Griner Three-Peats At Kokomo Regional
KOKOMO — Luke Griner three-peated as regional 800-meter champion, and a host of area athletes also made the cut out to the IHSAA Boys Track and Field State Finals at the Kokomo Regional Thursday night.
The Wawasee senior clocked 1:54.35 to win his third straight title and earn a berth back to the state meet, while Warsaw sophomore Tanner Stiver finished a little over a second back at 1:55.92 to net runner-up honors and a state berth in the half-mile. Isaiah Tipping earned the Warriors a second regional championship in the shot put with a throw of 56’10,5”, more than four feet longer than his next closest competitor Thursday.
Joining Stiver at state will be teammate Nick Bazzoni, who cleared 14 feet in the pole vault to finish second behind Mishawaka’s Jarvis Delk and his 14’04” standard.
NorthWood had a duo make state. Tyler Evers placed second in the 1600 meters with a time of 4:31.54, less than a second off champion Landon Wakeman of Columbia City’s winning time. Landon Parker finished third in the 200-meter dash with a 22.59-second stop. Xavier Rocha finished fourth in the vault with a jump of 13’06” and is on the bubble for a callback to state.
Manchester’s Isaiah Davis made state in the long jump with a second-place leap of 22’4.5”, and he made a second state berth in the high jump with a jump of 6’04.5”, only enough for fourth place at the Kokomo meet but good enough to make the state standard.
The boys state finals will take place next Friday at the Robert C. Haugh Track and Field Complex at Indiana University Bloomington. Events are scheduled to start at 3 p.m.