Cross Country State Finals Results
Results from the Wabash County cross country runners at the state finals.
For the second consecutive year the Wabash High School boys cross country team competed in the state championship, going against the best the state has to offer. The Apaches improved their result from the previous year finishing 21st in the 25 team field. Despite being the smallest school in the race the Apaches competed fiercely against the mega schools with enrollments 2-10x larger.
Junior Isaiah Cordes ended his season finishing 55th, running a lifetime PR of 15:59. No doubt he will come back next season hungry for more. Senior Jace Bullins ran to a 133rd place finish. His improvement this year has been phenomenal and he is a major reason why this team is where we are. Fellow senior Jonas Church finished close behind in 138th place. Jonas’ dedication and discipline have been cited by many of his teammates as reasons they are inspired to run. He is the teammate everyone wants. Sophomore Ezra Church completed his season comeback from a stress fracture and finished 200th with the second best time of his life. Ezra’s willingness to battle back from an injury that should’ve taken him out of the entire season is an inspiration to his teammates. First year runner, Junior Caidan Burchett, running in the first state finals of his career showed why he is an integral part of this team by finishing with a new career best time of 17:03. Brett Shull, Junior, never one to back down, competed with his brothers despite nagging shin splints. He came in 223rd in a gutsy race. Freshman Kamden Oswalt gained valuable experience running in this meet. His time of 17:42 is the second best time of his life.
Throughout the season the Apaches traveled around the state looking for challenges. In these meets they were never the biggest school, had the biggest team, or stood out from the crowd in any way. These factors however played no part in the mindset of the Wabash runners. From the summer running and lifting to the fun trips and team camps these young men put in the work for each other. This dedication is what fueled the success of this team. To them getting better is only worth if it helps the team be more successful.
This marks the end of the season in which the Apaches were the Mississinewa Invite Champions, Wapahani Invite Champions, Manchester Invite Champions, Apache Invite Champions, TRC Champions (7th time in 8 years), and state qualifiers for the 2nd consecutive year.
Kyler Dale finished an excellent season at the IHSAA State Meet in Terre Haute Saturday running a career PR of 16:17 to finish 92nd in a field of the top 248 runners in the state. This 7-year MXC career includes not only a State Meet appearance, but the 2nd best 5k time under Coach Sarber, 2x Most Valuable Runner, and 3x All-Conference.
Ayla Cashdollar and Kadence Fox both end tremendous MXC careers Saturday at the IHSAA State Meet. Ayla broke 19 minutes to finish 61st place and Kadence broke 20 minutes to finish 150th place. Ayla is a 2x State Qualifier, 2x Most Valuable Runner, and school record holder in the 5k. Kadence is a 3x State Qualifier, 2x Most Valuable Runner, and #3 on the all-time list under Coach Sarber.
