Funkhouser, Pieterse qualify for regional

MUNCIE — Aaron Funkhouser is heading back to regional.

He’s got another teammate going with him.

Funkhouser was the runner-up in the 400-meter dash Thursday as Jay County High School’s boys track team had two advance to regional during the IHSAA Boys Track and Field Sectional at Muncie Central.

“All in all I’m really pleased with how the boys performed,” said JCHS coach Joe Imel. “Some of the kids are disappointed because they didn’t place as high as they wanted to.”

Despite just three event wins, Delta won its first sectional title since 2018 by scoring 143.5 points. Yorktown, which had six event victories, totaled 130 points for second, and Wapahani (three wins) was third with 113.5.

Defending champion Muncie Central (the 2020 season was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic) totaled 104 points for fourth. Jay County was a distant fifth with 34 points.

A regional qualifier as a freshman in 2019, Funkhouser was seeded third heading into the sectional meet with his time of 52.72 seconds.

Starting in lane six, Funkhouser struggled a bit early on to keep his lead because of the staggered start, and coming off the back stretch Yorktown’s Cole Whitehead passed him.

As they came out of the turn down the front stretch toward the finish line, Funkhouser and Whitehead had emerged at the head of the field, with Whitehead, a senior, holding a two-stride lead over the Patriot junior.

Whitehead crossed the finish line in 50.73 seconds — nearly a full second faster than his seed time — for the championship. Funkhouser was the runner-up with a career-best time of 51.05 seconds, a major improvement from his seed.

“I’m pretty happy with it,” he said. “I didn’t get the time I wanted but I did get a (personal record).”

As for being just six-hundredths of a second off his goal of breaking 51 seconds?

“It was close,” added Funkhouser, who also finished fifth in the 200 dash. “But regional, here I come.”

The top three places in each event advance to the regional meet, set for May 27 at Lawrence Central.

Funkhouser’s classmate Jean Pieterse earned the other regional qualifying berth as he placed third in high jump with a career-best height of 6 feet.

Pieterse was one of five competitors remaining when the bar was raised to 6 feet. Delta’s Adam Stitt was the first of the group to clear the height, doing so on his second attempt.

Muncie Central’s Jerramie Johnson and Cowan’s Kyle Pike both missed all three attempts, and Pieterse had faulted on his first two.

With one chance left to secure a top-three finish and a berth in the regional meet, the junior cleared the bar for a new personal best. He let out a smile, went to the edge of the track and hugged teammate Owen Ransom.

Wapahani’s Alden Mahaffey cleared the height on his third and final attempt as well, leaving three remaining as the bar was lifted by 2 inches.

Pieterse wasn’t able to clear the height — Stitt and Mahaffey both did — and he placed third. Mahaffey won the championship with a height of 6 feet, 4 inches.

“I’m really happy for him,” Imel said. Pieterse was also eighth in 110 and 300 hurdles. “He’s been shooting for 6 feet all year long. You can tell he really works at it and works hard at it.”

Jay County’s 4x100 relay team of Gavin Farmer, Dylan Knapschafer, Adrek Pogue and Ransom had a career-best time of 45.96 seconds to place fifth, while Flint Schmiesing, Dustin Harris, Griffin Lennartz and Mitchell Winner took eighth in the 4x800 relay in 9 minutes, 35.73 seconds, a career-best effort.

Kunkler, Ransom, Knapschafer and Funkhouser combined for a time of 3:47.72 for seventh in the 4x400 relay.

Kunkler (fifth – 100 hurdles) and Knapschafer (seventh – long jump) also finished in the top eight and scored points for the Patriots.