For The Daily Reporter
TERRE HAUTE — Brenna Shaw’s first state meet experience didn’t go as well as she had hoped, but the New Palestine sophomore is glad to have it under her belt.
Shaw finished 95th in 19 minutes, 55.9 seconds for 5,000 meters (3.1 miles) at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course. Greencastle’s Emma Wilson won in 17:53.9.
“It definitely wasn’t my best race,” Shaw said. “It’s not my best time, but I think that’s from a number of things. The course is very hilly, and it was muddy today, so that’s really tough to run through.”
Shaw said the atmosphere at the state meet caught her a little by surprise.
“I don’t think I was prepared for the size of the crowd,” Shaw said. “It’s just tense when you’re running through the path, and there’s a lot of spectators on both sides. They’re all screaming. It’s really loud and kind of overwhelming.”
Top-ranked Fort Wayne Carroll won the title with 85 points to 149 for No. 3 Zionsville and 176 for No. 2 West Lafayette. No. 5 Carmel and No. 7 Hamilton Southeastern each scored 235 points, with Carmel taking fourth because of a faster sixth runner.
Shaw had qualified for state as an individual from the Shelbyville Semistate. The Dragons finished seventh as a team at semistate, missing a state-qualifying berth by one spot.
“(State) was a lot of fun, even though it wasn’t my best,” Shaw said. “I’m still really excited. I’m very grateful that I just even made it to state. I’m hoping next year, I’ll have a team with me here.”
