“I was like, ‘What’s high jump?’” she said. “He said, ‘Just take your steps and find someone else’s mark.’ It was really, really bad.”
But she quickly improved and caught the eye of longtime track coach Mark Klopfenstein, who offered to be her personal high jump coach. As a freshman, he helped Mullen win the state title with a leap of 5 feet, 7 inches. There was no state meet her sophomore year because of the pandemic. Last year she won the championship by clearing 5-10.¼, which set a Division III state meet record and remains her career high. Her best this season is 5-9. Every time she clears that, she moves the bar to 5-10½. She’s come close a few times.
“Mark Klopfenstein is really a huge part of my success and a huge part of my life,” Mullen said. “And I wouldn’t be where I am without him.”
Mullen also credits Wayne and Northwestern high schools and Wittenberg for allowing her to train in their high jump pits.
Wayne May is in his first season as Central’s head coach. He is impressed with Mullen’s will to win in the high jump and as a runner. She anchored the 400-meter relay team that made it to regionals and also ran in the 200 at regionals.
“One of the things that impresses me is the fact that she’s never rattled,” May said. “Even if she’s having a bad day at the high jump, she still refocuses and takes care of it.”
Mullen, who is 5-foot-10, grew up playing basketball and dreamed of playing in college. Some Division II and III teams showed interest, but as she progressed as a high jumper it became obvious that jumping was her ticket to college. She will jump at the University of Kentucky.
“Basketball was my first love because I’ve been playing for a really long time,” she said. “High jump — I’ve gotten to love it the more I’ve been jumping. Basketball is my first love, but I love both.”
Mullen said she thinks often about how much she will improve in college.
“I just want to get better and better,” she said. “I’m hoping college, with a different coaching style, hearing tips from multiple people, will help improve my jumps. I’m just very excited about the future.”
Central boys: Before the track season, May told sophomore DaShawn Martin that if he would join the team and run in the 400-meter relay that the Irish would make it to state. But it hasn’t been easy. Martin is also on the baseball team and missed several meets. Ty Myers Jr., another sophomore, was hurt during the season and missed meets.
Finally, just before the district meet, Martin and Myers were able join junior leadoff Tyler Young and senior anchor Ashton Young. They competed in the Wayne Invitational and finished 10th but were the highest finishing Division III team. They ran a season-best 43.5 seconds at regionals, which is the second-fastest time in D-III this season. The Irish boys haven’t won a state event since C.J. Carroll won the 400 in 2007, and they have never won the 400 relay.
“To watch it all coming together is amazing,” May said. “At Wayne, they knew they had something special, and they just started putting it together.”
Ashton Young will also run in the 100 meters. He was fourth at regionals and has the seventh best time going into state.
Springfield boys: Senior Jonathon Richardson is competing in three events and brings the best time in the state this season into the 110 hurdles. Richardson ran 13.97 seconds in the qualifying heat last week in regionals at Wayne. He won the final in 14.37, which is tied for the best state qualifying time with Alec Carr, of Big Walnut. Carr was seventh at state last year.
Richardson will compete in the long jump and on the 400 relay team. Tyron Barnes will compete in the high jump and Jokell Brown in the shot put. Brown placed sixth last year.
Springfield girls: In the seated wheelchair division, senior Jadyn Marstella has the second-best distance in the shot put (14-1.5).
Shawnee: Senior Audrey DeSantis has the second best time Division II time in the state this season in the 3,200. She will be chasing the same runner she finished second to in regionals: defending state champion Grace Hartman, of Oakwood.
Silas Bush won the 800 at regionals and has the ninth best time in the state, putting him in the hunt for a top-eight podium finish.
Greenon girls: Junior pole vaulter Tru Buddenberg is coming off a career best 11-9 at regionals. That’s tied for the fifth-best mark in the state this year in D-II. Four others have cleared 12 feet.
West Liberty-Salem boys: Logan Saylor leads a large group of Tigers into the D-II meet after winning the team crown at regionals. Saylor will compete in the long jump, high jump and 200. The Tigers’ best chance to score might be in the 3,200 relay. Their second-place finish of 8:07.14 at regionals is the eighth-best time in the state this season.
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