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Chrissie Brassfield

Harlan County senior Paige Phillips was ninth in high jump and 15th in the triple jump at the 2A state track meet.

The Harlan County track team had an impressive showing Friday in the KHSAA Class 2A State Championship at Lexington. Both teams had the highest finishes in the program’s history, with the boys placing 12th overall with 22 points and the girls placing 19th with nine points. Covington Catholic (75 points) won the boys division, while Lexington Catholic (93 points) won the girls division.
“I’m really proud of our kids for how they performed. I thought they did a nice job of keeping their focus and they were most definitely ready to compete,” Harlan County coach Ryan Vitatoe said. “We had a ton of PRs today, we broke several school records, and as a coach you really can’t ask for more than that. I’m really proud of the number of great finishes we have. We’ve spent so much time this season talking about our times/marks and where they rank on the bigger stage and that we are as good as any team in the state. I think our performance today showed that. The boys were in seventh place heading into the final two events, and the girls were as high as 12th throughout the day. That says a lot about how competitive they were today. A top-12 finish on the boys side is the highest we’ve had at HC, and 19th is for our girls as well. It was an excellent day, and I’m proud of all these kids. They’ve worked very hard this season, and it showed on the biggest stage possible. The boys will end 2024 as a top-15 team in KY, and the girls will be a top-20. That’s huge.”
To lead the Bears, Jayce Brown placed second in pole vault, breaking his school record.
“What a huge day for Jayce. He’s such a strong kid and he is a natural in the pole vault. He really began to put it all together at the end of the season and he had a great day today,” Vitatoe said. “He PR’d by a foot and went down to the wire for a state championship. I’m really proud of him and he has a great opportunity over his last two years of high school.”
Luke Kelly finished third in the 100- and 200-meter dash.
“Luke had a huge day today. He’s been ranked as one of the top sprinters in 2A all season long and he was dialed in today and was ready to compete,” Vitatoe said. “He had a great start in both of his events and finished strong. Two top-three finishes at the state meet are huge and to finish third from the second heat is insane! He sets himself up for a big senior year as I know he’ll continue to work during the offseason to prepare.”
Ethan Simpson was 17th in the 400-meter dash.
Kaden Boggs placed 12th in the 1,600-meter run and 20th in the 3,200-meter run.
Dallas Sergent was ninth in the 110-meter hurdles and 17th in the 300-meter hurdles.
In long jump, Taelor Haywood was 18th.
Brayden Howard placed 24th in triplejump.
Jacob Shoemaker was 20th in discus.
In shot put, Bradley Henson placed 14th. Peyton Jackson was 18th.
Haywood, Kelly, Simpson and Sergent finished seventh in the 4 x 100-meter relay, breaking the school record.
“I’m super excited for our 4 x 100 relay guys (Ethan Simpson, Taelor Haywood, Luke Kelly and Dallas Sergent) to earn a medal at the state meet. The progress this group has made this season has been incredible. They’ve worked hard, and they’re such a good group of guys who enjoy being around each other,” Vitatoe said. “They deserved this, and I’m happy that Taelor and Dallas got to experience this in the final meet of their career.”
In the 4 x 200-meter relay, Kelly, Simpson, Sergent and Bryan Howard placed 17th.
Simpson, Gage Bailey, Bryan Howard and Jacob Schwenke were 21st in the 4 x 400-meter relay.
In the 4 x 800-meter relay, Bailey, Boggs, Caleb Schwenke and Jacob Schwenke finished 10th.
“I’m proud of all of our guys. We had a lot of guys finish within the top ten. We had several who scored points for us and several who had huge performances,” Vitatoe said. “They should be really proud of the season they’ve had. Our boys only lost twice during the entire season leading into the state meet. They won the region, the conference and the district. It was an incredible season.”
To lead the Lady Bears, Lauren Lewis finished sixth in the 400-meter dash, setting a new school record. Madison Daniels placed sixth in pole vault.
