The Miller boys and girls cross country teams competed in the IHSAA championship on Saturday on the LaVern Gibson Championship course in Terre Haute. The boys finished as state runner-up with 115 points, and the girls secured a podium spot with a fifth place finish and a score of 244.
The score of 115 is the lowest, and therefore best score ever obtained by the boys team, with the only other runner-up finish in Noblesville boys history coming back in 2010. The team was led by Junior and all-state athlete John Libs, whose seventh place finish makes him just the fifth boys runner in Noblesville’s history to place in the top ten at the state meet.
The girls were led by senior Riley Flynn and junior Ansley Applegate, whose times of 18:40 and 18:48 respectively both placed themselves in the top 50 in a competitive race. The top five racers, registering points for the team, were rounded out by sophomore Jade Stamm, and seniors Brinkley Cooper and Lexi Miller.
Sophomore Banner Barnes of the boys team received an individual medal in the race, placing 23rd. It was the second-highest placement for an underclassmen at the meet, cementing himself as one of the top athletes of his class. He was followed by senior Ronnie Neal who placed 33rd, freshman Isaiah Vohs in 46th, and senior Jack Strong in 54th. Vohs posted the fastest time for a freshman in the race.
In the Girls race, Carmel took the team title with a score of 76, and Mallory Weller of Ft. Wayne-Concordia won the race with a time of 17:12. Later that afternoon, Bloomington North edged out the Miller boys by just ten points with a score of 105. Fisher’s senior and Indiana University commit Sam Quagliaroli finished first with a time of 14:46, an Indiana state meet record.
Next year, the Miller boys lose two seniors, Neal and Strong, as they graduate, bringing back five out of seven varsity runners. On the girls side, four out of seven varsity runners have ran their last race, as the team looks to regroup next year without Flynn, Cooper, Miller, or seventh finisher Ella Wirkner.
