2020 Cross Country State Meet Preview: Girls Individuals
Top 30 Rankings:
1. Zoe Duffus, 12, Carroll (FW)
2. Karina James, 11, Lowell
3. Nicki Southerland, 9, Delta
4. Annie Christie, 12, Carmel
5. Sophia Kennedy, 10, Park Tudor
6. Gretchen Farley, 10, Park Tudor
7. Halle Hill, 12, Hamilton Southeastern
8. Ellen Baker, 12, North Central (Ind.)
9. Addison Knoblauch, 9, Homestead
10. Mackenzie Barnett, 12, Columbus North
11. Addy Wiley, 11, Huntington North
12. Maria Mitchell, 12, Hamilton Heights
13. Bailey Ranta, 11, Chesterton
14. Jasmine Klopstad, 10, Carmel
15. Shelby Christman, 12, Carroll (FW)
16. Lauren Klem, 9, Franklin Community
17. Lauren Bales, 12, Norwell
18. Abby Lynch, 12, Brownsburg
19. Lexi Allen, 12, Culver Academies
20. Ashlyn Minton, 12, Carroll (FW)
21. Kendall Martin, 11, Brebeuf Jesuit
22. Kaylie Politza, 11, Valparaiso
23. Bridget Gallagher, 10, Guerin Catholic
24. Andi VanMeter, 11, Jasper
25. Clara Crain, 10, Edgewood
26. Gnister Grant, 9, Northview
27. Jaydon Cirincione, 11, Floyd Central
28. Jamie Klavon, 11, Carmel
29. Lillian Zelasko, 10, New Prairie
30. Hannah Moore, 9, Northwestern
Who Are the Favorites?
* Zoe Duffus – After a career interrupted by multiple injuries, Duffus (as a senior) is poised to race for an individual state championship. She had a big win over Southerland last week at the New Haven Semi State. She showed great speed this past winter with multiple sub-5:00 mile performances. Duffus was 6th place here a year ago.
* Karina James – James is the only undefeated runner in this field AND she is the highest returning finisher (4th at state last year). She has been mostly untested this year, running all of her races in the northwest corner of the state and winning by large margins. Can she drop another 15-20 seconds this Saturday with elite competitors around her? If so, she can win.
* Nicki Southerland – Southerland is a freshman phenom who was undefeated until she finished 2nd in the semi state last weekend (behind Duffus). She has multiple big wins against elite competition this season: Marion Invitational, FlashRock Invitational, and New Haven Classic. Can she bounce back after her first loss last week and challenge for the state title?
Who Else Could Win?
* Annie Christie – Christie is coming off the biggest victory of her career, winning the Shelbyville Semi State last weekend. Christie has been consistent all season leading the #1 ranked team in the state. She did not run in FlashRock Invite or in Sectional, so she has not over-raced this season. Look for Christie to be in the lead pack deep into this race on Saturday.
* Sophia Kennedy – Kennedy had a great race in this event last year, finishing 5th place as a freshman. She raced well at semi state, but she has had some races earlier in the season (FlashRock Invite and Sectional, in particular) where she looked like a state contender.
Who Will Be In The Lead Pack?
* Gretchen Farley – Farley is Kennedy’s teammate and classmate and she is coming off a big second-place finish at the Shelbyville Semi State last weekend. That was one of the best races of her career, so we know she is fit. She belongs in the lead pack among the best runners in the state.
* Halle Hill – Hill just missed the podium last year (22nd) but she has been much more consistent this year. She had a slightly sub-par 5th place finish at New Haven Semi State last weekend, but she should bounce back and run stronger this Saturday.
* Ellen Baker – Baker has been one of the most consistent runners in the state this year. As a senior, look for her to race strong up front this weekend.
* Addison Knoblauch – Knoblauch ran her worst race of the season last weekend at New Haven Semi State, but she is a legit top 10 runner and she should have a good run this weekend.
* Mackenzie Barnett – Barnett has great mental toughness and she won the Brown County Semi State last weekend. She was 44th in this race one year ago – look for her to be in the mix for a top 10 finish this time around.
* Addy Wiley – Wiley was 10th in this race last fall and we look for her to be around the same spot this year. Wiley was the 2019 state champion in the 1600 meter run and she possesses a great combination of strength and leg speed.
