2019 Season:
Week 7: Week of 9/30 to 10/6
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Athlete of the Week (Girls)
Athlete: Amberleigh Sorensen Team: Yorktown Course: HHC @ Pendleton Place: 5th Time: 19:53 |
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Summary: For the 2nd time this season, Sorensen broke 20 and had a fine race on Saturday. She placed 5th overall at her conference meet, 5 places better and nearly a minute faster than she was at this race last year. The Senior helped lead her team to a top 3 finish overall and 29 points better than rival Delta! These two teams are expected to duke it out next week at the Sectional and Sorensen will look to finish her last cross country sectional ever with some hardware!
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Athlete of the Week (Boys)
Athlete: Jon Jones Team: Muncie Central Course: NCC @ WL Harrison Place: 26th Time: 18:16 |
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Summary: The Freshman out of Muncie Central had a career day at the Conference meet on Saturday. His time of 18:16 was nearly a whole minute PR and was Central’s best freshman time in 5 years. Jones has been turning it on lately, as he has had career bests in each of the last 3 races. Additionally, if he can run 5 seconds quicker this postseason he will have Central’s best time for all freshman in this century! Jones is picking the best time to turn it on, as Muncie Central will look to compete for the Sectional title next Saturday!
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Team of the Week (Girls)
Team: Cowan Course: MEC @ Blue River Individual Places (Top 5): 3rd, 5th, 10th, 20th, and 21st Team Place: 1st Individual Times (Top 5): 20:59, 21:40, 22:19, 24:17, and 24:19 Top 5 Avg. Time/Split: 22:42/3:20 |
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Summary: Saturday was a superb day for the Cowan Lady Blackhawks. First off, 5 of their top 6 varsity members had season bests. Secondly, they had 3 girls finish with All Conference placements. Finally, they captured their first MEC title in a decade! These girls are starting to ramp things up at the right moment and have been consistently solid all season long. Beating runner up Randolph Southern by 13 points is a great way to finish the week before the Sectional. These girls will look to extend their season next Saturday!
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Team of the Week (Boys)
Team: Monroe Central Course: MEC @ Blue River Individual Places (Top 5): 7th, 8th, 9th, 12th, and 16th Team Place: 2nd Individual Times (Top 5): 18:03, 18:06, 18:07, 18:10, and 18:43 Top 5 Avg. Time/Split: 18:13/0:40 |
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Summary: The Golden Bears may not have captured the MEC title Saturday morning, but they certainly turned a lot of heads in their runner up finish, only losing to champion Wapahani by 4 points. With their #1 runner, Carter Miller, finally back from injury they have a very solid top 4 clicking the week before sectionals. With 5 of their top 6 varsity runners having season bests, they are picking the best time to round into form. With this momentum, they will definitely be contenders to win their first ever Sectional in school history and finally get the monkey off of their backs!
Week 6: Week of 9/23 to 9/29
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Athlete of the Week (Girls)
Athlete: Jaci Knott Team: Wes-Del Course: Sportsplex - Delta Eagle Invite Place: 8th Time: 21:42.4 |
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Summary: Knott had the best day of her young career at the Sportsplex on Saturday. Her personal best race garnered her a top 10 finish at the Delta Invitational and was a season best for her by over 1 minute! Additionally, this is the fastest a Lady Warrior has run since 2015! Her time of 21:42 this past weekend puts her in the top 15 of the Sectional, with the upside to improve to the top 10! This sophomore turned it on in the postseason last year to advance to semi-state and will look to do that again this year.
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Athlete of the Week (Boys)
Athlete: Caden Shumaker Team: Monroe Central Course: New Haven Invitational Place: 14th Time: 17:55.6 |
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Summary: The Junior out of Monroe Central led his Golden Bear team to a great performance on Saturday at the Semi State course. He ran a personal best for himself and finally broke 18 with a clocking of 17:55. In Monroe Central’s 2nd year at the event his 14th place finish was the best for the team this year and 16 places better than what the team’s best finisher could do last year! This Junior has been consistently getting better every race this year and has placed in the top 20 of every race this September! His consistency should prove valuable as we head toward the postseason.
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Team of the Week (Girls)
Team: Cowan Course: Sportsplex - Delta Eagle Invite Individual Places (Top 5): 1st, 6th, 26th, 36th, and 41st Team Place: 3rd Individual Times (Top 5): 21:04, 21:38, 23:49, 24:56, and 25:29 Top 5 Avg. Time/Split: 23:23/4:25 |
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Summary: This young Cowan team has had success up top all season, with Lauren Smith and McKenna Minton, but it was a great team performance on Saturday to match that. Their top 4 girls all had season bests and they were able to earn a 3rd place finish at the Sectional course! Their average team time of 23:23 is the fastest they have had at Cowan in over 8 years! With these times on Saturday, the Lady Blackhawks are not projected to get 4th at the Delta Sectional and advance to the Regional! As the postseason draws near, it looks to be very competitive for spots 3-5 at the Sectional and I am sure Cowan will want to be a part of that.
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Team of the Week (Boys) Team: Wapahani Course: New Haven Invitational Individual Places (Top 5): 3rd, 12th, 15th, 26th, and 51st Team Place: 1st Individual Times (Top 5): 17:29, 17:50, 17:57, 18:14, and 18:50 Top 5 Avg. Time/Split: 18:04/1:29 |
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Summary: In a field of over 200 runners, Wapahani shined on Saturday at the semi state course. For the first time in school history, they took home the team trophy earning 1st place as a team! Additionally, their top 6 runners all had personal bests on a wet PFW course! They were lead by their top 4 runners consisting of Schrock, Ellis, Boggs, and Griffin but their 5th runner Dickinson also had a great race breaking 19 for the first time in his career! They have been getting better and better all season and they are peaking at the perfect time. With the MEC coming up next weekend, the Sectional race is fast approaching. Wapahani will look to continue this improvement as they gear up to win another Sectional title in just a couple weeks!
Week 5: Week of 9/16 To 9/22
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Athlete of the Week (Girls)
Athlete: McKenna Minton Team: Cowan Course: Yorktown Morrow’s Meadows Place: 13th Time: 22:05 |
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Summary: Minton had her best day ever at Morrow’s Meadows this past weekend. Going into the weekend Minton was ranked 22nd in ECI; however, the freshman beat 6 runners who were ranked ahead of her! She set a PR for herself by nearly 20 seconds and is becoming a great complement to lead runner Lauren Smith. Cowan has never had 2 girls run under 22 minutes in the same race and I am sure Minton will be eyeing that time next! The future looks bright for Cowan with all of Cowans top 3 runners being freshman and sophomores.
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Athlete of the Week (Boys)
Athlete: Drew Caldwell Team: Blackford Course: South Adams Invitational Place: 6th Time: 17:50 |
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Summary: Caldwell set another PR on Saturday at South Adams. He did so by garnering a 6th place finish and running under 18 for the 2nd time this year! It has been 10 years since a Bruin has run under 18 more than two times in the same season and Caldwell will look to keep this momentum going! The junior out of Blackford is having a much-improved year. On average he has been better by over 1:30 every single race this season!
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Team of the Week (Girls)
Team: Jay County Course: Yorktown Morrow’s Meadows Individual Places (Top 5): 5th, 14th, 15th, 16th, and 57th Team Place: 3rd Individual Times (Top 5): 20:50, 22:06, 22:06, 22:11, and 26:24 Top 5 Avg. Time/Split: 22:43/5:34 |
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Summary: The Lady Patriots had a high quality day at Yorktown on Saturday. They had the strongest top 4 of any ECI area school, with 4 in the top 16. They were 22 points behind Yorktown; however, they were able to defeat fellow top 5 teams Muncie Central and Cowan by over 40 points! They have not been this fast at Yorktown in 6 years and they have a great young front pack to do some damage this year. If they can round out their top 5, and that front pack can keep improving, they can become a force this postseason!
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Team of the Week (Boys)
Team: New Castle Course: Yorktown Morrow’s Meadows Individual Places (Top 5): Team Place: 7th, 12th, 29th, 37th, and 54th Individual Times (Top 5): 17:35, 17:52, 18:51, 19:11, and 20:00 Top 5 Avg. Time/Split: 18:41/2:25 |
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Summary: The New Castle Boys had a great team performance this past weekend. First, four of their top 5 has personal bests and their top 2 runners were both under 18. Secondly, they were able to beat ECI top 5 ranked Muncie Central and put themselves in the conversation for top 5. Finally, their 5th place finish at the Jim Leffler invitational is their best finish in 3 years at this race! New Castle has been steadily improving all year and have a great young core to keep on building with!
Week 4: Week of 9/9 to 9/15
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Athlete of the Week (Girls)
Athlete: Shannyn Cox Team: Delta Course: Maconaquah Invitational Place: 5th Time: 20:36 |
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Summary: She has been a beacon of consistency all season, finishing top 8 in every race, but this week she stepped it up. To start the week, she finished 4th at the county race, beating 2 girls ranked ahead of her in the ECI rankings and earning all-county! However, this past Saturday she really stepped it up. She ran a personal best of 20:36, lead her team to an impressive top 3 finish, and finished 1stplace on her team for the first time in her career! This Freshman is trending up and Delta has been getting better week by week!
