Irby arrives at her goal after four consistent years

By Bryan Sweitzer for DyeStat

Coming into the Indiana state meet Saturday, Lynna Irby was already the top high school sprinter in Indiana history. Her final day in a Pike uniform only cemented that status. 

Irby won the 100, 200, and 400 meters for the fourth year in a row, becoming the first athlete in state history to win 12 individual events over a career.  And she did it in dominant fashion, winning the 100 in a US#8 11.41, the 200 in US#11 23.41, and the 400 in 53.81.

Despite coming in seeded second in the 100 and 200, Irby was not seriously challenged in her races, winning the 100 by .36, the 200 by .65 seconds, and the 400 by .93 seconds. The 11.41 broke her own state meet record, and was .02 off the overall state record.

"It means all my hard work has paid off," Irby said. "This is what my coach set me up for since freshman year, and it's finally here." 

Irby honed her focus by deleting Twitter the night before and having her coach seclude her from the crowd at the meet. And with all of her individual success, it might be hard to pinpoint which of her 12 state titles was her most memorable. As it turns out, none of them.

"When (my team) won a state championship (in 2015)," said Irby of her most memorable state experience. 

What's next? Irby will head to New Balance Nationals Outdoor in two weeks to defend her national title in the 400 and is also planning to enter the 100. A week later she will compete in the USATF Championships, running against professional competition. After the summer, she'll head to the University of Georgia to train and compete with the Bulldogs and move in with new roommate, fellow phenom and Asics pro Candace Hill.

"I feel happy that it's time to move onto the next level but at the same time it's going to be sad to reminisce, because I did have so many great times (at Pike)," Irby said. "I'm going to miss the coaches, I'm going to miss my team and I'm going to miss the staff at Pike. They were all so supportive." 

Although there were no other triples at state, a few athletes got double wins. Greencastle sophomore Emma Wilson won the 1,600 and 3,200 in respective times of 4:56.34 and 10:43.94. Wilson was at the front of both races the entire way and used strong finishes to secure her wins. Wilson joined a select group of runners who have doubled in those events in state history, including current Notre Dame star Anna Rohrer.

"It feels like I have a lot to live up to, but I'm excited," Wilson said. 

Lafayette Jefferson senior Essence Henderson defended her state title in the shot put and won the discus after placing third last year, winning with throws of 46-11.75 and 158-1. Henderson won the discus by nearly 19 feet. 

"It's not a fluke. The hard work payed off, and I backed it up," said Henderson, who is headed to Iowa State and will leave in two weeks to begin training. 

Pioneer senior Madison Kiser defended her 800 meters title from last year, winning in a time of 2:11.96. Although she was nervous coming into the race, she got some advice from two of the greatest middle distance runners in state history – Brittany and Bethany Neeley, who are now college runners at Indiana State and N.C. State, respectively. Brittany is the state meet record holder in the 800 at 2:07.91, and has the overall state record in 2:06.68. 

"They're kind of my idols, so they came down and said this isn't an obligation, this is an opportunity," Kiser said. She will compete at the Midwest Meet of Champions next week and New Balance Nationals Outdoor later this month, and will head to the University of Louisville to continue her running career. 

"I come from a small school. We have eight girls on the track team, so I've never had a group to train with," Kiser said. "I'm just excited to be around a group of girls that come to practice everyday excited to run."

Kiser also received the IHSAA Mental Attitude Award at the conclusion of the meet.

Current world leader in the 400 hurdles and Indianapolis Lawrence North graduate Ashley Spencer was at the meet and presented the medal to 300 hurdles champion Addison McCoy, a senior from Culver Academies.

Warren Central used balance in the sprints to repeat as the state champion with 55 points. Hamilton Southeastern was second with 46.