Kokomo Athletics

We have a saying when the weather turns bad: only two things melt in the rain, and we aren’t either one of them. Delta tested that a little Tuesday night. The meet started off chilly, but manageable. The field events were mostly dry, even if the temperature already had everybody reaching for hoodies and hand warmers. But once we transitioned to the running events, the rain slowly started coming in, and by the time we reached the 400s and relays, it had turned straight cold. And honestly, we thought our group handled it well. The night started in the field events. In shot put, Dawson Early and Ethan Lee opened things up with throws over 25 feet, while Kendall Novinger added a strong 22’11” mark in Flight 2. In exhibition, Joseph Lowery and Austin Jewell pushed each other all night, with Joseph throwing 28’11” and Austin close behind at 28’6”. Taniya Jones led the girls with a 17’3.5” throw, while Lily Walton, Victoria Pulver, and Jariyah Malone all continued building consistency in the ring. Over at long jump, Carter McClain posted a solid 16’8.5”, while Marc Cuberta reached 13’9” in exhibition. Donovan Davis hit 12 feet clean, and Aaron Cruz added an 11’8.5” jump. Jara Laboda reached 7’4” in her first competition on the runway. Addison Cline, Gracie Yang, and Erik Carter stayed focused as conditions slowly started changing throughout the night. Once we got to the track events, the weather really started settling in. Hutch Munsey led the varsity 100m group with a 13.43, while Marc Cuberta ran a strong 12.78 in exhibition. Austin Jewell, Brooklyn Smith, Mia Van Horn, Donovan Davis, and Jariyah Malone all continued competing as the rain started falling, while Gracie Yang, Addie Driver, Lily Walton, Kayln Williams, and Erik Carter battled through increasingly cold conditions. The 400s turned into a toughness race more than anything else. By that point, the rain was steady, the track was slick, and everybody was cold. Carter McClain came back from long jump and ran 57.57, while Joshua Smith followed with a 1:07.72. Aaron Cruz and Addison Cline battled through difficult conditions in Flight 2, and Joseph Lowery stepped out of shot put and into the 400 for the team, finishing in 1:14.97 after already putting together one of his better nights in the ring. We wrapped up with relays in the heaviest rain of the night. The boys group of Josh Smith, Hutch Munsey, Austin Jewell, and Carter McClain handled the wet exchanges well and finished in 56.12. On the girls side, with several seniors out, Emma Rahl, Addi Driver, Ruby Mosley, and Mia Van Horn stepped up to fill those relay spots and finished in 1:33.75. Several of them had already spent most of the evening competing in field events before jumping into the relay lineup late in the night. What stood out most wasn’t necessarily marks or times. It was the way this group handled the night. Nobody complained much once the weather shifted. Nobody shut down when the temperature dropped and the rain picked up. They kept competing, kept supporting each other, and kept finding ways to step up for the team even when conditions got miserable. That part matters. Go Kats.