The 2024 Carmel High School Girls’ Cross Country season has been one to remember. On November 2nd, in Terre Haute, Indiana, five girls ran away with the IHSAA state title. In the first season under Head Coach Scott Williams, the Carmel team brought home Carmel’s 20th girls’ cross-country title. Their first since 2020. They secured the victory by 16 points to Fort Wayne’s Concordia.
Carmel’s success has gone far beyond just the state of Indiana. The seven-girl squad will have to take their success to the next level after qualifying for Nike Cross Nationals. Two weeks ago, Carmel’s top runners competed at the Nike Cross Midwest Regional on the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course, in Terre Haute, Indiana. With four points separating the top three teams, Carmel placed third with 150 points. This race was exceptionally close with Illinois’ Downers Grove North narrowly beating Michigan’s Romeo by one point. The Nike Cross Nationals (NXN) committee announced the finalists late on the evening of November 30th, placing Carmel at the top of that list.
Carmel Girls’ NXR Midwest squad:
Annabel Pollert (Sophomore): 39th place – 18:15.37
Sadie Foley (Junior): 32nd place – 18:20.73
Larkin Taylor (Sophomore): 45th place – 18:22.04
Margo Halle (Freshman): 94th place – 18:56.48
Olivia Mundt (Senior): 99th place – 19:00.82
Ella Gaddis (Senior): 146th place – 19:23.74
Katy Dascoli (Senior): 235th place – 20:27.93
(Times from MileSplit IN)
Carmel’s seven runners will compete in Portland, Oregon on December 7th. This marks a significant milestone, being the first Indiana team to qualify for Nationals since the Carmel Boys Team in 2017. Annabel Pollert, Sadie Foley, Larkin Taylor, Margo Halle, Olivia Mundt, Ella Gaddis, and Katy Dascoli have an incredible opportunity to represent their Carmel Greyhounds at NXN at the end of this week.
Check out the Girls Championship Race kicking off at 10:05 am PST at Glendoveer Golf Course in Portland to cheer on our fellow Greyhounds as they close out a near-flawless season.
