The Carmel girls return four from the top seven that placed third at NXN in 2014. It will be tough to get a podium spot again without twins Kelsey and Haley Harris, but the Greyhounds have a proven ability to reload and place year after year. This is a squad that placed third last year, fourth in 2013, third in 2012, fifth in 2011 and seventh in 2010.
After a standout freshman year, rookie-no-more Madelyn Dalton emerges a possible leader. She enjoyed an excellent spring track campaign that included 11:15 3200m and 5:07.31 1600m credentials. Stacy Morozov has raced under 11 minutes for 3200m multiple times and will also be a key leader in her senior year. The strength of this squad is in their pack; the top five spread based on 2014 returning times is just 38 seconds! If Dalton and Morozov can dictate a pace that inches towards sub-18, then this squad should see a return trip to NXN. See below for a Q&A with head coach Mark Ellington.
| Top Returners from 2014 XC Season: | ||||
| 1) Madelyn Dalton | 18:03.30 | 49 | ||
| 2) Stacy Morozov | 18:19.00 | 98 | ||
| 3) Megan Kress | 18:23.20 | 110 | ||
| 4) Sarah Leinheiser | 18:32.90 | 160 | ||
| 5) Christina Geisler | 18:42.00 | 216 | ||
| Average Time: 18:24.08 Total Time: 1:32:00.40 1-5 Split: 38.70 | ||||
| 6) Rachel Anderson | 18:55.35 | 299 | ||
| 7) Alyssa Easton | 19:01.09 | 335 | ||
| Top Returning 3200m Times from 2015 Outdoor Season: | ||||
| 1) Stacy Morozov | 10:58.78 | 56 | ||
| 2) Madelyn Dalton | 11:15.35 | 112 | ||
| 3) Sarah Leinheiser | 11:18.68 | 132 | ||
| 4) Christina Geisler | 11:37.39 | 230 | ||
| 5) Alyssa Easton | 11:45.59 | 280 | ||
| Average Time: 11:23.16 Total Time: 56:55.79 1-5 Split: 46.81 | ||||
| 6) Emily Ashburn | 12:07.92 | 443 | ||
| Top Returning 1600m Times from 2015 Outdoor Season: | ||||
| 1) Madelyn Dalton | 5:07.31 | 128 | ||
| 2) Megan Kress | 5:07.69 | 136 | ||
| 3) Rachel Anderson | 5:25.21 | 518 | ||
| 4) Corrine Miller | 5:31.71 | 749 | ||
| Average Time: 5:17.98 Total Time: 21:11.92 1-4 Split: 24.40 | ||||
Pre-Season Q&A with head coach Mark Ellington
MileSplit: How has summer training been going for your team?
Mark: Summer training has gone well with our team. It's a good time to tweak some of our daily routines, acclimate new members of our team, and starting building this year's bond. The weather was a tremendous ally, as we really weren't hammered with heat. Most of our top girls covered between 25 - 35 miles a week. Those miles were mostly that, miles. We had a couple of workouts that involved hills and a small amount of threshold training.
Who have you been most impressed or surprised with their improvement and/or fitness from their summer training?
That's quite a tough question to ask. Several girls have looked very good. I won't hide from the question, though. Senior, Samantha Miller, has looked quite good this summer. She has been in the mix of our varsity the last two seasons, but she has been with the front pack most of the season. That's good for her and our squad.
Who are your team captains or leaders and what stands out about them as examples for the rest of their teammates?
We do not name captains. Most of our team leaders are seniors. From top to bottom it's a good group as they believe in the philosophy of team...we all contribute something of ourselves to get to the goals the team has. Our varsity group has Megan Kress, Stacy Morozov, and Samantha Miller. Contributions also come from Olivia Jacko, Hannah Klineman, Molly McGuire, and Celia McGhiey. All of these girls have spent their high school years training and competing for our team. They understand what it takes to be at the top and stay in the hunt for it each year. With that knowledge they share it, show it, and encourage those younger members of our team. It seems that no senior class wants to disappoint the senior classes that came before them.
What are some staple workouts that your team does during the season?
We run a long run (currently at 8 miles for our top groups). Our emphasis on those days is time on our running feet and legs. Generally we are looking at 50 - 70 minutes. Other groups may not have as many miles in their workout plan, but generally everyone hits the time marker.
Threshold runs are also apart of our training. This can take many forms. Sometimes it could be 3 or 4 by mile with 60 seconds recovery between each. It could be 2 by 12 minutes with a 2 minute recovery. Our goal is to be running comfortably hard for a sustained period of time. Each of our training groups have pacing targets that we help develop based on their racing (or in this case, time trial) results. We also try to work in some hilly, grass running. Again, pace is less of a focus, like the long run. We usually end up at Northview, running the course for 40-50 minutes. The goal is to get some time on soft surfaces, but also climbing and descending hills too.
