GIRLS XC: Howard County preview

Kokomo Tribune - Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Eastern is defending sectional champ; Western is ready to challenge

By Bryan Gaskins Kokomo Tribune
Kokomo Tribune

---- — Eastern’s girls cross country team continued its winning ways last season. The Comets captured their fifth straight Mid-Indiana Conference title and also their fifth straight Logansport Sectional title.

Western was the Comets’ closest local challenger. The Panthers were runners-up in the conference meet. They finished third in the sectional.

Eastern and Western look ready to set the local pace again when the new season opens this week. Both squads return key runners at the top of their lineups.

The following are looks at the five Howard County teams.

EASTERN

The Comets are led by senior Avery Ewing and junior Carly Jones, a pair of holdovers from the Comets’ 2012 team that soared to a seventh-place finish at the state meet.

Last year, Jones was second in the MIC race, second at sectional, third at the Culver Academies Regional and 25th at the New Prairie Semistate. Ewing was second at MIC, third at sectional, fourth at regional and 55th at semistate.

The Comets also return senior Elyssa DeAngulo and sophomore Kaylee Gebhart. Sophomore Sydnie Hill, who ran in middle school, has joined the squad. The Comets also have sophomore Kaitlin Adair and freshmen Asha Hochstedler and Dakota Carlson.

“The girls are doing really well,” new coach Ben Cox said. “Avery and Carly both had a good summer of running and Avery especially is taking a great leadership role. The girls are excited to run and enjoy working hard together.”

Cox points to improving over the course of the season and keeping everyone healthy for the big meets as his primary goals. He wants to see the Comets run their best races at the end of the season and challenge for a top-four finish in the MIC and a top-five finish in the sectional. The top five teams in the sectional advance to the regional round.

Cox coached the Comets’ middle school cross country program in 2005-11. He also coached middle school girls track in 2005-10, and has been an assistant coach with the girls track team since 2011.

Eastern opens today in the Oak Hill Hokum Karem.

WESTERN

The Panthers made big strides last year. Their third-place finish in the sectional was their best showing since winning the 2008 meet. They went on to finish fourth at regional and 15th at semistate.

“We’re really excited,” coach Joni McCracken said. “We basically have our top set of girls returning. We have a couple spots we need to fill and there’s a handful of girls who can vie for those positions. We have more depth than we’ve ever had under my coaching.”

Junior Sam Luginbuhl and sophomore Reagan Ritchie also are back. They are penciled in for the Nos. 3-4 positions. McCracken is looking at several runners for the Nos. 5-7 positions including senior Cora Johnson, junior Taylor Nunan and freshmen Taylor Walden, Logan Buck and Bronwyn Getts.

Western opens Thursday in the Northwestern Combination.

NORTHWESTERN

The Tigers have to replace the graduated Taryn Thor, who reached state in cross country and also track in her senior season. In cross country, Thor won the Logansport Sectional title, was runner-up at regional, sixth at semistate and 40th at state.

With Thor, the Tigers had a contender for the top spot in every race last year. They will have to go with a different approach this year.

“We may be going back to what we used to to be at Northwestern where we might have one runner maybe toward the front and then [a pack] with three or four girls coming in together. They run that way in practice,” coach Dave Stevens said.

The Panthers are led by senior Nicole Hampshire and junior Erin Knepley. They both had top-20 finishes in the regional meet last year.

“They are running well together,” McCracken said. “They feed off each other, they work well to push each other. They’re great team leaders.”

Seniors Megan Bunch and Rachel Johns are the team’s veterans.

“They knew it was their turn to take over and be the leaders and they stepped right up. When the new girls came out, they showed the way,” Stevens said.

Stevens noted junior Jensen Freeman, sophomore Nicole Crocker and freshman Holly Hall all look strong. Also in the mix are junior Rebecca Sims, sophomore Emma Bailey and freshmen Josie Marcum and Kate Bilkey.

The Tigers open Thursday with their annual Northwestern Combination.

TAYLOR

The Titans return five runners — seniors Ashley Nguyen, Kiley Williams and Alanna Hendrickson and juniors Cami Hansen and Paige Welsh.

“Our summer workouts have been successful in preparing the team,” coach Matt Carlile said. “They are starting the season off stronger than they were last year. Each runner has a goal of where they want to be with their times at the beginning of the season and are focused on the work that will get them there.”

Hansen is the Titans’ top runner. Last year, she was seventh at sectional, 17th at regional and 108th at semistate.

“Cami Hansen is working toward another visit to the semistate meet after the tremendous year she had last season,” Carlile said.

Taylor opens Thursday in the Northwestern Combination.

KOKOMO

Sophomore Cinnamon Andrews leads the Wildkats. She was the team’s MVP as a freshman after finishing 17th at sectional and 40th at regional.

Kokomo also returns senior Mary Lucas, juniors Elise Glover and Madeline Ryals and sophomore Abbie O’Keefe. Glover and Ryals are dealing with injuries that may keep them out until mid-September or longer.

Newcomers include senior twins Claire and Katie Harbaugh, sophomore Jessica Estep, freshmen Natalie Hatt and Chardonnay Clark and foreign-exchange student Carlota Garcia Martinez from Spain.

“The goal for the team is for the young ladies to improve their individual 5K times each meet so the squad can be competitive at the North Central Conference meet and the sectional,” coach Dave Barnes said. “Individually, Cinnamon Andrews is hoping to improve one more level in the state tournament by qualifying for semistate in 2014, while Mary Lucas and Abbie O’Keefe are trying to qualify for regional.”

Barnes noted that girls interested in running still are welcome to join the squad. He may be reached through the athletic department.

Kokomo opens Thursday in the Northwestern Combination.