Indian Valley Braves Track and Field

08/22/2026

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Indian Valley’s Carsen Hostetler was honored by the Tuscarawas County Sports Hall of Fame members Hank Keathley, Frank Polen and Tom Farbizo for winning the Div II 300 meter hurdles state title last spring.
The TCSHOF honors state champion teams and individuals of OHSAA sporting events.
The ceremony was held before the start of the Green at Indian Valley game. Indian Valley Local Schools Indian Valley Athletic Booster Club

06/15/2026

Girl's team post season honors

06/14/2026

Lady Braves Track & Field stand out Kayla Caldwell-Holdsworth was inducted into the Eastern District Track and Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame at induction ceremony held on June 13 in Cambridge, Ohio. Kayla was one of 10 inductees in the 2026 class.

While competing for the Lady Braves, Kayla was a 13 time All-Ohioan in Track & Field. This included being state runner-up in the pole vault as a freshman and a three time state champion in the event her sophomore, junior, and senior years.

Kayla went to compete for Hillsdale College in Michigan where she earned seven All-American titles.

Additionally, she has participated in seven USA National Championships as well as competing in the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials. She is a three time international gold medalist as well.

Congratulations Kayla — you make Braves Nation proud!

06/08/2026

For those in Gnaden who celebrate, Happy Carsen Hostetler Day.

06/07/2026

Your new STATE CHAMP in the Div3 300 M hurdles is Carsen Hostetler!
He ran a 37.01.

He ran to win, and he WON!

06/07/2026

Carsen Hostetler hurdles his way to a third place finish in the 110 hurdles at the State meet. He completed the race in a SCHOOL RECORD time of 14.16.

Congratulations, Carsen!

06/01/2026

DIVISION ONE IS WHERE THE REAL TALENT'S AT!

PLACING AT STATE MEANS NOTHING UNLESS YOU'RE D1!!!

Is there any truth to this?
Perhaps some, if a relay is being run, (as long as you are willing to ignore the fact that the fastest 4x100 team in the State is a D3 team out of Cleveland. And only three of the top ten 4x400 teams in the State are D1.)

But does Division 1 really dominate Ohio High School Track & Field? Does a D3 champion have less prestige? What about a D5 champ? Carsen Hostetler has been excellent among local talent. He has done very well against D3 opponents, but what would he do against the big schools? What about the distance runners from New Philadelphia or Fairless? I suppose they are fortunate that the divisions were expanded so they have a chance to finally compete, right?

At the end of this article, I will be discussing Carsen's trip to Columbus this upcoming weekend. Feel free to skip to the end and read how he has a chance to do well against his measly D3 opponents. Or check out some fun facts and stats and get excited about what this state has to offer at every level.

First, let's give D1 there props. They do sprints, and they do them well. In the 100-meter dash, they have 12 of the top 20 ranked runners and 6 of the top 10. Another 5 of the top 20 are in Division 2. That is 17/20 in the top 2 divisions. The 200-meter dash is similar, with 7 D1 and 10 D2 making up the top 20. So, YES, in the glory events, the larger divisions rule and dominate.

The 400, however starts to show the grit in some of Ohio's smaller schools. Five of the top 20 runners are in D4. Two of those are in the top 10. In fact, the number one 400M runner in the states is a kid named Beau Hesler from D4 school, North Adams. He runs a blazing 46.52.
The 800 has 3 kids from D3 in the top 10, matching the number of D1 runners and one shy of the number of D2 runners.

The 1600 is locally exciting. Five of the top sixteen runners are in either New Philadelphia or Fairless. The top 3 runners in the State are D2, with the #2 runner being Wyatt Lendon from New Phila. His teammate Alec Adelman is close behind him at #9.
The 3200 has four D4 runners in the top 20. Two in the top 10. One of those is #3, Brice Fuller from Fairless. Division 2's Marcus Adelman from New Phila is ranked 5th in the State.

