Batesville High School

Despite a very unusual week of training, with temperatures climbing into major heat-advisory territory and the Bulldogs unable to have a normal week of preparation, the Batesville High School Cross Country teams put together a strong showing at the 15 team East Central Invitational this morning. Thankfully, temperatures were a little more manageable as the girls took to the starting line at 9:00 a.m. Junior Jayla Bedel led the way for the Bulldogs, capturing the individual championship in 20:23—more than 30 seconds ahead of the runner-up, who happened to be her teammate, Francesca Myers, who crossed the line in 21:01. Caitlin Raver continued the Bulldogs’ strong showing, finishing 6th overall in 21:43. A strong group then came through to round out the varsity seven, led by seniors Sydney Gilland, who recorded a personal best of 22:11 to finish 13th overall, and Paige Allgeier, who finished 16th in 22:28. Sophomores Aubrey Weberding and Audrey Dieckmann followed closely behind, placing 17th (22:44) and 18th (23:16) overall, respectively. The Bulldogs’ strong front proved to be the difference as Batesville held off Harrison by just one point, 38-39, to capture the team championship and extend their winning streak! The Batesville boys also ran strong up front and put together a solid team performance to secure the victory over East Central, 47-61. The Bulldogs’ top five were all in the top 18 overall, mirroring the strong depth shown by the girls. Freshman Cael Luhman led the way, crossing the finish line as the first Bulldog in 5th place overall in 18:19. Juniors Levi Essick and Ryan Benz followed close behind, finishing 6th (18:30) and 7th (18:31), respectively. Freshman Duncan Fish was the fourth Bulldog across the line, placing 11th overall in 19:07, while senior Brody Gibson rounded out the scoring five with an 18th-place finish. (20:09) Freshmen Timothy Quillin and Luke Raver completed the varsity seven, finishing 26th (20:31) and 28th (20:48), respectively. Great job, Girls and Boys! Another strong performance by both and championship trophies coming home to Batesville! On the JV side, awards were presented to the top 10 overall finishers, and the Bulldogs made their presence known by claiming four girls’ and four boys’ awards. Freshman Rhett Gibson led the way for the Batesville boys, crossing the finish line in 20:52 to earn a JV award. Reillee Adams was the top Bulldog girl, finishing runner-up overall in 23:56. Other Bulldogs earning JV awards included: Girls: Reillee Adams – 2nd Addison McGuire – 3rd Zoe Martin – 5th Kayde Adams – 10th Boys: Rhett Gibson – 2nd Lucas Gadberry – 3rd Varshath Rajesh – 8th Ayden Meyer – 10th