A long jump of 18 feet may be the cutoff distance for a podium finish at the IHSAA Girls Track and Field State Championships.
Southwestern junior Lilly Rooks sits eighth on the performance list entering Friday’s long jump state championship event that starts at 3 p.m. at the Robert C. Haugh Track and Field Complex on the campus of Indiana University in Bloomington.
Rooks’ school record jump of 18-0.25 at the May 24 Franklin Regional earned her a runner-up finish and her second consecutive berth in the state championship meet. However, it will be her first time competing at Indiana University.
The 2021 state championship meet was held at Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis due to IU still enforcing pandemic protocols and limiting events on campus.
Rooks and Southwestern track and field coach Justin Meredith (photo) were headed to Bloomington today to get a feel for the venue.
“It’s a little bit intimidating,” said Rooks Wednesday morning. “All I have heard is the place is huge.”
The venue can be daunting – just ask her coach.
“I remember the first time I went and competed down there. It was a gun shy kind of moment where the nerves got the best of me the first time I competed,” said Meredith, a Southwestern graduate and former track and field athlete at Manchester University. “I think having a day to go down and check out the facility and not going blind is going to be a tremendous advantage.”
Since qualifying for the state meet, Rooks has maintained her workout routine – one that is working quite well.
On May 3, she won the long jump event at the Shelby County Meet with a distance of 16-1.5. Seven days later, she won the Mid-Hoosier Conference long jump title with a best leap of 16-6.75.
On May 17 at the Franklin Sectional, Rooks bested the field with a distance of 16-10.5. She then extended her own school record by almost six inches with a runner-up finish at the regional. She set the previous record of 17-6.75 during the 2021 state championship meet where she finished 13th overall.
“I guess there is nothing to be super nervous about because it’s not like I have super high expectations from anybody,” said Rooks.
Zionsville senior Michelle Nazarov and Southport senior Modupe Awosanya are the top two seeds in the event with best regional marks of 18-9.25 and 18-9, respectively.
East Central freshman Ellie Hill, who defeated Rooks at the regional with a best distance of 18-6.5, is the third seed.
Sixteen of the 29 competitors in Friday’s event are seniors.
Rooks believes she can break her own school record at a facility that boasts a fast runway surface.
“I think what I really need to focus on is landing right,” she said. “If I can get my legs out, I can get some more distance.”
Meredith did not want to guess at a distance Rooks can hit, but he is confident she can extend that school record out even more.
“The biggest thing is she hasn’t had much critique in terms of form and jump mechanics,” said Meredith. “There are so many mechanics that go into it that people don’t see. And those mechanics make the difference between being a good jumper and a great jumper.”
Meredith wants Rooks focusing on speed and technique in the qualifying round that will cut down the field.
“From an athlete’s perspective, you have to understand how to control that adrenaline and make sure you are not getting over-hyped in the moment,” he said.
If she can control her emotions, a spot could be waiting on the podium once the event is complete.
“It would mean a lot,” said Rooks of a Spartan finishing in the top nine. “I know it would mean a lot to a lot of people.”