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Athlete of the Week (Boys)
Athlete: Colton Boggs Team: Wapahani Course: IWU Wildcat Invitational Place: 31st Time: 18:28 |
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Summary: Boggs has been consistently getting better every race, as he has matched or bested his personal best in every single race this year but this week he made a statement. In a scorching hot County race on Tuesday, one runner had a season best and his name was Colton Boggs. After aiding his team to a near county win and finishing All County himself, he followed that up with another personal record dropping nearly 15 seconds! After two consecutive top 3 finishes for his team, Boggs is cementing himself ahead of some quality experience runners on this talented Wapahani roster!
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Team of the Week (Girls)
Team: Blackford Course: Maconaquah Invitational Individual Places (Top 5): 10th, 42nd, 50th, 70th, and 71st Team Place: 9th Individual Times (Top 5): 21:22, 24:04, 24:29, 25:28, and 25:30 Top 5 Avg. Time/Split: 24:10/4:08 |
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Summary: The times may not jump off of the page to you but the improvement for this Bruin team is well worth noting. First off, of the 7 runners who competed on Saturday 5 of them had personal bests! Additionally, it has been 3 years since this Lady Bruins team has had 5 runners this fast in a single race! Finally, they have never advanced out of the Marion Sectional as a team and they have not made it Regionals as a team in any Sectional in 13 years; however, these times on Saturday would have broken those streaks! Blackford is making some solid strides to get better, and those strides are looking to advance even further in this years postseason!
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Team of the Week (Boys)
Team: Delta Course: Maconaquah Individual Places (Top 5): 33rd, 34th, 38th, 41st, and 42nd Team Place: 4th Individual Times (Top 5): 18:54, 18:57, 19:02, 19:09, and 19:09 Top 5 Avg. Time/Split: 19:02/0:15 |
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Summary: The Eagles were able to have a lot of success on Saturday at Maconaquah, and that was without their top 2 runners. Not only did all of their top 5 runners have season bests, but also there was a ridiculously close split between them of a mere 15 seconds! Senior Sam Campbell took over #1 runner duties for the Eagles; however, the depth behind him is what propelled them to a high quality day. Delta may have lost to rival Yorktown at County by nearly 40 points earlier in the week but they showed some resilience with a great race on Saturday. Do not forget that Delta is typically a much better 2nd half of the season team. Keep your eyes on them as we have a month until the postseason is finally here!
Week 3: Week of 9/2 to 9/8
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Athlete of the Week (Girls)
Athlete: Leah Keesling Team: Randolph Southern Course: Indiana Wesleyan Marion Invitational Place: 1st Time: 19:28 |
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Summary: Keesling started her senior season with a dominant performance on Saturday. She not only had her fastest time ever to start a season, but also did it alone the whole time. She beat 2ndplace by nearly a minute, 3rd place by nearly two minutes, and only five other girls in the entire race were within three minutes of her! This Rebel is finally a senior and will look to dominate all season long!
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Athlete of the Week (Boys)
Athlete: Andrew Fewell Team: New Castle Course: Indiana Wesleyan Marion Invitational Place: 5th Time: 17:55 |
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Summary: Fewell announced his presence in a strong way on Saturday. The New Castle Sophomore lead his team to a great day and ran a solid time of 17:55 along the way. Only two Trojan Sophomores have been this fast this early in the season in this decade! Additionally, 5th place is the best finish for any New Castle runner in Marion Invitational history! Fewell had a great race Saturday and will look to ride this momentum for the rest of the season!
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Team of the Week (Girls)
Team: Muncie Central Course: Wapahani Prairie Creek and Indiana Wesleyan Marion Invitational Individual Places (Top 5): 23rd, 42nd, 55th, 61st, and 62nd Team Place: 8th Individual Times (Top 5): 21:46, 23:05, 23:49, 23:59, and 24:15 Top 5 Avg. Time/Split: 23:22/2:29 |
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Summary: The Lady Bearcats had a standout week that featured victories, personal bests, and a lot of success. They started the week by winning the Wapahanni Invitational on Tuesday, by a solid 17 points. This was the Lady Bearcats first invitational victory this century! Additionally, every single girl on the team had season bests. These season bests were by nearly 1 minute per girl! It was an encouraging week for Muncie Central and they will hope to ride this to even bigger asperations this season!
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Team of the Week (Boys)
Team: New Castle Course: Indiana Wesleyan Marion Invitational Individual Places (Top 5): 5th, 9th, 26th, 37th, and 41st Team Place: 4th Individual Times (Top 5): 17:55, 18:09, 19:19, 19:48, and 20:01 Top 5 Avg. Time/Split: 19:02/3:06 |
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Summary: Saturday was a good day for this young New Castle team, featuring no seniors in their top 4. It was highlighted by a strong 1-2 punch in sophomores Andrew Fewell and Skyler Dickey running lifetime bests, Dickey was over 3 minutes faster than he was at this race last year! They were also able to beat a shorthanded top 5 ECI ranked team in Delta this race. For the past 16 years New Castle has finished top 3 in their sectional, until they were fifth place last year. They will look to right the ship this year and get back to the top 3 this year!
Week 2: Week of 8/26 to 9/1
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Athlete of the Week (Girls)
Athlete: Lydia Harvey Team: New Castle Course: Pendleton Heights Arabian Roundup Place: 9th Time: 20:27 |
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Summary: Representing the Trojans, and their team of 2, Harvey had a great beginning to her career on Wednesday. She was able to get 2nd out of all of the ECI runners and finished 9th overall. This is the fastest overall school time since Claire Henshaw in 2010, schools fastest Arabian Roundup time ever, and the fastest any New Castle girl has run in her first meet ever! Harvey started her first race with a lot of success and this young freshman will look to relay that into a fantastic first season!
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Athlete of the Week (Boys)
Athlete: Matthew Mitsch Team: Yorktown Course: Taylor University Invitational Place: 1st Time: 15:54 |
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Summary: After taking the first week off for the SAT, Matt Mitsch was back and better than ever. After running 16:33, and taking 2nd, at the always-difficult Arabian Roundup, Mitsch had the race of his life on Saturday. This Tiger senior had a 13 second PR, ran under 16 minutes for the first time, beat a loaded field featuring the #1 team in the state and a state title contender in Reece Gibson, and found himself being a featured interview on Milesplit Indiana! He did everything on Saturday and will look to accomplish even more in his final season as a Yorktown Tiger!
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Team of the Week (Girls)
Team: Shenandoah Course: Pendleton Heights Arabian Roundup Individual Places (Top 5): 31st, 71st, 81st, 104th, and 109th Team Place: 12th Individual Times (Top 5): 22:18, 24:24, 24:57, 27:16, and 27:49 Top 5 Avg. Time/Split: 25:20/5:31 |
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Summary: The numbers may not jump off the page to you, but with only 5 runners competing in the varsity race on Wednesday, they are still having quite a start to the season. They placed 12th overall at Pendleton, and 3rd out of the 7 ECI teams in the field. This is the fastest they have been in their schools history at the Arabian Roundup and this is their 7th year in the race. Their previous record, set in 2013, was nearly 40 seconds slower per runner than it was on Wednesday! They have not qualified for back-to-back regionals since 2013 and look to break that streak this year!
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Team of the Week (Boys)
Team: Yorktown Course: Taylor University Invitational Individual Places (Top 5): 1st, 18th, 35th, 51st, and 78th Team Place: 5th Individual Times (Top 5): 15:54, 17:23, 18:03, 18:22, and 19:27 Top 5 Avg. Time/Split: 17:49/3:33 |
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Summary: The week after Wapahani asserted itself as the team to beat, Yorktown snatched it right back. After finishing 6th out of 20 on Wednesday, 5th out of 15 on Saturday, and conquering every ECI team along the way, they have made a statement that they are reloading after losing 3 of their top 4 runners last year. Mitsch was the story, but their entire varsity had season bests and 5 of 7 had lifetime bests. These Tigers are young, hungry, and have been up to every obstacle so far this season!
Week 1: Week of 8/19 to 8/25
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Athlete of the Week (Girls)
Athlete: Ella Baldwin Team: Winchester Course: Monroe Central Meister Memorial Place: 2nd Time: 21:13.7 |
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Summary: Baldwin came out to compete this week, as she had top 3 finishes in The Winchester Invitational and Meister Memorial run. She matched a lifetime best, running 21:13 Saturday, and finished 2nd in a competitive race with 9 ECI schools! Her time of 21:13 is the fastest any Golden Falcon has run at Brian Meister. This Junior Falcon will look to fly high this season and should be tough for all of the ECI area competition!
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Athlete of the Week (Boys)
Athlete: Luke Harber Team: Yorktown Course: Taylor University County Clash Place: 4th Time: 17:52.1 |
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Summary: With a Matt Mitsch-less Tiger team, the sophomore newcomer rose to the occasion in a big way. After not competing in the fall of 2018, and sitting behind some high quality seniors in track season, Luke Harber really turned some heads at Taylor on Saturday morning. In his first high school cross country meet ever, Harber finished 4th overall and ran under 18 minutes. Yorktown has a history of taking these multi sport athletes and training them up; Harber could be in for a sensational season!
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Team of the Week (Girls)
Team: Cowan Course: Monroe Central Meister Memorial Individual Places (Top 5): 4th, 22nd, 48th, 55th, and 65th Team Place: 5th Individual Times (Top 5): 21:36, 23:38, 25:35, 25:55, and 26:47 Top 5 Avg. Time/Split: 24:42/5:11 |
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Summary: Cowan competed in a 12-team field on Saturday at Monroe Central, finishing 5th overall and best out of the ECI area schools. It was a great first race for the Blackhawks and they have a legit #1 in Sophomore Lauren Smith, getting 4th overall, and a lot of youth on this talented team. The last time Cowan qualified for a regional, some of these girls were not even born; however, with their times on Saturday they would have finished 4th and advanced to their first regional since 2002! This will be a fun team to watch as they look to break that 17-year streak!
