The Carmel girls will be going for another spot on the trophy podium on Saturday
High School Name: Carmel IN
Club Name: The Carmel Project
High School Head Coach: Mark Ellington
School enrollment: 5010
Regular season finish: Indiana State Champions (single classification)
Entry To NXN: Midwest Regional Champions
Virtual Meet Predictions: >>>> Simon Says
Opening thoughts: Carmel is the premier team in Indiana and one of the storied girls programs in the United States. Did you know that the Greyhounds have won 18 state titles and over 128 overall sports state titles? Being competitive is an understatement to say the least in Carmel.
Individual breakdown:
Tasha Geisler (11) - has had a tremendous season after having surgery on each foot during 2015 (removal of accessory navicular bones). She is a younger sister to Christina. She's been very consistent down the stretch this season and we look for her to make an impact on Saturday.
Izza Khurram (10) -Really came on late in our regular season and broke 18:50 at the IHSAA Regional. Was a key factor in NXR with Sarah not finishing. She will likely be a big part of Carmel teams the next two seasons.
Rachel Anderson (12) - 2016 IHSAA Mental Attitude Award Winner. Rachel really closed the gap on her training during track last spring. Her efforts have continued through the summer and the XC season. She's dipped into the low 18s this year after being low to mid 19s last season. She's also a tremendous positive personality on this squad. She will be attending Purdue University next year.Sarah Leinheiser (12) - IHSAA Semi-State Individual Champion, 2015 All-American at Footlocker and Top Ten at NXN. Sarah's been fighting through a foot injury, so races have been a struggle over the last month. She's healing up and is feeling good to go on Saturday. She will be attending Iowa State University next year. Phoebe Bates (9) - Phoebe has been a phenomenal add to our team this year. We did expect her to have an impact, but not quite like this. She has really embraced the leadership from the older girls on the team, and it has helped her transition to high school competition. Christina Geisler (12) - started XC in high school after several years of gymnastics; had a breakout track season this past spring hitting 10:35 in the 3200; finished 6th at Footlocker Midwest last weekend and will be attending nationals next week. She will be attending Boise State University next year. Maddie Dalton (11) - has really come on during the postseason. After having to manage injury at the end of XC and into track last year, she spent most of the summer and early season getting back into shape. Her confidence has grown as she has benefited from training with such a strong group.
