May 22, 2012 — After winning the 6th Region title, the Rowan County boys track & field team took its show on the road to Louisville to compete in the Class 2A State meet.
Led by a third place finish in the pole vault by Zack Kelsey, the Vikings faired well, scoring nine points, six of which were Kelsey’s, to end the season with a 25th place state finish.
Rowan County’s Daniel Johnson, Tim Clayton, Shelby Deharte and Josh Gilliam finished 17th in the 4x8 relay with a time of 8:54.25.
Viking sophomore Issac Lee made noteworthy finishes in two hurdle events, including an 8th place finish in the 300m hurdles with a time of 41.42, and a 15th place finish in the 110m hurdles with 16.15.
Lee was also featured on Rowan’s 4x2 relay team where he and teammates Zack Kelsey, Logan Ashley and Chris Baker raced to an 11th place finish, marking a time of 1:33.49.
Baker also made his presence felt in the 200m solo event, gutting out a 12th place finish of 12.20.
Sprinting and hurdles were not the only skills to be put on display by the Vikings, as sophomore Shelley Deharte paced himself to a time of 11:01.47 in the 3200m run, good enough for a 21st place finish.
Robert Estes finished the season strong in the discuss throw, heaving an impressive 136-06 to nab one point in the event for an eighth place finish. Nathan Hanshaw joined Estes in the discus showcase, throwing a 101-08 as he grabbed 21st in the event.
Rowan also competed in the triple jump where Jalen Stone leaped his way to a record a 39-11.50 finish to nab 17th for the Vikings.
Alston Buttry did well in the high jump finishing 10th with his best height coming in at 10.00 to give Rowan another point on the event. Laney Stone accompanied Buttry in the high jump, gliding over a top height of 8.00.
Kelsey was the highlight for Rowan’s boys during the state matchup, placing third in the pole vault soring to a top height of 12-06.00, while fellow junior Garet Fultz finished 16th with 9-06.00. Kelsey claimed the highest point total for the Vikings with six.
Forty-eight teams competed in this year’s 2A State Track & Field Competition.