In truth, D1 and D2 still hold the majority of the rankings in those open running events, but things start to change when discussing field events and hurdles. Let's talk Field first.

Pole vault has 6 of the top 20 vaulters in D3. (3 of the top 10).
D1 has 3 in top 20, (2 top 10)
D2 4, (1)
D4 3, (2)
D5 4, (2)
That is 13 of the top 20 and (7 of the top 10 being in the 3 smaller divisions.

Long jump is balanced between D1/D2 and D3/D4/D5. Each group has 10 in top 20 and (5 in top 10).

High jump leans heavy on D2: 8 (2), and D1 5 (4). However, D5 comes out of nowhere and has (3 of the top 10) jumpers.
Shot put is fairly even between the large schools and small schools. D1/D2: 11 (5), D3/D4D5: 9 (5). Malvern's Parker Bowe is ranked 2nd.
However, Discus heavily favors the small schools:
D1: 3 (3)
D2: 4 (3)
D3: 4 (1)
D4: 4 (1)
D5: 5 (2)

Now let's discus what everyone came here to read. Let's talk hurdles. Let's talk Indian Valley's own, CARSEN HOSTETLER. What is his competition going to be like this coming weekend? Will he be a horse amongst donkeys, or will he be a gazelle amongst lions?

In the 110 hurdles, Division 1 has 7 of the top 20 athletes, [4 of top 15], and (3 of top 10).
D2: 3, [2], (2)
D4: 0, [0], (0)
D5: 2 [2], (0).
For those doing the math at home, that means that Indian Valley's Division 3 status will pit Carsen in a field where he is one of 8 runners in the top 20, [7 runners in the top 15], and (5 runners in the top 10. Carsen ran his second-best race ever at the Regional Finals this past weekend and placed 3rd. That time of 14.20 puts him as the 4th seed entering the State meet. The good news is that his hurdles coach found some areas for improvement, and if Carsen is blessed enough to execute the plan, the top position is in reach amongst many of the best hurdlers in Ohio.

In the 300 hurdles, Carsen is seeded number one. For a period of less than a half hour, he held the best time in Ohio, but a young man from D1 Olentangy Berlin surpassed him by 0.04 seconds.

In the 300 hurdles, across the state, Division 1 has (4 of the top 10) hurdlers, but they have no additional hurdlers in the top 20. Division 2 has only 2 runners in the top 20. Notice below how the different divisional runners rank amongst the top 20, [top15], and (top 10).
D1: 4, [4], (4)
D2: 2, [1], (0)
D3: 7, [6], (2)
D4: 3, [2], (2)
D5: 4, {2}, (2)
Once again, Division 3 offers the most competition. Carsen has faced the best of competition twice this year. The first time was against the #3 ranked runner in Braxton Barnett. Carsen lost that race. It was only the 2nd person to beat him in 2 years. At the Regional finals, he went against another great competitor, the #4 ranked Ohioan from Buckeye Valley, Austin Browning. It was an incredible race, with Browning trailing Carsen by only 0.2 seconds. They will have a rematch this weekend, and Carsen and his hurdle coach will be looking to find where additions tenths of seconds can be gained.

We in Braves Nation are very excited to see how Carsen performs against a very talented field in both hurdle events this weekend. He has already proven his talent to the community, but we all know that in any race only one runner wins the prize. Run to win, Carsen.
RUN to WIN!

Below, I will give the details of my divisional rankings for any stats nerds. The first number is how many in top 20. The second ( #) is how many in top 10
100
D1: 12 (6)
D2: 5 (2)
D3: 2(1)
D4: 2 (1)
D5: 0

