Returning for the first time in three years, Glendover Cross Country Course in Portland, Oregon played host to the best high school cross country teams and individuals in the entire country. 22 teams for each gender, and another 90 individuals qualified for the Team Nationals meet over the course of the last few weeks to see how they fare against the nation's best and to experience the trip of a lifetime.
Indiana has a great history of athletes qualifying for this meet and performing incredibly well. This year was no different as three athletes from the Hoosier State were present at this year's Team Nationals meet. Carmel's Kole Mathison in the boys race, and Park Tudor's Sophia Kennedy and Bishop Chatard's Lily Cridge in the girls.
Mathison was the fifth place finisher at the Midwest Regional in a race that saw five runners go under the course record. It wouldn't be out of the question though that the Midwest #5 runner would be at the front once again competing for top places when he stepped on the course this weekend for the national meet.
That is exactly what he did. Mathison finished 4th in 14:55 placing better than he did at the regional weeks prior. Aaron Sahlman of Newbury Park was the individual champ in 14:44 and then Daniel Simmons and Tyrone Gorze were the only two other athletes to place in front of the Greyhound superstar as Mathison out-leaned Jackson Heidesch for 4th.
Mathison's 4th place finish is the 3rd top 5 finish for an Indiana athlete in the last 7 years after fellow Greyhound Ben Veatch and Cathedral alumni Cole Hocker both placed 2nd in 2015 and 2018 respectively. Mathison will also be competing at Champs Nationals on December 10th in San Diego.
(Sophia Kennedy on her way to 7th at Team Nationals- Photo by Bobby Reyes)
Sophia Kennedy was the first of the two Indiana athletes to cross the finish line when she placed 7th in 17:18 earning 1st team All-American status. Kennedy's 7th place finish matches her place from the 2021 Eastbay National Championships to which point was her best finish in national competition.
After her 4th place finish at the Midwest Regional, Lily Cridge was also in Portland to compete at Team Nationals. Cridge placed 28th in a time of 17:51 to end a fantastic season in which she defended her Indiana State title and also ran to a state record of 16:46 during the IHSAA tournament.
Kennedy will have another chance at national glory when she heads to San Diego once again for the Champs Sports National meet on December 10th.
Indiana athletes once again proved they can compete with the best on the nation's biggest stage as these three athletes had great performances at another year of Team Nationals in Portland, Oregon.
Full Results for Team Nationals can be found in the results link on the MileSplit website.