“I’m really proud of our girls performance today,” Vitatoe said. “Like the boys we had a ton of PRs, several who finished in the top 10 in their events, and I think they all competed really hard today. They’ve had an incredible season and I’m proud that so many represented our county here in Lexington.
“I’m very proud of Lauren. What can you say about an eighth-grader who comes in and finishes sixth in the high school state championship? She’s a hard worker and she’s been chasing that 400 record for the last three weeks. I’m really happy for her. She has a bright future ahead of her. I’m happy for Maddie. She’s been a hard worker in the pole vault and she’s been one of the best in the state for several years now. To finish in the top six in Kentucky is a big deal, and she sets herself up for a big senior year.”
In the 100-meter dash, Ella Karst was 21st. She was immediately followed by Aliyah Deleon.
Karst placed 19th in the 200-meter dash.
Peyton Lunsford was 13th in the 800-meter run.
In the 1,600-meter run, Gracie Roberts finished eighth, breaking the school record. Kiera Roberts placed 15th.
“Gracie had a huge day today. She’s another eighth-grader who finishes among the best high schoolers in Kentucky. A sixth-place finish with a huge PR (and school record) shows how dialed in she was,” Vitatoe said. “She fought hard until she crossed the line. I’m very proud of her.”
Gracie Roberts was ninth in the 3,200-meter run. She was immediately followed by Lunsford.
In the 100-meter hurdles, Paige Phillips placed ninth. Heaven Hensley was 18th.
Phillips was 15th in the 300-meter hurdles
Daniels placed 12th in long jump.
Phillips was ninth in high jump.
In triple jump, Phillips placed 15th. Maddi Middleton was 18th.
Daniels, Deleon, Karst and Jones placed 13th in the 4 x 100-meter relay.
In the 4 x 200-meter relay, Deleon, Jones, Karst and Jaylee Cochran finished 15th.
In the 4 x 400-meter relay, Lewis, Lunsford, Preslee Hensley and Brianna Howard were 19th.
Lewis, Lunsford, Gracie Roberts and Preslee Hensley finished seventh in the 4 x 800-meter relay, setting a new school record.
“The girls 4 x 800 (Peyton Lunsford, Gracie Roberts, Lauren Lewis and Preslee Hensley) had a huge day today,” Vitatoe said. “They’ve been one of the best teams in the state all season long, and I’m proud of them for proving it today. To earn a medal from the slower heat shows how talented they truly are. I’m really proud of them.
“The girls should also be very proud of the season they had. They won the first regional championship in program history and battled some great teams to finish as runner-up in the conference and district. They were a great group, and there is a really strong young core that we’ll continue to build around. The future is bright.”
“It’s been another great season of track and field at Harlan County. I’m so proud of these kids,” Vitatoe said. “When you look at the number of kids who qualified for the state meet, it’s so exciting and they came up to Lexington and backed it up. They proved they belonged there, and they can compete with the state’s best. I want to thank my coaching staff for all their hard work this season. Bryan Howard stepped in early in the season and did an incredible job with our jumpers. Derek (Plitt), Abby (Vitatoe), Josh (Sargent) and Baili (Bailey) all did incredible work with their groups this season. I want to thank the administration at our school as well as our superintendent and his staff for all their support, especially in making sure these kids got a home season with the construction we had going on at the track complex. Also, we have an incredible group of parents and program volunteers who make our program run so well. I give them all the credit for how all of our home meets go. I want to thank an incredible group of seniors. This is a great group we’re losing, and we will miss them.
“I’m hopeful that we continue to attract kids to our program. We’ve come a long way in the last 11 years and we want to continue to build our program into a state level contender. I believe we have our best days of track and field ahead of us, and I hope kids are excited to be part of it. It’s exciting to see the number of dual sport athletes who’ve found the benefits track and field can give to their other sports, and I hope others will continue that trend.”