Columbus North’s Julia Kiesler nears the finish line to win the Brown County Semistate Oct. 22 at Eagle Park in Nashville.
The Republic file photo
Julia Kiesler established herself as one of the top 10 runners in Indiana girls cross-country history this fall, and now, she has a big honor to show for it.
The Columbus North senior recently was recognized as Indiana Miss Cross Country by the Indiana Track and Cross Country Coaches Association.
“It was really exciting,” Kiesler said. “I was really honored to get that. I wasn’t expecting it at all. I was happy. It just helped me reflect on how much I’ve accomplished this year, and I realized I had a really good season.”
Columbus North’s Julia Kiesler, left, jokes with Park Tudor’s Gretchen Farley after receiving her fourth-place medal in the girls race at the Girls Cross Country State Finals on Oct. 29 at LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute.
The Republic file photo
Kiesler finished fourth in the state finals on Oct. 29 in Terre Haute. She was the third senior to finish, but winner Lily Cridge of Bishop Chatard and third-place Sophia Kennedy of Park Tudor did not compete in the Mideast Meet of Champions the following week, and state runner-up Nicki Southerland of Delta is a junior, making them ineligible for the award.
“I knew Lily Cridge and some of those girls weren’t going to do (the Mideast Meet),” Kiesler said. “They were focusing on other races, so I knew I was kind of going to be at the top of the pack in that group. But I didn’t really know that award existed, either.”
Kiesler finished fourth overall in that Mideast Meet in Kettering, Ohio. On Saturday, Kiesler finished fifth in the Garmin RunningLane Cross Country Championship in Huntsville, Alabama, earning first-team All-America honors.
“It was one of her big goals to run on the All-Star team, and she was the top girl from Indiana that chose to run on the All-Star team,” North coach Rick Sluder said. “We’re very happy for her. She just had a fantastic season. It’s a huge honor and well-deserved.”
Kiesler was part of perhaps the fastest state-meet fields in Indiana history, led by Cridge, who broke the state record.
“(Kiesler is) very deserving,” Sluder said. “A lot of years, she probably would have been state champ. There’s a website out there that has her ranked as the ninth-best girl ever in the state of Indiana, and she just happened to be behind three other superstars.”
This fall, Kiesler broke the North school record and the course record at Brown County’s Eagle Park with a 17 minute, 17.3-second clocking in winning the semistate.
“One of the things that we talked about that was impressive with her was breaking the Brown County course record twice and now has three of the fastest times on that course,” Sluder said. “That’s just incredible with how many great all-time best Indiana girls have raced there. That just shows you how good of a season she had.”
Kiesler has narrowed her college decision to three schools. She has visited Boise State and has visits set up on Saturday to Indiana University and in January to Utah.
“I had a really satisfying end to my season at state, so my training has just been kind of fun recently,” Kiesler said. “We’ve been putting in some good work and having fun.”