What are your core beliefs in your training plan and workouts for your cross country squads?
We are focusing more on proper pacing. Some of our athletes are constantly chasing the front of their group, which leaves them tired all the time. We are working to encourage athletes to run workouts based on their current fitness level not someone else's. We think we will see improved times from an individual standpoint, if we can dial in this aspect.
Any impactful freshmen or transfers to join the team this season?
That remains to be seen. At this time no one has shown to fit this description.
What do you view as the strength of your team this year?
We continue to have tremendous depth. There are 12 - 15 girls that are varsity caliber. This provides a great opportunity to train in a large group and at a high level. It also permits us to keep a competitive squad in place each week despite injuries that are almost assured to occur.
What do you attribute as the main reasons for the success of your program?
We have a high number of participation in our community. It isn't just families that look for ways to be active outside on a regular basis. We are fortunate to have a huge program for youth athletics, Carmel Dad's Club. This has been in place for nearly half a century. I participated in its programs as a youth and I'm 41 years old. This gets huge numbers of youth in our community involved in team sports. In the last ten years Pup Running has been developed and grown into a huge program (750+ 4th and 5th graders). The program organizes teams by elementary school with help from each school's PTO. Athletes have about a 6 week long season with three meets in September (Tuesday nights). Many of those athletes compete in the Indiana Middle School Cross Country Championships held in early October (there's an elementary division). Our high school teams also sponsor the Greyhound Mile (just before the state tournament begins) which has third, fourth, and fifth grade students competing in a mile long race.
We are also fortunate to have three feeder middle schools in our district. Each school has had much success over the years, and we enjoy a strong relationship with those coaching staffs. We do what we can to connect and communicate with those athletes and their families so their natural first inclination is to come out for the team.
I would also state that I think the girls on our team strive to be the best in all they do. It's a tight knit group that encourages and supports one another while achieving goals in running and in the classroom. Students are looking to find their identity or a group to connect when they arrive at Carmel High School. Our team tends to be a very comfortable and rewarding place to begin and finish a high school career.
Carmel has one of the bigger Cross Country teams around - why is it so big and how to handle having such a large team?
Think I inadvertently covered that above. It takes quite a bit of help. Our parents organize and form committees to handle different aspects for locker signs, banquets, and various meet day activities. We have several student managers that help with keeping attendance, organizing secret buddies, setting up team camp, and helping me to remain calm when we seem to be surrounded by chaos. Most importantly we have a great staff of coaches that take on various duties (there are four of us total). We are good about communicating and sharing our thoughts. While we don't always agree, there is a high level of respect and understanding that we strive for the same results.
What will be the biggest obstacle or challenge facing your team this season?
I think maintaining our health. When training at a high level, there's a time when a body is close to breaking. Our goal is to fall on the healthy side, but you can't be perfect as every athlete has a different body. If we can keep everyone healthy, we will be competitive.
What will be the biggest reason why your team is successful this season?
Attitude will dictate our level of success. We have been fortunate to have girls that understand the commitment and time it takes to be among the best. They are devoted to the team's efforts through their individual training. We spend time reminding each other to take charge of circumstances we can control and focus away from those that we cannot. Attitude is one that we can control. As long as that mindset continues, our team will be successful.
Carmel continually has success year-after-year with five straight state titles, what do you view as the key to sustaining a quality team on the high school level?
It has been a long standing tradition. It really is cultural. Girls join our team expecting to be among the best in the state and, more recently, in the country. Upperclassmen have seen and been part of successful teams in the past. They carry forward the lessons they've learned and apply them as they become leaders of our team. Senior classes take some pride, and want to make sure that they contribute to that same level of success. The attitude really breeds more of the same each season.
What are your top 3 goals for this year's squad?
I would like to see 25 members of our team break 21:00 with 15 breaking 19:30. Become state champions for a sixth consecutive year. Qualify for NXN finals for a sixth consecutive year.
What meets will your team be focusing on this year?
We always look forward to Trinity/Valkyrie Invitational (Louisville, KY, September 19), Culver Invitational and our conference meet (MIC), which fall on the same morning (September 26). We will need to be sharp in the state tournament (through October). Of course, members of our team will organize in November to compete in NXN Midwest which is always competitive.
Your team took a hit with the Harris twins graduating, how does having your top two graduate affect the chemistry among the top girls?
Graduation affects nearly every team. It's generally a hit because those tend to be athletes that bring the most experience and understand the team's culture the best. Haley and Kelsey (along with Anna Schmitz) are no exception to this. Losing their talent and their leadership is tough, but I also know there are girls that respect what these girls contributed, and are looking to "fill the void" in their own way.