2020 Cross Country State Meet Preview: Boys Individuals
Top 30 Rankings:
1. Izaiah Steury, 11, Angola
2. Kole Mathison, 10, Carmel
3. Lucas Guerra, 12, Highland
4. Will Jefferson, 12, Whiteland
5. Paul Stamm, 12, Cardinal Ritter
6. Travis Hickner, 12, Noblesville
7. Jesus Garcia, 12, Zionsville
8. Krishna Thirunavukkarasu, 11, Brebeuf Jesuit
9. Camden Marshall, 12, Corydon Central
10. Reese Kilbarger-Stumpff, 11, Columbus North
11. Mariano Retzloff, 11, Penn
12. Karsten Schlegel, 11, Concordia Lutheran
13. Spencer Carpenter, 12, Westview
14. Will Clark, 12, Fishers
15. Spenser Wolf, 11, Forest Park
16. Kai Connor, 11, Westfield
17. Abe Eckman, 11, Jasper
18. Nolan Satterfield, 11, Hamilton Southeastern
19. Drew Costelow, 10, Center Grove
20. Trevor Nolan, 12, Brownsburg
21. Preston Sloffer, 11, Carroll (FW)
22. Andy Stohr, 12, Columbus North
23. Nate Killeen, 10, North Central (Ind.)
24. Jake Fisher, 12, Carmel
25. Nolan Bailey, 11, Bloomington North
26. Cameron Todd, 9, Brebeuf Jesuit
27. Quinton Bock, 12, Crown Point
28. Remington Carpenter, 12, Westview
29. Cole Raymond, 11, LaPorte
30. Ethan Baitz, 11, Homestead
Who Is The Favorite?
* Izaiah Steury – If Steury is on his A-game, he is the favorite to win this race. He is undefeated on the season, he is the only sub-9:00 two-miler in this field, and he is a legit sub-15:00 cross country runner. Steury was 7th place in this race one year ago but he has made amazing improvements over the past 365 days.
Who Else Can Win?
* Kole Mathison – Mathison has had an impressive sophomore campaign and he is coming off a big win as the Shelbyville Semi State champion last Saturday. Mathison was 11th place last fall as a freshman. He is also undefeated on the season and he regularly faces elite All-State runners.
* Lucas Guerra – Guerra is the top returner (2nd place last year) and he is the only two-time podium finisher in this field. After a deflating loss to Steury at New Prairie Invitational a little more than a month ago, Guerra has looked strong throughout the tournament the past 3 weeks. Look for him to be in the hunt for the individual title.
* Will Jefferson – Jefferson was good last year, but he has skyrocketed to elite status this summer/fall. Jefferson cracked the 15:00 mark with his win at the Rick Weinheimer Classic earlier this season. Jefferson can definitely hang with the leaders.
Who Else Will Be In The Lead Pack?
* Paul Stamm – Stamm was 16th in this race one year ago. He has been superb all season. He was 3rd at Shelbyville Semi State last week behind Mathison and Jefferson.
* Travis Hickner – Hickner was 13th at state last year. He was 5th at Shelbyville last Saturday. One of his best races of the year was a 10-second win at Hoosier Crossroads Conference over several All-State runners.
* Jesus Garcia – Garcia has been somewhat under the radar this fall, which seems crazy because he was 4th place at the state meet last year (2nd highest returner behind Guerra) and all of his races this year have been strong. He will definitely be in the mix.
* Krishna Thirunavukkarasu – Thirunavukkarasu earned the final podium spot (20th) last year and looks to improve on that with a top 10 finish this year. He was 6th at Shelbyville Semi State last week. Also, his team will be in the mix for the team state title.
* Camden Marshall – Marshall is relatively unknown, which can probably be explained by two things: 1) He was 59th at state last year and 2) Geography: Corydon is located deep in southern Indiana. Make no mistake, though, Marshall can race with the best – as evidenced by his Brown County Semi State title last weekend.
* Reese Kilbarger-Stumpff – Kilbarger-Stumpff has been the #1 runner every race this season for the #1 team in the state. He was 26th here last year, but he is at a top 10 level right now. He was Brown County Semi-State runner-up last week, one second behind Marshall.
* Mariano Retzloff – This will be Retzloff’s first state meet appearance, making his way from the far northern reaches of Indiana. Retzloff has been emerging steadily all season and he is coming off a runner-up finish at the New Haven Semi State race.
* Karsten Schlegel – Schlegel finished 29th last year and helped his team capture the state title. The Cadets are back again and if they are going to make another run at the podium it will require that Schlegel earn a high spot on the podium. Schlegel was 3rd at New Haven SS last weekend.