The REPORTER
Hamilton County is shaping up to have another highly successful cross country season this fall.
Everyone in the county already knows that, of course. But it’s always nice to have more details, and the website indianarunner.com has been slowly revealing those details over the summer while posting its pre-season top 50 boys and girls team. The website released their pre-season ranked teams five at a time throughout the summer, finishing them up this week as practices began.
You won’t have to scroll very far to find a writeup on some of the local boys teams. Hamilton County has four of the top six boys teams in the pre-season rankings, although not in the top spot. Indiana Runner is ranking Bloomington North as its top-ranked pre-season team.
The first county team listed is Carmel, which comes in at No. 2 on the IR list. The Greyhounds won the state meet in dominant fashion last year, with two runners placing in the top 10, the now graduated Tony Provenzano and Kyle Grove. Thomas Biltimeier placed 21st, all three were named as All-State
Carmel does have some talent returning. Senior Jack Capes placed 34th at state last season, while sophomore Carter Buhr and junior Kiefer Jay also bringing back state meet experience. Indiana Runner also called sophomore Cooper Szotek “an X-factor” and noted that the Hounds “might see one Greyhound (or more) make an unexpected jump this fall.”
The Fishers boys are the pre-season fourth-ranked team; the Tigers were state runners-up last season. Fishers has an A-list senior returning in Sam Quagliaroli, who finished third individually at state in 2023, making him the highest-placing runner from the county. The website said Quagliaroli’s “frontrunning is a luxury no other title contender will enjoy.” Quagliaroli missed most of the track season last spring due to injury.
Six of the Tigers’ state runners are back, with only All-State runner Matthew Kim, who finished 16th, graduating from the squad. The other returnees are seniors Henry Wood, Bryson Slagle, Parker Mehling and Cooper Mohr, along with junior Nate Thomas. Sophomore Reece Torres is also mentioned as a varsity contender.
Hamilton Southeastern is ranked fifth by IR, which is appropriate as the Royals were fifth at state last year. Southeastern returns all of their top four state runners: senior Nicolas Vega, juniors Riley Schamp and Liam Powers and sophomore Isaac Smith. The website said sophomore Mason Schmitz “could be a big contributor” for the Royals as well.
Noblesville is sixth on Indiana Runner’s list. The Millers placed 12th at state last season and returns three runners from that group: seniors Jack Strong and Jack Shinneman and junior John Libs. The website pointed out that senior Ronnie Neal and sophomore Banner Barnes both had solid spring seasons and noted that “eight returners ran under 10:00 for 3200 meters.”
Guerin Catholic is ranked 36th by IR. The Golden Eagles finished eighth at the Shelbyville regional last season, with only the top five teams advancing to state. But Luke Moster moved on as an individual and finished 66th; he will be back as a senior this season to lead the team. Other regional returners are juniors John Constantino and Hunter Kinzle-Gorman, sophomore Sean Laferriere and senior Luke Ross. The website mentioned sophomore Brady Linn “had a breakout season” in track as a freshman as well.
Westfield is rated 43rd, after taking 15th at regional last season. Seniors Landon Jones, Will Snedeker and Owen Mohler and junior Caleb Haney all ran for the Shamrocks at regional in 2023, while IR said senior Ty Conner and sophomore Luke Moulder had solid track seasons.
Carmel girls No. 1
In the girls pre-season rankings, Carmel is rated No. 1. The Greyhounds finished seventh at state last season, but they have five of their seven state runners back from last season.
The list begins with junior Sadie Foley, who finished 18th at state last season to receive All-State honors. Seniors Olivia Mundt and Charlotte Konow also return state experience, along with sophomores Annabel Pollert and Larkin Taylor. Indiana Runner also noted senior Nola Elling as an “X-factor,” highlighting her time of 19:01 at last year’s Nike Twilight meet.
Hamilton Southeastern is IR’s No. 3-ranked team, and the Royals have the talent to make the podium after placing sixth last year. The top returner is senior Elizabeth Butler, who made All-State last year after placing 15th (along with the now-graduated Maggie Powers, who was 12th).
Butler is the first of six returning runners from last year’s Southeastern state team. The others are seniors Ava Powers, Catherine Campbell and Ciara Kepner, junior Raegan Hissong and sophomore Anissa Lammie.
Westfield’s girls are rated 10th, this after placing 10th at state last season. Just like the Royals, the Shamrocks have six of their seven state runners coming back for 2024. Also, IR mentioned that Westfield Middle School “was second at the big school middle school state championship” in 2023.
The Shamrocks’ returning runners are seniors Emily Loiselle and Ena Durbin, juniors Gianna Ferreri and Jordyn Landrum, and sophomores Alivia Lozier and Maggie Naas.
Noblesville is ranked No. 12 by IR; the Millers were eighth at state last season. Noblesville has some decent runners returning, starting with its state competitors: seniors Riley Flynn and Brinkley Cooper, junior Ansley Applegate and sophomore Kate Mumaw. Indiana Runner said the Millers enter the fall “as one of the best teams in the state once again.”
Guerin Catholic is IR’s No. 15 pre-season team. The Golden Eagles made it to state last year, placing 21st. Returning GC state runners are senior Camille Morrow, juniors Keira Hines and Katie Kolb, and sophomores Claire Flannagan and Brinna Wolf. The website said that junior Delaney Gould and senior Eva Parr “may be ready for varsity contributions this year also.”
Fishers is rated No. 28. The Tigers were denied a place at regional after finishing sixth in the sectional last year, although several runners competed at regional as an individual. That includes senior Isabella Murch and juniors Abby Lotter and Grier Swaim and sophomore Charlotte Lawrence.