2022-23 Cross Country State Finals Recap
Oct. 29, 2022
Girls: Cridge repeats as individual champ, Noblesville totes first team trophy
Lily Cridge of Indianapolis Bishop Chatard successfully repeated as state champion and Noblesville earned its first team title during the first race of the day at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course.
Cridge ran the third-fastest time in state finals history covering the world-class Terre Haute 5K course in 17:14.6. Anna Rohrer of Mishawaka holds the top two spots with 17:08.8 and 17:13.2 in 2014 and 2012, respectively.
After the senior Cridge, Delta junior Nicki Southerland finished second in 17:17.5, Park Tudor senior Sophia Kennedy was third in 17:24.4, and Columbus North senior Julia Kiesler ended fourth in 17:36.4.
In fact, those top four made the top 10 fastest list for this course. Cridge and Southerland ran the third and fourth-fastest times, while Kennedy is sixth-fastest and Kiesler became the 10th-fastest.
Noblesville, coached by Aaron Becker, tallied 122 points earning the school's first state title in the sport. The school's previous best finish of third place came in the 2006 meet. The team's 122 points was the second-highest total for a state championship team. Fort Wayne Concordia's 134 points in 1983 is the highest for a title-winner.
After Noblesville, defending state champion Columbus North finished second with 153 points, Carmel third with 177, Homestead fourth with 187, and North Central of Indianapolis rounded out the top five with 197 points.
The Millers winning team was paced by senior Brooke Lahee who finished 28th overall in 18:54.6. Junior Kennedy Applegate was 34th in 19:06.3, senior Paige Hazelrigg was 38th in 19:11.2, junior Nadia Perez was 43rd in 19:20.4, and junior Summer Rempe was 44th in 19:21.8.
Boys: Teammates Mathison, Provenzano go 1-2, Carmel secures Team Crown
Kole Mathison and teammate Tony Provenzano finished 1-2 to lead Carmel to the team title during the IHSAA Boys Cross Country State Finals at the LaVern Gibson Championship Course in Terre Haute.
The 6-3 senior Mathison with his long strides ran away from the field down the stretch clocking a 15:02.8 for his first state title. It was his third straight year finishing in the top five (fourth last year, third in 2020) and his time today was the third-fastest in the state finals at this course.
Provenzano, a junior, edged Brebeuf Jesuit's Cameron Todd, another junior, for second in a photo finish as both clocked 15:11.2. It was the third time teammates had swept the top two spots (1974, 1996) in the state meet.
Center Grove's Ty Garrett (15:31.6) and Matteo Rosio of Brebeuf, both seniors, finished fourth and fifth, respectively.
Carmel edged Zionsville in the team race, 103-106 to win its 17th title. It was the second-closest margin of victory in state finals history behind Floyd Central's two-point nod over Portage in 1991. Center Grove (143), Columbus North (157) and Noblesville (166) rounded out the top five teams.
The other scoring Greyhounds for coach Colin Altevogt's outfit were Charlie Leedke in 28th (15:59.9), Thomas Biltimier in 56th (16:24.0), and Jack Capes in 61st (16:27.8).
Mental Attitude Awards
Following their respective races, Bridget Gallagher of Guerin Catholic High School and Kole Mathison of Carmel High School were announced as the recipients of the IHSAA mental attitude awards in girls and boys cross country, respectively.
Bridget is the daughter of Thomas and Kathleen Gallagher of Westfield, IN while Kole is the son of Scott and Amy Mathison of Carmel, IN.
The annual recipients of the awards were nominated by their principal and coach, and were determined by the IHSAA Executive Committee to have best demonstrated mental attitude, scholarship, leadership and athletic ability during their four years of high school.
Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance presented a $1,000 scholarship to each school's general scholarship fund in the names of Gallagher and Mathison.