Hamilton County Reporter
For the first time in over a decade, the Fishers boys cross country team is a semi-state champion.
The Tigers dominated the field at the New Haven semi-state, which took place Saturday at The Plex at Purdue Fort Wayne. Fishers scored 63 points, well ahead of runner-up Concordia Lutheran’s 148. The Tigers also earned the first of six qualifying spots for next Saturday’s state meet at Terre Haute.
Fishers had its top three runners all finished in the top 11. Ethan Meyer led the Tigers by taking fourth, followed by Drew Smith’s 10th-place finish, and Alex Meyer’s 11th-place result.
In the team scoring, Ethan Meyer scored two points, with Smith scoring eight and Alex Meyer nine. While Concordia Lutheran had two runners finish in the top five (scoring one and three points), the Tigers had its top six runners place in the top 34, and all of them finished before Concordia Lutheran’s third runner did, thus clinching the title early.
The semi-state title is the second for Fishers. The Tigers’ first semi-state came in 2007, the same year they won the state championship. Fishers will be making its fifth consecutive state appearance and eight overall.
Hamilton Southeastern also qualified for the state meet, finishing in fifth place with 165 points. Grant Wilson led the Royals by taking 27th. Southeastern will participate in its 13th state finals next weekend at Terre Haute’s LaVern Gibson Cross Country Course.
In the girls meet, HSE placed second with 98 points, while Fishers was third with 117; both schools advance to state. Fort Wayne Carroll dominated the meet, scoring 44 points to take the championship.
The Royals’ Lulu Black finished in third place to led her team, while freshman Vera Schafer took 13th to lead the Tigers. Southeastern qualified for its seventh state meet, while Fishers made it to state for the fifth time.
At the Shelbyville semi-state, three teams and three individuals qualified for state after their performances at Blue River Park.
In the girls meet, Carmel placed third and Noblesville finished fourth, thus sending their teams to Terre Haute. Zionsville won a close meet by scoring 76 points to Brebeuf Jesuit’s 82. The Greyhounds scored 95 points and the Millers totaled 141.
Phoebe Bates was back for Carmel, and she cruised to a runner-up finish in a time of 17:43.4. The race winner was Greencastle’s Emma Wilson, the defending state champion, who clocked in at 17:31.0. Wilson and Bates were the only girls runners to break 18 minutes at the meet.
Noblesville was led by Madison King, who placed 24th. Meanwhile, Hamilton Heights’ Maria Mitchell qualified for state as an individual; she took ninth place. The top 10 individuals not on an advancing team also earn a ticket to Terre Haute.
The Greyhound girls continued their remarkable streak of qualifying for state to 38 years – Carmel has participated in every state meet since the IHSAA began the tournament in 1981. The Millers will make their ninth appearance at state.
In the boys meet, Carmel finished a close second to Cathedral, with the Irish scoring 78 points and the Greyhounds’ 90. Carmel extended its record state qualifying streak to 43, and its 45th state appearance overall. Patrick Campbell led the ‘Hounds by placing 10th.
Noblesville finished seventh, just missing a state qualifying spot by five points. The Millers will have an individual at state, as Travis Hickner placed sixth, easily earning one of the 10 individual places.
Westfield finished 12th as a team, with Mahamat Djour leading the Shamrocks by taking 57th.
Guerin Catholic’s Quinn Gallagher qualified as an individual, placing fifth. Gallagher was the highest-finishing Hamilton County runner at Shelbyville and will return to state for a third consecutive year.