North Montgomery Middle School’s Dane Utterback is proving he is one of the best hurdlers in the state and nation. The eighth grader will compete Wednesday at the USA Track and Field National Junior Olympic Championships in L.A. County, California.
Competing in one event is impressive, but Dane will be competing in two events — the 200 meter hurdles and 100 meter hurdles for 13 and 14-year old boys. Very few of the hundreds of athletes set to compete in California can claim to be in two events.
Dane will first race on Wednesday. To advance to the national championship race, he must qualify in two races in each event to qualify for the finals. A total of 45 13- and 14-year-olds are competing.
Dane’s 200 hurdle time is ranked the seventh fastest in the nation and he is ranked 17th in the 100 hurdles. The difference between all the rankings is minuscule and he is taking the event seriously believing he can do well.
“I am excited for the opportunity to run in California,” Dane said. “I want to show up and win.”
For Dane, winning has been the norm since he first started running track as a sixth grader. Last spring, the then seventh-grader was the Monon Athletic Conference champion in both hurdle events and never lost a race during the season.
At the end of the season his name was ranked No. 1 for all seventh graders in Indiana and was the sixth fastest middle-school athlete in the state in the 200 hurdles.
Dane is coached by his father, Kenyon Utterback, who coaches hurdles for the Charger varsity track and field team. During his time as a Southmont hurdler, Kenyon set the Southmont and Sagamore Athletic Conference record in the 110 hurdles that stood for 30 years.
“I knew Dane was pretty quick and it really made a difference that he grew about a foot after his sixth-grade season,” Kenyon said. “He has been training since January and his work has paid off.”
Dane appreciates having his dad as his coach.
“Dad knows my limits and knows what I need to do to get faster,” he said.
Dane also has received help from his twin brothers, Owen and Roman Utterback, who were good athletes while at North Montgomery and are known for their speed. The two have raced their younger brother this summer to help him train for the competition.
Dane had to get through several races to reach the Junior Olympics. In late June, he competed in the USATF Indiana-Illinois qualifier at Indiana Wesleyan and then advanced to the July Mid-West Regional held at Indiana State University where he won again and qualified for the USATF Junior Olympics.
The Utterback family has been training on the North Montgomery track. Charger track and field coach Korey Bucher has provided access to the track and the hurdles. He also has loaned Dane a Charger track uniform to wear during the races.
Dane’s mother Sarah, sister Layla, Kenyon and Owen will make up a cheering section from the Corritos College stands.
“We are all excited to get to see Dane run,” Sarah said. “We are looking forward to a fun trip.”
The family will have some fun while in Los Angeles. All of the track and field qualifiers will be honored at an L.A. Angels baseball game.
The national meet begins July 28 and will conclude Aug. 2 with the finals.
