The fall portion of the 2001-02 school year is in the IHSAA record book, with 14 different schools of a possible 15 celebrating IHSAA state championships in eight sports. The only school to claim two titles was Carmel, which captured girls soccer and girls cross country. In doing so, Carmel ran its state-best number of overall IHSAA titles to 70.

The runner-up finishes were spread among 14 different schools, with Valparaiso (girls cross country, Class 5A football) the only multiple entry.

Highlights of the 2001-02 fall season:

• Western, without a senior in the lineup, won the first IHSAA state championship in school history by ending Martinsville’s six-year run of girls golf titles with a 16-stroke margin of victory. Martinsville finished second, giving the Artesians 11 straight years of finishing either first or second in the state tournament. Caroline Haase, a junior at Culver Academy, captured the individual championship with an even-par 72 that gave her a two-day total of one-over-par-145.

• After two runner-up finishes in the previous five years, Center Grove captured team honors in boys tennis with a 4-1 triumph over conference rival Terre Haute North. It was the first boys state championship in school history and came in the 25^th season of coach Ivan Smith. In singles, Tom Murphy (25-2) of Indianapolis Cathedral battled to a three-set victory to claim the school’s first individual title, while Carmel freshmen Steve Auda and Ethan Jaffee (32-1) gave their school its second straight doubles championship.

• Carmel won its second consecutive title and fifth overall in girls soccer with a 1-0 triumph over Homestead.

• Fort Wayne Canterbury captured its first boys soccer title since 1998 and third overall by downing first-time finalist Brownsburg 1-0.

• Carmel ran to its first girls cross country title since 1997 and 10^th in the 21-year history of the event with a 16-point margin over defending state champion Valparaiso. Senior Jessica Gall of West Lafayette was the individual state champion.

• Franklin celebrated its first state title in boys cross country and the first by the school in any IHSAA sport since 1938 with a 15-point margin over Columbus North. Junior Nef Araia of Lawrence was the individual state champion in a tight race with Kaleb Van Ort of DeKalb.

• In volleyball, Delta (Class 3A) won its first IHSAA title in any sport by downing Fort Wayne Luers. Michigan City Marquette captured its third straight Class A title and Muncie Burris made it five straight in Class 2A. Indianapolis Cathedral, competing in Class 4A for the first time, won its third volleyball crown overall.

• Southern Wells (Class A) and Jasper (Class 4A) won their first football state titles, while Fort Wayne Bishop Luers (Class 2A) won its second crown in three years. Indianapolis Bishop Chatard (Class 3A) made it three titles in five years, while Ben Davis (Class 5A) earned its sixth title overall to tie Sheridan for the state lead. For Ben Davis coach Dick Dullaghan, it gave him seven titles overall (six at Ben Davis, one at Carmel) to move into the state lead. Jasper’s Jerry Brewer won his first state championship while coaching in his fifth title game. The state leader in career victories, Brewer moved his overall record to 357-102-2.

• Volleyball, with 382 schools entered in the 30th state tournament, had the highest number of participating schools. Football, with 16,720 athletes, had the most participants in the fall tournaments. In all, 43,538 athletes were involved in the eight IHSAA tournament series in the 2001-02 fall season.