Slicers’ 3200 relay improves to fifth

Updated: June 3, 2011 9:45PM

BLOOMINGTON — A year ago, LaPorte’s 3,200 relay team finished 12th in the IHSAA boys track and field state finals.

Running in the second heat of Friday’s opening event at this year’s finals, the Slicers looked to be on the verge of a top-of-the-podium finish.

But Carmel’s anchor man raced past LaPorte senior Stuart West on the final stretch, leaving the Slicers to finish second in their heat and fifth overall.

LaPorte’s time of 7:50.97 was quickly lapped in the third and final heat, with Lawrence Central setting a state record by finishing in 7:38.62. Fort Wayne Snider and Columbus North also set a blistering pace in the final heat to bump LaPorte to fifth.

Still, senior Joshua Hojnacki said he and his teammates knew all season they would be vying for a medalist spot.

“The last few races, we didn’t do so well,” he said. “This year at state we just performed as we should have all season.”

He was disappointed, but not surprised, that Carmel overcame the Slicers in their race.

“We knew the whole season they would be one of the top teams,” he said of the Greyhounds. “We can’t blame (Stuart), he ran his best.”

Chapa out: Hammond’s Rudy Chapa has been in the record books since the mid-1970s for his performance in the 1,600-meter run.

But Chapa’s record time of 4:04.20, set in the 1975-76 season, was broken in dominating fashion Friday night by Center Grove senior Austin Mudd. His time of 4:03 was almost six seconds faster than the second-place finish of defending state champion Chris Walden of Carmel.

Chapa still holds the oldest boys track and field state finals record. He won the 3,200 in 8:55.10 in 1974-75.

Three-time state champion Futsum Zeinasellasie of North Central certainly tried to take that record from Chapa, as well. Zeinasellasie won Friday night in 8:56.73, becoming just the third runner in state history to break the nine-minute mark in the 3,200, joining Chapa and Columbus North’s Christian Wagner.

Mudd added a second state record when he successfully defended his title in the 800 by winning in 1:49.25. The previous record was 1:50.20, set in 1976-77 by Evansville Memorial’s Tom Martin.

Notes: Bloomington South pole vaulter Drew Volz won the Robert S. Hinshaw Mental Attitude Award. … Center Grove’s team state title gave the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference its sixth straight title in the event, following Warren Central (2006-07) and Ben Davis (’08-10).

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