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Winamac girls finish 5th, boys take 9th
BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS
Sports Editor, RTC
LOGANSPORT — Rochester junior Allyson Calloway’s offseason work paid off at the season-opening Jacob Graf Invitational at Logansport Saturday, but the top area team was Winamac.
Winamac scored 154 points and placed fifth out of 13 complete teams in the girls race. Caston was 11th with 276 points, and Pioneer was 12th with 289 points.
Rochester and Tippecanoe Valley had incomplete teams.
Winamac was also the top area team in the boys race as they scored 235 points and finished ninth out of 20 teams. Pioneer was 13th with 306, Caston was 18th with 438, and Valley was 19th with 465.
Rochester had an incomplete team.
Hamilton Heights won the girls team title with 43 points. Maconaquah was second with 59.
Western took the boys team title with 122 points, 15 fewer than runner-up Hamilton Heights.
Girls
While Hamilton Heights’ Allie Bushey pulled away from Lewis Cass’ Aftin Griffin to win the girls race in 19:47, Calloway stayed consistently in the top 10 throughout and wound up finishing sixth in 21:01 to set a new personal best. Her previous best was 21:23 at last year’s regional at The Plex in Fort Wayne.
The only TRC runners to beat her were Griffin and Maconaquah’s Chloe Jordan.
“We’ve known all along that Allyson is a hard worker, and she put in her best summer of work she ever has,” Rochester coach Alex Gudeman said. “So we expect big things this year after the kind of work she put in over the spring during track season and over the summer. So really excited about where we’re at. Usually a race like this is a big indicator of how much you worked over the summer, so I’m excited how much further we can get her time down by the end of the season.”
The top 20 received ribbons, and Winamac’s Kadence Hoover weaved between runners from Western and Hamilton Heights to finish 14th in 21:49. The last ribbon went to her teammate Avery Wegner, who took 20th by a four-second margin over Logansport’s Alette Woodhouse. in 22:36.
Valley’s Bailey Bussard, a regional qualifier last year, finished just outside the ribbons after finishing 25th in 23:11.
Other Winamac runners included Kandace Kroft, who was 35th in 24:00; Claire Goodman, who was 38th in 24:05; Madelyn Goodman, who was 76th in 27:13; Brody Goodman, who was 95th in 29:47; and Mershai Loehmer, who was 101st in 31:36.
The first Caston runner to finish was Hannah Rogers, who was 43rd in 24:22. Other Caston runners included Myli Rude, who was 57th in 25:09; Camila Hernandez-Rios, who was 72nd in 26:43; Alexa Lowe, who was 77th in 27:20; Trinity Zimmerman, who was 94th in 29:41; and Emmie Lowe, who was 96th in 29:58.
Rogers, Zimmerman and Emmie Lowe are the three freshmen.
“I definitely think my juniors are going to be in a really tight pack,” Caston coach Blair Zimmerman said. “Based on what we saw in her eighth grade year and through the course of the summer, it looks like Hannah Rogers is going to be a frontrunner, but I think the pack is going to reel that in. We’ve got a great team dynamic, so there’s not a lot of conflict at practice or anything over that. Because you never entirely know how that dynamic is going to come in when you have a standout come in.”
Pioneer’s Avery Haselby and Kylie Jamerson crossed two seconds apart in 50th and 51st place in 24:43 and 24:45, respectively. Other Pioneer runners included Ellie Hines, who was 60th in 25:46; Laylynn Malchow, who was 97th in 29:59; Allison Martinez-Domingo, who was 107th in 36:17; and Asher Leis, who was 108th in 42:15.
Besides Calloway, other Rochester runners included Brooklyn Chandler, who was 44th in 24:24; and Kadence Bradley, who was 99th in 30:47.
Emah Bradley made her Lady Z debut in the JV race and ran a 38:52.
Valley’s Katie Sterk was 81st in 28:00.
Boys
Pioneer’s Leighton Dodt, a state qualifier in 2023, was the top area runner, taking eighth out of 139 runners in 17:10.
The other area runner to finish in the top 20 and win a ribbon was Winamac’s Logan Fredel, who was 13th in 17:24.
Other Winamac runners included Nathan Pierzchalski, who was 24th in 18:04; Dylan Guilford, who was 39th in 18:49; Kannon Hoover, who was 75th in 20:28; Joel Showley, who was 91st in 21:08; and Zephir Perry, who was 111th in 22:35.
Other Pioneer runners joining Dodt included Dane Bowditch, who was 25th in 18:09; Eli Hines,
who was 79th in 20:39; Elliott Cooper, who was 92nd in 21:11; Kevin Gluth, who was 112th in 22:42; and Aayden Dimmock, who was 120th in 23:22.
Caston runners included Reed Sommers, who was 66th in 20:02; Kane Finke, who was 77th in 20:36; Isaac Albright, who was 83rd in 20:46; Jack Brumett, who was 104th in 21:47; Maxwell Sommers, who was 123rd in 23:51; Malakai Clayton, who was 132nd in 25:35; and Jace Rentschler, who was 138th in 27:45.
Albright and Brumett are freshmen who were running in their first prep race.
“I think Reed and Kane Finke, I think it’s going to be a race-by-race thing,” coach Zimmerman said when asked who might be the frontrunner. “At the one-mile, Kane had a commanding lead, and
then through the Berry Patch, Reed just reeled him in, and he took the lead place in our team. So I think we’re going to see those two trade back and forth.”
