EVANSVILLE – Bedford North Lawrence sophomore Paige Voigtschild advanced to the IHSAA state championship race during the regional competition at Angel Mounds on Saturday.
Voigtschild finished 32nd in the huge field of 243 competitors, crossing the line in 19:48.17. She advanced as one of the top 15 individuals who were not members of qualifying teams. The top five teams in the field earned tickets to the state meet.
“We are beyond excited for Paige to advance to the state championship,” BNL co-coach Amy Greenan said. “She was under control and very deliberate in the execution of her plan.
“Down the homestretch she battled the girl from Eastern Pekin (Katherine Hauner), knowing they were both looking for one of those last individual spots. It was exciting to see that they got the last two spots. We are all just over the moon for her.”
Columbus North’s Carys Glyn Jones was the individual winner in 18:17.46.
In the team competition, the Stars were 20th with 442 points. No.6 Columbus North won the title with 42, followed by Bloomington South (82), No.18 Floyd Central (109), Jasper (138) and No.20 Bloomington North (157). Mitchell was 24th with 620 points.
Other top finishers for BNL included Elise Williams (87th in 21:35.78) and Francesca Orozco (139th in 22:29.42).
“We really had great performances from the rest of the team,” Greenan said. “Elise ran tough the whole way and looked so strong. Francesca ended a stellar career with a solid race. We are excited at the progress we’ve had this season and looking forward to next year.”
Voigtschild, the first BNL runner to advance to the finals since Autumn Spence in 2020, will compete in the state meet on the LaVern Gibson championship course in Terre Haute on Nov. 2.
In the boys meet, BNL finished 11th with 367 points in 25-team field. No.1 Bloomington North won the regional crown with 51 points, followed by No.7 Evansville Reitz (58), No.2 Columbus North (82), Edgewood (164) and No.24 Floyd Central (196)
Nick Lindley was top finisher for BNL, crossing 53rd overall in 16:41.98. Jonah Bailey was 62nd in 16:49.96, and Tucker Inman was 79th in 17:07.63.
“The boys ran great,” BNL coach Nick Boyd said. “We had several career PRs and a huge run from Nick. He has been waiting for a race like that and I am so glad he found it.
“I want to personally thank the seniors for all of their time and hard work over the past four years. We were shooting for the top 10 and I am very pleased with an 11th-place finish. That is huge progress for us from our 23rd-place finish last year in the regional. I am super proud of all of our work this season.”
Reitz’s Jackson Nolan was the individual winner in 15:09.15, clipping Bloomington North’s Jacob Mitchell by 0.29 at the line.
IHSAA REGIONAL
Saturday at Angel Mounds