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Team of the Week (Boys)
Team: Wapahani Course: Taylor University County Clash Individual Places (Top 5): 6th, 9th, 10th, 22nd, and 23rd Team Place: 1st Individual Times (Top 5): 17:58, 18:08, 18:20, 19:01, and 19:08 Top 5 Avg. Time/Split: 18:31/1:10 |
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Summary: The Wapahani boys did everything right last week. They were dominant in winning both invitationals this week, Winchester and County Clash. They were nearly 30 seconds faster per top 5 runner, compared to the rest of ECI, and are County Clash champions for the 2nd time in 3 years! It appeared to be a 5 horse race for the Delta Sectional, but Wapahani may have other plans in mind. This talented group really separated themselves on Saturday, and not one senior on this young Raider team!
2018 Season:
WEEK 7: Week of 9/24 to 9/30
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Athlete of the Week (Girls)
Athlete: Ashleigh Brelage Team: Delta Course: HHC (Sportsplex) Place: 5th Time: 20:09 |
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Summary: Brelage had a personal best for the Lady Eagles by over 30 seconds at the Sportsplex on Saturday! This sophomore had the best time for an ECI athlete, not named Leah Keesling, this week and led her team to a great day. Brelage has shown great improvement recently as her season best two weeks ago was nearly 1:30 slower than her time on Saturday! This is the fastest time for a Delta runner in 3 years. A great time to run your best race, a week before Sectional!
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Athlete of the Week (Boys)
Athlete: Isaiah Bennett Team: Muncie Central Course: NCC (IWU) Place: 4th Time: 16:42 |
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Summary: The rising Bearcat Junior had a standout day Saturday at Marion. He ran a career best for the 3rd weekend in a row and ran sub 17 for the first time in his career! Placing 19th at the conference meet last year, Bennett has showed some great improvement this season and looks to ride that into the postseason. His time of 16:42 is the fastest time for a Bearcat in 7 years!
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Team of the Week (Girls)
Team: Delta Course: HHC (Sportsplex) Individual Places (Top 5): 5th, 8th, 27th, 28th, and 33rd Team Place: 3rd Individual Times (Top 5): 20:09, 20:16, 22:27, 22:28, and 23:24 Top 5 Avg. Time/Split: 21:44/3:15 |
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Summary: The Lady Eagles had a great afternoon at the Sportsplex on Saturday. Their top 3 conference finish is the best finish they have had in 7 years! They are lead by youth, with their top 4 runners all being underclassman, and Brelage and Robles both had personal bests today! On top of that, their senior 5 and 6 runners also had season bests. With the sectional being one week away, and rival Yorktown being the main competition, beating them by 26 points is a great way to go into the postseason!
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Team of the Week (Boys)
Team: Muncie Central Course: NCC (IWU) Individual Places (Top 5): 4th, 16th, 23rd, 29th, and 33rd Team Place: 5th Individual Times (Top 5): 16:42, 17:47, 18:06, 18:25, and 18:54 Top 5 Avg. Time/Split: 17:59/2:12 |
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Summary: The Muncie Central Bearcats had a breakout team performance at Indiana Wesleyan. They had 5 of their 6 varsity runners and 8 of 10 overall runners run season bests at their conference race! On top of that, this is the first time all season that the Bearcats have averaged a top 5 team time under 18 minutes! They were lead by breakout performances from Juniors Isaiah Bennett and Robert Thomma and strong 3-5 running by Kavan Byrd, AJ Martinez, and freshman Dylan Bradford respectively. This performance is just what the Bearcats were looking for as they prepare to defend their sectional title next weekend!
WEEK 6: Week of 9/17 to 9/23
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Athlete of the Week (Girls)
Athlete: Sophia Fugiett Team: Jay County Course: Delta Invite (Muncie Sportsplex) Place: 3rd Time: 20:54 |
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Summary: The sophomore Patriot had a lifetime performance Saturday afternoon at the Muncie Sportsplex. Running nearly 40 seconds faster than she did at this race last year, and running sub 21 for the first time, vaulted Fugiett to a 3rd place finish. This is the fastest time for a Jay County girl in 3 years! She was dynamite last year finishing top 5 and top 10 at sectionals and regionals respectively. Fugiett picked a great time to have a lifetime best as the postseason starts in less than 2 weeks!
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Athlete of the Week (Boys) Athlete: Andrew Whitinger Team: Blue River Course: Delta Invite (Muncie Sportsplex) Place: 2nd Time: 16:30 |
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Summary: Whitinger had a huge race at the Sportsplex on Saturday. Improving by nearly 45 seconds, he dominated everyone in the field not named Luke Combs! This is a lifetime best for Whitinger and is the best-recorded time ever on athletic.net for a Viking! In a very competitive sectional, Whitinger just put himself up there with the top ranks. A great day for a runner looking to do some damage in October!
Team of the Week (Girls)
Team: Jay County
Course: Delta Invite (Muncie Sportsplex)
Individual Places (Top 5): 3rd, 10th, 13th, 18th, and 37th
Team Place: 3rd
Individual Times (Top 5): 20:54, 22:19, 22:39, 23:46, and 26:42
Top 5 Avg. Time/Split: 23:16/5:48
Summary: The Lady Patriots had a breakout team performance as well this past Saturday. Every single runner on the team had a season best and 6 of the 9 had lifetime bests! It has been 3 years since they have had a top 4 this strong and their whole top 5 are underclassman! Jay County got last at the sectional last year and did not qualify as a team the year before. They are making their push to be top 5 this postseason. This young core looks to bring back resurgence to the Jay County program!
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Team of the Week (Boys)
Team: Yorktown Course: New Haven (IPFW) Individual Places (Top 5): 8th (AAA Division), 43rd, 44th, 93rd, and 109th Team Place: 14th (Matt Mitsch ran up a division alone) Individual Times (Top 5): 16:07, 17:51, 17:52, 18:55, and 19:10 Top 5 Avg. Time/Split: 17:59/3:03 |
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Summary: Yorktown was clicking on all cylinders at the Semi-State course this past Saturday. They are the first team in the area to average a sub 18 top 5 time and this is the first time they have done that in 3 years! They were strong at the top with Mitsch getting 8th overall in a very competitive race, seeing 8 boys run a sub 5 first mile! They were strong in the middle, with their 2 and 3 runners pacing themselves to season bests! Finally, they were much stronger in the back with their 4 and 5 runners both having season bests by nearly a minute! With the sectional race less than 2 weeks away, Yorktown proved that they have all the makings of a sectional championship team!
WEEK 5: Week of 9/10 to 9/16
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Athlete of the Week (Girls)
Athlete: Lauren Smith Team: Cowan Course: Jim Leffler (Muncie Sportsplex) Place: 6th Time: 21:25 |
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Summary: This Blackhawk freshman had quite a day this past Saturday. After leading the early part of the race, Smith relayed that into a strong 6th place finish. She also improved her personal best by nearly 2 minutes in just one race! To make things even more impressive, Smith is the only Cowan girl to have run sub 22 this decade! A historic day for this Cowan freshman!
Athlete of the Week (Boys)
Athlete: Carter Miller
Team: Monroe Central
Course: South Adams Invitational
Place: 9th
Time: 17:56
Summary: Miller had a great day for himself Saturday as he ran sub 18 for the first time in his young career. This near 50-second improvement spearheaded a great team effort from the Golden Bears as well. This is the first time a freshman for Monroe Central has run sub 18 in 3 years! There was a lot of anticipation for this talented freshman coming in and he is starting to take the lead role as the #1 runner on this Monroe Central squad!
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Team of the Week (Girls)
Team: Wapahani Course: Jim Leffler (Muncie Sportsplex) Individual Places (Top 5): 11th, 16th, 27th, 32nd, and 63rd Team Place: 4th Individual Times (Top 5): 21:58, 22:15, 23:03, 23:20, and 26:21 Top 5 Avg. Time/Split: 23:23/4:23 |
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Summary: The Lady Raiders had a very encouraging day on Saturday at the Sportsplex. The most impressive part was this teams top 4, who all had season bests! Wapahani has never had a top 4 this strong. Even though they were not able to outplace Yorktown, they picked up some ground on them from the County Invite. This team looks to keep improving as they have 3 weeks to keep closing that gap for Sectionals!
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Team of the Week (Boys)
Team: Monroe Central Course: South Adams Invitational Individual Places (Top 5): 9th, 14th, 19th, 20th, and 39th Team Place: 3rd Individual Times (Top 5): 17:56, 18:19, 18:36, 18:36, and 19:46 Top 5 Avg. Time/Split: 18:38/1:50 |
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Summary: The Golden Bears had a breakout performance this past Saturday. After this week, they are the first team in the area to have 7 runners sub 20. On top of that, their whole entire varsity lineup had a season best! Monroe Central came into the season with a lot of quality returning runners, and it all materialized this past weekend. They look to ride this improvement toward the Sectional race in 3 weeks!
