Junior sprints to first title

MUNCIE — As a sophomore, Erika Kunkler finished second to her sister at the sectional in the 800-meter run.
As a junior, she was runner-up to no one.
Kunkler found an extra gear in the final 90 meters Tuesday, edging Brittany Kent of Muncie Burris by two hundredths of a second to claim the only individual sectional title for the Jay County High School girls track team in the IHSAA Girls Track and Field Sectional at Delta.
“Honestly, I thought I lost it,” said Kunkler, who trailed Kent almost the entire race before making her late push. “I tried to lean in at the end and thought I lost it. I was really angry with myself because I thought I should have had it.”
Standing among teammates as she attempted to recuperate following her final sprint, when her time flashed on the LED scoreboard on the infield she jumped with joy. It marked a culmination of the work she had put in since she got to high school.
“I was really excited,” she said. She had a time of 2 minutes, 28.06 seconds. “I’ve been wanting this since freshman year. Last year with my sister (current senior Ava Kunkler) running I came in second to her. I was really happy for her but I wanted to come back this year and get the win.”
At the end of the night, the Patriots did not feel the same excitement Kunkler did, as they finished second to Yorktown for the second year in a row. The Tigers scored 143.5 points for the sectional crown. Jay County, which won the Allen County Athletic Conference championship on Friday, totaled 125.5. Monroe Central was a distant third with 57.
“We just had some little things here and there of some very minor mistakes,” Brian McEvoy, the JCHS girls track coach, said of finishing as the runner-up again to Yorktown after having a streak of five consecutive sectional titles snapped last season. “I thought we competed well in the circumstances. We gave a phenomenal effort, we just came up a little short tonight.”
Jay County will compete at the regional meet in nine running events and one throwing event. The top three places in each event earn a berth in regional, which is Tuesday at Ben Davis in Indianapolis.
Emma Laux and Britlyn Dues both qualified in two individual events apiece. Laux was second in the 200 dash with her time of 27.73 seconds, and she had the same place in the 400 dash in 1:01.08.
Dues finished second in both the 100 hurdles (16.49 seconds) and the 300 hurdles (48.37).
“Really happy with Emma Laux,” McEvoy said. “We threw a lot at her these last two meets. We ran her essentially in four individual events and she’s been huge for us. We took her out of one her favorite events, which is the (4x100) relay and asked her to run the (400). She did it with a smile.
“Just little things like that is what I take from this team and how unselfish they are. They got along well and they worked well together.”
Senior Megan Wellman was second in the 3,200 run in 12:18.05 to make regional, with sophomore Taylor Muhlenkamp placing third in discus (93 feet, 6 inches) and Kendra Muhlenkamp finishing third in the 1,600 run (5:36.57).
“That is a huge accomplishment for a freshman,” McEvoy said of Kendra Muhlenkamp, who joined Kellie Fortkamp, Kunkler and Wellman to finish second in the 4x800 in 10:30.95. “It is a lot of trust in a freshman to put in those stages — your conference meet and your sectional.
“I knew she’d be able to get the job done. She is a tough-nosed kid. She is really talented and this is just the tip of the iceberg for her.”
Taylor Muhlenkamp, who won the discus conference title on Friday, was third Tuesday behind a pair of Cowan teammates.
“Talk about doing your role and doing your job, it was really nice to see that out of a sophomore,” said McEvoy, noting that her performance helped bridge what was a 20-point gap between Jay County and Yorktown. The Patriots trailed by seven points with two events remaining before the Tigers won the 4x400 relay to secure the title.
Taylor Homan, Laux, Kunkler and Dues finished second in the 4x400 relay (4:15.28) for the final regional berth.
Also finishing in the top eight and scoring for the Patriots were Sydney Robbins (fourth – 100 hurdles), Kendra Muhlenkamp (fourth – 800 run), Emma Laux (fourth – 100 dash), Lucy Laux (fifth – 200 dash, fifth – long jump, sixth – 100 dash), Bekah Corwin (fifth – shot put), Kelsey Burden (sixth – 400 dash), Wellman (fourth – 1,600 run) and Fortkamp (fifth – 3,200 run).
Emily Muhlenkamp, Lucy Laux, Homan and Kunkler combined to finish fourth in the 4x100 relay.