It was an exciting day for coaches, cross country teams, moms, dads, and spectators. Saturday, October 30th, 2010 was the state-wide Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) Cross Country Championships. The Top 24 qualifying schools for boys and girls cross country teams ran on the Levern Gibson Championship Course at the Wabash Family Sports Center in Terre Haute, IN. Valparaiso High School Boys Cross Country was just one of the teams that ran Saturday. The Valpo Boys XC team placed 10th in State. Coaches Mike Prow and Aaron Crague were very pleased with their team.
Junior Ahmad Aljobeh also did very well that day. Humbly feeling as if he didn't make the top 15, Ahmad stood with his teammates when the announcement was made, "Please come to the front of the crowd if you were in the top 15"... thinking he just made the cut off at 16th, when Ahman heard his name, he was very excited. Then, there was a long pause with lots of cheering fans as he made his way through the crowd and up to the stage, with a big smile he accepted his medal. He placed 15th with a time of 15:55. Coaches and teammates were very proud of their fellow teammate Ahmad.
It was a beautiful day for a cross country meet, sunny and cool. The fans, family & friends were out in full force supporting their teams. Valpo was no exception, you could look all around and see green & white, not to mention the teammates and fans that dressed up in Viking costume and attire. Vikings were cheering and blowing horns in support of their XC team! It just made for a more exciting day.
Making the Top 7 were:
- Junior Ahmad Aljobeh
- Freshman Ari Coulopoulos
- Senior Michael Bobos
- Sophomore Xavier Reed
- Sophomore Patrick Dalton
- Senior Colin Stiscak
- Sophomore Peyton Reed
The Top 24 Schools include:
| 24 Crown Point | 18 West Noble | 12 Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger |
| 23 Munster | 17 West Lafayette | 11 Mishawaka |
| 22 Bedford North Lawrence | 16 Martinsville | |
| 21 Terre Haute South | 15 Fort Wayne Snyder | |
| 20 Chesterton | 14 Carroll (F. Wayne) | |
| 19 Bloomingdale | 13 LaPorte |
The Top 10 School include:
- Columbus North
- Nobelsville
- Lawrence North
- North Central (Indianapolis)
- Terre Haute North
- Hamilton Southeastern
- North Harrison
- South Bend Saint Joseph's
- Carmel
- Valparaiso
Congratulations Valparaiso High School Boys Cross Country Team and Coaches on a successful season!
Photos contributed by: Kelly Coulopoulos, proud mom of Freshman Ari Coulopoulos- VHS XC State competition runner and Barby Alfredson proud mom of Freshman Corey Alfredson VHS XC Team member.
Photos include:
#1 Stiscak (12)
#2 Bobos (12)
#3 Dalton (10)
#4 Reed (10)
#5 Aljobeh (11)
#6 Viking Fans & Teammates
#7 Young Viking Fans
#8 The top 15
#9 Congrats for Ahmad
#10 Coaches Prow & Crague w/ Ahmad
#11 The top 12 for VHS
#12 IHSAA Competition
#13 Viking horn blower, Coulopoulos (9), Reed (10) XC