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BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS
Sports Editor, RTC
In a single-class sport, it was a standout year for the Rochester and Winamac girls cross-country teams. That’s because both teams qualified for semistate.
And one runner in particular, Rochester’s Madilyn Calloway, stood out by qualifying for the state finals and making her second consecutive trip to the IHSAA state finals in Terre Haute.
We place an emphasis on conference and postseason meets and advancement in the IHSAA state tournament series. We thank area coaches for their cooperation throughout the year, but we take full responsibility for this list.
All-RTC girls cross-country
Madilyn Calloway (Rochester) (Runner of the Year) – Calloway broke 19:40 in every race on her season, and she saved her best race of the season for semistate, where she ran a 19:07 at New Prairie. She is an elite runner and well-known statewide.
Zoe Seward (Rochester) – Zoe Seward is turning into an absolute star, from 20:45 at the Three Rivers Conference meet to 20:30 at sectional to 20:10 at regional to 19:56 at semistate. She consistently ran negative splits as the season progressed. That means that when other runners get tired, she gets stronger.
Araceli Ochoa (Rochester) – Ochoa ran a 20:19 at the conference meet and appeared headed to the sub-20-minute club before a stress fracture ended her season. She’s a strong, pain-resistant strider.
Kate Collins (Winamac) – Collins had another superior season, being the frontrunner for much of the year and winning the Hoosier North title in a swift 19:44.
Chesnee Miller (Tippecanoe Valley) – Miller suffered a cruel fate when a quarantine knocked her out of the regional. Before that, she was establishing herself as one of the greatest runners in Valley girls cross-country history. Not bad for a freshman.
Violet Montgomery (Pioneer) – Montgomery was one of the area’s most consistent runners and a semistate qualifier as a freshman. She ran a 20:59 at semistate in a race that had a furious pace.
Maggie Smith (Winamac) – Smith’s time at semistate was a stunner: 20:26. She was among the freshmen who transformed Winamac from a good team to a conference and sectional champion.
Kelsey Wegner (Winamac) – From a running family, Wegner was one of the other top freshmen. Wegner finished ahead of Montgomery at the conference meet and was consistently about 15 seconds behind her at the sectional, regional and semistate meets. This will be a fun rivalry moving forward.
Kendyll Bradley (Rochester) – Bradley, another one of the Lady Zs’ super sophomores, went from a 22:22 at regional to a 21:27 at semistate, which suggested she had more energy after soccer season ended. She was a TRC champion in both sports.
Alexis Sheets (Winamac) – Sheets got faster as the season progressed and was consistently in the 21:30s by the end of the season.
All-RTC girls cross-country honorable mention
Madison Heinzmann (Rochester)
Delaney Strasser (Caston)
Kylie Farris (Pioneer)
Ella Myers (Tippecanoe Valley)
Elena Bode (Rochester)
Emma Stinson (Caston)
Emily Rausch (Winamac)
Bethany Poor (Winamac)
Stevanna Young (Caston)
Kingsley Kroft (Winamac)
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