South Putnam pair finishes season strong at semi-state
CARMEL -- When South Putnam junior Madison Egold crossed the tape of Saturday's race in 20:56, she became the first girl in Eagles' history to finish at an Indiana High School Athletic Association Country Semi-State meet.
Just a minute later, junior Ariel Higgins became the second.
The girls finished a long way from advancing to the state finals, Egold in 111th-place and Higgins in 153rd, but they broke new ground for South Putnam and shattered expectations.
"Madie and Ariel both ran very well," South Putnam coach Brandon Welti said. "Mentally, they were more prepared than most first-timers."
The course at Carmel, site of the semi-state meet, has constant rolling hills and winding turns. Despite that, the cold, windy conditions and a training program designed to peak last week, both runners maintained near personal-record pace.
At regionals last week, Egold finished the flat Ben Davis course with a PR of 20:47 and Higgins at 21:37.
Prior to that race -- and this season -- the tradition of Eagles running had always come to an end at regionals.
This year, with a rule change widening the pool of advancers, the South Putnam team began the postseason with its sights set higher. They wanted a trip to Carmel.
"We knew with the rule change it was going to give us a chance, but a chance was all it was," Welti said. "We weren't expecting it but we were hoping for it."
South Putnam qualified for regionals as a team and with two runners advancing to the next race this year, it gave the rest of the group more fire to reach semi-state together next season.
The whole squad, and a pair of runners in eighth grade, took the trip to Carmel on Saturday to cheer on their teammates and soak in the experience.
"Those who were on the sideline watching it, they want to be in it," Welti said. "This is a goal now. This is a yearly goal. ... This is an expectation for us to return here next year."
South Putnam returns nearly its full squad next year, a group loaded with a hard-working junior class that has been working with coach Welti since seventh grade.
The group has raised the bar for the Eagles and next fall they'll try to clear it. With a seventh-place finish at regionals this year, the whole team has a chance to qualify for semi-state in 2014.