On Saturday morning, some of Indiana's standout seniors took part in the 36th annual Mid-East Championships held in Kettering, Ohio. The event drew teams from Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan to race across a challenging yet fair course. This meet offers a distinctive chance for athletes to connect with fellow seniors from Indiana as well as across different states. Many of these competitors will become college teammates next year, forging enduring friendships despite potential new school rivalries.
Full Results for each individual and state team, photos, race videos, and interviews from the Mid-East championship are all available at MileSplit here! A recap and overview of all of Indiana's runners for both races is below.
Girls Mid-East Championship Recap
The start of the girls championship race. Photo by Shawn Conlon / MileSplit Ohio
The day kicked off with the girls' race, commencing fairly as Reese Landis of Ohio surged ahead, leading the pack with a swift 5:40.47 mile time. In close pursuit was Jessica Hegedus, a three-time Hoosier Crossroads Conference champion and 10th place state finisher, maintaining a strong sixth position with a mile split of 5:41.94. Hegedus was accompanied by several Indiana teammates who also crossed the mile mark in quick succession. Impressively, all 12 Indiana runners recorded mile splits of 5:46.99 or faster.
Reese Landis from Ohio would hold on to clinch the meet victory, clocking in at 18:02.33, a mere 10 seconds shy of her personal record. Notably, she secured fourth place at the D3 Ohio State Championships two weeks prior. Michigan positioned three runners in the #2-#4 spots, contributing crucial low points. Jessica Hegedus from Avon was able to move past Michigan's Aidan Harrand after the mile mark to claim fifth place overall, leading the Indiana team with a time of 18:18.48. Joining in the scoring for the team for Indiana were Kaitlyn Stewart, Kylie Cline, Lexi Panning, and Maddie Rocchio. Hannah Moore and Maggie Powers would also impact the team scoring as #6 and #7 pushers for Indiana. This duo would work to add 2 points to Michigan's score and add 6 points to Ohio's score.
Team Indiana Girls post race. Photo from Tony Rastrelli / MileSplit Indiana
Indiana was the deepest team in the field with the top 5 and top 7 runners crossing the line before any other state. Despite having this advantage the team came in a narrow second to Michigan's team by just 5 points. The girls would defeat Ohio by 19 points.
Indiana All-Star Girls Results
| Place | Name | School | Time |
| 5th | 18:18.48 | ||
| 6th | 18:20.53 | ||
| 7th | 18:30.85 | ||
| 9th | 18:35.86 | ||
| 11th | 18:37.96 | ||
| 12th | 18:38.96 | ||
| 13th | 18:39.59 | ||
| 14th | 18:39.95 | ||
| 16th | 18:50.75 | ||
| 17th | 18:52.10 | ||
| 22nd | 18:58.46 | ||
| 26th | 19:19.68 |
Boys Mid-East Championship Recap
The boys' race began smoothly, with Martin Barco from Martinsville keeping pace with the frontrunners, hitting the mile mark at 4:50.52. Martin, a dual fall sport athlete involved in soccer, has had an exceptional season, achieving his first-ever placement on the state XC podium despite juggling two commitments. Ohio's Weston Day and Miciah Smith joined him at the mile, creating a slight four-second gap from the rest of the pack. Notably, seven other runners from Team Indiana also passed the mile mark in under five minutes.
The top five finishers mirrored the girls' race, with Weston Day of Ohio seizing the victory, crossing the line with a time of 15:33.65. Notably, Day had secured 14th place at the Ohio D1 Championships two weeks prior and showcased a remarkable 14th place finish in the championship division at NXR Midwest with a time of 15:05. Michigan's Evan Loughridge, Paul Moore, and Ty Parker secured the #2-#4 positions, securing low points similar to the girls' race.
Another Trojan would lead team Indiana this year with Gavin Rockwell of Center Grove displaying an outstanding performance, maneuvering through the field to claim 5th place with a time of 15:47.81, only about 15 seconds off his personal record. Rockwell, who finished 33rd at the state this year, marked this race as his fourth best performance of the season in terms of both placement and time. Following closely behind was Joseph LaPatra in 13th place, also clocking in under 16 minutes at 15:59.17. Indiana's lineup also featured Martin Barco, Evan O'Connor, and Brandon Mueller contributing to the team's score.
Team Indiana Boys post-race. Photo from Tony Rastrelli / MileSplit Indiana
Indiana would 3rd place with a total of 70 points, trailing behind a dominant Michigan team whose top five scorers claimed positions within the top 8. Ohio's team also outperformed Indiana, with all five of their scorers finishing in 14th place or higher.
Indiana All-Star Boys Results
| Place | Name | School | Time |
| 5th | 15:47.81 | ||
| 13th | 15:59.17 | ||
| 19th | 16:16.02 | ||
| 23rd | 16:20.57 | ||
| 25th | 16:22.05 | ||
| 28th | 16:31.84 | ||
| 29th | 16:33.47 | ||
| 30th | 16:34.77 | ||
| 32nd | 16:37.54 | ||
| 34th | 16:41.42 | ||
| 35th | 16:44.14 | ||
| 36th | 16:49.32 |