Valley’s frontrunner was Chris Marquez, a returning regional qualifier, who was 50th in 19:18. Other runners included Eli Sterk, who was 86th in 20:57; Isaac Whetstone, who was 98th in 21:27; Noah Rutherford, who was 113th in 22:42; Michael Leininger, who was 135th in 26P05; Keagan Tignor, who was 136th in 26:52; and Gavin Leininger, who was 137th in 27:01.
Coach Eric Hudson is in his first season taking over for Mike Inglehearn.
Rochester senior Reece Johnson ran an 18:41 and finished in 35th place. That puts him further along starting his senior season than last year, according to Gudeman.
“That’s a minute faster than he ran this time last year,” Gudeman said. “He’s another one who had a good summer, so I’m excited to see where the season takes us. We’re definitely off to a good start. If we can keep our momentum, it’s going to be exciting come conference and sectionals.”
Gudeman said the team goal is to qualify all six returning runners – three girls, three boys – to the regional.
Gudeman also said that Rochester will not run at the New Prairie Invitational on Sept. 21. The team will have just four races prior to the TRC meet at Manchester on Oct. 5.
Girls results: Hamilton Heights 43, Maconaquah 59, Western 76, Lewis Cass 124, Winamac 154, Wabash 171, Lafayette Jeff 185, Logansport 206, Frankfort 233, Kokomo 256, Caston 276, Pioneer 289, Eastern (Greentown) 359
Incomplete teams: Rochester, Tippecanoe Valley, Twin Lakes, Carroll (Flora), Clinton Prairie, Northwestern, Rossville, Clinton Central, Peru
Winamac results (154 points, fifth place)
14. Kadence Hoover – 21:49, 20. Avery Wegner – 22:36, 35. Kandace Kroft – 24:00, 38. Claire Goodman – 24:05, 76. Madelyn Goodman – 27:13, 95. Brody Goodman – 29:47, 101. Mershai Loehmer – 31:36
Caston results (276 points, 11th place)
43. Hannah Rogers – 24:22, 57. Mylie Rude – 25:09, 72. Camila Hernandez-Rios – 26:43, 77. Alexa Lowe – 27:20, 94. Trinity Zimmerman – 29:41, 96. Emmie Lowe – 29:58
Pioneer results (289 points, 12th place)
50. Avery Haselby – 24:43, 51. Kylie Jamerson – 24:45, 60. Ellie Hines – 25:46, 97. Laylynn Malchow – 29:59, 107. Allison Martinez-Domingo – 36:17, 108. Asher Leis – 42:15
Rochester results
6. Allyson Calloway – 21:01, 44. Brooklyn Chandler – 24:24, 99. Kadence Bradley – 30:47
Valley results
25. Bailey Bussard – 23:11, 81. Katie Sterk – 28:00
Boys results: Western 122, Hamilton Heights 137, Lafayette Jeff 138, Lewis Cass 141, Twin Lakes 182, Kokomo 185, Northwestern 194, Clinton Prairie 233, Winamac 235, Clinton Central 252, Maconaquah 253, Logansport 282, Pioneer 306, Frankfort 320, Tipton 322, Eastern (Greentown) 399, Rossville 415, Caston 438, Valley 465, Peru 491
Incomplete teams: Rochester, Carroll (Flora)
Winamac results (235 points, ninth place)
13. Logan Fredel – 17:24, 24. Nathan Pierzchalski – 18:04, 39. Dylan Guilford – 18:49, 75. Kannon Hoover – 20:28, 91. Joel Showley – 21:08, 111. Zephir Perry – 22:35
Pioneer results (306 points, 13th place)
8. Leighton Dodt – 17:10, 25. Dane Bowditch – 18:09, 79. Eli Hines – 20:39, 92. Elliott Cooper – 21:11, 112. Kevin Gluth – 22:42, 114. Kaleb Boller – 22:49, 120. Aayden Dimmock – 23:22
Caston results (438 points, 18th place)
66. Reed Sommers – 20:02, 77. Kane Finke – 20:36, 83. Isaac Albright – 20:46, 104. Jack Brumett – 21:47, 123. Maxwell Sommers – 23:51, 132. Malakai Clayton – 25:35, 138. Jace Rentschler – 27:45
Valley results (465 points, 19th place)
50. Chris Marquez – 19:18, 86. Eli Sterk – 20:57, 98. Isaac Whetstone – 21:27, 113. Noah Rutherford – 22:42, 135. Michael Leininger – 26:05, 136. Keagan Tignor – 26:52, 137. Gavin Leininger – 27:01
Rochester results
35. Reece Johnson – 18:41, 72. Leandro Javier – 20:21, 103. Hayden Shuck – 21:41
JV girls results
Rochester results
31. Emah Bradley – 38:52
JV boys results
Valley results
31. Luis Nuñez – 24:01, 53. Christian Guzman – 30:04, 54. Simeon Skippers – 30:56
Winamac results
34. Braylen Becker – 24:40
These Winamac runners earned ribbons by finishing in the top 20 of their respective races at the Jacob Graf Invitational at Logansport Saturday. From left – Avery Wegner, Kadence Hoover, Logan Fredel.
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