FORTVILLE — New Palestine’s Brenna Shaw finally captured that elusive sectional title, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.
The senior cross-country runner had won four Hancock County individual titles, two Hoosier Heritage Conference crowns and a pair of regional championships during her long-distance running career.
But not until Saturday’s IHSAA Girls Cross-Country Sectional at Mt. Vernon High School did she secure the highest individual prize during the first round of the postseason.
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Click here to purchase photos from this galleryFollowed closely behind by junior teammate Emma Mann, the Dragons had a 1-2 finish in the 5K race to lead them to the team title by one point over second-place Franklin Central.
It was the second straight year the Dragons won team honors. The top-five teams and top-10 individuals not on the top-five teams, in both the girls and boys races, advance to Saturday’s regional in Rushville.
Mt. Vernon, Roncalli and Warren Central joined New Pal and Franklin Central on the girls’ side. Greenfield-Central’s Audrey Brinkruff, Sophia Moss, and Emma Bogle along with Eastern Hancock’s Ashton Willis, the Royals’ lone runner in the girls’ race, also advanced.
Mt. Vernon and Greenfield-Central finished second and third, respectively, in the boys race, dominated by Franklin Central. Warren Central and Roncalli also moved on along with Eastern Hancock individuals, Daniel Campbell, Luke McCartney and Luken Edwards and New Palestine’s Hayden Isaacs and Connor Lapenta.
“In the past I have had trouble, mentally, with this race because it’s the first race of the tournament and I feel like I usually put a lot of pressure on myself to do well and perform. Sometimes it’s a little too much,” Shaw said. “(Saturday), I went in trying to just have a better outlook for the whole race and be more positive.”
Shaw won with a time of 18:49.4, edging out teammate Mann, who finished in 18:50.3.
The Dragons scored 48 points to the Flashes 49. Mt. Vernon had 75 followed by Roncalli (104) and Warren Central (108). Greenfield-Central was sixth with 134.
Brinkruff (4, 19:18.6), New Palestine’s Courtney Study (6, 20:11.0) and Mt. Vernon’s Lydia Carrell (10, 20:43.6) all finished in the top 10.
The Dragons were without two of their top-seven runners, so Shaw and Mann at the top and the other scoring spots were extra crucial in the one-point victory.
“It helps out when you score so low on your No. 1 and No. 2,” New Palestine coach Chuck Myers said. “Our No. 4 and No. 5 did a good job getting where they needed to be and not give up too many spots. I think we should be in good shape for next week and ready to go.”
All five scoring Dragons were among the top-20 scorers. Emily Adam finished 20th overall with a time of 21:30. Jocelynn Flagle was close behind, placing 21st overall and 20th among team-scoring runners with a time of 21:33.5.
Mt. Vernon’s strong run included runners finishing in places 15th through 17th. Leading the trio was Esther Small (21:13.2), followed by Alexandria Jenson (21:18.1) and Melinda Cornelius (21:20.4).
In the boys’ race, Mt. Vernon’s Austin Rush finished second for the third straight race. He was runner-up to teammate Evan Rappe in the Hancock County meet and to New Castle’s Andrew Fewell at last week’s Hoosier Heritage Conference competition.
On Saturday, he broke up Franklin Central’s attempt of a perfect score, finishing behind winner Justin Healey (16:32) and ahead of four other Flashes.
Rush finished in 16:42.
Franklin Central had a score of 19. Mt. Vernon was second with 59. Greenfield-Central scored 79, Warren Central had 94 and Roncalli wrapped up the team qualifiers with 135. Eastern Hancock was sixth with 197 and New Palestine placed seventh with 219.
Like New Palestine’s girls, Mt. Vernon’s boys were running without some varsity runners.
Coach Bruce Kendall’s alternates did not score but they finished just outside the top 20 showing the depth that has helped his team have another strong season.
Their performances didn’t go unnoticed by the veteran coach.
“Brayden Stamm and Joseph Blagrave were absolutely outstanding,” Kendall said. “They really embraced their role and ran outstanding today. Absolutely outstanding.
“When you’re an alternate, it’s hard to concentrate. It’s hard to visualize in your mind that you’re going to matter. They were outstanding, they weren’t in the top 20, but they weren’t too far off. They were right there.”
All seven of MV’s runners were in the top 23. Behind Rush and dominant Franklin Central, Mt. Vernon frosh Colin Strachman placed ninth in 17:10.5.
“Strachman is a freshman and doesn’t know what he’s doing. Then, he just goes out there every week and you think he’s 21-years old,” Kendall said in praising his beyond-his-years newcomer. “He’s got a knack to know and get in the right place. Strachman’s an old freshman.”
Mt. Vernon junior Reyce Morgan placed 11th (17:17.8) and was followed by a slew of Hancock County runners.
Greenfield-Central took spots No. 13 through No. 16, just ahead of Mt. Vernon’s No. 4 runner Tyler Strantz (17, 17:41.2).
The Cougar crew was led by Matthew Wickham (13, 17:21.9) with teammates Liam Brinkruff (14, 17:26.9), Griffen Wheeler (15, 17:30.3) and Austin Nigh (16, 17:37.8) close behind.
The G-C and MV runners also grabbed spots No. 20 to No. 23. Sam Wilson was the final scoring Marauder, finishing 20th in 17:45.6. G-C senior Luke Muckherheide was 21st (17:48.7), just ahead of Stamm (22, 17:49) and Blagrave (23, 17:50.9).
“I knew we were good when I saw that (pack),” Greenfield-Central coach Aaron Smith said. “Any time you can run with somebody else it always makes it easier. Times again weren’t quite as fast, but that’s not important at this part of the year. At this point of the year, it’s about competing and that’s what we went out and did today.”
