Sectional #21 - Brown County
Participating Schools: Brown County, Columbus East, Columbus North, Edgewood, Eminence, Greensburg, Hauser, Jennings County, Martinsville, Monrovia, North Decatur, Seymour, South Decatur, Trinity Lutheran
Boys Race
Neal White from Columbus North has the best time entering the meet with a 15:12 from the Lincoln Trail Invitational which ranks him 7th in the state this season. Martin Barco from Martinsville appears to have the next best time going 15:38 at Nike Twilight.
The Columbus North cross country program has a long history of excellence, and this year is no different. The Bull Dogs have had thirteen different runners eclipse the 17:00 mark in 2023, and enter the state tournament ranked sixth in the coaches poll. If Columbus North runs their varsity squad, they could put all seven runners in the top fifteen places. Even if the lead runners rest this week, the Bull Dogs will still be heavy favorites to win their 34th sectional title.
Edgewood also brings a very good team with seven athletes capable of breaking 17:30. That would be good enough to win some sectionals, but not good enough to compete with Columbus North. Expect to see Greensburg, Jennings County, and Seymour fill out the top five. Seymour does not have anyone that we would expect to finish in the top ten places, but they can run in a tight pack right around the 18:00 mark and advance.
Projected Advancing Teams
#6 Columbus North
Edgewood
Greensburg
Jennings County
Seymour
Girls Race
Hannah Crain from Edgewood enters with a time of 18:28 from Nike Twilight which is #31 for the state. The next best time going into the weekend belongs to Laura Barco with a 18:55 3rd place finish at the Mid-State Cross Country Championships. Laura and Hannah may go out together with Hannah likely being able to pull away for the win.
The Columbus North girls team has not lost a sectional since 1997, and they are the favorites to win again this weekend. Like the boys, the Columbus North girls team could put all seven runners inside the top fifteen. Unlike the boys, the girls will most likely need to run their varsity squad to ensure victory. Edgewood has had a great season, including a dominant win on this course just last week at the Western Indiana Conference Championships. The Mustangs have never won a girls cross country sectional, and while stealing this one from Columbus North seems unlikely but is not outside the realm of possibility.
The race to advance out of this sectional will be a good one. Jennings County, Martinsville, Columbus East and Greensburg are all capable of advancing, but only two will make it out.
Projected Advancing Teams
#16 Columbus North
#23 Edgewood
Seymour
Jennings County
Martinsville
Sectional #22 - Bedford North Lawrence
Participating Schools: Bedford North Lawrence, Bloomfield, Bloomington North, Bloomington South, Brownstown Central, Eastern (Pekin), Eastern Greene, Lighthouse Christian Academy, Linton-Stockton, Loogootee, Mitchell, North Daviess, Orleans, Salem, Shoals, West Washington, White River Valley
Boys Race
Bloomington North and Bloomington South headline Sectional #22. Those two schools could nearly lock out the top ten places in the boys race. North has won the sectional team title in each of the last three years with the expectation to extend that streak this weekend with South comfortably in second place.
Jacob Mitchell of Bloomington North and Bloomington South Senior Ryan Rheam will race for the individual crown. Mitchell and Rheam met at the Conference Indiana Championships earlier in the season, with Mitchell taking the win in 15:18.20. Rheam finished just under ten seconds back at 15:27.60. Those times are currently season bests for both runners ranking them #13 and #24 respectively for the state.
Projected Advancing Teams
#5 Bloomington North
#22 Bloomington South
Brownstown Central
Orleans
Bedford North Lawrence
Girls Race
Freshman sensation Lexi Kollbaum leads a heavily favored Bloomington South girls team into this sectional. Kolbaum has improved rapidly since the beginning of her maiden high school cross country campaign. After opening the season with a 20:07.50, Kolbaum took chunks of time out in each of her first five meets before turning in an 18:38.40 performance at the Brown County Eagle Classic and winning the Conference Indiana Championships. Kolbaum will be an interesting runner to watch throughout the state tournament as she continues to improve.
Expect to see Bloomington South run away with the team victory in this one, with Bloomington North finishing comfortably in second. Between them, those two schools have won every girls cross country sectional since 2005. Bedford North Lawerence, Brownstown Central, and Eastern Greene should all advance comfortably as well.
Projected Advancing Teams
#19 Bloomington South
Bloomington North
Bedford North Lawrence
Brownstown Central
Eastern Greene
Sectional #23 - Crawford County
Participating Schools: Borden, Christian Academy of Indiana, Clarksville, Corydon Central, Crawford County, Floyd Central, Jeffersonville, Lanesville, New Albany, North Harrison, Paoli, Providence, Silver Creek, South Central (Elizabeth), Springs Valley
Boys Race
Floyd Central Senior Will Conway is the star of Sectional #22. The University of Tennessee commit ran a 14:41.25 at the Trinity/Valkyrie Invitational in September, the fastest time by any boy from Indiana this season and currently the ninth fastest time nationally. Behind him, look for Floyd Central's Luca Cirincione and Alexander Pinckney out of the Christian Academy of Indiana to be racing for second.
