Highland track standout Hapack looking forward to freshman year at Indiana State

Josie Hapack recently finished off her senior season with the Highland Bulldogs girls track team as one of the most successful throwers in Highland High School history.

Hapack, who also went to state as a junior, is now preparing to take her talents to the collegiate level as she heads to Indiana State University this fall to take classes and compete in throwing events.

Hapack — who visited five schools mostly around the Midwest — said Indiana State stood out above the others due to the welcoming and family-oriented nature of the campus.

“Out of all the places that I had gone for visits, they seemed like the place that definitely wanted me the most,” Hapack said. “I felt from the start, they were upfront with everything and they didn’t want to put on a facade for me ... and just all the athletes there really were interested in me as well and didn’t have much ego either.”

The academics at Indiana State were also a big draw for Hapack, who is planning to major in business there.

“The academics there are really good in my opinion,” Hapack said. “Especially for their college of business and I intend to be a business major there. They have a lot of certifications and, overall, it seems like a great academic school.”

Hapack signed her national letter of intent with the Sycamores on Dec. 15, 2021.

At the IHSA Class 2A meet in May, Hapack medaled twice on the final day of competition May 21 as she placed fourth in the shot put with a throw of 12.49 meters and then took third in the discus with a throw of 39.66 meters. Hapack did not win either event, but her fourth-place throw in the shot was a personal best performance.

Over the past seven weeks since she finished her high school career, Hapack has been busy transitioning into and putting in preparation for next year’s indoor and outdoor seasons at Indiana State.

She has been getting out early in the morning and working on throwing form, repetition and strength and conditioning each week.

“So far (the summer) has been good,” Hapack said. “I’m in the midst of summer training right now with a lot of volume training with (throwing) repetitions. I just try to get out there early to beat the heat and so far it’s been working out well.”

Hapack also on occasion records videos of her throws to help keep her throwing form sharp in competition.

“Sometimes, I’ll record videos of my throws, so I can see what I’m doing wrong or what I’m doing right,” Hapack said.

More than just the shot and discus?

As the fall approaches, Hapack has been in contact over the summer with Indiana State throwing coach Brandan Bettenhausen and the plan is to have her do more than just the shot and discus when the indoor season rolls around next winter.

“I think when I get there I will pretty much try all four throwing events (shot put, discus, hammer throw, and javelin) and I think I’ll pretty much throw everything there to start,” Hapack said. “I’ll pretty much figure it out whenever I get there and just do what he (Bettenhausen) tells me and hopefully, I click with more reps.”

“So being able to score in conference (as a freshman) would be really great,” Hapack said.