Mike McGraw
Hoosier Authority
The State Track and Field Finals presented a number of
challenges to Southmont athletes over the weekend. Perhaps the main challenge
came with the beautiful weather for Friday’s girls meet. The sun was shining
brightly and the temperature was in the low 80’s. How could that be a challenge
you ask? Simple. It has been such a cold, wet spring in
to running in any kind of heat. A second challenge was surely nerves. Saturday,
in the boys’ competition, Southmont’s Jonathon Christensen entered the arena as
a freshman. That is a very big stage for a young man.
Southmont’s girls answered the weather challenge admirably.
The 4 X 800 Relay Team, while not running nearly their best, showed grit in a
very tough field. They missed the podium, but they were still proud of their
accomplishments this season. You can check out their comments after the race in
the video box on this page.
Individually, Creasy Clauser answered the challenge with a
great big “come and get me!”. It nearly resulted in a state championship for
the Mountie junior. Clauser started fast in the 800 Meter final and nearly made
it stand up all the way. In the end, she placed second in the competition with
a time of just over 2:12. It was the best performance by a Southmont track
athlete in nearly a generation.
Saturday, Christensen fought off nerves to post an eighth
place finish in the High Jump. He cleared 6’4”. It was well off his season
best, but a more than respectable performance for a freshman in the big show.
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