Two-time title jumper

LOUISVILLE – A little competition brought out the best in North Oldham junior Erin Overcash.Overcash, a high jumper, won her second straight AA state high jump title Saturday at the University of Louisville with a personal best jump of 5-6.The jump came after Overcash was pushed to the limit by Donnell Nocero of Lloyd Memorial who took second with a jump of 5-4. Overcash’s previous personal best had been 5-4 in a meet earlier this year.“That two inches is sort of a big jump up,” Overcash said. “The meet I hit 5-4, I was very, very close to getting 5-6. At state when another girl (Nocero) hit 5-4 it made things a lot more competitive and got me going. I knew I could hit it and it was an awesome feeling to do it.”The atmosphere at the state played a key role for Overcash.“The state meet is always high intensity, there is a lot of adrenalin that goes with it,” Overcash said. “I like a competitive atmosphere, I always do my best when it’s like that.”As she did last year, Overcash won her state title without the benefit of a home track. Working with her coach Matt Piekarski, a second-year law student at U of L and former decathlete at Marquette University, she was able to practice at least one day a week at Oldham County High School and work individually with Piekarski during and after meets.Overcash has already set a goal of winning state again next year and hitting a jump of 5-8. A rare three-sport athlete in this age of specialization, she is one of the top AA cross country runners in the state finishing in the top 10 in the state the past two seasons and will enter her fourth season as a starter on the NOHS basketball team next year.Her busy schedule aids her in all her sports.“One thing is I am never out of shape,” Overcash said. “My body stays in good shape and it gets me in a repetitive state of mind because every day after school I am going to practice. It’s just easier to be focused because of that.”Law, Maddox shineSouth Oldham’s Jacob Law and NOHS’ Chase Maddox both had top-five finishes in their respective races.Law, a junior took second in the 3,200 meter run with a time of 9:39.44.Early in the race Law ran at the end of the pack in last place. He made his move with a half mile to go, ran a lap of 69 seconds then a final of 64 seconds to move up and grab second place.Jackson Carnes of St. Xavier won the race with a time of 9:34.89. Law took fourth in the regional the week before.Maddox, also a junior, took third in the 400 dash with a time of 51.53. He was just a hair behind East Carter’s Tyler McClain who was second at 51.50. Justin Jackson of Lone Oak took the title with a time of 51.39.The Lady Dragons’ 400 relay team also set a personal best time. The team, comprised of Jesse Murner, Kacie Niemann, Hannah Ellis and Mercedes Hartman ran sixth in the state with a time of 4:10.45.Boys’ resultsNOHS800 relayPrelims12 - NOHS 8:58.27 - Jeremy Rice, Colin Grandon, Taylor Sanders, Sean O’Nan 100 relayPrelims13 - NOHS 46.32 - Matt Alward, Dewayne Bishop, Tyler Warren, Chris Dudley 400 dashPrelims5 - Chase Maddox - 51.87 Finals3 - Chase Maddox - 51.53 400 relayPrelims12 - NOHS 3:44.01 - Chris Dudley, Carsten Fletcher, Jeremy Rice, Chase Maddox Triple jump14 - Dewayne Bishop - 36-03.25800 run14 - Jeremy Rice - 2:11.603,200 run9 - Taylor Sanders - 10:31.82Discus9 - Tyler Geers- 127-10OCHS110 hurdlesPrelims9 - Logan Ray - 16.51 300 hurdlesPrelims9 - Logan Ray - 42.15 SOHS3,200 run2 - Jacob Law - 9:39.44 Girls’ resultsNOHS100 relayPrelims10 - NOHS 54.73 - Lucy Gibson, Madalena Pierangelino, Lauren Richards, Elena BertuccioHigh jump1 - Erin Overcash - 5-6 OCHS/SOHS400 relayPrelims8 - SOHS 4:12.69 - Mercedes Hartman, Jessie Murner, Kacie Niemann, Hannah Ellis 13 - OCHS 4:26.61 - Hadiya Jones, Kelly Tisdale, Remsing King, Amelia Orwick Finals6 - SOHS 4:10.45 - Mercedes Hartman, Jessie Murner, Kacie Niemann, Hannah Ellis 3,200 run8 - Kacie Niemann - 11:58.73 Triple jump8 - Remsing King - 34-2.75

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