200
D1: 7 (5)
D2: 10 (4)
D3: 3 (1)
D4: 0
D5: 0

400
D1: 6 (3)
D2: 6 (4)
D3: 2 (1)
D4: 5 (2)
D5: 1 (0)

800
D1: 5 (3)
D2: 11 (4)
D3: 3 (3)
D4: 1 (0)
D5: 0

1600
D1: 9 (4)
D2: 8 (5)
D3: 1 (1)
D4: 2 (0)
D5: 0

3200
D1: 9 (4)
D2: 4 (3)
D3: 1 (1)
D4: 4 (2)
D5: 2 (0)

110H
D1: 7 (3)
D2: 3 (2)
D3: 8 (5) [7 in top 15]
D4: 0
D5: 2 (0)

300H
D1: 4 (4)
D2: 2 (0)
D3: 7 (2) [6 in top 15]
D4: 3 (2)
D5: 4 (2)

PV
D1: 3 (2)
D2: 4 (1)
D3: 6 (3)
D4: 3 (2)
D5: 4 (2)

LJ
D1: 6 (2)
D2: 4 (3)
D3: 6 (2)
D4: 1 (1)
D5: 3 (2)

HJ
D1: 5 (4)
D2: 8 (2)
D3: 2 (1)
D4: 0
D5: 4 (3)

SP
D1: 5 (1)
D2: 6 (4)
D3: 3 (1)
D4: 4 (2)
D5: 2 (2)

D
D1: 3 (3)
D2: 4 (3)
D3: 4 (1)
D4: 4 (1)
D5: 5 (2)

05/31/2026

Regional Finals took place Saturday afternoon. The Indian Valley Braves boys track team had 6 athletes competing in 5 events. We will be sending one athlete to the State track meet in two events.

This post will talk about those athletes who have completed their track season or track career. A separate post will discuss the athlete moving on to next week.

Carter Neff competed in the shot put. Last week he had a huge PR which got him 2nd place at Districts. He was not able to duplicate that performance today. Carter had a great season and great career. He ended the season with the 3rd most points on the team with 93.67. Carter is a 4-year letter earner and a consistent point-getter in both throws for the past many years. He will be significantly missed from a team standpoint and from a leadership standpoint on the field side of the sport. We wish you well in the work force, Carter.

Grady Kinsey was the lead leg of the 4x100 today, which came in 8th place. Grady had competed at State in the 4x100 for the previous 3 years, and also competed in the 4x200 last year. Grady came late to the competitive season this year but still earned his letter. He is a 4-year letter earner and 2 time All-Ohioan from last year. As was said about Carter, Grady's leadership will be missed. We are all looking forward to seeing what Grady is doing this coming Fall. Fly, Fight, Win!

Nolan Pa***ca competed in the 1600 today. He is not moving on, but he finished the race with a new PR of 4:39.45, which is a wonderful way to complete the season. Nolan might be the hardest worker on the team. He is definitely among the toughest. He has pulled through so many times, securing much needed points in the distance events, helping to secure team wins and conference championships. Nolan finished the season with 83 points. This was 5th on the team, which is remarkable considering he ran only one race in any tri or quad meet. All but 5 of his points came in invitationals. Nolan is a Junior and will be back next year.

Logan Burrier is a junior and was on the 4x100 team that got 8th in the Finals. Logan is a member of the esteemed Indian Valley hurdle squad, and he has been a staple in the sprint relays this year, almost always running the 3rd leg of whatever relay he is on. Logan ended up scoring the 6th most points for the team with 75. He is a good athlete with good speed which provides the sprint depth that allows for Indian Valley's successful relays this year.

Tyler Stephen was the anchor for the 4x100 relay. Tyler was the first alternate and did a great job when he was called up. Typically an alternate does not get placed in an anchor position, but his teammates felt it would be better to maintain chemistry in the first two exchanges. This meant Tyler would be going against the other teams' fastest runners. He knew that some people would pass him, but he did well to hold off many teams. I, for one, am very proud of his speed, effort, and determination to do what was asked of him and to do it well. He earned that spot in the 4x100 Regional Finals and also showed the IV sprint depth that makes them hard to beat. Tyler is a junior.

