Notre Dame’s Ella Goetz’s final high school event ended a six-year championship drought.
Cooper junior Paul Van Laningham won another distance race.
Goetz and Van Laningham brought home individual gold in Saturday’s KHSAA Class 3A track and field meet at the University of Kentucky. Goetz won the shot put with a 39 feet, 9 inch toss, and Van Laningham needed just 4 minutes, 8.25 seconds to win the boys 1,600.
Before Goetz, 2020 Notre Dame alumna Briana Seibert was the last Panda to take home gold when she won the discus in 2019.
Goetz was on the track team her freshman and sophomore seasons in 2022 and 2023. She took a year off in 2024 and hadn’t planned on coming back until Notre Dame coach Matt Hollenkamp emailed her.
“I didn’t know if there was much begging,” Hollenkamp said. “It’s just a credit to her and her overall great attitude and resiliency, I think, as a person.”
Goetz started the day with a 37-3 on her first attempt and added distance over the next three throws – 38-10, 39-3/4 and the winning 39-9. Going to the final three throws, she was second to Louisville Central’s Shelby Valentine.
Goetz didn’t think the fourth throw would be the winner.
“I was shocked when they said it ‘cause it came off my thumb really wrong,” Goetz said. “But it must have worked … It just came off at a weird angle.”
Goetz finished with a 38-9 and 39-6 over her last two tosses.
‘Running for my life’
Van Laningham’s (who also finished fifth in the 3,200) 1,600 set a state record. It was his third state win this season; he captured the 3A cross country and the indoor mile.
“The way that I felt like I needed to run it (Saturday) was a lot harder because I don’t even know what happened in that race,” Van Laningham said. “I was running for my life most of the way.”
What you immediately notice is his unconventional sense of humor – starting with crediting a rodent for the victory.
“Off the bat, I just want to shout out Cosmo,” Van Laningham said. “I was told to shout him out. He’s my hamster, he’s our cross country team’s team animal … He didn’t make the trip (Saturday); it’s a little hot out.”
Van Laningham was a little less than a second ahead of St. Xavier’s Nick Sanders after 400 meters, a margin he would maintain throughout the race.
Sanders was second with a 4:09.20.
“I still only won by one second,” Van Laningham said. “I was hoping it’d be a little more, but yeah, I’m very happy with it.”
Seconds
Campbell County placed second in the girls 4×800. Lila Dunlevy, Allison McKee, Aidan Christopher and Olivia Holbrook combined for a time of 9 minutes, 22.46 seconds, a little more than five seconds behind Louisville Assumption.
“We wanted to win, but we beat our school record by seven seconds,” said Holbrook, who also took second in the 800.
Dixie Heights sophomore Ari Carter was second in girls discus. Her 124-10 was a shade over five feet behind Aleigha Sullivan of Lafayette’s 129-11.
Carter also had surgery last fall to relieve compartment syndrome – a painful buildup of pressure – in her calves. She said her balance was a concern lately.
“My balance was a whole lot better (Saturday), I think than what it was last week,” Carter said. “I might’ve had an ear infection, but this week it is a lot better, and I haven’t been falling as much.”
Assumption won the girls team title over North Oldham and Male, 85-53. Campbell County was seventh with 27.5 points, and Dixie Heights was eighth with 27.
Louisville Trinity won the boys team title over Male, 77-54. Simon Kenton was Northern Kentucky’s highest finisher, taking 14th place with 17 points.
Other Northern Kentucky top-eight finishers included:
• Third place
Alexis Howard, Simon Kenton, girls long jump
Tatjana Andracenko, Dixie Heights, girls triple jump
Brayden Polly, Simon Kenton, boys high jump
• Fourth place
Ava Dunn, Cooper, girls shot put
Howard, girls triple jump
Andracenko, 100 hurdles
Brennan Simpson, Dixie Heights, 400 meters
Nicholas Kopp, Dixie Heights, 800 meters
Bredyn Elder and Vincent Gallucci, Ryle, Mixed 2×50 Unified
Kason Thomas, Keegan Knecht, Ethan Ertel and Gallucci, 4×100 shuttle hurdle relay Unified
Ella Petzelt, Addi Frondorf, Cameron Kirtley and Sadie Yapp, Notre Dame, 4×400
Fifth place
Avery Vanlandingham, Bella Rechtin, Ellie Frey and Claire Higgins, Conner, 4×800
Alayna Hocker, Vivian Brewer, Andracenko and Williams, Dixie Heights, 4×100
Nathan Hopper, Conner, boys 800
• Sixth place
Addison Walker, Ryle, girls shot put
Jacob Hon and Jaxon Waid, Simon Kenton, Mixed long jump Unified
Kate Resing, Notre Dame, girls 100 hurdles
Camrin O’Donnell, Dixie Heights, boys 110 hurdles
O’Donnell, 300 hurdles
Howard, 100 dash
Ethan Mann, Conner, boys 1,600
Reagan Nichols, Cruze Sauley, Kason Thomas and Nathan Verax, Ryle, boys 4×200
Charlie Bell, Jose Silva-Cortez, Reese Hendrickson, and Donovan Goetz, Scott, 4×100 shuttle hurdle relay Unified
Sophia Maki, Conner, girls 200
• Seventh place
Polly, boys long jump
Brady Kennedy and Klaryssa Viverro, Dixie Heights, mixed shot put Unified
London Williams, Dixie Heights, girls 100 dash
Lexi Hatfield, Linus Jones, Myles Lovell and Carson Vieth, Highlands, 4×100 shuttle hurdle Unified
Isabelle Morin, Ryle, girls 3,200
Emily Bruns, Harper Allen, Hope Tignor and Hocker, Dixie Heights, girls 4×400
• Eighth place
Dunn, girls discus
Demontae Knox, Cooper, boys long jump
Emily Smith, Ryle, girls pole vault
Wesley Stanley, Campbell County, boys pole vault
Elder and Gallucci, Mixed long jump Unified
Nichols, boys 200
For complete results, visit khsaa.org (bit.ly/4jtjUiu).
