GREENTOWN —
Bethany and Brittany Neeley both admit that, if not for their running careers, they probably wouldn’t have as many friends.
Even more so than the titles and school records they’ve racked up during their athletic careers at Eastern, the twin sisters value the feeling of being part of a family atmosphere in every facet of life.
They enjoyed that luxury as members of the Comets’ cross country, basketball and track and field careers over the last four years. They found a similar setting in Bloomington on their official visit to Indiana University, and the rest is history.
The coveted runners have announced they will continue their cross country and track and field careers with the Hoosiers, ending what was an exhaustive search that including trips down countless miles of highways.
“The most influential people in our lives over the past four years of high school have been [through sports],” Brittany Neeley said. “Indiana definitely has that ‘home’ feeling that no other college had. It really has a supportive atmosphere down there, especially since all the sports are nationally ranked. Everyone is pretty successful down there, and there’s a great Christian atmosphere down there that Bethany and I were both looking for. The Christian values stood out there more than any other school that we visited.”
The decision on where they two would go to college was going to, first and foremost, boil down to which school would take both of the sisters. Splitting up for college was never a serious option for the close-knit pair.
“I feel comfortable with where we’re going, and the teammates we’re coming in with,” Bethany said. IU’s recruiting class also includes Chanli Mundy from Terre Haute North and Corinne Comminator from Northridge, athletes the sisters have developed friendships with on the running circuit over the years.
“It’s a good feeling to know I’ll have my sister and friends around. [Brittany and I] had said during our junior year that if we went to different schools it wouldn’t really be a big deal. But, really, that was never an option. We have the same opinions on a lot of things, especially what we wanted and were looking for in a college.”
The duo will finish their prep careers as two of the most decorated athletes in Eastern history, having a hand in nine school records in cross country and track. But to cross country coach Brandon Mink, it’s what the sisters do off the track and course that will leave the most lasting impressions on the school and its athletes.
“They’ve just been incredible for Eastern,” Mink said. “They’ve lifted not only the cross country, track and field and basketball programs, but just sports in general in Greentown. They’ve been leaders throughout their careers, and have brought up some of the younger athletes who are just starting to enter high school. Those kids look up and see what [the Neeleys] have done and look up to them. They are a great example for others who are following behind them. They’ve given younger kids great role models that they can emulate.”
Together, the sisters have had a hand in four Mid-Indiana Conference, four sectional and two regional titles in cross country before placing seventh as a team in the IHSAA state finals this fall.
In track and field, the Comets have captured two MIC titles in the Neeleys’ tenure. The program captured its first sectional championship in the spring with the sisters at the forefront.
Individually, few have been better. Bethany won state in the 1,600-meter run as a junior after placing second in the 800 as a sophomore and third in the 800 as a freshman. She finished fifth overall in the cross country state finals in October, and followed that up by being named the Class 1A-2A runner of the year by the Indiana Association of Track and Cross Country coaches. With her senior track season still to go, Bethany holds the school records in cross country (five-kilometer), the 800, 1,600 and 300 hurdles. She, with her sister, was also part of 1,600- and 3,200-meter relay teams that set school records. The 1,600 team of Bethany, Brittany, Emily Wilcox and Zoe Wolfe placed eighth as a team in the 2011 state finals.
Brittany finished third in the 800 as a junior after placing fifth in the 400 as a sophomore and eighth in the same event as a freshman. She holds school records in the 200 and 400, and is the most recent Eastern girls basketball player to surpass the 1,000-point mark for her career.
The sisters are vital to a Comets basketball program that has started the season 9-1 and currently holds the No. 7 ranking in Class 2A.
“They’ve lifted the entire athletic program at Eastern in general,” Mink said. “We’re really excited for them. They’ve done their homework, and [Indiana] looks like a good fit for them. It’s great that they are staying close to home because their coaches, friends and family will all have a better opportunity to continue to watch them compete.”
Sports
Neeleys commit to Indiana
Twin sisters will run XC and also track for Hoosiers.
- Sports
-
-
Kats regain tennis throne
At 10:51 a.m. Saturday morning, the bulk of Kokomo’s girls tennis team sprinted from the viewing hill to the east entrance of the tennis courts to mob No. 1 singles player Morgan Mohr as she came off the court following her 1-6, 6-1, 6-1 victory over Eastern’s Courtney Clark.
