TERRE HAUTE — While Columbus North went into Saturday’s Girls Cross-Country State Finals with a longshot hope of contending for a title, it would have taken a monumental effort to upset either one of the top two teams.
The third-ranked Bull Dogs did what they could do, however, and finished third as a team. Carmel won with 52 points to 77 for Fort Wayne Carroll and 168 for Columbus North. Zionsville edged North Central 236-237 for fourth.
“We definitely didn’t run our best race, which they’re going to be a little disappointed about, but when you can run third place in the state, we need to be very proud of that,” Columbus North girls coach Rick Sluder said. “Our girls ran very well today. Whenever you can be on the podium, that’s incredible, and then third place, you put yourself right at the top of that whole pack.”
As they have been all year, the Bull Dogs were led by senior Mackenzie Barnett. Barnett ran with the lead pack for most of the 5,000-meter (3.1-mile) race and outkicked a couple of runners to finish seventh in 18 minutes, 26.7 seconds.
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“I’m extremely happy with how today went,” Barnett said. “My goal was top 10, so I’m happy with seventh. I think the whole race played out pretty well. It’s my senior year, and I wanted to get as high of a place as I possibly could. I could see those girls in front of me, and I wanted it.”
Barnett earned All-State honors and a spot on the medals podium.
“Mackenzie Barnett ran incredible up front,” Sluder said. “She just put herself up there in the top 10 the entire race. She led us all year, so it’s fitting that she goes out there and gets a single digit today.”
Sophomore Lily Baker finished 31st in 19:11.8, missing All-State honors by only six spots.
“I am not satisfied, but I think that I did OK,” Baker said. “I would have liked to have run better, and I wish that my finish was better, but I think I stayed strong through the middle of the race.”
Sophomore Ellen White finished 64th in 19:47.3. Sophomore Brianna Newell took 83rd in 19:56.2, while junior Abby Jacobi was 88th (19:58.7) and sophomore Jessica Meza 142nd (20:45.8).
“Lily Baker ran a really great race, and then Ellen White and Abby Jacobi really stepped up when some other girls were a little off today with some injuries and sickness,” Sluder said. “They ran really well to pull us through, so I was happy with that performance. They really put themselves out there today.”
Columbus North had won Conference Indiana, sectional, regional and semistate titles this season.
“I’m impressed with these girls,” Sluder said. “This is something that started in May when they started training for this. When you’re looking at 400 high schools in the state, and you’re third, I’m ecstatic with what these girls did.”
Meanwhile, Brown County had a pair of sophomores competing as individuals. Abby Fleetwood finished 55th in 19:37.8, and Hadley Gradolf was 73rd in 19:51.4.
“We ended up getting out pretty good, and at the first (kilometer), they were where they needed to be, and then it just seemed like they never moved (up) after that. State meet is just such a fast place, you don’t know who’s going to come out and who’s going to (set a personal record) and run their best. We were just a little bit off today.”