WEEK 3: Week of 8/27 to 9/2
Athlete of the Week (Girls)
Athlete: Makayla Robles
Team: Delta
Course: Marion (IWU)
Place: 3rd
Time: 21:20
Athlete: Makayla Robles
Team: Delta
Course: Marion (IWU)
Place: 3rd
Time: 21:20
Summary: The phenomenal freshman Robles had another great race on Saturday. She followed up her top 5 performance in the country clash 2 weeks ago and improved that time by over a minute to place top 3 at Indiana Wesleyan! On a day where nearly 100 freshman ran the same course, she found herself top 10 out of all of them! Robles lead the Lady Eagles to a solid top 5 team finish that found her and her teammate, Ashleigh Brelage, earning medals. A great day for the young freshman!
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Athlete of the Week (Boys)
Athlete: Elliot Whiteside Team: Muncie Burris Course: Marion (IWU) Place: 4th Time: 17:15 |
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Summary: Whiteside had a breakout performance Saturday at Indiana Wesleyan. He finished 4th in a competitive field and had a season best by nearly 45 seconds! This Senior Owl has been running well since the spring and it took him until September 26th to run a time this fast last year! Whiteside’s time of 17:15 was good enough for top 3 in the area and he continues to get better. Look for this Senior to continue to get better and better!
Team of the Week (Girls)
Team: Winchester
Course: Marion (IWU)
Individual Places (Top 5): 7th, 37th, 42nd, 57th, and 59th
Team Place: 8th
Individual Times (Top 5): 21:46, 24:44, 24:57, 26:34, and 26:37
Top 5 Avg. Time/Split: 24:55/4:51
Team: Winchester
Course: Marion (IWU)
Individual Places (Top 5): 7th, 37th, 42nd, 57th, and 59th
Team Place: 8th
Individual Times (Top 5): 21:46, 24:44, 24:57, 26:34, and 26:37
Top 5 Avg. Time/Split: 24:55/4:51
Summary: This rebuilding Winchester team took a step in the right direction on Saturday morning. They were lead by talented sophomore Ella Baldwin, who had a top 10 finish, but their 2-5 runners were the story. Every single one of them had a personal best and the 4 runners combined to improve by over 8 minutes! This young Lady Falcon team features no seniors and they ran well enough on Saturday to have a top 5 sectional finish as a team! Winchester has not qualified their girls team for Regionals since 2011, and performances like this can push for that goal this year!
Team of the Week (Boys)
Team: Delta
Course: Marion (IWU)
Individual Places (Top 5): 21st, 25th, 32nd, 45th, and 51st
Team Place: 5th
Individual Times (Top 5): 18:33, 18:48, 19:14, 19:56, and 20:17
Top 5 Avg. Time/Split: 19:21/1:44
Team: Delta
Course: Marion (IWU)
Individual Places (Top 5): 21st, 25th, 32nd, 45th, and 51st
Team Place: 5th
Individual Times (Top 5): 18:33, 18:48, 19:14, 19:56, and 20:17
Top 5 Avg. Time/Split: 19:21/1:44
Summary: The Delta Eagles had a much improved performance on Saturday. In a race where 4 of the varsity runners had a personal best, the rest had season bests! On top of that, three Eagles earned medals at Indiana Wesleyan! Cody Brelage, Lucas Fox, and Cody Bivens lead the charge for this young Delta team. This Delta team looks to carry on the tradition of running for the eagles, and with one Senior on the team, this youthful team should continue to get better and better!
Week 1: WEEK of 8/13 to 8/18
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Athlete of the Week (Girls)
Athlete: Leah Keesling Team: Randolph Southern Course: Meister Family Memorial Run Place: 2nd Time: 20:27 |
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Summary: Keesling will make her push for athlete of the week every week, but this past Saturday she started her 3rd year off with a bang! In a field of nearly 100 runners, she was able to place 2ndat the Meister Memorial Run. Her time that afternoon was nearly 2 minutes better than anyone else in ECI! With this much separation from the competition, it is hard to deny her the honor. Keesling has big goals this year and started the season off well this past Saturday!
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Athlete of the Week (Boys)
Athlete: Matthew Mitsch Team: Yorktown Course: County Clash (Sportsplex) Place: 2nd Time: 17:08 |
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Summary: Let’s make a checklist. Run the fastest ECI time of the weekend. Run a personal best in less than ideal course conditions. Beat a runner who ran a 15:45 just four days prior. Lead your team to a victory. Mitsch checked everything off the list and more this weekend! The rising Junior proved that hard work in the summer pays off. He made a statement this past Saturday and looks to lead his troops to continued success throughout the season!
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Team of the Week (Girls)
Team: Delta Course: County Clash (Sportsplex) Individual Places (Top 5): 5th, 6th, 12th, 17th, and 26th Team Place: 1st Individual Times (Top 5): 22:33, 22:40, 24:00, 24:19, and 25:19 Top 5 Avg. Time/Split: 23:46/2:46 |
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Summary: The youthful Eagles made a statement opening weekend. They were able to win the County Clash with the alternate top 10 scoring and standard scoring as well! 2nd place to them was Wapahani, but the Eagles beat them by a healthy 28 points. They proved that their young core of freshman and sophomores, mixed with some senior leadership, will be a tough combination to beat this year! With the addition of Yorktown to the Delta Sectional, things are going to be even more interesting on the girl’s side this year!
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Team of the Week (Boys)
Team: Yorktown Course: County Clash (Sportsplex) Individual Places (Top 5): 2nd, 6th, 9th, 34th, and 40th Team Place: 1st Individual Times (Top 5): 17:08, 18:30, 18:40, 20:30, and 20:47 Top 5 Avg. Time/Split: 19:07/3:30 |
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Summary: The Yorktown Boys had a breakout performance at the County Clash this past Saturday. The trio of Mitsch, Bonsack, and Weiss proved that they have as good of a top 3 as anyone in the area! Rounding out the top 5 was Junior Wilhoite and a Senior in Sam Willey who looks to translate his spring track success into a quality senior cross country season. With the Sectional Realignment, Yorktown ran like they have something to prove. They put all the Delta Sectional teams on notice this past Saturday.
2017 Season:
ECI Athletes of the Week for Regional Weekend
Athlete of the Week (Girls)
Athlete: Amberleigh Sorensen
Team: Yorktown
Course: Delta Regional (Muncie Sportsplex)
Place: 4th
Time: 20:26
Summary: Sorensen spearheaded another fierce Lady Tiger effort on Saturday morning. She ran a personal best at the Muncie Sportsplex and capped it off with a 4th place finish! Sorensen continues to improve as she has had a season best in every race except one this year! If the rest of the tough Lady Tiger pack can join her next week, at Semi-State, this Yorktown team may have something to prove!
Athlete: Amberleigh Sorensen
Team: Yorktown
Course: Delta Regional (Muncie Sportsplex)
Place: 4th
Time: 20:26
Summary: Sorensen spearheaded another fierce Lady Tiger effort on Saturday morning. She ran a personal best at the Muncie Sportsplex and capped it off with a 4th place finish! Sorensen continues to improve as she has had a season best in every race except one this year! If the rest of the tough Lady Tiger pack can join her next week, at Semi-State, this Yorktown team may have something to prove!
Athlete of the Week (Boys)
Athlete: Jamesin Parker
Team: Winchester
Course: Delta Regional (Muncie Sportsplex)
Place: 19th
Time: 17:31
Summary: Parker made some history for this Falcon cross country team Saturday morning. With his Semi-State qualification, this is the first time in recorded school history that Winchester has qualified two boys to Semi-State, to go along with Camden Abernathy! This Senior has avoided any slumps and only gets better. Two weeks ago, he broke 18 for the first time and followed that by PR’ing at Sectionals and Regionals! He was the only non-1st year runner to PR at the Sportsplex Saturday as well, what a day!
Athlete: Jamesin Parker
Team: Winchester
Course: Delta Regional (Muncie Sportsplex)
Place: 19th
Time: 17:31
Summary: Parker made some history for this Falcon cross country team Saturday morning. With his Semi-State qualification, this is the first time in recorded school history that Winchester has qualified two boys to Semi-State, to go along with Camden Abernathy! This Senior has avoided any slumps and only gets better. Two weeks ago, he broke 18 for the first time and followed that by PR’ing at Sectionals and Regionals! He was the only non-1st year runner to PR at the Sportsplex Saturday as well, what a day!
ECI Teams of the Week for Sectional Weekend
Team of the Week (Girls)
Team: Monroe Central
Course: Delta Regional (Muncie Sportsplex)
Individual Places (Top 5): 5th, 29th, 31st, 53rd, and 67th
Team Place: 5th
Individual Times (Top 5): 20:28, 22:23, 22:25, 24:02, and 24:57
Top 5 Avg. Time/Split: 22:51/4:29
Summary: Monroe Central made some more history Saturday morning. With their 5th place finish, they qualified for Semi-State as a team for the first time in school history! To do that, they had to beat local nemesis Randolph Southern. The Rebels beat Monroe Central by 28 points at Sectionals; however, they avenged that Saturday and beat them by 17 points! The Lady Bears were lead by Senior Aubrey Norris, who finished a career best 5th at her last Regionals, and strong running from their 2-5 runners. This is a great way for Monroe Central to cement the season as they were the only school in ECI to send both boys and girls teams to Semi-State.
