Barnes runs to All-American honors

Noblesville star takes sixth in mile at New Balance Nationals

The REPORTER

Noblesville running star Banner Barnes can call himself an All-American boy.

The incoming Millers senior competed at the New Balance Nationals Outdoor meet this past weekend at the University of Pennsylvania’s Franklin Field. Barnes had his best finish in the Championship Boys’ Mile race, where he placed sixth.

The mile race took place on Saturday, June 20, with the top six runners earning All-American honors. Barnes clinched sixth place by finishing the mile in 4 minutes, 7.02 seconds. Barnes stayed in the top six for the entire race, running the final lap of the race in 1:00.80.

The race winner was Philip Cupial of Downers Grove (Ill.) Track Club, who paced the mile in 4:01.15, just ahead of Carter Smith, who represented the Juniata Valley (Pa.) Striders. Smith’s time was 4:01.72.

Barnes competed in the Championship Boys’ 800 run the next day (Sunday, June 21), where he finished 17^th in a time of 1:51.07.

A few other runners competed at the New Balance Nationals. Annabel Pollert, an incoming Carmel senior, finished 19^th in the Championship Girls’ 2-Mile event on Friday, June 19, clocking in at 10:28.76. Pollert ran in the Championship Girls’ Mile race the next day, placing 21^st with a time of 4:48.91.

Another Carmel runner, incoming senior Cooper Szotek, ran in the Championship Boys’ 800, placing 123^rd in a time of 1:56.31.

Fishers’ Garrett Rusnak competed in the Middle School Boys’ Mile, where he finished 71^st with a personal-best time of 4:45.32.

Jillian Tichenor, also from Fishers, raced in the Freshman Girls’ 800, placing 81^st in 2:22.96, a personal best.