The Carmel Boys had nearly their entire team in the top 10 individuals last year.
Boys Predicted Top 15 Individuals
These predictions will take more into effect than just solely personal bests
1st - Quinn Gallagher, Senior, Guerin Catholic, 15:20 PR
Gallagher is the top returner from the Hamilton County Meet last year with an all state cross country season. Injuries prevented him from advancing to state in the 3200 this track season but he was able to get a personal best of 9:20 in the event. Very much like last year with Gabe Fendel, Quinn should be able to pull away from the lead pack early and secure the championship.
2nd - Ethan Meyer, Senior, Fishers, 15:49 PR
Ethan Meyer was in the top 10 last year at the county meet and had a very consistent season just missing out on All Atate by one position. Ethan is the top returner for a solid Fishers squad that is looking for the win. This track season Ethan helped his 4X800 to an All State performance while also making state in the 1600 with a season best time of 4:21. Last week, Ethan was easily able to secure the win at the Zionsville Invite against the Juniors and Seniors. Meyer may go out with Quinn to challenge for the win.
3rd - Calvin Bates, Senior, Carmel, 15:38 PR Calvin did not have a great race at County last year but was able to perform better throughout the season dipping under the 16:00 mark a few times. He is Carmel's top returner and raced well at the State finals last year, not far from an all state position. We did not see Calvin run much during track season. But, he did run a 9:43 early at the 3200 MIC Indoor Championships. Calvin should be able to challenge for a top spot and will have many teammates to work with for the race.
4th - Thomas Gastineau, Senior, Carmel, 15:50 PR
Thomas is the second best returner from last years meet if you count out teammate Ben Myers who is said to have a stress fracture on his back. An injury unfortunately ended Thomas' season a tad early making him miss out on a state championship and a trip to the NXN National Meet. Thomas bounced back a bit this track season running a 4:29 mile at the Flashes Showcase and helped Carmel's 4X800 qualify for state. It will be interesting to see how Thomas takes this race as it looks to be his first 5K since injured.
5th - Alex Meyer, Senior, Fishers, 15:54 PR
Alex Meyer fell victim to a bad County performance last year but. But, like Calvin, was able to recover and have a solid season. Meyer was able to run sub 16:00 for the first time last season and his progress doesn't look like it will stop there. Alex put his focus on the 3200 last year. He was able to get out of the prestigious Carmel Sectional and run a time of 9:40 the next week. Alex has teammates to work with on Tuesday and will be hoping to help his team pull off an upset over Carmel.
6th - Ben Johnson, Junior, Carmel, 16:04 PR
Ben finished fourth in JV race last year at County and was able to get a time that would have made him All County if he would have ran in the Varsity Race. Johnson has the fourth best 5K returning time on Carmel's team and looks to continue scoring for the Greyhounds this season. It does not look like he competed in any major track meets this season. Don't let that count him out for cross country, though, as he most likely has had some quality training with Carmel since last year.
7th - Will Clark, Sophomore, Fishers, 16:05 PR
Will had a stellar freshman campaign as one of the most elite in his class. Clark was All County last year and was able to compete for the State runner up team of Fishers. He ran both the 3200 and 1600 in track with a 4:29 performance in both the Sectional and Regional meets. Clark will have a shot at running with the top group as he should improve greatly going into his Sophomore year.
8th - Grant Wilson, Senior, Hamilton Southeastern, 15:48 PR
Grant was constantly in the low 16's for time last season which played an important role in helping his team last year come in third for the County Meet. With Gabe gone, Wilson looks to be Hamilton Southeastern's top runner as he ran sub 17 early at the Arabian Roundup to help his team sucure the win. Grant mainly focused on the 3200 in track qualifying for Regionals with a 9:47. Grant will be more motivated than ever this season to strive for a new PR and hope to get a top finish at County.
9th - Travis Hickner, Sophomore, Noblesville, 16:48 PR
Travis Hickner ran a pretty good cross country season as a freshman with a County performance that was just off All County. In track, Hickner was able to develop more to run an impressive 3200 time of 9:47. Just last week, Travis proved how much he improved since cross season last year by besting Will Clark at the 4K Zionsville Invitational. There is a lot of potential for a breakout season that might start at the County Championships.
10th - Will Murphy, Junior, Carmel, 16:12 PR
Will Murphy, much like Ben Johnson, ran in the JV race of the County Championships last year finishing 2nd which would have been All County if ran in the Varsity race. In track, Murphy looked to focus mostly on the 3200 as he ran a personal best time of 9:45 at the Eastern Relays. He will look to help his team continue their dominant streak of County Championships as this will be his first season where his contributions to the team look to be extremely vital.
11th - Blake Hipkiss, Senior, Noblesville, 16:24 PR
Blake Hipkiss was on track for a great season of progress last year until unfortunately injury hindered him from doing so. Hipkiss was able to bounce back in track season, however, as he ran a personal record of 9:36 at the County track meet. Blake was only one spot off of All County last year. With a young strong team at his back he could push himself to become a very strong competitor for the County Championships.
12th - Thomas Brelage, Senior, Fishers, 16:10 PR
Thomas ran in the mid to low 16s for most of the season with an All County performance last year. Thomas was the number five scorer for the State runner up team and will seek to continue providing his role as an essential scorer for the Tigers. Brelage was shadowed most of track season as he never was able to compete in a large meet. Brelage did not have the best performance at the Zionsville Invite but he will most likely be able to rebound for a successful Senior year County Meet.
13th - Sam Novak, Senior, Westfield, 16:00 PR
Sam had a breakout season that had a peak performance at the Hoosier Crossroads Conference Meet last year where he was almost able to break the 16 flat mark. He was able to lower his personal best for the 5K with a massive 93 second improvement between his Sophomore and Junior seasons. He looks to be Westfield's top runner this year with a team that wants to make State more than ever. In track, Novak ran in the 3200 where he was able to break 10 minutes running a 9:56 at the Hamilton County Track Championships. If Sam can lower his time into the 15 minute range expect big things from him and his team this season.
14th - Noah Douthit Senior, Westfield, 16:30 PR
Noah peaked at the right time last year as he was able to get his personal best at the Semi State where he was the 24th individual, missing out on the top 10 that made State. Douthit has shown steady improvement throughout high school and should see big improvements this season. His track season this past year was extremely well for him as he was able to qualify out of the Carmel sectional in the 1600 with a personal best 4:27.
15th - Patrick Campbell Senior, Carmel, 16:26 PR
Patrick barely missed out on All County last year finishing 22nd at the 2017 Hamilton County Championships. He was able to have a good season where his peak performance came at Sectionals where he helped Carmel secure the Sectional Championship. Campbell had a great track season as he was able to run a personal best time of 9:33 for the 3200 at the Eastern Relays. Campbell might have has developed into an elite runner since the last time we saw him in cross country.