By FRED KRONER
fred@sjodaily.com
For two years, Katelyn Young has been on the fast track to success as a shot-putter.
Now a junior at Oakwood High School, the three-sport athlete participated in softball as a freshman.
A year later, she decided to switch her spring sport to track and field.
She had participated in track in junior high, focusing on the hurdles and qualifying for state.
The Comets’ girls’ track and field coach, Lynn Anderson, was aware of the teen-ager’s physical strength from volleyball, another sport Anderson coaches.
“I said as strong as she is, why doesn’t she throw shot,” Anderson said.
The first time she threw in a meet, Anderson said, “she made the state-qualifying mark, and she hadn’t really had any coaching.”
A Division I recruit in basketball, Young didn’t anticipate making a major impact in track.
“I wasn’t expecting to throw,” she said. “I was doing it to stay in shape for basketball.”
And then, she had her first high school track meet.
“My first meet ever throwing, I broke the school record (throwing 39 feet),” Young said.
She hasn’t slowed down.
Young re-broke the shot put record multiple times as a sophomore and placed fifth last year in the Class 1A state meet.
She continued to improve as a junior, finishing with a flourish on Saturday. Her mark from the preliminaries, 43 feet, 1 ¾ inches, earned her all-state status for the second year in a row.
Young placed third overall based on her third attempt in Thursday’s prelims. She was disappointed to not improve further in the finals.
“It was totally bittersweet,” Young said. “I’m kind of mad how I threw (Saturday), but happy how I got there.”
Her state performance capped a dominant season. Young was the shot put winner in all but two meets she entered, placing second in the Unity Invitational and third at state.
“She hadn’t had any extreme competition until she got down there (to Charleston),” Anderson said. “She’s stronger than she was last year and understands more of the competitive level.”
Though Anderson is the Comets’ girls’ track and field head coach, she said others have been more responsible for Young’s development in the shot.
“I work on her mental part,” Anderson said.
Assistants and volunteers who have been part of the process are Lyle Hicks, Tiffany Johnson, Jim Boen and Herb Wilkins.
“She can soak up what they say and use it,” Anderson said.
Young’s current school record is 43-5, a mark she achieved last Monday in The News-Gazette Honor Roll Meet, at Urbana.
“I’m very surprised at what I’ve done,” Young said.
She’s going to raise her expectations for her senior season.
“I’m hoping to get 44 or 45 feet,” she said.
The seven points that Young earned at state enabled Oakwood to place in a tie for 37th in the Class 1A team standings. A total of 72 schools scored points at state.
She didn’t have time to celebrate her second state medal. Young drove to Louisville, Ky., where she joined her club basketball team, the Indiana Elite, for a weekend tournament.
Basketball has less pressure associated with it after her recent commitment to Murray State University for that sport.
“It helps (relieve stress),” said Young, who hasn’t yet declared a major. “This summer is for fun.”
Before settling on Murray State, she narrowed her list of 12 scholarship offers down to three finalists. Northern Kentucky and Kent State University were the others on her short list.
“I had a good connection (with Murray State),” Young said. “It was a good family feeling.”
Anderson is not surprised at the level Young has reached in track, a sport which is not her main focus.
“She’s a strong girl, naturally talented and a real competitor,” Anderson said. “She’s also one of our fastest 200-meter runners.”
Knowing Young’s commitment, Anderson expects more broken records next spring.
“She has to be tweaked a little bit,” Anderson said. “Next year I expect her to be better.”
Baseball
After bouncing Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin, 2-1, in Friday’s Class 2A regional semifinal game at Georgetown, Oakwood dropped a 12-2 six-inning decision in the finals on Saturday to top-seeded Tuscola (28-2).
The Comets were held to singles by Jacob Spear and Cayden Wells by the Warriors.
Spear and Brady Howard scored the team’s runs. Spear and Koby Fletcher drove in runs.
Elijah Harden pitched five innings and allowed 11 hits. He walked one and struck out four.
Isaiah Ruch twirled a one-hitter in the semifinals. He fanned six and didn’t allow the Blue Devils (21-7) a run until the seventh inning.
Spear and Ruch collected the Comets’ RBIs. Fletcher finished with two hits.
Oakwood ended its season with a 16-14 record.
Boys’ track and field
The Comets had three top-10 placers – but no state qualifiers – in Friday’s Class 1A sectional at St. Joseph-Ogden.
In the 400 meters, Cameryn Taylor was third in 52.37 seconds.
In the 800 meters, Cameron Helka was eighth in 2:08.97.
In the long jump, Rhett Harrison was 10th with a leap of 16 feet, 5 inches.
Oakwood totaled six points and placed 14th in the team standings. Meet champion Salt Fork had 111 points.
