WALKERTON - The opening act of the Indiana Northern State Conference track and field championships is ready for competition. Bremen, Jimtown, John Glenn, Knox and LaVille joined with Tippecanoe Valley in the newly formed INSC and it's time for both the boys and girls to show how hard they have worked this season. LaVille athletic director Will Hostrawser has run or helped run conference track and field meets for several years and likes the fact that these meets are similar to the opening round of the IHSAA tournament series. "The format mirrors the sectional and many runners set personal records (PR) in their events," said the longtime athletic administrator. " In order to earn the conference championship, most if not all athletes must contribute team points - they need to simply consistently score - not necessarily win the event but place." We had the chance to ask Hostrawser about running the event from behind the scenes, and seeing it firsthand in front of the lens. "Organizing and running a track meet is a massive job with a lot of moving parts," said Hostrawser. " It takes a lot of people to run a smooth meet - each field event has its own staff, there are a group of official timers, a computer scorer, a FAT (fully automated timing) timer, an announcer, a starter, an assistant starter, a clerk of the course, a ribbon coordinator, a hurdle crew and a results coordinator to name a few. The average fan has no idea of all the help needed. "When I run one of these meets, I focus on setting the stage for all the coaches and teams by tending to details behind the scenes. I want all the i's dotted and t's crossed so the coaches can focus on their teams and the athletes can focus on their events. There should be minimal if any distractions for them. I also want results to be shared seamlessly when an event ends. Finally, at the conclusion of the meet, I want everyone to clearly know the team score, their athletes marks/times and finally leave with the awards they earned." According to Hostrawser, the May 14 INSC track and field championships will have the chance for, "... new records for the INSC will be established this year." Prior to being renamed to open the 2024-25 school year, the Northern State Conference had existed since 1954. The conference went through many changes in membership and ultimately dissolved in 2015 when all of its members left for other conferences. During the NSC heyday, several schools were regularly in the conference championship conversation. "I am not sure who the last champions were - but I know Jimtown, New Prairie and Triton were strong contenders on the boys side," said the Lancer AD. "As far as the girls - Bremen, New Prairie and Glenn were usually competing for the top spot." After several dual and triangular meets, along relays or invitationals, we head down the stretch into the conference championships and the state tournament. Field events are scheduled for started at John Glenn High School at 5:30 p.m., while the 4X800 Relay will take place on the track. Running trials for the 100 M dash, 100 M hurdles, and 200 M dash are scheduled for a 6 p.m. start. All running finals are set to start at 7 p.m. INDIANA NORTHERN STATE CONFERENCE TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS Wednesday May 14, 2025 TIME SCHEDULE (All Times are ET) 5:30pm Field Events 5:30pm 3200 M Relay (B) 5:45pm 3200 M Relay (G) TRIALS 6:00pm 100 M Dash (B) 2 heats 6:05pm 100 M Dash (G) 2 heats 6:10pm 100 M Hurdles (G) 2 heats 6:15pm 110 M Hurdles (B) 2 heats 6:20pm 200 M Dash (B) 2 heats 6:25pm 200 M Dash (G) 2 heats 6:55pm NATIONAL ANTHEM FINALS 7:00pm 110 M Hurdles (B) 7:05pm 100 M Hurdles (G) 7:10pm 100 M Dash (B) 7:15pm 100 M Dash (G) 7:20pm 1600 M Run (B) 7:30pm 1600 M Run (G) 7:40pm 400 M Relay (B) 7:45pm 400 M Relay (G) 8:00pm 400 M Dash (B) 8:05pm 400 M Dash (G) 8:10pm 300 M Hurdles (B) 8:15pm 300 M Hurdles (G) 8:20pm 800 M Run (B) 8:25pm 800 M Run (G) 8:30pm 200 M Dash (B) 8:35pm 200 M Dash (G) 8:40pm 3200 M Run (G&B) 9:05pm 1600 M Relay (B) 9:10pm 1600 M Relay (G) 9:30pm Trophy Presentations