Columbus North’s Brianna Newell (314), Lily Baker (299) and Julia Kiesler (306) lead the field at the start of the Columbus North cross-country Rick Weinheimer Classic at Ceraland Sports Park in Columbus. Runners were called off the course midway through the race because of lightning, and the rest of the meet was canceled.
Tommy Walker | For The Republic
Columbus North’s top-ranked girls and fifth-ranked boys cross-country teams were hoping to test their mettle against some of the state’s other top programs Saturday morning at Ceraland, but Mother Nature had other ideas.
The top girls runners were a little more than halfway through the 5,000-meter (3.1-mile) race in North’s Rick Weinheimer Classic when lightning was spotted, and the runners were pulled off the course. When the skies darkened, rain began to fall and lightning persisted, the meet was canceled.
The start of the meet already had been delayed 50 minutes after lightning was spotted prior to the scheduled 9 a.m. start.
The Bull Dogs had gotten off to a strong start in the girls race. Julia Kiesler had a comfortable lead, and fellow senior Lily Baker was in second place. North was shaping up for a showdown with No. 2 Noblesville in a girls meet that also included No. 13 Floyd Central and No. 16 Northview.
“The girls were looking good from the start,” said North boys coach Andy Keffaber, who also helps out with the girls team. “We were getting ready to go to the starting line with the boys, and they called it.”
The meet also featured local teams from Columbus East, Jennings County and Brown County. The Eagles’ Hadley Gradolf was running in the top 10.
East girls coach Jesse Shoaf was pleased with how his team had started the race.
“Chloe (Krueger) had started the race well,” Shoaf said. “We had some good times up to that point. I was really happy with my 2-through-5 runners. They were packed together. Our 1-through-5 was pretty tight, and that’s what we have to do.”
The boys meet also was supposed to be a showdown between the Bull Dogs and Noblesville, which is ranked No. 4.
Close to 40 teams were entered in the boys and girls meets, including Mary Institute & Country Day School, the school from suburban St. Louis where North athletics director Brian Lewis used to work.
“Everybody was really frustrated today,” Keffaber said. “There was a lot of work put into it. Parents put a lot, Ceraland put a lot of work into it. There were teams from all across Indiana and St. Louis. It was a pretty neat event that everybody had put together for the community. We tried to get it going, and the storm just sat over us.”
