Farley Runs No. 2 All-Time Indiana 800 Meters (2:05.88), Kennedy Nearly Cracks 10 Minutes For 3,200 Meters And Also No. 2 In State History
By David Woods for DyeStat
INDIANAPOLIS — We might have to go back nearly 50 years to find an Indiana distance duo like this one.
In races starting 10 minutes apart, Park Tudor seniors Gretchen Farley and Sophia Kennedy each ran the No. 2 time in Hoosier history Tuesday night at the Pike Regional.
The Kennedys and Farleys used to live on Pennsylvania Street in Indianapolis homes separated by 73rd Street. The swing set was popular on the Kennedys’ corner, and the Farleys’ side lots allowed room to chase a soccer ball.
Now, the two girls chase records on the track.
Farley needed to run 800 meters as fast as 2:05.88 to hold off Delta junior Nicki Southerland, who was second in 2:06.12. They became Nos. 2 and 3 in Indiana history and are US#7 and US#8 in 2023.
Only Indiana times faster are by Huntington North’s Addy Wiley — 2:04.40 at Renton, Wash., in 2021, and 2:04.64 at Eugene, Ore., in 2022.
Farley had relatively even splits of 62.3/63.5, and she said she would go out faster at the state meet. Her previous PB was 2:09.24 from a week ago. Southerland, winner of the 1,600 in 4:50.97, chased her all the way to the end.
“Coming to 150 left, I did not know she was that close,” Farley said. “I saw her in my peripheral vision, so I thought, ‘Oh, I gotta kick to another gear.’ “
The former middle-school sprinter, who won a 200/400 double in her conference meet, did so.
Kennedy won a solo 3,200 in 10:00.56, challenging the 2015 state record of 9:56.48 (converted from two miles) by Mishawaka’s Anna Rohrer.
Top three in each event from eight regionals, plus those meeting standards, advance to the single-class state meet June 3 at Bloomington.
Oddly, neither Farley nor Kennedy has won a state title, although they led Park Tudor to a small-school indoor team championship.
Sophia is the daughter of Bob Kennedy, a two-time Olympian and four-time NCAA champion at Indiana University. Gretchen is the sister of Hannah and Abby Farley, who were three-time state champions at 400 and 800, respectively.
A case could be made no school in Indiana has had such a duo since Rudy Chapa and Carey Pinkowski were running for Hammond High in the mid-1970s.
In both 1974 and 1975 at state, it was Pinkowski winning the mile and Chapa the two-mile. They tied for the state cross country title in 1974. (Teammates Chapa,…
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