The Columbus North boys cross-country team won the Evansville Mater Dei Regional Saturday at Angel Mounds. Pictured are, from left, assistant coach Kirk Wrightsman, head coach Rick Sluder, Denton Sluder, Rohan Norris, Logan Vanzant, Jace Works, Justin Reckers, Graham Pumphrey, Joseph Day, Sam Steinmetz and assistant coaches Kyle Burton and Rick Weinheimer.
EVANSVILLE — The top-ranked Columbus North boys won the Evansville Mater Dei Regional cross-country title, the Bull Dog girls are headed back to state after a third-place finish Saturday at Angel Mounds and Hauser’s Nolan Dailey and Jennings County’s Adistyn Long advanced to state as individuals.
Columbus North put six boys runners in the top 15 and outscored Bloomington North 34-44. Floyd Central (168), Barr-Reeve (195) and Bloomington South (224) claimed the other three state-qualifying spots.
Bloomington South won the girls title with 43 points to 80 for Floyd Central, 96 for Columbus North, 166 for Bloomington North and 186 for Edgewood.
Jace Works and Justin Reckers led the Bull Dog boys with fifth- and sixth-place finishe in 15 minutes, 4.9 seconds and 15:17.4 for 5,000 meters (3.1 miles). Denton Sluder and Joseph Day took eighth and ninth in 15:22.3 and 15:31.1, while Graham Pumphrey was 11th (15:43.7), Sam Steinmetz 15th (15:47.8) and Logan Vanzant 37th (16:20.6).
“We had a great day,” North coach Rick Sluder said. “You score 34 points in that meet, that’s just amazing. We thought the lowest we could score was 37, and we outdid that, so we’re really excited with our boys’ performance.”
Nolan Dailey
Dailey finished 16th in 15:47.9 to lead Hauser to a 15th-place team finish with 394 points. Jace Wright took 38th in 16:20.9, while Maxton Moore was 125th (17:40.9), Braydon McFarland 166th (18:14.5), Mason Moore 175th (18:19.8), Grady Niccum 232nd (19:52.6) and Mason Johnson 236th (19:55.3).
Jennings finished 16th as a team with 415 points. Maxwell Rodriguez led the Panthers with a 51st-place finish in 16:44.8, while Cash Summers was 65th (16:56.6), Zachary Wahlman 68th (16:58.1), Dawson Leak 170th (18:17.6), Elijah Lucas 188th (18:31.1) and Ellis Rodriguez 246th (27:18.7).
Columbus East’s Norman Dickson finished 45th in 16:19.2. Riley Wilson took 109th in 17:30.9, and Elijah Clore was 116th in 17:33.7.
Brown County’s Nathan Cumberledge finished 64th in 16:56.0. Eddie Webb took 74th in 17:02.6, while Aden Skaggs was 88th (17:15.8) and Jacob Webb 102nd (17:27.2).
Trinity Lutheran’s Oliver Eggersman finished 165th in 18:14.0.
The Columbus North girls cross-country team finished third in the Evansville Mater Dei Regional Saturday at Angel Mounds. Pictured are, from left, assistant coach Kirk Wrightsman, head coach Rick Sluder, Adira Sluder, Kodi Smith, Maria Gaggiano Camargo, Sydney Madden, Kylie Brinksneader, Hazel Sasse, Tristan Works, Emma Lowther and assistant coaches Kyle Burton and Rick Weinheimer.
On the girls side, Emma Lowther led Columbus North with a 14th-place finish in 18:55.2. Kodi Smith took 20th in 19:12.0, while Tristan Works was 23rd (19:19.1), Sydney Madden 24th (19:19.3), Adira Sluder 33rd (19:38.1), Maria Gaggiano Camargo 44th (19:57.9) and Hazel Sasse 60th (20:25.3).
“Our girls ran outstanding,” Rick Sluder said. “For about 4 kilometers, we were in second. It’s probably the best team race we ran all year. Because we went out so hard, we lost a few spots at the end, but we ran amazing, and I think that’s going to pay off for them next week.”
Jennings came in eighth as a team with 296 points, led by Long’s 12th-place finish in 18:47.4. Alana Watts took 68th in 20:40.3, while Shelby Allen was 72nd (20:41.5), Brianna Phillips 102nd (21:36.0), Addison Otte 108th (21:44.4), Macey Willhite 168th (22:48.7), Izabella Miller 169th (22:48.7)
Brown County’s Addie Adams finished 57th in 20:16.3. Ella Robinette took 91st in 21:25.2, and Della Hitchcock was 190th in 23:19.0.
Columbus East’s Ainslee Shaw finished 84th in 21:16.4. Elizabeth Sztaba took 137th in 22:14.7, and Abigail Collins was 197th in 23:26.5.
The state finals are Nov. 1 at LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute. The boys race starts at noon, followed by the girls race at 1 p.m.
