Indiana Girls Gold Race RunningLane Nationals Recap
Ava Jarrell of Pendleton Heights surged to the front early, clocking an impressive 5:23 for the opening mile and 11:11 at the two-mile mark. However, after two miles, it was Gabbie Bishop who began to pull away from the pack, closing hard to claim the victory in 16:55.64. Bishop, the Arkansas 3A state champion, narrowly missed an individual NXN qualification, placing 6th at NXR South in Texas. In a thrilling finish, Ava outkicked freshman standout Maysen Fletcher from West Virginia by just nine-hundredths of a second, with times of 16:59.01 and 16:59.10, respectively. This marked Ava's first sub-17 performance in the 5K.
Kenya Leitch of Columbia City ran a strong race, staying with the lead pack to finish 6th in a personal-best time of 17:19.22. Indiana was well-represented with three athletes finishing in the top ten. Westfield's Alivia Lozier also achieved a PR, clocking 17:31.21 for 10th place. Anya Zoeller, Jarrell's teammate, delivered a solid performance, finishing 14th in 17:39.03, just shy of her PR from the Marion Invitational earlier this year. Three Indiana girls-Jarrell, Leitch, and Lozier-earned First-Team RXC All-American honors (1st-10th), while Zoeller claimed Second-Team status (11th-20th).
In the team competition, Columbus Thorn (Columbus North) secured a great third-place finish with 119 points. Their scoring lineup featured Kyleigh Wolf, who placed 63rd with a time of 18:35.8; Carys Glyn-Jones, who placed 74th with a time of 18:42.2; Tristan Works, who placed 107th with a time of 18:58.7; Emma Lowther, who placed 143rd with a time of 19:22.8; and Adira Sluder, who placed 145th with a time of 19:23.4.
Hear What Ava Jarrell had to say after earning Runner-Up Finish at RLXC5
Interview: Ava Jarrell talks about breaking the elusive 17 minute barrier at RunningLane Nationals.
Top 20 Indiana Girls Across All Races at RunningLane Nationals
| RANK | TIME | ATHLETE/TEAM | GRADE | MEET DATE PLACE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16:59.01 | Pendleton Heights High School | 2025 | |
| 2 | 17:19.22 | Columbia City High School | 2027 | |
| 3 | 17:31.21 | Westfield High School | 2027 | |
| 4 | 17:39.03 | Unattached - IN | 2028 | |
| 5 | 18:14.21 | Martinsville High School | 2026 | |
| 6 | 18:35.72 | Columbus North High School | 2025 | |
| 7 | 18:39.55 | Whiteland Community High School | 2027 | |
| 8 | 18:42.15 | Columbus North High School | 2025 | |
| 9 | 18:44.53 | Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran High School | 2026 | |
| 10 | 18:56.97 | Edgewood High School | 2026 | |
| 11 | 18:58.64 | Columbus North High School | 2027 | |
| 12 | 19:00.38 | Brebeuf Jesuit Prep School | 2025 | |
| 13 | 19:22.77 | Columbus North High School | 2027 | |
| 14 | 19:23.35 | Columbus North High School | 2027 | |
| 15 | 19:36.08 | Roncalli High School | 2027 | |
| 16 | 19:46.60 | Northview High School | 2026 | |
| 17 | 19:50.44 | Columbus North High School | 2025 | |
| 18 | 19:53.44 | Brownsburg High School | 2026 | |
| 19 | 20:08.65 | Columbus North High School | 2028 | |
| 20 | 20:12.56 | Columbus North High School | 2025 |