3200m
2019 State Champion: Jesse Hamlin (Fort Wayne Snider) 9:04.69
Top Returners and Current PR
Reece Gibson (Sr., FW Concordia) 9:07.88
Jack Kovach (Sr., Brebeuf Jesuit) 9:10.27
Alex Frey (Sr., North Central) 9:12.55
William Jefferson (Jr., Whiteland Community) 9:22.42
Travis Hickner (Jr., Noblesville) 9:27.17
Nick Hruskocki (Sr., Indianapolis Cathedral) 9:28.95
Analysis
Now that Jesse Hamlin and Caleb Futter are competing at the collegiate level, a new name will come out on top this year. Reece Gibson comes into the season as the favorite, with an outdoor PR of 9:07.88. Gibson took 3rd at last year's state meet behind Hamlin and Futter. Gibson had a good XC season, and has started off his 2020 indoor season well. He has already run 9:11 in the GVSU Elite 3200, finishing 2nd to Michigan distance standout Evan Bishop. With that sort of time this early in the season, and being run indoors, Gibson could run something in the 9:05 range mid-season if not better.
Jack Kovach is once again the next man up. Kovach is likely to double in the 1600 and 3200 as he did at last year's state meet. Kovach could be considered one of the favorites in the 1600. With the potential talent in the 1600, they could be running something in the 4:10 range if not faster. So Kovach's potential in the 3200 will all depend on how tired he is. He ran 4:14 for 1600m and 9:15 for 3200m. Kovach definitely has the potential to challenge Gibson for the title, it'll just depend on how much juice he has left after running the 1600, if he decides to double again. That'll be something to watch throughout the postseason.
Alex Frey is another name to watch. His outdoor PR of 9:12.55 sits just behind Kovach's. Frey started off his indoor campaign earlier this month. He ran a 9:23, for a full two-mile, at the UK HS Invitational and took home the win by just about 2 seconds. Frey will likely just be running the 3200, which means he will be on fresh legs.
These 3 guys are likely to fill places 1-3 but guys like William Jefferson and Travis Hickner could step up and make some noise. With several 3200 runners from last year's state meet now graduated, some new names will likely pop up and make a name for themselves.