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The high school track and field season concluded this season with the State Meet held in Indianapolis. Ten girls and six boys earned the prestigious honor of qualifying for the meet. Of note, track and field remains one of the few IHSAA sports that is unclassed, meaning all athletes must compete and earn their spot amongst all high school athletes.
The Warsaw girls’ team was represented by Gracie Boren, Hannah Schini, Dani Rastrelli, and Sammi Rastrelli in the 4x800 relay; Annie Scholl, Darlene Nelson, Claire Walters, and Lucy Andrew in the 4x100; and individuals Cassie Jackson (discus) and Eden Metz (800). The boys squad included a mix of field and track athletes, with Jordan Randall (high jump), Reed Tucker (pole vault and long jump), Quinton Wilson (discus), Zander Bail (110 hurdles), Jackson Gackenheimer (1600), and Miles Rager (400).
The girl’s competition kicked off the IHSAA State Championships on Friday, with Cassie Jackson taking a 15th place finish and with a mark of 125-08. Jackson would finish second in her flight and just miss advancements to the finals. S
hortly after, with the temperatures rising, the 4x800 meter relay team stepped onto the track in the first of two heats. Over the years, there has been an increased focus by schools to load up their 4x8 relay team. This year was no different. The Warsaw four-some ran a 9:36.06, finishing 20th overall. Spectators were treated to a memorable event, as the Carmel squad stacked their group, setting a new State Record.
Transitioning from distance to sprints, the 4x1 team of Scholl, Nelson, Walters, and Andrew clocked a 49.33 second time, finishing 24th amongst the strong field from across the state. Metz was the final Warsaw athlete to complete on Friday night as the temperatures began cooling a bit. Metz would go on to finish 14th overall, with a final time of 2:17.47.
The girls’ state meet marked the conclusion of several careers for the Warsaw group. The Warsaw crew was a mix of young talent, with several freshmen competing, along with the seniors, several of which are going on to compete at the collegiate level.
This meet also meant the end of Coach Megan Davis’ stint as the head coach. Davis announced her retirement earlier this season. Upon reflecting on what’s been accomplished over the years leading the highly successful program, Davis commented, “The championships are special, but what I’ll remember the most are the people. For ten years, I have had the privilege of coaching incredible young women who taught me just as much as I ever taught them. The relationships built through this program will always mean the most. I’ve been unbelievably fortunate to coach alongside amazing assistant coaches, supportive families, dedicated administrators, and generations of athletes who trusted me to lead them. The standard was never perfection, it was growth.”
The group has won 20 consecutive conference titles, produced three state runners-up podium finishers, and 8 school records. Although, Davis added, “it was never about chasing numbers, it was about raising the standard every single year.”
The boys group became the focus on Saturday. In what will be the end of the “Erba-era”, his squad did not disappoint. Unlike the girls’ events on Friday, Saturday had several weather-related delays over the course of the evening.
With Reed in the long jump and Wilson in the discus, they were the first two Tigers to enter the competition. Wilson would finish the night placing 22nd with a throw of 151-09. The junior Reed was the lone Tiger to compete in multiple events, starting in the long jump, where he would leap to a mark of 22-02.50, placing 16th overall. Reed quickly transitioned to pole vault, where he would look to add some cushion to his previously established school record. In the field of 30, Reed selected his entry point at 14 ft, after 11 competitors had already been eliminated. Reed cleared 14’ and passed on the next height. Reed cleared 15’ and was one of six competitors remaining in the field. Reed showed his dominance, clearing the next three heights on his first attempt.
The bar was raised to 16’, and the field was reduced to five. Once again clearing the height on his first attempt, Reed would progress to the next height of 16’3’. For the first time of the evening, he wasn’t able to clear the bar, however, his performance led to a State Runner-Up finish, and scored for the team 8 points, setting a new WCHS school record.
Seniors Miles Rager and Jackson Gackenheimer would take to the track, represent the Warsaw crew in the running events. Gackenheimer dealt with numerous delays, including being at the starting line only to be called back and sent to shelter due to lighting being spotted in the area. After several hours, the race finally began. Gackenheimer concluded his Warsaw career by running a 4:20.67 1600, finishing 21st in the field. Grace College commit Rager was up shortly after and clocked a 49.57 race to finish 24th.
The remaining competitor, nationally ranked and last year’s champion Jordan Randall, was set to finally take to the apron in the high jump competition. Randall, the Georgia Bulldog commit, was determined to repeat as the State Champion. As many are aware, the 5’7’ senior has earned the respect of track and field enthusiasts across the nation. A Nike national champion, Randall has proven over his four years at Warsaw that he is the real deal.
Randall weathered the delays, passing many of the heights that were impacted initially by the weather. Although the starting height for the field was 6’, Randall passed until the bar was raised to 6’8’. At that time, the initial field of the 30 best jumpers in the state had already been reduced to only four. Randall easily cleared this height and passed up to 6’10’. He again easily cleared this mark on his first attempt. With the bar raised to 7’, Randall once again leaped easily over the bar on his first attempt, and the field was reduced to two. Randall’s first miss was at 7’2’, but he quickly recovered and cleared that height on his next attempt.
His lone competitor was not as successful, missing three attempts at this height. Being the only jumper remaining, Randall had the bar raised to 7’4.25”, what would be an all-time state record. Unfortunately, the weather once again became a factor, causing one more weather delay. After the all-clear was given, Randall attempted but failed to clear this all-time height. Randall would once again be crowned the State Champion in the event, joining a very short list of athletes ever to be a State Champion in two different years.
Upon conclusion, Coach Erba reflected on his career. “The 2026 season has been a record-breaking season. Five indoor records were broken. We have been blessed with coaches and athletes buying into the idea of building a program and in the last five years to be undefeated NLC Champions, 3-time sectional champions, regional champions in 2025, and 5th at state in 2025 just shows the progress and potential for this program. It has been an incredible experience being the boys head coach these past five year and I am thrilled for the opportunity to have worked with this outstanding group of coaches and athletes.”
Between Davis and Erba, the T&F program has proven to be one of the most successful programs in the area. In the past five years, over 30 former athletes have gone on to compete at the collegiate level. The program has also produced nearly a dozen Top 8 performances at the IHSAA championships, including 6 State Champions or Runner-Ups.
Warsaw as a community continues to embrace the significant success of the track and field program. Although there are numerous seniors, along with the coaches moving on, the number of underclassmen and high-performers and the middle school level will ensure the to-be-named coaches for both programs have a strong, committed, and driven pipeline of talent to ensure the legacy of Warsaw Track and Field continues on, well into the future.
Whomever take the helm of both the boys and girls programs will have a legacy of excellence to build upon, and an extremely strong pipeline of already proven young talent.
