MUNCIE — It was old hat to one team and a brand new feeling for the other.
Mt. Vernon swept the boys and girls races at Saturday’s Hoosier Heritage Conference cross country championships at Muncie Sportsplex.
For the boys, it was a convincing win and the program’s third straight HHC title.
For the girls, it was the program’s first conference crown since 2010.
It was a dominant victory for the Marauder boys, led by junior Tristan Trevino, who won his third individual race in as many tries.
A transfer from Lawrence Central, Trevino’s first race was the Hancock County Meet, where he edged teammate Austin Rush. He also won the previous week’s Shelbyville Invitational.
“He has a runner’s IQ,” Mt. Vernon coach Bruce Kendall said of Trevino. “When he runs he figures out, ‘I should be here. I should be there.’ He doesn’t get lost up in a fast start. He knows where he has to be at the right place, without being told. He’s got it figured out. He hadn’t had a great history of 5K races until the last couple weeks.”
On Saturday, he finished with a time of 16:42.11 for the 5K course. Pendleton Heights Avry Carpenter was second in 16:43.30.
“I felt a lot better from (the Shelbyville race),” Trevino said. “It was good running up front with my teammate (Rush). We were pushing each other and (Pendleton Heights Avry Carpenter). (Carpenter) was on us the entire time. He helped me pace myself at the end.
“Something I believe in is, you’re stronger than what you think. You need other runners to help you get to the speed you need to be.”
The Marauders had four runners in the top 10 and six of its seven runners earned all-conference (Top-15) honors.
Mt. Vernon totaled 30 points, well ahead of second-place Greenfield-Central with 68. New Palestine was fifth with 148.
Rush was fourth with a time of 16:54.45. Teammate, and fellow senior, James Blagrave was sixth in 16:59.62. Colin Strachman, a sophomore, placed eighth in 17:02.25. MV seniors Samuel Wilson (17:10.96) and Reyce Morgan (17:15.50), placed 11th and 12th, respectively.
Greenfield-Central had three all-conference runners led by junior Griffen Wheeler’s fifth place run of 16:55.53. Matthew Wickham, a senior, placed ninth in 17:05.39. Sophomore Liam Brinkruff was 13th in 17:20.95.
“Not bad, but we definitely don’t want to settle,” Greenfield-Central coach Aaron Smith said. “We always want to be competitive. We get to see Mt. Vernon three more weeks in a row, hopefully. We want to get closer and closer each week and hopefully we’ll get (Chris Ross) back.”
The Cougars ran without Ross, the team’s No. 3 runner, on Saturday.
New Palestine’s top-runner Colin Darley just missed out on an all-conference run. Darley finished 17th with a time of 17:57.17.
While the Mt. Vernon boys dominated, the girls race was very close.
Mt. Vernon finished with 61 points. Pendleton Heights had 70, edging defending champion New Palestine with 71.
“Just like (winning) county, that’s a huge monkey off our back,” Mt. Vernon coach Kean Coy said. “As far as I’m concerned New Pal and Pendleton (Heights) both have two of the best coaches in the state. I say it all the time, our conference has great coaching. We knew it was going to be tough. We knew we were the favorites and were going to have a target on our backs.”
Prior to Saturday, the Dragons had won the last three titles.
“We knew it was going to be tight coming in and Mt. Vernon was going to run well up top and they did,” New Palestine coach Chuck Myers said. “We tried to run with them, did everything we could. We had a decent day. Our 1-2 ran pretty well and our No. 3 was fantastic. Our 4-5 was just a little bit too far back there to make it work. Mt. Vernon did a great job. They’re a good team and Pendleton also is a good team. Losing to those two is disappointing but they are both very good teams.”
The Marauders were led by a 4-5 finish from seniors Morgan Tharp (20:19.52) and Lydia Carrell (20:21.59). Mt. Vernon had three all-conference runners. Sophomore Alexandria Jenson placed 13th in 21:10.24.
“(Winning conference) shows how hard everyone has worked this season to get where we are. We’ve been so hyped up for all the meets. It’s so exciting,” Tharp said.
“It’s really encouraging going into the postseason,” Carrell said of Saturday’s win.
