Previewing Saturday's Indiana state meet

By Parker West for DyeStat

Year after year, Indiana’s one-class state meet brings a festive atmosphere in late October to LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course. The IHSAA cross country state finals return Saturday to Terre Haute. DyeStat will be on the scene with photos, videos and post-race interviews.

Boys storylines

Individual favorites: Only two boys have run under 15 minutes at the Indiana state meet at LaVern Gibson, site of the state meet since 2005: Futsum Zienassellassie, a six-time NCAA All-American and current professional for HOKA NAZ Elite, and Ben Veatch, who is No. 2 on the Indiana all-time 3,200-meter list, and a college standout at Indiana.

Hamilton Southeastern senior Gabe Fendel looks to join that club. Fendel has been the favorite to win this race for years, as most fans expected him to be one of the best Indiana has ever seen since he was a freshman. He was second at the state meet last year and was Indiana’s top distance runner during the spring, owning PRs of 4:04 in the 1,600 and 8:50 in the 3,200. Fendel was also a Foot Locker All-American last season. He has yet to post a sub-15 effort over 5 kilometers this fall, but has cruised to multiple sub-15:10 performances and looked relatively smooth in every race. One can only wonder if Fendel is saving something big for Saturday, or something even bigger for the national meets. Fendel has lost one race this season, however. In the Noblesville Regional, Cathedral junior Cole Hocker beat Fendel. There were reports that Fendel fell near the final stages of the race, and a week later, he re-established himself as the individual favorite when he beat Hocker at the Semi-State by seven seconds. Within five seconds of Hocker was Fishers senior Samuel Kuhn and Carmel senior Colin Murphy. Earlier in the season, Hocker ran 15:18 on the state meet course, one that has proven to be difficult for even some of the state’s best. If Hocker can produce a performance similar to his last trip to LaVern, he could give Fendel a run for his money.

Other contenders: Christian Academy of Indiana junior Caleb Futter went from a top 25 contender to a top-five contender with one breakthrough race. At the Brown County Semi-State, Futter outran Evansville Reitz Memorial senior Matthew Schadler, Edgewood junior Austin Haskett, and senior teammate Skylar Stidam, all runners who have top-five potential at the state finals. Futter has a few sub-16 performances, but his race at Semi-State really put him on the radar. Alec Fleming of Lowell and Caston junior Mitchell Rans are also two of the top returners from last year’s meet, both placing in the top five. Fleming hasn’t lost yet this season, including his Semi-State race against Rans.

Team contenders: In the boys race, the main storyline annually comes down to “Who can beat Carmel?” In 2014, it was West Lafayette. Last season, it was Carroll. Defending champion Carroll initially appeared to be a serious contender to repeat this fall. However, injuries seem to have taken the Chargers out of the picture, and it looks like it could be another championship year for Carmel. The Greyhounds have been able to get nearly their entire team under 16 minutes this season, something no other team has matched. Cathedral, however, has a low stick in Hocker and a few other all-state caliber runners that could threaten Carmel’s spot at the top of the podium.  

Girls storylines

Individual favorites: Since 1981, 18 girls have won the state championship as an underclassman. Of those, only four went on to repeat as state champion the following year.

Although Dekalb senior and US#20 Tyler Schwartz might not be an overwhelming favorite, she has given little reason for people to believe she won’t claim another title. Schwartz has the fastest time in the state this year, a 17:19 at the Riverview Health Invite, formerly known as Flashrock. The course at Northview Christian Church is challenging, with Schwartz’s performance establishing a new course record. Even if Schwartz didn’t have her other credentials, that race alone would put her in the discussion of pre-race favorites. Along with that race, Schwartz has only lost twice this season, to Carroll junior Abby Green and Chargers freshman Zoe Duffus. Schwartz has an even bigger threat facing her, though. Greencastle junior Emma Wilson won both the 1,600 and 3,200 at the state finals on the track, has run 17:29 this fall, and is currently undefeated. She was more than 10 seconds ahead of a strong field at Semi-State, which included Carmel sophomore Phoebe Bates, one of the top returners from last year’s state meet. Wilson and Schwartz will no doubt be at the front of the pack, Bates and others chasing, battling it out for a state championship.

Other contenders: While there don’t seem to be any other serious favorites to win the individual race, there are other names that deserve to be put into this discussion. Zionsville senior Sophia Rigg was a huge threat during the spring track season, but hasn’t quite matched those results on the cross country trails, except for the Hoosier Crossroads Conference meet where she edged Brownsburg freshman Abigail Lynch. Lowell junior Jordyn Boyer could also challenge for a top-five spot after winning the New Prairie Semi-State in 17:58, well ahead of Valparaiso sophomore Ava Gilliana, Warsaw Community senior Mia Beckham, and Twin Lakes junior Maggie Gutwein, all athletes with top 10 potential.

Team contenders: For the past six years, Carmel has taken home the state championship, but this year seems to be the beginning of a new era. At the end of last season, many Indiana cross country fans were excited to see just how good Carroll could be and how the Chargers might replace the dynasty that Carmel left behind. Carroll was second at the state finals last season, placing three girls in the top 30 and returned six of its seven varsity runners from last season. The Chargers were also anticipating the arrival of one of the country’s best middle school runners in Duffus. Unfortunately, this potential “dream team” won’t be in action at the state finals. Green, last year’s runner-up, reportedly has a broken navicular bone and has not raced since August. Duffus has been racing well all season, but hasn’t raced since the Oct. 7 sectionals, which she won in 19:36. If Duffus is just resting rather than nursing a potentially serious injury, Carroll has a real shot. Stepping into the role as the pre-meet favorite is Brebeuf Jesuit. After not even qualifying out of the regionals last season, Brebeuf Jesuit is looking at a legitimate chance to win a state championship, something nobody saw coming until recent weeks. The Braves have a relatively young and inexperienced squad, but are led by senior Katherine Modrall, who only had one sub-20 minute performance last season according to Athletic.net. Modrall has consistently been under 19 minutes this fall, even running sub-18 on two occasions. Modrall has a solid squad behind her and the Braves are in a position they might not have expected at the beginning of this season.