2015-16 Cross Country State Finals Recap

Veatch Repeats, Leinheiser wins leading Carmel to Cross Country Sweep
Behind a pair of individual state champions, the Carmel boys and girls cross country teams swept to both team titles as well during the IHSAA Cross Country State Finals in Terre Haute.

Greyhound senior Ben Veatch ran 14:59.8 to win his second consecutive boys state championship while junior Sarah Leinheiser covered the same 5,000 meter Lavern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in 17:30.8.

It was the first time runners from the same school had swept the individual races. Their efforts led the way in helping Carmel take both team titles for the eighth time but it was also the first time in cross country history that one school had swept team and individual honors in both genders.

Ben Miller (25th), Evan Bouillet (29th), Calvin Bates (43rd) and Trey Harris (71st) were Carmel's other scoring runners adding up to 115 points. Fishers was the runner-up with 158, Westfield ended third for its best finish ever with 210 points, Carroll (Fort Wayne) was fourth with 212 and defending state champion West Lafayette rounded out the top five with 221.

Among boys individuals, Homestead's Brayden Law was runner-up to Veatch in 15:06.8, Oldenburg Academy's Curt Eckstein was third in 15:07.5, Mt. Vernon's (Fortville) Christian Noble was fifth in 15:24.9, and Brownsburg's Hariharan Sathyamurthy ended fifth in 15:28.2.

Stacy Morozov (5th), Christina Geisler (15th), Maddie Dalton (17th) and Megan Kress (69th) were Greyhound girls who followed Leinheiser through the chute. Combined, they finished with 70 points and the school's sixth consecutive girls state championship, a record as well.

Following the Carmel girls on the podium were Carroll (Fort Wayne) which enjoyed its best finish ever with 158 points, Columbus North was third with 170, Indianapolis Cathedral fourth with 203, and Zionsville ended with 205 points for fifth place, its best finish ever.

Katherine Free of Indianapolis Cathedral was the runner-up to Leinheiser in 17:52.5. West Lafayette's Lauren Johnson, the mental attitude award winner, placed third in 18:05.0, Carroll's Madison Fruchey was fourth in 18:05.7, and Morozov of Carmel was fifth in 18:11.0.

West Lafayette, Carmel runners named Mental Attitude Award recipients
Following the races, West Lafayette's Lauren Johnson and Carmel's Ben Veatch were recognized as the mental attitude award recipients.

Johnson is the daughter of Keith and Lou Johnson of West Lafayette. She is undecided on her college choice but is interested in majoring in Biology with a goal of going to vet school to become an animal surgeon.

Veatch is the son of Craig and Karin Veatch of Carmel. He has verbally committed to run cross country and track at Indiana University where he plans to major in Pre-Med and Exercise Science.

Each year, the IHSAA Executive Committee selects a senior of each gender who was nominated by their principal and coach and was determined to have best demonstrated mental attitude, scholarship, leadership and athletic ability. Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance, the IHSAA's corporate partner, presented $1,000 scholarships to their respective school's general scholarship fund in the name of Johnson and Veatch.