Hackleman earns All-State honors with eighth-place finish at IHSAA Boys’ Track and Field State Finals

BLOOMINGTON — Nolan Hackleman had an injury-ridden senior season but capped it off in style by finishing in eighth place in the long jump at the IHSAA Boys’ Track and Field State Finals Saturday at Indiana University.

Thanks to the wind and rain that engulfed much of Indiana over the course of the day Saturday, all jumping events were contested inside Gladstein Fieldhouse.

“I found out when I got on the bus to go there that we would be jumping indoors,” Hackleman said. “I had never jumped indoors before but I wasn’t too concerned as there isn’t really much difference.

“The board was the same size as the one outdoors, so that was nice, and we didn’t have to worry about the win and rain.

“No one was really concerned about jumping inside,” Hackleman added. “I talked to several other guys competing but that didn’t come up.”

Hackleman, seeded 21st overall in the event, was ninth after the preliminary round with a jump of 21-08, tied with Warren Central’s Damien Keys but seeded lower thanks to Keys’ second-longest jump being better than Hackleman’s.

In the finals, Hackleman’s final jump matched Keys’ second-best jump with Hackleman jumping ahead of Keys thanks to his third-best jump of 21-07 being better than Keys’ third-best jump, which was 21-06.50, giving the Cougar senior the edge for the eighth spot on the podium.

“That was huge,” Hackleman said about his final jump. “I was jumping very close throughout with my best at 21-08 and my lowest at 21-06.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever had a meet where I had five jumps all around the same distance.”

Hackleman added his experience from the prior year helped him adapt to the changes easily.

“I was a lot calmer than last year,” Hackleman noted. “It was a little less exciting being inside with less people watching but it also wasn’t too nerve-wracking and that was part of the reason I was so consistent.

“It felt great to finish this way. Getting on the podium was my goal; I achieved that and am really happy with how things turned out. I don’t have any regrets despite how the season went.”

Also competing on Saturday was South Putnam freshman Keenan Mowery-Shields, who jumped up from his 25th-seed before the meet to finish 19th overall in shot put with a throw of 49-03.

On Friday, Greencastle’s Skyler Byrd finished 25th overall, matching her seed, with a clearance of 9-06 in the pole vault at the IHSAA Girls’ Track and Field State Finals.