Team: Monroe Central
Course: Delta Regional (Muncie Sportsplex)
Individual Places (Top 5): 5th, 29th, 31st, 53rd, and 67th
Team Place: 5th
Individual Times (Top 5): 20:28, 22:23, 22:25, 24:02, and 24:57
Top 5 Avg. Time/Split: 22:51/4:29
Summary: Monroe Central made some more history Saturday morning. With their 5th place finish, they qualified for Semi-State as a team for the first time in school history! To do that, they had to beat local nemesis Randolph Southern. The Rebels beat Monroe Central by 28 points at Sectionals; however, they avenged that Saturday and beat them by 17 points! The Lady Bears were lead by Senior Aubrey Norris, who finished a career best 5th at her last Regionals, and strong running from their 2-5 runners. This is a great way for Monroe Central to cement the season as they were the only school in ECI to send both boys and girls teams to Semi-State.
Team of the Week (Boys)
Team: Muncie Central
Course: Delta Regional (Muncie Sportsplex)
Individual Places (Top 5): 11th, 22nd, 25th, 40th, and 44th
Team Place: 3rd
Individual Times (Top 5): 17:13, 17:41, 17:49, 18:30, and 18:37
Top 5 Avg. Time/Split: 17:58/1:23
Summary: The Muncie Central Bearcats are once again the team of the week. They continued their success from Sectionals and had the best ECI finish in Regionals this year, with 3rd. The last time the Bearcats qualified for Semi-State as a team was 2011, and they qualified on Saturday by 30 points! Muncie Central used a good mix of solid top running, piling 3 in the top 25, with some depth to pull of this feat. Their great team finish today puts a stamp on what has been a much-improved season for the Bearcats; making them one of the best stories in ECI this year!
Team: Muncie Central
Course: Delta Regional (Muncie Sportsplex)
Individual Places (Top 5): 11th, 22nd, 25th, 40th, and 44th
Team Place: 3rd
Individual Times (Top 5): 17:13, 17:41, 17:49, 18:30, and 18:37
Top 5 Avg. Time/Split: 17:58/1:23
Summary: The Muncie Central Bearcats are once again the team of the week. They continued their success from Sectionals and had the best ECI finish in Regionals this year, with 3rd. The last time the Bearcats qualified for Semi-State as a team was 2011, and they qualified on Saturday by 30 points! Muncie Central used a good mix of solid top running, piling 3 in the top 25, with some depth to pull of this feat. Their great team finish today puts a stamp on what has been a much-improved season for the Bearcats; making them one of the best stories in ECI this year!
ECI Athletes of the Week for Sectional Weekend
Athlete of the Week (Girls)
Athlete: Emma Keesling
Team: Randolph Southern
Course: Delta Sectional (Muncie Sportsplex)
Place: 1st
Time: 20:06
Summary: Keesling went out with a bang for her senior year at the Delta Sectional! Winning the race for her first time, she led her team to a strong 2nd place finish, just 5 points behind the champion Delta. Keesling beat the field by 24 seconds. This is the most she has ever won a race, and beat her younger sister, by in her illustrious career! A great way to start the postseason for this Runnin Rebel!
Athlete: Emma Keesling
Team: Randolph Southern
Course: Delta Sectional (Muncie Sportsplex)
Place: 1st
Time: 20:06
Summary: Keesling went out with a bang for her senior year at the Delta Sectional! Winning the race for her first time, she led her team to a strong 2nd place finish, just 5 points behind the champion Delta. Keesling beat the field by 24 seconds. This is the most she has ever won a race, and beat her younger sister, by in her illustrious career! A great way to start the postseason for this Runnin Rebel!
Athlete of the Week (Boys)
Athlete: Nathan Herbst
Team: Wapahani
Course: Delta Sectional (Muncie Sportsplex)
Place: 1st
Time: 16:36
Summary: Herbst won his sixth race of the year, tripling his total prior to this season, and his second straight sectional title! Running alone practically the whole distance, Herbst had a strong day despite the moderate wind. He spearheaded a strong Wapahani trio that finished 1st, 2nd, and 10th on the day. This is the race Herbst needed to get his momentum going as he gears up for a deep postseason run!
Athlete: Nathan Herbst
Team: Wapahani
Course: Delta Sectional (Muncie Sportsplex)
Place: 1st
Time: 16:36
Summary: Herbst won his sixth race of the year, tripling his total prior to this season, and his second straight sectional title! Running alone practically the whole distance, Herbst had a strong day despite the moderate wind. He spearheaded a strong Wapahani trio that finished 1st, 2nd, and 10th on the day. This is the race Herbst needed to get his momentum going as he gears up for a deep postseason run!
ECI Teams of the Week for Sectional Weekend
Team of the Week (Girls)
Team: Delta
Course: Delta Sectional (Muncie Sportsplex)
Individual Places (Top 5): 4th, 8th, 11th, 14th, and 23rd
Team Place: 1st
Individual Times (Top 5): 21:02, 22:21, 22:26, 22:47, and 23:39
Top 5 Avg. Time/Split: 22:27/2:37
Summary: Delta captured their home sectional title Saturday morning in a very competitive race. They were able to hold off the 2016 champions, Randolph Southern, and win their 2nd title in 3 years! The Lady Eagles relied on a strong 4th place finish from their top runner Tuttle, and good pack running from their number 2-4 runners. If Delta can translate this over to next week, they could be eyeing another Semi-State birth!
Team: Delta
Course: Delta Sectional (Muncie Sportsplex)
Individual Places (Top 5): 4th, 8th, 11th, 14th, and 23rd
Team Place: 1st
Individual Times (Top 5): 21:02, 22:21, 22:26, 22:47, and 23:39
Top 5 Avg. Time/Split: 22:27/2:37
Summary: Delta captured their home sectional title Saturday morning in a very competitive race. They were able to hold off the 2016 champions, Randolph Southern, and win their 2nd title in 3 years! The Lady Eagles relied on a strong 4th place finish from their top runner Tuttle, and good pack running from their number 2-4 runners. If Delta can translate this over to next week, they could be eyeing another Semi-State birth!
Team of the Week (Boys)
Team: Muncie Central
Course: Delta Sectional (Muncie Sportsplex)
Individual Places (Top 5): 5th, 9th, 12th, 16th, and 20th
Team Place: 1st
Individual Times (Top 5): 17:27, 17:36, 17:54, 18:19, and 18:33
Top 5 Avg. Time/Split: 17:57/1:06
Summary: Who else but the Muncie Central Bearcats. They had a breakout performance Saturday morning and won the Delta Sectional by a whopping 22 points; pretty good for a team who just managed to scrape by to Regionals just one year prior! They ran smart and conservative as they trailed by 22 points at the mile marker, and relied on strong pack running as they placed 6 runners in the top 20. This is their first Sectional title in 5 years and they look to advance to Semi-State next weekend for the first time in 6 years!
Team: Muncie Central
Course: Delta Sectional (Muncie Sportsplex)
Individual Places (Top 5): 5th, 9th, 12th, 16th, and 20th
Team Place: 1st
Individual Times (Top 5): 17:27, 17:36, 17:54, 18:19, and 18:33
Top 5 Avg. Time/Split: 17:57/1:06
Summary: Who else but the Muncie Central Bearcats. They had a breakout performance Saturday morning and won the Delta Sectional by a whopping 22 points; pretty good for a team who just managed to scrape by to Regionals just one year prior! They ran smart and conservative as they trailed by 22 points at the mile marker, and relied on strong pack running as they placed 6 runners in the top 20. This is their first Sectional title in 5 years and they look to advance to Semi-State next weekend for the first time in 6 years!
ECI Athletes of the Week for September 25th
Athlete of the Week (Girls)
Athlete: Madi Jenkins
Team: Shenandoah
Course: Mid-Eastern Conference
Place: 5th
Time: 21:45
Summary: Jenkins had a great race for the Lady Raiders Saturday morning! Her top 5 finish also came with a PR and a 34 second season best. Her valiant effort helped to give Shenandoah 2 top 5 finishers at the MEC meet, along with Stormie Fitch! Jenkins also pushed Shenandoah to within 3 team points of ECI competitor Wapahani. This sophomore took some strong steps this Saturday as she gears up for the Pendleton Sectional next Saturday!
Athlete: Madi Jenkins
Team: Shenandoah
Course: Mid-Eastern Conference
Place: 5th
Time: 21:45
Summary: Jenkins had a great race for the Lady Raiders Saturday morning! Her top 5 finish also came with a PR and a 34 second season best. Her valiant effort helped to give Shenandoah 2 top 5 finishers at the MEC meet, along with Stormie Fitch! Jenkins also pushed Shenandoah to within 3 team points of ECI competitor Wapahani. This sophomore took some strong steps this Saturday as she gears up for the Pendleton Sectional next Saturday!
Athlete of the Week (Boys)
Athlete: Braedyn Stovall
Team: Muncie Central
Course: NCC (Indiana Wesleyan)
Place: 11th
Time: 16:57
Summary: Stovall had a breakout performance Saturday morning at Marion breaking 17’s for the first time in this long senior career! His 16:57 Saturday was a 27 second season best and broke his career best by 16 seconds! This fierce Bearcat spearheaded a great conference meet for Muncie Central and led them to a 3rd place finish. This is a great race to build some momentum for Sectionals next Saturday!
Athlete: Braedyn Stovall
Team: Muncie Central
Course: NCC (Indiana Wesleyan)
Place: 11th
Time: 16:57
Summary: Stovall had a breakout performance Saturday morning at Marion breaking 17’s for the first time in this long senior career! His 16:57 Saturday was a 27 second season best and broke his career best by 16 seconds! This fierce Bearcat spearheaded a great conference meet for Muncie Central and led them to a 3rd place finish. This is a great race to build some momentum for Sectionals next Saturday!
