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Boys: Valley’s Marquez, Whetstone to join Rochester’s Javier at regional
BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS
Sports Editor, RTC
Rochester junior Allyson Calloway, from left, and sophomore Leandro Javier qualified for the regional in their respective races at the Manchester sectional Saturday. Calloway ran a personal-best 20:26 and finished second among individuals on non-advancing teams in the girls race. Javier ran a personal-best 19:03 and finished 13th among individuals on non-advancing teams in the boys race. Huntington University will host the regional at 10:30 a.m. this Saturday.
NORTH MANCHESTER — The persistence of Allyson Calloway and Leandro Javier paid off at the Manchester cross-country sectional Saturday.
Calloway and Javier both set personal bests, and both advanced to the regional by finishing among the top 15 individuals on non-advancing teams in their respective races.
Calloway ran a personal-best 20:26 and finished 14th overall in the field of 70 runners in the girls race. She also finished second among individuals on non-advancing teams.
Calloway, a junior, advanced to the regional for the third straight year.
Other Rochester runners included Adison Hayes, who ran a personal-best 24:23 and finished 53rd; and Emah Bradley, who ran a personal-best 32:42 and finished 70th. Brooklyn Chandler did not finish due to injury.
Tippecanoe Valley’s, from left, Christopher Marquez, Isaac Whetstone and Bailey Bussard advanced to the regional from the Manchester sectional Saturday. Marquez, a junior, ran an 18:38 and finished fifth among individuals on non-advancing teams, and Whetstone, a senior, ran a 19:10 and finished 14th among individuals on non-advancing teams in the boys race. Bussard, a senior, ran a 22:08 and finished ninth among individuals on non-advancing teams. Huntington University will host the regional at 10:30 a.m. this Saturday. Marquez and Bussard both advanced to their second straight regional while Whetstone advanced to the regional for the first time.
The lone Tippecanoe Valley runner to advance was senior Bailey Bussard, who was ninth among individuals on non-advancing teams in 22:08 and who advanced to the regional for the second straight year.
In addition, Argos’ one-person team of Lexi Gibson advanced after running a 21:59 and finishing eighth among individuals on non-advancing teams.
Culver’s Savanna Harrington and Coraline Day finished 67th and 68th in 29:27 and 29:41, respectively.
Columbia City won the team title with 35 points. It is their first sectional title since 2010 and broke Warsaw’s streak of 13 consecutive sectional titles.
Warsaw (50), Huntington North (86), Plymouth (91) and Manchester (112) also finished in the top five and advanced to the regional. No area school had the minimum five runners in order to register a team score.
Columbia City’s Kenya Leitch was the individual champion in 17:55.
“The goal going in was to go with a pack of Warsaw girls and get as many as we could,” Rochester coach Alex Gudeman said of Calloway’s strategy. “She went out kind of behind the pack and worked her way up as the race went. Especially in that last mile, she got a couple. She wanted to get top 20. That was the cutoff for awards. She finished 14th. Good day, great time. I’ve known since September that she’s had that kind of time in her. It just took to get the right day and right race to get it out of her. I’m really happy that she finally broke that one off.”
Gudeman added that Hayes has already made the top 50 all-time in school history with her time. Girls cross-country races were lengthened from 4K to 5 K in 2007.
Other Valley girls runners included McKenna Lowe, who was 52nd in 24:12; Katie Sterk, who was 57th in 24:58; and Ava Minix, who was 59th in 25:33.
Gibson had finished second at the Hoosier North meet two weeks earlier. She ran a personal-best 21:22 and said that was the most memorable moment in her running career.
Gibson credited her success at Manchester to her first mile.
“I was in the six-minute range,” Gibson said. “I was hitting my goal.”
Gibson said she has been running competitively for three years. She said she’s always loved it.
“The bonding and the team,” Gibson said when asked why she loves it. “The middle schoolers and everything.”
In the boys race, Javier, a sophomore who has been running competitively for only two years, finished 44th in the field of 77 runners in 19:03. He also was 13th among individuals on non-advancing teams.
“I had big expectations for him coming into the year. Arlo’s one of those (runners) coming in as a freshman doesn’t blow you away with his talent, but he’s put in the work. Since he started in the fall as a freshman, he’s been running consistently every season since then: Fall, winter, spring, summer, he’s been there every day putting in the work, and you really started to see it pay off this year. I’m really excited to see what another couple years of work can do for him.”
Senior Reece Johnson, the other Rochester runner, was 48th in 19:25. He missed advancing by eight seconds.
“He got off to a good start, but then it just got to him that second mile,” Guideman said. “And some days you have it. Some days you don’t. I’m not exactly sure if he was still feeling sore or maybe sick. Something with his breathing today… It’s hard to tell. It’s one of those things. I really feel bad for him. Last race as a senior, it’s not the way you want to go out. But again, just like Brooklyn, he’s got some time to relax, recover and get ready for a good track season.”