Led by Conway and Cirincione, Floyd Central is a heavy favorite to win their third straight sectional championship this weekend. Springs Valley and Silver Creek will have a close race for second, while Corydon Central and New Albany are just about locks for fourth and fifth.
Projected Advancing Teams
#7 Floyd Central
Springs Valley
Silver Creek
Corydon Central
New Albany
Girls Race
The girls race will also be headlined by a Senior from Floyd Central. Kaitlyn Stewart also ran her best time of the season at the Trinity/Valkyrie Invitational, a 17:51.30 mark that's more than a minute faster than anyone else in this sectional and ranks her #10 in the state.
The race for the team championship will be a good one. Corydon Central and Floyd Central are the class of the field and come into the state tournament evenly matched. Expect to see Stewart way out in front, but a pack full of Highlanders and Panthers filling out the rest of the top ten. Should Corydon Central win the sectional title, it would be their first girls cross country sectional championship in school history and would break a streak of eleven consecutive sectional championships for Floyd Central.
Projected Advancing Teams
Corydon Central
Floyd Central
New Alban
Borden
Silver Creek
Sectional #24 - Jasper
Participating Schools: Barr-Reeve, Cannelton, Forest Park, Jasper, North Knox, Northeast Dubois, Perry Central, Pike Central, South Knox, Southridge, Tell City, Vincennes Lincoln, Washington, Washington Catholic
Boys Race
The boys race at Sectional #23 could feature one of the closest team championships of the weekend. Jasper, Perry Central, and South Knox all bring five runners that have set times under 17:30 this season. Tell City also brings a very good team to this postseason and could challenge for a top three finish. Barr-Reeve will most likely advance easily as well.
In the individual race, it will likely be a battle of Calvins. South Knox Senior Calvin Crabtree is a reigning sectional champion and cracked 16:00 this year with a personal best time of 15:59.20 at the Mater Dei Invitational. Jasper Freshman Calvin Seitz burst onto the scene at the Nike XC Town Twilight, winning the Open race in 15:48.20. Their only meeting prior to this weekend came at the Jasper Wildcat Invitational in late September, with Seitz getting the better of Crabtree on that occasion.
Projected Advancing Teams
Jasper
Perry Central
South Knox
Tell City
Barr-Reeve
Girls Race
Much like the boys race, the girls team title will likely be decided by a narrow margin. Jasper and Tell City come into this meet extremely evenly matched, each with five runners capable of finishing under 21:00. The only meeting between Jasper and Tell City this season came on the opening weekend at the Kentucky/Indiana Border Clash, where Tell City beat Jasper by eleven points.
The race to advance to the regional will also be close. Southridge, Barr-Reeve, South Knox, and Pike Central are all capable of finishing in the top five but one will be left out.
Xavery Weisman from Pike Central and Maddie Graber from Southridge will likely be out front early with the best times in the field with a 18:19 and 18:53 respectively.
Projected Advancing Teams
Jasper
Tell City
Southridge
Barr-Reeve
South Knox
Sectional #25 - Evansville Mater Dei
Participating Schools: Boonville, Castle, Evansville Bosse, Evansville Central, Evansville Christian, Evansville Day, Evansville F.J. Reitz, Evansville Harrison, Evansville Mater Dei, Evansville North, Evansville Reitz Memorial, Gibson Southern, Heritage Hills, Mt. Vernon, North Posey, Princeton Community, Signature, South Spencer, Tecumseh
Boys Race
Evansville FJ Reitz is a heavy favorite in Sectional #25. The Panthers are a top ten team in the state this year, and could lock out the top three places in this meet to win back-to-back sectional championships. Reitz is led by Jackson Nolan, whose season best time of 15:06.10 from winning the Lincoln Trail Invitational ranks him fifth in Indiana. His teammate Sawyer Mossberger owns the next best time and looks to lead a chase pack of Panthers to potentially positions 2-4.
Castle is almost a lock for runner-up in the team race, while Gibson Southern and Evansville Reitz Memorial will race for third. Evansville North and Princeton will compete for the final transfer spot with North having the edge in this matchup.
Projected Advancing Teams
#9 Evansville FJ Reitz
Castle
Gibson Southern
Evansville Memorial
Evansville North
Girls Race
Evansville FJ Reitz runner Cordelia Hoover is the reigning girls sectional champion, and the Senior will be looking to repeat this weekend. Hoover will face stiff competition from Castle's Heidi Giannini and Princeton's Mallory Watt, both of whom have run under 19:30 this year. Hoover, Giannini, and Watt all ran at the Mater Dei Invitational in early September, with Hoover taking the win in 19:17.80.
The Castle Knights have a great chance to win the team title, which would be their first since 2006 and also put an end to Evansville Reitz's 3 year sectional championship streak. Castle will be challenged by Evansville Memorial and Princeton, while North Posey, Evansville Christian, Gibson Southern, Evansville Mater Dei, and Evansville North will all likely race for the final two places into next week's regional.
Projected Advancing Teams
Castle
Evansville Memorial
Princeton
North Posey
Mater Dei