Wheeler sophomore Thad Martz isn’t a basketball player, but that hasn’t stopped him from perfecting his 360-degree spin and dunk.
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“I can do it with a tennis ball,” he said. “I can’t do it with a basketball yet. I don’t play basketball, but I thought it was fun.”
Those repetitions are part of the training for Martz’s signature field event — the high jump. All that work paid off at Thursday’s Highland Invitational as Martz won the event with a leap of 6 feet, 4 inches.
It was just two inches shy of his personal best, set at Saturday’s Dick Deardurff Classic in LaPorte. His goal this season is 6-8, with the hope he’ll reach 7-0 by the end of his high school career.
“I’ve been working out a lot in the weight room, trying to get my legs stronger,” he said. “And I’ve been working on my technique, like arching (over the bar).”
Martz wasn’t the only Wheeler underclassman who shined at the meet.
Freshman Hailey Orosz took first place in three events, winning the 1,600 in 5 minutes, 37.27 seconds and the 3,200 in 11:58.26. She also helped the 3,200 relay clock in at a victorious 10:10.10.
After qualifying for the cross country state finals in the fall, Orosz said she’s still surprised by her success this spring.
“I wasn’t expecting much,” Orosz said. “But track came with higher expectations, so I’m a little nervous for that going into sectionals.”
Andrean junior Tyler Thomas has high expectations as well. He won a pair of individual events, taking the 100 in 11.24 and the 200 in 22.69. He also helped the 400 relay (44.55) and 1,600 relay (3:31.34) take second.
Although he was happy with the wins, Thomas wasn’t completely satisfied.
“I wasn’t happy with the 100 time,” he said. “I’m still in the training process, though, so I’m not too discouraged. I know I’ve improved a lot in training, so I’m expecting big things this year and next year.”
Lake Central’s girls finished first in the team standings with a score of 120, while Highland’s boys claimed victory with a score of 133.5 points.
Ten of those point for Highland came from senior Gannon Grider, who finished well ahead of the field with a discus throw of 160-2.
Grider’s season-best throw is 168-1, and he’s reached 173 feet in practice, well ahead of the 131-6 he threw at last year’s regional.
Grider credited his development to quicker movement throughout his spin, which he said generates more power in his legs.
With that transition in his training complete, Grider intends to keep it simple for the rest of the season.
“Just keep throwing it far,” he said.
Dave Melton is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.