New Palestine senior Emma Mann led all individual runners from Hancock County. She placed second in 19:27.91. The Dragons also had all-conference runs from sophomore Courtney Study (9, 20:42.77) and senior Caitlin Urrutia (1, 20:56.48).
For the second straight year, Delta sophomore Nicole Southerland won handily. She finished in 18:12.44, 75 seconds ahead of Mann.
Greenfield-Central finished eighth with 200 points. The Cougars top runner was freshman Lexie Copeland. She placed 21st in 22:21.52.
Helping key the win for the Mt. Vernon girls was the performance of those that finished just outside the all-conference cut off. Frosh Emma Gale and junior Melinda Cornelius were 19th and 20th, respectively.
Pendleton Heights had its top four runners all in the top 16, but its fifth placed 28th. New Pal, after its three all-HHC runs, had the rest of its runners 22nd or for further back in the field.
“That just takes complete total team buy in,” Coy said of getting strong runs from his fourth and fifth (final scoring) runners. “If they are bought into that every place matters and our pack matters and every place they’re coming up on, regardless the color of their uniform, matters then they are really running for one another. We talked about that a lot this week, running for one another.
“We talked about positive traits that we see in each other. We tried to bring them closer together to show they are competing as a team in an individual spot. I think that was a factor. It helped them lean on one another and know someone is going to be there for them and pick up their slack.”
MV, NP and G-C teams, along with Eastern Hancock and nine other schools begin postseason Saturday at the Mt. Vernon Sectional. The top-five teams and top-10 individuals not on the top-five teams advance to the regional.
2021 Hoosier Heritage Conference Cross Country Championship
Boys Results
Team scores: Mt. Vernon 30, Greenfield-Central 68, Yorktown 91, Pendleton Heights 96, New Palestine 148, Delta 165, Shelbyville 178, New Castle 192
All-Conference (Top-15 finishers)
Place;Name, School;Time (5K)
1.;Tristan Trevino, Mt. Vernon;16:42.11
2.;Avry Carpenter, Pendleton Heights;16:43.30
3.;Luke Harber, Yorktown;16:49.40
4.;Austin Rush, Mt. Vernon;16:54.45
5.;Griffen Wheeler, Greenfield-Central;16:55.53
6.;Joseph Blagrave, Mt. Vernon;16:59.62
7.;William Coggins, Pendleton Heights;16:59.94
8.;Colin Strachman, Mt. Vernon;17:02.25
9.;Matthew Wickham, Greenfield-Central;17:05.39
10.;Andrew Blake, Pendleton Heights;17:08.70
11.;Samuel Wilson, Mt. Vernon;17:10.96
12.;Reyce Morgan, Mt. Vernon;17:15.50
13.;Liam Brinkruff, Greenfield-Central;17:20.95
14.;Skyler Dickey, New Castle;17:25.39
15.;Clay Batio, Delta;17:43.60
Girls Results
Team scores: Mt. Vernon 61, Pendleton Heights 70, New Palestine 71, Yorktown 113, Delta 120, New Castle 126, Shelbyville 150, Greenfield-Central 200
All-Conference (Top-15 finishers)
Place;Name, School;Time (5K)
1.;Nicole Southerland, Delta; 18:12.44
2.;Emma Mann;New Palestine;19:27.91
3.;Laney Ricker, Pendleton Heights;20:15.87
4.;Morgan Tharp;Mt. Vernon;20:19.52
5.;Lydia Carrell;Mt. Vernon;20:21.59
6.;Makayla Robles, Delta;20:29.08
7.;Lydia Harvey, New Castle;20:35.32
8.;Ava Jarrell, Pendleton Heights;20:41.79
9.;Courtney Study;New Palestine;20:42.77
10.;Stefanie Howard;Shelbyville;20:44.99
11.;Caitlin Urrutia;New Palestine;20:56.48
12.;Ella Garvin, New Castle;21:03.56
13.;Alexandria Jenson;Mt. Vernon;21:10.24
14.;Alison Smith, Yorktown;21:29.24
15.;Ella Dixon, Pendleton Heights;21:40.81
