August 17, 2024, was the first meet of the season for the Mount Vernon boys’ and girls’ cross country teams. The season kicked off with teams from all over, including Carmel, Northridge, Lake Central, Greenfield and Avon. Over forty teams competed intending to start this cross country season off strong. It was a goal to show off the strength that had been gained and upheld throughout summer conditioning.
The morning started at 9:30 am with the varsity girls kicking it off to a great start. On the line representing Mount Vernon for varsity girls were Kendall Cagnet (10), Ella Sinn (12), Brooklyn Harris (10) and Jessica Iserloth (10). As for junior varsity, the lineup included Amilia Daniels (11), Alexis Eads (10), Kristyn Filsaime (10), and Galyn Moore (10). The morning was relatively warm, with the temperature reaching the seventies by the time the junior varsity girls ran.
The run occurred in Terre Haute on a course that is not only used for Valley Kickoff, but is also used for the cross country state meet. This was a great start to the season; though it was hot, there were many good times which included improvements for some runners from the start of last year. For example, Kendall Cagnet (10) improved by almost 7 minutes at this meet and Brooklyn Harris (10) improved by nearly 4 minutes compared to last year’s Valley Kickoff.
Carmel came in first, not only dominating the runs, but having a greater number of runners as well. In just the junior varsity division, the number of participating runners added up to a total of eighty-two for just Carmel.
The scores were released following the meets and showed the results of Carmel in first for the girls’ division with the individual winner being Charlotte Konow. In the boys’ division, Bloomington South took the crown, with their runner Isaiah Dilger being the individual winner.
This was a successful kickoff to the season for both boys and girls, but there is much work to be done until state. There is a lot of talent and it is looking good for the Mount Vernon cross country athletes.