2021-22 Cross Country State Finals Recap
Oct. 30, 2021
Chatard's Cridge, Columbus North's Kilbarger-Stumpff win Individual Titles
Brebeuf Boys Win First Crown, Columbus North takes Girls Title
Lily Cridge of Indianapolis Bishop Chatard separated herself from the girls pack early on and Columbus North's Reese Kilbarger-Stumpff held off defending state champion Izaiah Steury of Angola in the boys race.
The muddy, wet conditions this day at LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute didn't dampen the spirit of either runner or that of Brebeuf Jesuit or Columbus North, the boys and girls team champions, respectively.
Cridge, a junior, ran to a dominating victory in 17:32.7 seconds, the sixth-fastest 5,000 meter time in the state finals and 30.9 seconds faster than runner-up Nicki Southerland (18:03.6), a sophomore from Delta. The 1-2 gap was the fifth-largest margin of victory in the history of the event. Cridge becomes the first Bishop Chatard runner to win the crown.
Park Tudor teammates Sophia Kennedy (18:06.5) and Gretchen Farley (18:15.1) finished third and fourth with Homestead's Addison Knoblauch in fifth at 18:18.0. Defending champion Karina James of Lowell ended sixth in 18:30.5.
The Columbus North girls of head coach Rick Sluder tallied 79 points earning their second team title to go along with their 2009 trophy. Lily Baker was their top finisher taking eighth overall in 18:42.6. Julia Kiesler was 11th in 18:53.4 and Brianna Newell was 26th in 19:24.9.
Carmel was runner-up with 92 points and Chesterton finished a distant third place with 221 points.
In the boys race, Kilbarger-Stumpff, who easily won his regional and semi-state races over the last two weeks, finished in a time of 15.22.6, just 1.2 seconds ahead of Steury. Kilbarger-Stumpff becomes the second Bull Dog runner to win the overall title and first since Christian Wagner in 2003.
Coached by long-time leader Karl Knerr, Brebeuf Jesuit ran to its first team title with 78 points, a resounding triumph over runner-up Hamilton Southeastern with 117. Brebeuf's previous best showings were third place endings each of the last two years. Columbus North was third with 136, Fishers fourth with 142 and Carmel rounded out the top five with 157.
All five Braves runners finished in the top 30 overall led by Krishna Thirunavukkarasu who was third in 15:26.3. Collin Stevens was 19th in 16:10.6, Matteo Rosio was 22nd in 16:13.0, Ezra Burrell was 29th in 16:20.1 and Cameron Todd was 30th in 16:21.2.
After Thirunavukkarasu, Carmel's Kole Mathison was fourth in 15:37.2 and Jasper's Abram Eckman was fifth in 15:43.4.
James, Kilbarger-Stumpff, win Mental Attitude Awards
Following the meet, Reese Kilbarger-Stumpff of Columbus North High School and Karina James of Lowell High School were announced as the recipients of the IHSAA mental attitude awards in boys and girls cross country, respectively.
Reese is the son of Alan Kilbarger and Julia Stumpff of Columbus, Ind. and Karina is the daughter of Timothy and Lisa James of Lowell, Ind.
The annual recipients of the awards were nominated by their principal and coach, and were determined by the IHSAA Executive Committee to have best demonstrated mental attitude, scholarship, leadership and athletic ability during their four years of high school.
Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance presented a $1,000 scholarship to each school's general scholarship fund in the names of Kilbarger-Stumpff and James.