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Wilson defends sectional XC title; several runners advancing
Two teams and several individuals from Putnam County are advancing from the South Putnam Sectional to Saturday’s Ben Davis Regional cross country meet.
Greencastle’s Emma Wilson completed a four-year sweep of the individual girls’ title, winning in a time of 18:44.3.
The Greencastle girls finished fourth as a team, with North Putnam’s girls placing fifth.
The top five teams and top 10 individuals not on one of those teams all earned regional spots.
Those female runners moving on are Chelsie Edwards, Lily Monnett and Macie Couch of Cloverdale and Samara Young of South Putnam.
In the boys’ race, no Putnam County teams placed in the top five to earn advancement.
Individually, South Putnam’s Austin Rumley was 16th overall to lead the pack of advancing runners. Teammate Eric Hinkle placed 36th to also advance.
Others moving on individually are Zach Huff and John Huffman of North Putnam and Rylan Hall and Seth Geiger of Cloverdale.
The qualifiers from the South Putnam Sectional will battle those from the Ben Davis Sectional for the right to advance to the Shelbyville Semistate on Oct. 20.
Coach comments from the sectional meet:
• Greencastle’s Craig Jordan — “I’m very proud of the way the girls ran as they did a great job of leaving it all on the course. We talked a lot during the week about how every point would count and that we’d need a little more as a collective whole in order to qualify to regionals and it definitely resonated with them. Our seniors, Mika, Sydney and Emma were determined to improve upon last years sectional results from a team standpoint as last year we found ourselves 10 points short of qualifying. They were extra helpful with assisting our younger runners and making sure they were relaxed and mentally ready to go. Audrie Brennan was a secret weapon of ours as she had been running in trainers all season long and had just gotten a pair of spikes. She did a great job of working with Olivia Headley and moving up throughout the entire race. Same goes for Ella Thomas and Allison Fajt, who continued to push forward and catch three more girls every time I told them ‘we only need three more’. I’m sure they were confused yet they never questioned and pushed ahead even more. The humidity was rough and I was definitely concerned, but was glad to see them all cross the line and walk away on their own. I’m very excited for the opportunity the girls have as the forecast looks perfect for Saturday’s Regional meet.”
• North Putnam’s Kevin Lutes — “Our kids ran with a lot of heart today. We talked a lot in practice this week about running for each other and how every place matters. They’ve been very receptive to that idea, and I definitely saw it today. Unfortunately, as a team, the boys fell a little short of moving on, but they had a tremendous season. We felt like we had a decent chance of making the top five if the girls ran smart and stayed focused. Every one of them raced with a lot of determination today and it paid off.”
• Cloverdale’s Andy Tyler — “We ran well. It’s nice to see all the hard work the kids have put in pay off. Macie and Seth put in solid performances to ensure their place in the next round. Lily and Chelsie are looking to return to the Semi-state meet and Rylan Hall has had an unbelievable season. To think that just three months ago he was still on the mend following knee surgery. His return to the regional is beyond impressive. His doctors told him that he wouldn’t be able to regain his speed this season. He set a PR on South’s course last week. I expect him to be even faster at Ben Davis. His drive and determination has made him someone that any athlete should look up to. I feel privileged to have Rylan as a part of our program.”
South Putnam cross country sectional results
Girls’ meet
(“RQ” identifies individual regional qualifiers)
Team scores (top five advance) — Brownsburg 32, Avon 48, Plainfield 104, Greencastle 150, North Putnam 156, Crawfordsville 158, Cloverdale 177, Cascade 199, South Putnam 201, Danville 209
Winner — Emma Wilson (G) 18:44
Other Greencastle runners — 25. Sydney Kallem 23:40, 40. Mika Mozawa 25:32, 41. Audrie Brennan 25:36, 43. Olivia Headley, 51. Ella Dye Thomas 26:57, 58. Allison Fajt 28:49
North Putnam runners — 19. Anna Haste 22:50, 23. Grace Elmore 23:15, 31. Madison Trotter 24:22, 38. Jaden Day 25:10, 45. Katie Fry 26:11, 46. Taylor Hensley 26:21, 60. Josie Lyons 29:12
Cloverdale runners — 14. Chelsie Edwards (RQ), 17. Lily Monnett (RQ) 22:46, 27. Macie Couch (RQ) 23:51, 57. Megan Miller 28:41, 62. Abigail Bernard 29:24, 67. Jasmine Blankenship 33:03
South Putnam runners — 20. Samara Young (RQ) 22:55, 36. Catherine Hodge 24:47, 42. Lilly Vittetow 25:42, 47. Sarah Jones 26:28, 56. Allyssa Menke 28:20, 66. Ava McHugh 33:01
Boys’ meet
(“RQ” identifies individual regional qualifiers)
Team scores (top five advance) — Brownsburg 34, Avon 42, Crawfordsville 80, Plainfield 93, Danville 122, North Putnam 177, Cloverdale 202, South Putnam 215, Tri-West 254, Greencastle 279, Southmont 305, Bethesda Christian 347.
Winner — Ethan Goddard (A) 16:58
North Putnam runners — 21. Zach Huff (RQ) 19:05, 26. John Huffman (RQ) 19:18, 39. Kyle Young 19:59, 42. Matthew Trotter 20:08, 49. Ellis Lyons 20:45, 50. Adam Bonebrake 20:51, 53. Grant Jarboe 21:08
Cloverdale runners — 29. Rylan Hall (RQ) 19:23, 34. Seth Geiger (RQ) 19:31, 41. Nathaniel Nees 20:07, 46. Chase Ashcraft 20:30, 52. Raymond Bates 21:05, 70. Joshua Beikman 23:26
South Putnam runners — 16. Austin Rumley (RQ) 18:44, 35. Eric Hinkle (RQ) 19:35, 51. Andrew Carr 21:02, 55. Brent Wiggins 21:25, 58. Clayton Cash 21:38, 62. Daniel Johnson 22:21, 71. Eli Smith 23:27
Greencastle runners — 44. Ian Frank 20:20, 54. John Brook 21:14, 57. Tyler Adams 21:30, 60. Brandon Olson 22:01, 64. Donovan Asbell 22:33