Top Indiana Teams Columbus North (Boys), Carmel (Girls) Get Chance To Shine Under Lights At LaVern Gibson

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Bobby Goddin photos

Looking back on it, the 2024 Nike XC Town Twilight was a jump-off point for a couple of the biggest storylines of the season. 

Jane Hedengren was getting back up to speed after dealing with an early-season health issue and would go on to smash the course record at NXN. A year ago, Hedengren graced the course in Terre Haute and ran 16:50 for the seventh-fastest time ever by a girl at LaVern Gibson Championship Course.

Charlie Vause, who would also go on to win at NXN, finished eighth at the Nike XC Town Twilight. 

WATCH THE NIKE XC TOWN TWILIGHT THIS SATURDAY ON RUNNERSPACE+

Behind Hedengren last year, Libby Dowty of Indian Creek IN was second and Isabella Keller from Effingham (St. Anthony) IL was fourth. 

Those two may push one another under 17 minutes on Saturday. Neither of them has lost a race so far this season, with Dowty winning the Brownsburg Invitational in early September and Keller running 15:51 on a three-mile course last weekend at the Spartan Classic in lllinois. 

Carmel IN, one of the teams favored to earn an automatic qualifying berth at NXR Midwest, is the top girls team entered Saturday. The Greyhounds are led by trio Annabel Pollert, Sadie Foley and Larkin Taylor. 

Carmel won the team title last year with 172 points. 

Sophomore Anya Zoeller of Pendleton Heights IN was 12th at XC Town Twilight last year and beat all of Carmel's runners by more than 30 seconds at the Eagle Classic on Sept. 13. 

Seniors Denton Sluder and Jace Works lead the Columbus North IN boys, the top-ranked team in the Midwest. The Bulldogs traveled out of state and won the Southern Showcase in Alabama and then beat Bloomington North IN 28-35 at the Conference Indiana meet. 

Bloomington North beat Columbus North last year under the lights at LaVern Gibson, 169-219, before going on to win the state championship title. 

Noblesville IN, led by senior John Libs, is another team contender. 

Dom Ellis of St. Xavier OH, Paul Van Laningham of Cooper KY, Owen Clemons of Cleveland TN and Ruel Newberry of Denton Guyer TX are all coming into Indiana looking for a big win. 

Newberry, one of the country's most talented sophomores, won the Nike South Invitational two weeks ago on the new NXR South course in College Station, Texas. 

Ellis, Van Laningham and Clemons finished second, third and fourth at the Trinity/Valkyrie Invitational in Louisville, Ky. two weeks ago and were all under 14:40 and separated by less than 1.7 seconds. 

Junior Carter Zieren of Evansville Reitz IN, who was fifth at Trinity/Valkyrie, is also in Saturday's race. 

Luke Sievers of Rock Bridge MO, the highest finishing returner from last year's meet, 11th, was sixth at the Gans Creek Classic last weekend.