The hardest thing in sports is repeating as a champion.
Green senior Kelsie Ahbe won the state championship in the pole vault in Division I as a sophomore and a junior, last year with a jump of 12’4”.
Ahbe equaled the jump this season, but that would not be enough as she placed fourth after tie-breakers at the state championship at Jesse Owens Stadium in Columbus.
“I think Kelsie did pretty good,” Green girls coach Dan Gourley said. “Her best had been 12’6”. Kelsie had done that two times. She cleared 12’4”, then they moved it up to 12’8”.”
Gourley was proud of the fact Ahbe qualified three times, which is a hard task to accomplish.
“I think Kelsie was disappointed she didn’t win, but the competition stepped it up. Congratulations to the winner and the other girls that were ahead of her.”
Looking back, Gourley had no complaints on her season.
“Oh my gosh. I think she had fun this year, that's what she wanted to do,” he said. “(Ahbe) wanted to run the 300 hurdles, a first for her. It was kind of neat having her do different things this year. We're going to miss her, she's our top point getter and great all-around athlete.”
Ahbe leaves Green High holding the school record in 800 meter run, was versatile enough to run the 4 x100 and 4 x 400 relays along with 300 hurdles.
“She’s going to be hard to replace,” Gourley said. “I look forward to seeing her step it up at Indiana and maybe someday to the Olympics.”
On the boys side, junior Dylan Papp took seventh place in the 3200 meter run with a time of 9:27.26.
“He did an outstanding job,” Green boys coach Paul Hane said. “That pace was so fast. I’m so glad Dylan didn’t get too caught up in that early pace. I’m glad he had something left and he got on the podium, which is what we wanted for him.”
The winner, sophomore Zack Wills, along with Revere’s Julian Meyers were on pace to break the state record in the event, which led to a break neck pace right from the gun, which took some runners off their strategy. That was not the case for Papp, who was the fourth best undersclassman in the race.
Papp is the first Green athlete to reach the podium since Donald Smith in 2003, placing sixth in the high jump.
Senior pole vaulter Thomas Davison was the other boy to qualify, taking 12th with a jump of 13’6”.
“(Thomas) went out on a height that was his best this year,” Hane said. “We couldn't ask for much more. He had such good competition down there. He did real well for himself and the team.”
Davison is the first male vaulter to reach the state meet in the six years Hane has been head coach.
This was a pleasant surprise for Davison, who initially planned his graduation for the day before the state meet not expecting to qualify when he planned it.
Looking back, this likely will be a more memorable way to spend his final weekend as a Bulldog.
“When you get people to state, it's a nice ending to a season,” Hane said. “We had a successful season, great to end it in Columbus. Hopefully we'll be back next year.”