ECI Teams of the Week for September 25th
Team of the Week (Boys)
Team: Wapahani
Course: Mid-Eastern Conference
Individual Places (Top 5): 1st, 2nd, 4th, 16th, and 21st
Team Place: 1st
Individual Times (Top 5): 16:45, 16:50, 17:34, 18:43, and 18:56
Top 5 Avg. Time/Split: 17:45/2:11
Summary: The Raiders are again MEC champs after a year layoff! Wapahani had a great race Saturday morning with two top 5 runners getting PR’s, at a difficult course nonetheless. On top of that, they had 3 runners in the top 4 overall, a feat that has never been accomplished in MEC history! This is a great race to see from the Running Raiders! This a great weekend to have, to get the ball rolling, for the Sectional favorites next Saturday!
Team: Wapahani
Course: Mid-Eastern Conference
Individual Places (Top 5): 1st, 2nd, 4th, 16th, and 21st
Team Place: 1st
Individual Times (Top 5): 16:45, 16:50, 17:34, 18:43, and 18:56
Top 5 Avg. Time/Split: 17:45/2:11
Summary: The Raiders are again MEC champs after a year layoff! Wapahani had a great race Saturday morning with two top 5 runners getting PR’s, at a difficult course nonetheless. On top of that, they had 3 runners in the top 4 overall, a feat that has never been accomplished in MEC history! This is a great race to see from the Running Raiders! This a great weekend to have, to get the ball rolling, for the Sectional favorites next Saturday!
Team of the Week (Girls)
Team: Yorktown Tigers
Course: Hoosier Heritage Conference
Individual Places (Top 5): 3rd, 5th, 8th, 10th, and 12th
Team Place: 1st
Individual Times (Top 5): 19:38, 19:52, 20:35, 20:49, and 20:59
Top 5 Avg. Time/Split: 20:22/1:21
Summary: For the third time this year, the Lady Tigers are the team of the week. It was tough to pick them with breakout performances from Randolph Southern and Delta: however, they won the schools first cross country HHC championship in school history! Their team average was over 30 seconds faster than any other race this year, they had two girls break 20 for the first time since 2013, and beat arch rival Pendleton Heights! This is a great race, as they will see the Arabians again next week at Sectionals!
Team: Yorktown Tigers
Course: Hoosier Heritage Conference
Individual Places (Top 5): 3rd, 5th, 8th, 10th, and 12th
Team Place: 1st
Individual Times (Top 5): 19:38, 19:52, 20:35, 20:49, and 20:59
Top 5 Avg. Time/Split: 20:22/1:21
Summary: For the third time this year, the Lady Tigers are the team of the week. It was tough to pick them with breakout performances from Randolph Southern and Delta: however, they won the schools first cross country HHC championship in school history! Their team average was over 30 seconds faster than any other race this year, they had two girls break 20 for the first time since 2013, and beat arch rival Pendleton Heights! This is a great race, as they will see the Arabians again next week at Sectionals!
ECI Athletes of the Week for September 18th
Athlete of the Week (Girls)
Athlete: Indira Brown
Team: Yorktown
Course: New Haven Classic
Place: 10th
Time: 20:54
Summary: Brown ran a blazing time at the scorching New Haven Classic Saturday morning. In 90-degree temperatures, she ran a season best. Leading the Lady Tigers to a team victory Brown also finished first on the very talented team, while her previous best team finish this year was third place! Brown has been a pillar of stability for Yorktown in her years and it looks like she is starting to round in to postseason form!
Athlete: Indira Brown
Team: Yorktown
Course: New Haven Classic
Place: 10th
Time: 20:54
Summary: Brown ran a blazing time at the scorching New Haven Classic Saturday morning. In 90-degree temperatures, she ran a season best. Leading the Lady Tigers to a team victory Brown also finished first on the very talented team, while her previous best team finish this year was third place! Brown has been a pillar of stability for Yorktown in her years and it looks like she is starting to round in to postseason form!
Athlete of the Week (Boys)
Athlete: Joey Liles
Team: Blue River Valley
Course: Delta Eagle Invitational (Sportsplex)
Place: 2nd
Time: 17:14
Summary: Liles tore up the course at the Sportsplex Saturday morning. He ran a personal best and improved his season best by nearly 30 seconds! On top of that, this is the first time the Junior has finished first for the team. Liles solid performance at the regional course proves that he is a force to be reckoned with come October, making Blue River that much more competitive for a regional top 5 finish!
Athlete: Joey Liles
Team: Blue River Valley
Course: Delta Eagle Invitational (Sportsplex)
Place: 2nd
Time: 17:14
Summary: Liles tore up the course at the Sportsplex Saturday morning. He ran a personal best and improved his season best by nearly 30 seconds! On top of that, this is the first time the Junior has finished first for the team. Liles solid performance at the regional course proves that he is a force to be reckoned with come October, making Blue River that much more competitive for a regional top 5 finish!
ECI Athletes of the Week for September 18th
Team of the Week (Girls)
Team: Muncie Burris
Course: Pioneer Academic Athletic Conference
Individual Places (Top 5): 4th, 5th, 7th, 9th, and 12th
Team Place: 1st
Individual Times (Top 5): 23:45 23:55, 24:23, 24:35, and 25:13
Top 5 Avg. Time/Split: 24:22/1:28
Summary: The Lady Owls made history Saturday morning winning their first PAAC title in school history! They were able to outpace the competition and put some solid times down, even with the high temperatures. With a team score of 31 points, they blew past the competition in a lopsided battle. Compared to the local competition in ECI, only Yorktown and Delta outperformed them on Saturday. This is a great race to build on going into the postseason!
Team: Muncie Burris
Course: Pioneer Academic Athletic Conference
Individual Places (Top 5): 4th, 5th, 7th, 9th, and 12th
Team Place: 1st
Individual Times (Top 5): 23:45 23:55, 24:23, 24:35, and 25:13
Top 5 Avg. Time/Split: 24:22/1:28
Summary: The Lady Owls made history Saturday morning winning their first PAAC title in school history! They were able to outpace the competition and put some solid times down, even with the high temperatures. With a team score of 31 points, they blew past the competition in a lopsided battle. Compared to the local competition in ECI, only Yorktown and Delta outperformed them on Saturday. This is a great race to build on going into the postseason!
Team of the Week (Boys)
Team: Delta
Course: Delta Eagle Invitational (Sportsplex)
Individual Places (Top 5): 4th, 15th 21st, 24th, and 36th
Team Place: 3rd
Individual Times (Top 5): 16:40, 17:43, 18:06, 18:15, and 19:14
Top 5 Avg. Time/Split: 17:59/2:34
Summary: The Delta Eagles had a soaring performance at their home invitational Saturday morning. They had 3 of their top 5 garner personal bests and their #1 runner Orchard came through with a season best! This is also the first time they have had a team average below 18 this season. With this impressive day, they were able to outpace the talented Greenfield Central and local competitor New Castle. This is a great sign of things to come as the Eagles fly in o postseason form!
Team: Delta
Course: Delta Eagle Invitational (Sportsplex)
Individual Places (Top 5): 4th, 15th 21st, 24th, and 36th
Team Place: 3rd
Individual Times (Top 5): 16:40, 17:43, 18:06, 18:15, and 19:14
Top 5 Avg. Time/Split: 17:59/2:34
Summary: The Delta Eagles had a soaring performance at their home invitational Saturday morning. They had 3 of their top 5 garner personal bests and their #1 runner Orchard came through with a season best! This is also the first time they have had a team average below 18 this season. With this impressive day, they were able to outpace the talented Greenfield Central and local competitor New Castle. This is a great sign of things to come as the Eagles fly in o postseason form!
ECI Athletes of the Week for September 11th
Athlete of the Week (Girls)
Athlete: Amberleigh Sorensen
Team: Yorktown
Course: Muncie "Bearcat" Invite/ Jim Leffler Invitational
Place: 3rd/ 4th
Time: 20:41/20:39
Summary: Sorensen stepped up in a big way for the Lady Tigers this week. The Sophomore PR’d by 21 seconds on Tuesday and then cut another 2 seconds Saturday and finished 1st for the team, the first time she has ever attained that. Sorensen led all ECI finishers at the Leffler invitational and this week was the first ever time she finished the 5k under 21 minutes! If this Tiger continues to tear up the course, it makes their team even more terrorizing!
Athlete: Amberleigh Sorensen
Team: Yorktown
Course: Muncie "Bearcat" Invite/ Jim Leffler Invitational
Place: 3rd/ 4th
Time: 20:41/20:39
Summary: Sorensen stepped up in a big way for the Lady Tigers this week. The Sophomore PR’d by 21 seconds on Tuesday and then cut another 2 seconds Saturday and finished 1st for the team, the first time she has ever attained that. Sorensen led all ECI finishers at the Leffler invitational and this week was the first ever time she finished the 5k under 21 minutes! If this Tiger continues to tear up the course, it makes their team even more terrorizing!
Athlete of the Week (Boys)
Athlete: Isaiah Bennett
Team: Muncie Central
Course: Bearcat Invitational/Jim Leffler Invitational
Place: 10th/17th
Time: 17:49/17:38
Summary: Bennett had a much-improved week running 2 PR’s. The 1st year runner placed top 10 at the Bearcat Invite Tuesday and medaled top 20 at the Jim Leffler Invite Saturday. Bennett improved by 10 seconds Tuesday and 11 seconds Saturday, finishing just 4 seconds behind the Bearcats #1 runner at Yorktown. This is the best underclassman finish for a Bearcat, this early in the season, since 2010!
