Running continues to be part of Nick Stoner’s life almost a decade after the greatest day in the history of Center Grove boys track and field.
Only now, the married father of two young sons prefers long runs over quick bursts.
A few times a week, Stoner, whose victories in the 100- and 200-meter dashes helped the Trojans capture the 2011 state championship at Indiana University, takes a break from work and domestic life for a little me time.
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“I’ve always enjoyed running,” said Stoner, 27, who resides in Greenwood with his wife Lily and their sons Henry, 7, and Jack, 2. “I think it has a lot of health benefits and keeps me in shape.”
Stoner starred in both football and track at Center Grove, his final act as a Trojan athlete being the anchor leg of the victorious 4×400 relay at state. Earlier that day, he won the 100 in 10.66 seconds and the 200 in a time of 21.88.
Stoner also ran the final leg of Center Grove’s fifth-place 4×100 relay.
A two-way player for the Center Grove football team as a receiver and cornerback, Stoner finished his career with eight interceptions, including three his senior season. Stoner’s exceptional speed also played a major role in his averaging 36.8 yards in the nine times opponents actually directed the football his way on kickoffs.
Eric Moore, the Trojans’ football and boys track coach, understood he was coaching a different type of athlete.
“Nick could just do it all,” Moore said. “In football, he had a sense of where the ball was and was very aggressive. He could fly and he would hit you. Nick wasn’t afraid of contact and had excellent hands and instincts. He led by example and did all the things right that you wanted in an athlete.”
Stoner played four seasons of football at Indiana University as a receiver, finishing his career with 47 receptions for 561 yards. He played in 45 games for the Hoosiers from 2011 to 2014 — calling the team’s 31-27 win at Missouri his senior season the most memorable.
He ran track for IU as a freshman and sophomore, but the workload eventually got to where Stoner decided to focus on football.
“It was a lot of work, like a full-time job,” Stoner said of his first two years in Bloomington. “Your days were structured from 6 or 7 a.m. to 6 or 7 p.m. I remember one week specifically where I had 16 total workouts between the two sports and then running a track meet that Saturday in Louisville.”
As a high school sprinter, Stoner was half of one of the best one-two punches in the modern era of Indiana boys track and field. Classmate Austin Mudd obliterated decades-old state meet standards in the 800 and 1,600 and helped in the 4×400 relay before going on to continue his career at the University of Wisconsin.
“You had two of the most dynamic kids in Indiana high school track history,” Moore said. “Austin Mudd was phenomenal, and it sort of overshadowed Nick a little bit. But for Nick to win the 100 and 200 and be part of two relays that day, it was just a great story.”
One that Stoner will tell his own sons, if he hasn’t already. He remains busy, but in a different way. Stoner is employed at American Funds in Carmel and relishes his role as a family man.
But yes, he still thinks about the time the Trojans achieved the ultimate.
“A lot of things had to come together, but we had other pieces in place like Kyle Schwartz, Brandon Cothron and Conner Stapleton,” Stoner said. “Everything went perfect for us. When you set out with your best friends and set a goal, and it just culminates on one day, it becomes a pretty cool moment.”
