Indiana University to study Business.

 

Athletically, Kempf won Academic All-Conference honors in Cross Coutry and Track, the Academic Excellence Award, Senor Mr. Giant Award, Ben Davis Male Scholar Athlete Award and was named Ben Davis Track Man of the Year.  He was captain of the Cross Country team and also played soccer.

 

In this year's state meet, Kempf anchored the victorious leg of the 1600 Meter Relay team and was also the champion in the 300 Meter Hurdles.

 

His parents are Jan and Joe Kempf of Indianapolis.

 

Farm Bureau Insurance, corporate sponsor of all IHSAA state tournaments, will present a $1,000 scholarship to Ben Davis in the name of Kevin Kempf.

 

 

State Finals Programs Available

Couldn’t be there for the boys track and field state finals? You can still purchase a copy of the official state finals program while supplies last! Programs are $3.00 if you purchase in person at the IHSAA Office (9150 N. Meridian Street in Indianapolis) or $5.00 by mail (postage included). To order, send a check for $5.00 made payable to the IHSAA, a note with your return address and brief description of your request and mail to: IHSAA Programs, PO Box 40650, Indianapolis, IN 46240-0650. Sorry, no credit cards. To further inquire, e-mail Assistant Sports Information Director Jason Wille at jwille@ihsaa.org.

 

 

Top 20 Teams

For complete list, click here

 

  1.

Lawrence North

84

  2.

Ben Davis

40

  3.

Franklin

29

  4.

Warren Central

28

  5.

Lawrence Central

26.5

  6.

Gary West Side

23

  7.

Merrillville

22

 

South Bend Clay

22

  9.

Pike

17

10.

Plainfield

16

 

South Bend LaSalle

16

12.

Elkhart Memorial

15

 

Indpls Northwest

15

14.

Lafayette Jefferson

13

 

Lake Central

13

16.

Franklin Central

12

 

Brebeuf Jesuit

12

18.

Valparaiso

11

 

Portage

11

 

Danville

11

 

 

 

Event Champions

For Complete Set of Meet Results, Click Here

 

100 Meter Dash: Mark Jelks, Gary West Side, 10.25 (wind).

200 Meter Dash: Mark Jelks, Gary West Side, 20.88 (wind).

400 Meter Dash: David Neville, Merrillville, 46.99, State Meet Record.

800 Meter Run: Tyron Green, Lawrence Central, 1:51.91.

1600 Meter Run: Nick Kruse, Lake Central, 4:17.20.

3200 Meter Run: Nef Araia, Ben Davis, Lawrence North, 9:22.78.

110 Meter High Hurdles: Corey Miller, Elkhart Memorial, 14.21.

300 Meter Intermediate Hurdles: Kevin Kempf, Ben Davis, 37.61.

400 Meter Relay: Ben Davis (James Banks, Marcus Cooksey, Michael Richardson, Bruce Williams) 41.37.

1600 Meter Relay: Ben Davis (James Banks, Darius Robinson, Marcus Cooksey, Kevin Kempf) 3:17.47.

3200 Meter Relay: Lawrence North (Nathan Elliot, Marcus Phelps, Scott Geisinger, Robert Jackson) 7:57.17.

High Jump: Rodney Carney, Indianapolis Northwest, 6-11.

Pole Vault: Ray Scotten, Ben Davis, 16-6.

Long Jump: Marcus Lewis, Lawrence North, 24-3.75.

Shot Put: Jason Brown, South Bend Clay, 58-5.5.

Discus: Mike Brown, Plainfield, 173-7.