Veatch, Carmel head to Trinity Valkyrie

By Parker West for DyeStat

Every year, the Trinity/Valkyrie Invitational in Kentucky proves to be one of the most exciting meets in the country. This year, the 60th, looks to be no different, as there are some top teams from a variety of Midwestern states take on the course at Tom Sawyer Park. There are 4,600 athletes from 126 schools from six states competing in this weekend’s action. 

ENTRIES

On the boys side, last year’s winner, US#4 Ben Veatch of Carmel IN, took the win over fellow Hoosiers Zack Snider and Cooper Williams, which is the exact order the state meet went in as well. Veatch ran 15:08, a PR at that time. Veatch is entering his second -- and final -- regular season race of 2015 with a lot of eyes on him. A national meet contender, Veatch seems to be a clear favorite to win this race. With the atmosphere that Trinity brings and the competition that will be present, Veatch may be able to run under 15 minutes for the first time in his career.

The second returner from last year, Williams of West Lafayette IN, has yet to put in a real test this season, so going head to head against Veatch should give us a good view at where he stands. A couple of other notables are Ethan Shuley of Highlands, the top runner in Kentucky, who ran the ninth fastest time in last year's meet; Brodey Hasty of Brentwood, who had the 13th fastest time while a freshman last year; Hasty's teammate Taylor Vroon; and Luke Wagner of St. Ignatius OH, who was second at Tiffin last week.

Last year's team battle was between two teams with the same name and virtually identical team scores. St. Xavier from Cincinnati squared off against St. Xavier from Louisville, and they went 1-2, with Cincinnati being victorious. They TIED with 156 points, leaving it to the sixth runner to determine the victor! This year, though, it looks to be Carmel. The Greyhounds have got one of the best squads in the country, and they’ll be hard to beat. 

The top girls race may prove to be even more competitive than the boys'. Last year, 36 girls broke the 19 minute barrier, but only three went under 18. Last year, Taylor Cuneo of Central Magnet (Murfeesboro TN) placed second in 17:51. Cuneo was the freshman who placed eighth at NXN last year. 

Also joining the mix is Carmel’s Sarah Leinheiser, who is coming off of a 17:49 performance last week. Leinheiser’s frequent competitor from Indiana, Lauren Johnson, of West Lafayette, ran a PR of 17:41 last week. In addition, Michaela Reinhardt of Lexington Catholic KY has the fastest time in Kentucky so far this season, 17:50 at last weekend's Bluegrass Invitational; and Claire Cheeseman from Brentwood Academy TN has run 18:05 this season.

Once again, Carmel looks to dominate the team competition. Their girls could be even better than their boys. Last year, Carmel won with 63 team competition and won by a whopping 155 points. Carmel put six girls under 18:50 in this race last year, and that doesn’t look like it can be matched by anyone in this field.