Nike XC Town Twilight Invite Highlights Solid Weekend

The summerlike weather is still alive and well throughout the state and region. Meanwhile, the cross-country regular season is coming to a close. 

Terre Haute, Indiana, was the place to be over the weekend. Cross Country Town USA hosted a two-day extravaganza, featuring middle-school and emerging slates, as well as a college race, leading up to the main event: the championship section on Saturday night.

The start of the race was quick, with a cliff-like fall through the first kilometer. It was more than two fistfuls of runners streaming past the opening mile in the low 4:40s. The Bulldogs began their creep from there in fourth place, moving into the catbird spot. Senior Jace Works was in the lead pack, and behind him was a strong supporting cast led by number two runner senior Denton Sluder. The outcome was a 47-second scoring split that netted a scant 115 points. It was a clear sign of who the top team is in the Midwest Region. For Columbus North, they are excited for their upcoming state championship series and later the national level postseason. Their rival Noblesville took a strong second place with 187 points.

Plainfield North and South took third and fourth, scoring 229 points each. North won a tiebreaker by one runner. They will meet at least five more times for the remaining portion of the season. 

The winner of the race was Paul Van Laningham of Cooper, Kentucky. He came in as one of the favorites and pulled away during the final mile in 14:57.

The girls' dominance from the winning team was just as pronounced as the boys. Carmel, IN, came in as the 13th-ranked team in the country. The Lady Greyhounds were eagerly awaiting a challenge from Prospect, IL, who are equally talented and were loading up their 'A' team for the first time this season. Only briefly did Carmel trail in the race; during the first mile, they sat in a close third place. By the second mile, it was curtains as Annabel Pollert (Jr), Sadie Foley (Sr), and Larkin Taylor (Jr) placed in the top five scoring column. The final result was a resounding victory of 74 points.