Athlete: Isaiah Bennett
Team: Muncie Central
Course: Bearcat Invitational/Jim Leffler Invitational
Place: 10th/17th
Time: 17:49/17:38
Summary: Bennett had a much-improved week running 2 PR’s. The 1st year runner placed top 10 at the Bearcat Invite Tuesday and medaled top 20 at the Jim Leffler Invite Saturday. Bennett improved by 10 seconds Tuesday and 11 seconds Saturday, finishing just 4 seconds behind the Bearcats #1 runner at Yorktown. This is the best underclassman finish for a Bearcat, this early in the season, since 2010!
ECI Athletes of the Week for September 11th
Team of the Week (Girls)
Team: Yorktown
Course: Muncie "Bearcat" Invite / Jim Leffler Invitational
Individual Places (Top 5): 1st, 3rd, 5th, 20th, 27th / 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 11th
Team Place: 1st/1st
Individual Times (Top 5): 20:08, 20:41, 21:52, 23:52, 24:33 / 20:39, 20:50, 20:55, 21:00, and 21:24
Top 5 Avg. Time/Split: 21:49/4:25 and 20:57/0:45
Summary: The Lady Tigers won both invitationals they competed in this week. On Tuesday, they won the Bearcat Invitational, while missing a staggering 4 varsity runners due to soccer, displaying the wealth of their depth! Saturday they won their home invitational on a tiebreaker, with their toughest competition being Lawrence North. The only disappointment of the day is that they did not get to compete against Pendleton Heights varsity lineup; however, Yorktown did outpace the Arabians by 22 seconds in their respective varsity race!
Team: Yorktown
Course: Muncie "Bearcat" Invite / Jim Leffler Invitational
Individual Places (Top 5): 1st, 3rd, 5th, 20th, 27th / 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 11th
Team Place: 1st/1st
Individual Times (Top 5): 20:08, 20:41, 21:52, 23:52, 24:33 / 20:39, 20:50, 20:55, 21:00, and 21:24
Top 5 Avg. Time/Split: 21:49/4:25 and 20:57/0:45
Summary: The Lady Tigers won both invitationals they competed in this week. On Tuesday, they won the Bearcat Invitational, while missing a staggering 4 varsity runners due to soccer, displaying the wealth of their depth! Saturday they won their home invitational on a tiebreaker, with their toughest competition being Lawrence North. The only disappointment of the day is that they did not get to compete against Pendleton Heights varsity lineup; however, Yorktown did outpace the Arabians by 22 seconds in their respective varsity race!
Team of the Week (Boys)
Team: Blue River Valley
Course: New Prairie Invitational
Individual Places (Top 5): 7th, 16th, 20th, 32nd, and 44th
Team Place: 1st
Individual Times (Top 5): 17:25, 17:54, 18:04, 18:28, and 18:54
Top 5 Avg. Time/Split: 18:09/1:29
Summary: The Vikings had a breakout performance at New Prairie Saturday morning. They finished in 1st place out of 30 teams at the meet! Three of the runners had season bests at the invite and they are starting to shape up into the well-oiled machine they had running last year! Compared to their meet on Tuesday, their team average improved by a fantastic 42 seconds! These roaring Vikings are starting to hit their postseason stride!
Team: Blue River Valley
Course: New Prairie Invitational
Individual Places (Top 5): 7th, 16th, 20th, 32nd, and 44th
Team Place: 1st
Individual Times (Top 5): 17:25, 17:54, 18:04, 18:28, and 18:54
Top 5 Avg. Time/Split: 18:09/1:29
Summary: The Vikings had a breakout performance at New Prairie Saturday morning. They finished in 1st place out of 30 teams at the meet! Three of the runners had season bests at the invite and they are starting to shape up into the well-oiled machine they had running last year! Compared to their meet on Tuesday, their team average improved by a fantastic 42 seconds! These roaring Vikings are starting to hit their postseason stride!
ECI Athletes of the Week for September 4th
Athlete: Ashleigh Brelage
Team: Delta
Course: Maconaquah Invitational
Place: 21st
Time: 21:35
Summary: Brelage stepped up in a big way Saturday morning. This freshman not only improved her time by nearly 2 minutes from her race just four days prior, but she also finished as Delta’s number 2 runner on Saturday. This is the first time she has done so in her young high school career and gives Delta a young and talented 2-3 punch with her and Whitesel. Brelage is one of the biggest reasons Delta was team of the week for a 2nd week in a row. The sky is the limit for this flying freshman!
Team: Delta
Course: Maconaquah Invitational
Place: 21st
Time: 21:35
Summary: Brelage stepped up in a big way Saturday morning. This freshman not only improved her time by nearly 2 minutes from her race just four days prior, but she also finished as Delta’s number 2 runner on Saturday. This is the first time she has done so in her young high school career and gives Delta a young and talented 2-3 punch with her and Whitesel. Brelage is one of the biggest reasons Delta was team of the week for a 2nd week in a row. The sky is the limit for this flying freshman!
Athlete of the Week (Boys)
Athlete: Nathan Herbst
Team: Wapahani
Course: Wildcat Invitational
Place: 8th
Time: 16:09
Summary: Herbst had a career day Saturday afternoon at Indiana Wesleyan. This Wapahani Raider ran a career PR by nearly 15 seconds! Herbst keeps on improving and his 16:09 is the best ECI area time in over a decade! With this 8th place finish, Herbst has gotten top 10 in every race this year, to go along with his 3 individual 1st place marks. This soaring senior keeps breaking records!
Athlete: Nathan Herbst
Team: Wapahani
Course: Wildcat Invitational
Place: 8th
Time: 16:09
Summary: Herbst had a career day Saturday afternoon at Indiana Wesleyan. This Wapahani Raider ran a career PR by nearly 15 seconds! Herbst keeps on improving and his 16:09 is the best ECI area time in over a decade! With this 8th place finish, Herbst has gotten top 10 in every race this year, to go along with his 3 individual 1st place marks. This soaring senior keeps breaking records!
ECI Teams of the Week For September 4th
Team of the Week (Girls)
Team: Delta
Course: Delaware County/ Maconaquah Invitational
Individual Places (Top 5): 5th, 8th, 12th, 13th, and 14th/ 13th, 21st, 39th, 40th, and 45th
Team Place: 2nd/ 6th
Individual Times (Top 5): 21:19, 22:15, 23:22, 23:24, and 23:30/ 20:53, 21:35, 22:41, 22:43, and 22:59
Top 5 Avg. Time/Split: 22:46/ 2:11 and 22:10/ 2:06
Summary: The Delta Eagles are again the team of the week after performing very respectively at both meets. They started the week placing all top 5 in the top 14 of the Delaware County meet. Then at the Maconaquah Invitational, 4 out of their top 5 recorded season bests. If you are interested in the heated ECI battle between Delta and Randolph Southern, for the 2nd best in the area, Delta flexed some of its muscle this week. They have trouble keeping pace with the Rebels talented 1-2 punch; however, this week Delta’s entire top 5 outperformed Randolph’s #3 runner, a very difficult task. They continue to make up ground on Randolph’s heels!
Team: Delta
Course: Delaware County/ Maconaquah Invitational
Individual Places (Top 5): 5th, 8th, 12th, 13th, and 14th/ 13th, 21st, 39th, 40th, and 45th
Team Place: 2nd/ 6th
Individual Times (Top 5): 21:19, 22:15, 23:22, 23:24, and 23:30/ 20:53, 21:35, 22:41, 22:43, and 22:59
Top 5 Avg. Time/Split: 22:46/ 2:11 and 22:10/ 2:06
Summary: The Delta Eagles are again the team of the week after performing very respectively at both meets. They started the week placing all top 5 in the top 14 of the Delaware County meet. Then at the Maconaquah Invitational, 4 out of their top 5 recorded season bests. If you are interested in the heated ECI battle between Delta and Randolph Southern, for the 2nd best in the area, Delta flexed some of its muscle this week. They have trouble keeping pace with the Rebels talented 1-2 punch; however, this week Delta’s entire top 5 outperformed Randolph’s #3 runner, a very difficult task. They continue to make up ground on Randolph’s heels!
Team of the Week (Boys)
Team: Wapahani
Course: Delaware County Meet/ Wildcat Invitational
Individual Places (Top 5): 1, 2, 5, 7, and 10/ 8, 14, 82, 86, and 110
Team Place: 1st/ 9th
Individual Times (Top 5): 16:38, 16:54, 17:53, 18:11, and 18:38/ 16:09, 16:21, 17:45, 17:51, and 18:16
Top 5 Avg. Time/Split: 17:39/2:00 and 17:16/2:07
Summary: Wapahani had two extremely impressive meets this week. On Tuesday in the Delaware county meet they blew away the competition, winning by 29 points, and their score of 25 points was the second lowest in school history (only 2014 was lower with 22)! Then in the Wildcat Invitational they got 9th in a very competitive field. In bigger news, their team top 5 average of 17:16 was the best on record in school history! These Running Raiders keep on getting better and better.
Team: Wapahani
Course: Delaware County Meet/ Wildcat Invitational
Individual Places (Top 5): 1, 2, 5, 7, and 10/ 8, 14, 82, 86, and 110
Team Place: 1st/ 9th
Individual Times (Top 5): 16:38, 16:54, 17:53, 18:11, and 18:38/ 16:09, 16:21, 17:45, 17:51, and 18:16
Top 5 Avg. Time/Split: 17:39/2:00 and 17:16/2:07
Summary: Wapahani had two extremely impressive meets this week. On Tuesday in the Delaware county meet they blew away the competition, winning by 29 points, and their score of 25 points was the second lowest in school history (only 2014 was lower with 22)! Then in the Wildcat Invitational they got 9th in a very competitive field. In bigger news, their team top 5 average of 17:16 was the best on record in school history! These Running Raiders keep on getting better and better.