The No. 3 singles match was still raging, but the team match was already won. The Wildkats had reconquered the throne from two-time defending champion Eastern and were once again champions of the Kokomo Sectional. -
Eastern boys track claims first sectional title since 1998
The boys track and field coach at Eastern High School from 1987 until last season, Paul Nicholson’s parting message to his team was simple: “Don’t deny the gift.”
That motto left such a lasting impression on the Comets’ returning athletes that they had it screen printed on their 2013 season T-shirts.
With Nicholson in attendance to celebrate with them, new coach Austin Roark and the Comets outlasted host Kokomo to win their first sectional title since 1998 Thursday night, topping the Wildkats by 3.5 points, 124.5-121.
-
Eastern, Kokomo favored in boys track sectional
Some of the names and faces have changed, but the plot remains much the same.
The Kokomo boys track and field sectional, much like last year, will likely be a two-horse race between the host and three-time defending champion Wildkats and Eastern, a team looking to break through and win its first sectional title since 1998. -
Cole to jump at Miami University
Eastern athlete Grant Cole has only been a long jumper for two seasons, but being turned on to the event late in his career has landed him a scholarship to Miami University.
-
Comets roar to sectional title
As the old adage goes, it’s harder stay on top than it is to reach the top.
Eastern’s girls track and field team entered the 2012 postseason hoping to put in a strong enough effort to claim the program’s first sectional title.
Having done so, the Comets entered Tuesday’s postseason opener — the Madison-Grant Sectional — with a much larger bull’s-eye on their backs than in previous years.
Eastern proved up to the challenge, scoring a landslide victory to repeat as sectional champions with 125 points. -
Dexter leaving Eastern
Eastern girls basketball coach Jeremy Dexter has stepped down from the Comet program after accepting the AD job at Churubusco last week. Churubusco is in Whitley County about 15 minutes west of Fort Wayne.
Dexter led the Comets to a Class 2A state runner-up finish this past season. -
Hunter edges Shrout in Thunder Car thriller
Two drivers who are no strangers to Victory Lane returned there Sunday night at the Kokomo Speedway. Meanwhile, a third driver scored just the second feature win of his career at the local oval to highlight the racing action.
Chris Hunter, the winningest Thunder Car driver in the history of the local oval, ground out a gritty win over defending track champion Jason Shrout to highlight the chilly night. -
Girls track sectional is tonight
Eastern’s girls track and field team is ready to chase some more championship hardware.
Two weeks ago, the Comets won their fourth straight Howard County meet. Last week, they won their fourth straight Mid-Indiana Conference meet. Now, the postseason is here, with the Madison-Grant Sectional tonight.
“We’re looking forward to taking the next step,” Eastern coach Michael Goodspeed said. -
Athlete of the week
Oyler led the way as Class 2A No. 5-ranked Eastern beat Cass (4-3) and Hamilton Heights (5-4 in 12 innings) to move to 6-0 in the Mid-Indiana Conference with one league game remaining.
-
Page family bonds over martial arts
A mother and father to six children, Jason and Denise Page began to run into your typical challenges associated with such a large family back in 2008, once the oldest children reached an age where they started to have desires to be involved in sports and other extracurricular activities.
As the commitments started to pile up, it didn’t seem like there were enough hours in the day to accomplish all the pitstops and still have time left over to fellowship as a family.
Karate to the rescue. - More Sports Headlines
-
Probe Begins After Conn. Commuter Trains Crash
NTSB Begins Investigation Into Conn. Train Crash
Lotto Fever Sweeps the Country
Conn. Commuter Trains Collide; 60 Go to Hospital
Coffee Run Leads to Hatchet Hitchhiker Arrest
Fmr. IRS Head Insists No Politics in Targeting
CDC: Fecal Bacteria Common in Swimming Pools
$1 Million in Jewels Stolen at Cannes Film Fest
NM Mom Chases Down Child Abductor
Raw: Crash Sends Car Into Fla. Pool
Raw: Obama Sits Down With Elementary Kids
Raw: Bear Falls From Tampa Tree
Ousted IRS Chief: Errors Not Caused by Politics
Terror Suspect Due in Court in Idaho Friday
Raw: Driver Ejected From Truck, Over Bridge
Could Tobacco Be the Next Biofuel?
Wash. State Releases Draft Rules for Legal Pot
Dying Man's Blinks Lead to Murder Conviction
Officials: Texas Tornado Likely Had 200 Mph Wind
Brothers Arrested in NOLA Parade Shooting
