Smith wins showdown with Pioneer’s Montgomery for girls title; Dodt wins boys race in 16:05
BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS
Sports Editor, RTC
Once again, Winamac’s Maggie Smith and Pioneer’s Violet Montgomery separated themselves from the field and turned a large, multi-team meet into a match race.
This time, Smith won the title in 19:31.4, winning by six seconds over Montgomery to win the Hoosier North girls title at Winamac Town Park Saturday.
As for the team competition, there was less drama as Winamac put their top six runners on the all-conference team and won with 24 points. Pioneer was second with 62 points, and Caston and Culver had incomplete teams.
As for the boys race, Pioneer had five of the top nine runners and won with 19 points. Leighton Dodt stormed through the course in 16:05 and beat runner-up and teammate Carson Meyer by 38 seconds.
Caston was second in the field of four complete teams with 50 points. Winamac put Logan Fredel and Nathan Pierzchalski on the all-conference team but had an incomplete team. Culver also had an incomplete team.
Girls
Smith not only won the conference title but broke Kate Collins’ school record of 19:34.5, according to the Winamac athletic department social media account.
Other Winamac runners making the all-conference team included Kadence Hoover, who was fourth in 21:04; Kelsey Wegner, who was fifth in 21:23; Kandace Kroft, who was sixth in 21:43; Avery Wegner, who was eighth in 22:21; and Claire Goodman, who was ninth in 22:37. Lily Bennett, who was 15th in 23:37, earned honorable mention status.
Smith and Montgomery were 1:14 faster than the third-fastest runner in the field of 35 runners.
Winamac and Pioneer girls Cross Country Runners pose with their awards. Photo courtesy of Teresa Montgomery
Kylie Jamerson was the other Pioneer runner on the all-conference team, running a 22:52 and finishing 10th. Freshmen Avery Haselby and Ellie Hines finished 11th and 12th in 23:27 and 23:28, respectively, to take honorable mention.
Laylynn Malchow was 28th in 26:43.
The Caston frontrunner was Camila Hernandez-Rios, who earned honorable mention by finishing 14th in 23:37. Alexa Lowe was 29th in 27:00, and Breana Amezquita was 34th in 31:40.
Savanna Harrington, the lone runner from Culver, was 33rd in 28:37.
Boys
In addition to Dodt and Meyer, other Pioneer runners to finish to make the all-conference team included Jackson Baker, who was fifth in 17:32; Dane Bowditch, who was sixth in 17:45; and Jack Nance, who was ninth in 18:42.
Kevin Gluth, who was 17th in 20:12, and Elliott Cooper, who was 24th in 21:18, rounded out the Pioneer lineup.
Edison Byrum and Kane Finke were Caston’s all-conference runners. Byrum was fourth in 17:18, and Finke was 10th in 19:07, taking the final all-conference spot by nine seconds over LaVille’s Colin Christy.
Reed Sommers, who was 12th in 19:24, and Maxwell Sommers, who was 14th in 19:39, earned honorable mention status.
Other Comet striders included Josiah Helt, who was 25th in 21:44; Jace Rentschler, who was 30th in 22:44; and Braden Rush, who was 34th in 24:39.
Fredel, a sophomore, finished behind Dodt and Meyer but ahead of Byrum and took third in 17:05 to make the all-Hoosier North team. Pierzchalski, also a sophomore, was eighth in 18:12. Joel Showley was 21st in 20:42.
Adam Peterson was Culver’s lone runner and finished 22nd in the field of 36 runners in 20:46.
Junior high
Pioneer won the middle school girls title with 43 points. Caston’s Hannah Rogers won the race in 11:48, but Caston had an incomplete team.
Winamac was fifth with 112 points.
Winamac was the middle school boys champion with 44 points. Caston was third with 65, and Pioneer was fifth with 91.
LaVille’s Luis Garcia was the individual champion in 10:43.
