It’d be easy for Kiyah Yeast to dwell on what might have been after the girls state track and field meet. Instead, she’s keeping her focus straight ahead — just like a great sprinter should.
A strained hamstring, sustained near the end of the 100-meter final, put a cramp in any championship plans Yeast had for her junior season at Center Grove. But she still came away from the year with two more state medals and some personal-best times, and she is the Daily Journal’s Athlete of the Year in girls track and field for a second straight year.
Yeast’s time of 11.61 seconds in the 100-meter state preliminary turned out to be the fastest time of the day in that event.
"I did run 11.6 at state, which was my goal coming into the year, and so I feel that was really a testimony to what I did this year," Yeast said. "And then also running 24.2, that’s really good, and I feel like if I would have ran the 200 at state I feel like I definitely would have gone into the 23s, which was my goal. So I’m satisfied with the year; I think it was good overall."
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Yeast didn’t lose an individual final until the state meet, winning county, conference, sectional and regional titles in both the 100 and 200. She also helped Center Grove qualify for state in the 4×100 relay and win the county title in the 4×400.
She wound up having to jog the 200-meter final at state, settling for a ninth-place medal after placing fourth in the prelims, but after struggling through the 4×100 she decided that going all out in the 200 would have been too big a risk to take.
"It didn’t quite pull," Yeast said of her hamstring, "but I feel like if I would have run the 200 it definitely would have pulled. A strain is not good, but it’s better than having it completely pulled, so I just wanted to look at the summer and kind of protect myself."
The summer figures to be a busy one for Yeast. She’s running with an eye toward the Junior Olympics in Sacramento, California in late July, and she’s doing some more research on colleges and possibly taking some visits as she gets to know the coaches on her growing list of suitors.
Then, there’s one more season with the Trojans to chase that state gold that’s eluded Yeast thus far.
"I know that I’m perfectly capable of winning, and perfectly capable of running the times that I need to win," she said, "so next year I’ve just got to go in there and just run and see what happens. But I definitely think that I can win."
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The 2019 All-Johnson County team for girls track:
Gabrielle Allen, Whiteland sophomore: Placed second in the 100-meter hurdles and third in both the 100 and 200 meters at the sectional … County runner-up in all three events.
Emily Bonser, Greenwood senior: Finished her career with two state medals, placing fifth in the shot put (42 feet, 11 1/4 inches) and eighth in the discus (129-9) … County and sectional shot put winner.
Reagan Emberton, Whiteland senior: Bowling Green recruit advanced to state in the shot put, finishing 21st … County champion and sectional runner-up in the discus.
Isabella Jackson, Whiteland sophomore: Cleared 5-8 in the high jump to place third at the state meet, where she was also 11th in the 300 hurdles and 20th in the 100 hurdles … Won four events at sectional.
Taylor Jarosinski, Center Grove sophomore: Finished second in the state in the pole vault, clearing a personal best of 12 feet, 9 inches … Won county, conference, sectional and regional titles in the event.
Makensie Kramer, Center Grove sophomore: Regional qualifier in both the 100 and 300 hurdles after finishing second in both at sectional … Was also the county runner-up in the long jump and 300 hurdles.
Lillian Lacy, Franklin sophomore: County champion in both the 1,600 and 3,200 … Won the 1,600 at sectional but focused solely on the 3,200 afterward, advancing to state and placing 19th.
Myana Pace, Center Grove sophomore: Ran on 4×100 relay team that qualified for state as the seventh seed … Was the sectional runner-up in both the 100 and 200 meters and third in those events at county.
Julia Riley, Center Grove senior: Earned fifth place at state meet with a school-record long jump of 18-7 … Also qualified for state in the 100 hurdles and 4×100 relay … County champion in four events.
Riko Williams, Center Grove senior: Ran third leg of Trojans’ 4×100 relay that qualified for state; was second at sectional in the long jump and fourth at regional, missing state by a quarter of an inch.
Kiyah Yeast, Center Grove junior: Placed third in the state in the 100, ninth in the 200 and 26th in the 4×100 despite a hamstring injury … Won county, conference, sectional and regional titles in the 100 and 200.
Honorable mention
Maggie Auger, Franklin; Shaelyn Biddle, Indian Creek; Teagan Bixler, Center Grove; Cami Kelsay, Franklin; Ava Leininger, Greenwood; Taylor Leytham, Whiteland; Ella Rasche, Center Grove; Addison Utterback, Franklin; Isabella Zekalo, Greenwood
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