The other area boys to advance as individuals came from Valley, where Christopher Marquez was 35th overall and fifth among individuals on non-advancing teams in 18:38 and where Isaac Whetstone was 45th overall and 14th among individuals on non-advancing teams in 19:10.
Warsaw won the team crown with 36 points. Wabash (47), Columbia City (64), Manchester (97) and Culver Academy (126) also advanced to the regional.
Warsaw’s Jackson Gackenheimer was the individual champion in 15:36.
Advancing as individuals was the only means by which Rochester runners could advance as they had incomplete girls and boys teams.
Valley placed ninth out of 10 complete teams with 250 points. Rounding out the Valley lineup were Eli Sterk, who was 50th in 19:35; Luis Nuñez, who was 65th in 20:49; Gavin Leininger, who was 73rd in 24:02; Michael Leininger, who was 75th in 24:43, and Simeon Skippers, who was 77th in 26:58.
Argos had an incomplete team. The lone Dragon was senior Preston Mollette, who was 76th in 26:24.
Culver does not have a boys cross-country team.
Huntington University will host the regional this Saturday. The girls race will start at 10:30 a.m., and the boys race will follow at 11:15 a.m.
MANCHESTER GIRLS CROSS-COUNTRY SECTIONAL RESULTS (TOP FIVE ADVANCE TO REGIONAL): Columbia City 35, Warsaw 50, Huntington North 86, Plymouth 91, Manchester 112, Culver Academy 152, Wabash 173
ROCHESTER RESULTS
14. Allyson Calloway – 20:26, 53. Adison Hayes – 24:23, 70. Emah Bradley – 32:42
TIPPECANOE VALLEY RESULTS
36. Bailey Bussard – 22:08, 52. McKenna Lowe – 24:12, 57. Katie Sterk – 24:58, 59. Ava Minix – 25:33
ARGOS RESULTS
34. Lexi Gibson – 21:59
CULVER RESULTS
67. Savanna Harrington – 29:27, 68. Coraline Day – 29:41
TOP 15 INDIVIDUALS ON NON-ADVANCING TEAMS: 1. Kaleigh Rice (Northfield) – 19:17, 2. ALLYSON CALLOWAY (ROCHESTER) – 20:26, 3. Charlotte Baxter (Culver Academy) – 20:54, 4. Mia Fairchild (Wabash) – 21:20, 5. Natalia Pragale (Culver Academy) – 21:29, 6. Ivy Beamer (Wabash) – 21:54, 7. Teagan Baer (Northfield) – 21:55, 8. LEXI GIBSON (ARGOS) – 21:59, 9. BAILEY BUSSARD (VALLEY) – 22:08, 10. Ali Copeland (Northfield) – 22:12, 11. Leah Shafer (North Miami) – 22:20, 12. Jade Springer (Culver Academy) – 22:22, 13. Dorothy Sherck (Culver Academy) – 22:50, 14. Maya Howard (Wabash) – 23:29, 15. Mallory Tart (Wabash) – 23:30
INDIVIDUAL CHAMPION: Kenya Leitch (Columbia City) – 17:55
MANCHESTER BOYS CROSS-COUNTRY SECTIONAL RESULTS (POINTS IN PARENTHESES; TOP FIVE ADVANCE TO REGIONAL): Warsaw 36, Wabash 47, Columbia City 64, Manchester 97, Culver Academy 126, Plymouth 194, Huntington North 197, Northfield 198, VALLEY 250, Triton 274
VALLEY RESULTS (250 POINTS, NINTH PLACE)
35. Christopher Marquez – 18:38 (35), 45. Isaac Whetstone – 19:10 (43), 50. Eli Sterk – 19:35 (47), 65. Luis Nuñez – 20:49 (59), 73. Gavin Leininger – 24:02 (66), 75. Michael Leininger – 24:43, 77. Simeon Skippers – 26:58
ROCHESTER RESULTS
44. Leandro Javier – 19:03, 48. Reece Johnson – 19:25
ARGOS RESULTS
76. Preston Mollette – 26:24
TOP 15 INDIVIDUALS ON NON-ADVANCING TEAMS: 1. Ethan Podlesak (Plymouth) –17:31, 2. Caleb Thieme (Huntington North) – 18:00, 3. Elijah Gahl (Northfield) – 18:06, 4. Adan Macias (Plymouth) – 18:11, 5. CHRISTOPHER MARQUEZ (VALLEY) – 18:38, 6. Kourtland Pratt (Northfield) – 18:47, 7. Nolan Carroll (Plymouth) – 18:48, 8. Landon Perkins (Huntington North) – 18:51, 9. Shawn Kerschner (Huntington North) – 18:55, 10. Kendal Bollinger (Whitko) – 18:57.5, 11. Caden Large (Triton) – 18:57.8, 12. Rylan Miller (Northfield) – 18:58, 13. LEANDRO JAVIER (ROCHESTER) – 19:03, 14. ISAAC WHETSTONE (VALLEY) – 19:10, 15. Cole Ellet (Huntington North) – 19:17
INDIVIDUAL CHAMPION: Jackson Gackenheimer (Warsaw) – 15:36