ECI Athletes of the Week for August 28th
GIRLS:
Athlete: Leah Keesling
Team: Randolph Southern
Course: Marion Invitational
Place: 1st
Time: 18:44
Summary: This soaring sophomore continues to drop time like a bad habit. Saturday morning Keesling ran away from the competition winning by over 21 seconds. Her 18:44 is 26 seconds faster than her previous PR and good enough for a top 50 finish this year in the state! This Running Rebel looks better every race!
Athlete: Leah Keesling
Team: Randolph Southern
Course: Marion Invitational
Place: 1st
Time: 18:44
Summary: This soaring sophomore continues to drop time like a bad habit. Saturday morning Keesling ran away from the competition winning by over 21 seconds. Her 18:44 is 26 seconds faster than her previous PR and good enough for a top 50 finish this year in the state! This Running Rebel looks better every race!
BOYS:
Athlete: Caleb Bonsack
Team: Yorktown
Course: Marion Invitational
Place: 28th
Time: 17:43
Summary: Bonsack had a career race Saturday, breaking 18 for the first time in his three years at Yorktown. His time was 26 seconds faster than his time just one week earlier! Bonsack has consistently been about 90 seconds faster at every race, compared to last year. This Tiger has the ability, and the hair, to stand out on any given Saturday!
Athlete: Caleb Bonsack
Team: Yorktown
Course: Marion Invitational
Place: 28th
Time: 17:43
Summary: Bonsack had a career race Saturday, breaking 18 for the first time in his three years at Yorktown. His time was 26 seconds faster than his time just one week earlier! Bonsack has consistently been about 90 seconds faster at every race, compared to last year. This Tiger has the ability, and the hair, to stand out on any given Saturday!
ECI Teams of the Week For August 21st
GIRLS:
Team: Delta
Course: Marion Invitational
Individual Places (Top 5): 26th, 31st, 56th, 59th, and 65th
Team Place: 11th
Individual Times (Top 5): 20:59, 21:15, 22:32, 22:42, and 22:59
Top 5 Avg. Time/Split: 22:05/2:00
Summary: The Delta Eagles had a breakout day Saturday morning in Marion. Their entire top 5 had season bests and they improved their Top 5 Avg. by a whopping 1:09! It was highlighted by Tuttle’s swift 20:59, a minute faster than her previous season best, and freshman Whitesel’s impressive 21:15, an amazing 3:26 faster than her time two weeks ago! Last year Delta’s top 5 did not all break 23 until Sectionals; making today's performance even more impressive.
Team: Delta
Course: Marion Invitational
Individual Places (Top 5): 26th, 31st, 56th, 59th, and 65th
Team Place: 11th
Individual Times (Top 5): 20:59, 21:15, 22:32, 22:42, and 22:59
Top 5 Avg. Time/Split: 22:05/2:00
Summary: The Delta Eagles had a breakout day Saturday morning in Marion. Their entire top 5 had season bests and they improved their Top 5 Avg. by a whopping 1:09! It was highlighted by Tuttle’s swift 20:59, a minute faster than her previous season best, and freshman Whitesel’s impressive 21:15, an amazing 3:26 faster than her time two weeks ago! Last year Delta’s top 5 did not all break 23 until Sectionals; making today's performance even more impressive.
BOYS:
Team: Muncie Central
Course: Marion Invitational
Individual Places (Top 5): 14th, 20th, 41st, 51st, and 52nd
Team Place: 4th
Individual Times (Top 5): 17:13, 17:24, 17:59, 18:19, and 18:20
Top 5 Avg. Time/Split: 17:51/1:07
Summary: The Bearcats had a much-improved performance Saturday morning. They finished 4th out of 16 teams in the big school division at Marion, improving from 14th place just one year ago. The Bearcats entire top 5 had season records, with three of them attaining career records! The Avg. Time of 17:51 is the best Muncie Central has had in any race since 2011! If the Bearcats keep this up, their name may be thrown into the hat of potential contenders for the Delta Sectional come October.
Team: Muncie Central
Course: Marion Invitational
Individual Places (Top 5): 14th, 20th, 41st, 51st, and 52nd
Team Place: 4th
Individual Times (Top 5): 17:13, 17:24, 17:59, 18:19, and 18:20
Top 5 Avg. Time/Split: 17:51/1:07
Summary: The Bearcats had a much-improved performance Saturday morning. They finished 4th out of 16 teams in the big school division at Marion, improving from 14th place just one year ago. The Bearcats entire top 5 had season records, with three of them attaining career records! The Avg. Time of 17:51 is the best Muncie Central has had in any race since 2011! If the Bearcats keep this up, their name may be thrown into the hat of potential contenders for the Delta Sectional come October.
ECI Athletes of the Week for August 21st
GIRLS:
Athlete: Lexi Wulff
Team: Wapahani
Course: Rushville Invitational
Place: 9th
Time: 21:48
Summary: This rising sophomore set a personal record for herself Saturday. This was over a minute faster than any time she has ever recorded, and 1:04 faster than her time just three days prior. Wullf’s time of 21:48 is the 2nd fastest mark for a Wapahani girl over the past eight years. This rising Raider keeps dropping time!
Athlete: Lexi Wulff
Team: Wapahani
Course: Rushville Invitational
Place: 9th
Time: 21:48
Summary: This rising sophomore set a personal record for herself Saturday. This was over a minute faster than any time she has ever recorded, and 1:04 faster than her time just three days prior. Wullf’s time of 21:48 is the 2nd fastest mark for a Wapahani girl over the past eight years. This rising Raider keeps dropping time!
BOYS:
Athlete: Camden Abernathy
Team: Winchester
Course: Rushville Invitational
Place: 2nd
Time: 16:43
Summary: This soaring Falcon set a blazing personal best at Rushville Saturday morning, running 42 seconds faster than the week before. It was strong enough to lead all ECI Boys in time this week, even though not all ECI boys ran in the same race. This is Abernathy’s 3rd time running in the 16’s, but the earliest he has broken 17 in any season thus far.
Athlete: Camden Abernathy
Team: Winchester
Course: Rushville Invitational
Place: 2nd
Time: 16:43
Summary: This soaring Falcon set a blazing personal best at Rushville Saturday morning, running 42 seconds faster than the week before. It was strong enough to lead all ECI Boys in time this week, even though not all ECI boys ran in the same race. This is Abernathy’s 3rd time running in the 16’s, but the earliest he has broken 17 in any season thus far.
ECI Teams of the Week For August 21st
GIRLS:
Team: Yorktown
Course: Pendleton Heights Arabian Roundup
Individual Places (Top 5): 11th, 19th, 21st, 23rd, and 30th
Team Place: 4th
Individual Times (Top 5): 20:43, 21:58, 22:00, 22:07, and 22:28
Top 5 Avg. Time/Split: 21:51/1:45
Summary: The Yorktown Lady Tigers placed 4th, out of 15, at the highly competitive Arabian Roundup on Wednesday evening. They used some strong pack running to beat big time Indy schools Warren Central, Roncalli, and New Pal. Finishing just 13 points behind rival Pendleton Heights, gives us a nice Delta Regional preview to keep an eye on as the season progresses!
Team: Yorktown
Course: Pendleton Heights Arabian Roundup
Individual Places (Top 5): 11th, 19th, 21st, 23rd, and 30th
Team Place: 4th
Individual Times (Top 5): 20:43, 21:58, 22:00, 22:07, and 22:28
Top 5 Avg. Time/Split: 21:51/1:45
Summary: The Yorktown Lady Tigers placed 4th, out of 15, at the highly competitive Arabian Roundup on Wednesday evening. They used some strong pack running to beat big time Indy schools Warren Central, Roncalli, and New Pal. Finishing just 13 points behind rival Pendleton Heights, gives us a nice Delta Regional preview to keep an eye on as the season progresses!
BOYS:
Team: Monroe Central
Course: Rushville Invitational
Individual Places (Top 5): 7th, 9th, 10th, 28th, and 33rd
Team Place: 2nd
Individual Times (Top 5): 17:27, 17:37, 17:42, 18:35, and 18:50
Top 5 Avg. Time/Split: 18:02/1:23
Summary: The Golden Bears had a much-improved Saturday morning. All varsity members had a season record today and they finished right behind Wapahani in the small school team race. Compared to Wednesdays race at Pendleton Heights, they improved their average Top 5 time by over a minute, a huge drop in just three days! This impressive day by Monroe Central makes the Delta Sectional that much more interesting!
Team: Monroe Central
Course: Rushville Invitational
Individual Places (Top 5): 7th, 9th, 10th, 28th, and 33rd
Team Place: 2nd
Individual Times (Top 5): 17:27, 17:37, 17:42, 18:35, and 18:50
Top 5 Avg. Time/Split: 18:02/1:23
Summary: The Golden Bears had a much-improved Saturday morning. All varsity members had a season record today and they finished right behind Wapahani in the small school team race. Compared to Wednesdays race at Pendleton Heights, they improved their average Top 5 time by over a minute, a huge drop in just three days! This impressive day by Monroe Central makes the Delta Sectional that much more interesting!