Our last runner, whose season officially ended this weekend, was Reese St Clair. Reese was the fastest sprinter on the team and the dangerous anchor on the relay teams. A hamstring injury prevented him from competing at Regionals, and his absence was quite evident. Reese finished the season with 164.75 points. (139.25 of those being in invitationals), and those points often came at 10 points per event. He was the second highest point-getter on the team. Reese is a junior.

We will discuss the State-qualifying events in another post. Thank you to the young men above for the work and effort they put into this season. We hope to see you non-seniors next year.

05/30/2026

🚨🚨 SCHOOL RECORD ALERT 🚨🚨
Carsen Hostetler just rebroke his record again with a 🔥36.85🔥
That is the 2nd best time in Ohio. (Someone in D1 went 36.81 today)
It is the 37th best time in the nation.
And 27th best time EVER run in Ohio.

Carsen is a junior. His GPA is 3.45, and he plans on studying to be a physical therapist.

05/29/2026

District Semifinals took place Thursday evening for the Indian Valley boys track team. Most athletes were competing in semifinals, but a few were competing in finals.

First let's discuss those athletes and teams that are advancing to finals.

Carsen Hostetler advanced to the finals in both the 110H and the 300H. He broke his own SCHOOL RECORD in the 300H prelims, running a 37.15.

Also advancing to finals is the 4x100 team of Grady Kinsey, Carsen Hostetler, Logan Burrier, and Tyler Stephen. Last week at District Finals, they ran a 44.89, which seeded them as the 13th best team coming into Regionals. The stats said they would need to run about a 44.19 to even make the finals. They made multiple risky tweaks to their exchanges, scratched the 4x200 so they were all fresh, and ran a remarkable 43.83 to get themselves positioned 5th in the Finals. They now have a chance of being one of the top 5 teams that qualify for State.

Several young men completed their seasons last night and did so with their best efforts at staying in the fight.

Beckett Swaldo had a fantastic season at pole vault gathering 8 first place finishes this season and securing 73.83 total points in only the pole vault. He did not place last night in a ridiculously stacked Regional meet, where there were 5 vaulters attempting 15 feet and 13-8 was needed for 8th place. Beckett is a sophomore who will be back even better next season.

TC Cannon finished his season with 89 points, the 4th highest total on the team. He did not move on in the 300H or the 4x400 last night, but he gave great effort in both against a very stacked field. (The Div3 300H field is more talented and as deep as a Div 1 field running out of Cincinnati.) TC is a sophomore.

Cohen Mathews, freshman, did not move on in the 110H. He did run another PR in his effort to qualify. Cohen finishes the season with 55.92 points and is a huge part of the most dominant hurdles squad in the East District. He had a fantastic freshman year of hurdles, and he looked like he had some fun at pole vault as well during the season.

Caleb Shamp, junior, did not move on in the pole vault or 4x400. Shamp was a late decision-maker on competing at all this Spring, and I'm very glad he chose to give the team his talents. He had an excellent season at the pole vault pit, and he ended up being a consistent point-getter in the 400 and steady piece of a good 4x400 team. He finished the season with 64.92 points.

Zane Colvin, junior, finished his season as a 400 runner and a leg of the 4x400. Zane was limited by a foot issue for the majority of the early season. This was frustrating for him because it made training painful or absent, which obviously affected his performance or his ability to run at all. He finally began to be able to tolerate normal activity around the County Classic, and ended up dropping 3 - 3.5 seconds off his 400 time in the last 3 weeks. His open 400 time did not count last night, because he was flagged for taking 3 consecutive steps on the inside line. However, in my mind, he dropped another 0.90 seconds off his PR from last week and positioned himself to come back strong for next year.

The 4x400 team of Zane Colvin, Carsen Hostetler, TC Cannon, and Caleb Shamp finished 13th with a time of 3:33.64, which is the best time that group had run together to this point.

Nolan Pa***ca finished 12th in the 3200 with a time of 10:07.91. He has the 1600 to run on Saturday, so his season is not completed.

Carter Neff will be competing in the Shot Put on Saturday morning.