HOOSIER NORTH GIRLS RESULTS (POINTS IN PARENTHESES): Winamac 24, Pioneer 62, Triton 65, North Judson 93, Knox 111
Incomplete teams: Caston, Culver
WINAMAC RESULTS (24 POINTS, CHAMPIONS)
1. Maggie Smith – 19:31 (1), 4. Kadence Hoover – 21:04 (4), 5. Kelsey Wegner – 21:23 (5), 6. Kandace Kroft – 21:43 (6), 8. Avery Wegner – 22:21 (8), 9. Claire Goodman – 22:37, 15. Lily Bennett – 23:37.8
PIONEER RESULTS (62 POINTS, SECOND PLACE)
2. Violet Montgomery – 19:37 (2), 10. Kylie Jamerson – 22:52 (10), 11. Avery Haselby – 23:27 (11), 12. Ellie Hines – 23:28 (12), 28. Laylynn Malchow – 26:43 (27)
CASTON RESULTS
14. Camila Hernandez-Rios – 23:37.0, 29. Alexa Lowe – 27:00, 34. Breana Amezquita – 31:40
CULVER RESULTS
33. Savanna Harrington – 28:37
ALL-HOOSIER NORTH (TOP 10): 1. Maggie Smith (Winamac) – 19:31, 2. Violet Montgomery (Pioneer) – 19:37, 3. Jocelynn Faulkner (Triton) – 20:51, 4. Kadence Hoover (Winamac) – 21:04, 5. Kelsey Wegner (Winamac) – 21:23, 6. Kandace Kroft (Winamac) – 21:43, 7. Rory Heckaman (Triton) – 22:08, 8. Avery Wegner (Winamac) – 22:21, 9. Claire Goodman (Winamac) – 22:37, 10. Kylie Jamerson (Pioneer) – 22:52
HONORABLE MENTION (11TH-15TH PLACES): 11. Avery Haselby (Pioneer) – 23:27, 12. Ellie Hines (Pioneer) – 23:28, 13. Taniela Redden (Knox) – 23:35, 14. Camila Hernandez-Rios (Caston) – 23:37.0, 15. Lily Bennett (Winamac) – 23:37.8
HOOSIER NORTH BOYS RESULTS (POINTS IN PARENTHESES): Pioneer 19, Caston 50, Triton 72, Knox 82
Incomplete teams: Winamac, Culver, North Judson, LaVille
PIONEER RESULTS (19 POINTS, CHAMPIONS)
1. Leighton Dodt – 16:05 (1), 2. Carson Meyer – 16:43 (2), 5. Jackson Baker – 17:32 (4), 6. Dane Bowditch – 17:45 (5), 9. Jack Nance – 18:42 (7), 17. Kevin Gluth – 20:12, 24. Elliott Cooper – 21:18
CASTON RESULTS (50 POINTS, SECOND PLACE)
4. Edison Byrum – 17:18 (3), 10. Kane Finke – 19:07 (8), 12. Reed Sommers – 19:24 (9), 14. Maxwell Sommers – 19:39 (11), 25. Josiah Helt – 21:44, 30. Jace Rentschler – 22:44, 34. Braden Rush – 24:39
WINAMAC RESULTS
3. Logan Fredel – 17:05, 8. Nathan Pierzchalski – 18:12, 21. Joel Showley – 20:42
CULVER RESULTS
22. Adam Peterson – 20:46
ALL-HOOSIER NORTH (TOP 10): 1. Leighton Dodt (Pioneer) – 16:05, 2. Carson Meyer (Pioneer) – 16:43, 3. Logan Fredel (Winamac) – 17:05, 4. Edison Byrum (Caston) – 17:18, 5. Jackson Baker (Pioneer) – 17:32, 6. Dane Bowditch (Pioneer) – 17:45, 7. Riley Warren (Knox) – 17:52, 8. Nathan Pierzchalski (Winamac) – 18:12, 9. Jack Nance (Pioneer) – 18:42, 10. Kane Finke (Caston) – 19:07
HONORABLE MENTION (11TH-15TH PLACES): 11. Colin Christy (LaVille) – 19:16, 12. Reed Sommers (Caston) – 19:24.5, 13. Caden Large (Triton) – 19:24.7, 14. Maxwell Sommers (Caston) – 19:39, 15. Jaydon Heckaman (Triton) – 19:48
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