Vikings’ Cross Country Teams Once Again Take the Lead

Both the boys and girls proved their strength in numbers by running in packs, attaining first place in each race at the Lake Central meet. The coaches have preached that leading while sticking together creates a sense of camaraderie and togetherness.

Coach Michael Prow of the Valparaiso Boys Cross Country Team stated, “We wanted the boys to stay together without going out to quickly. Our plan played out perfectly and the boys had perfect 400 times. They were able to boost confidence in each other by running as a group.” He also spoke about winning the State Preview Meet at the Terre Haute state course by running man to man. Drew Finley, a junior on the team, summed up the events by saying, “We started out faster but still held together which kept us motivated and improved our times.”

Coach Adam Nellessen of the girls’ team also believes in running as a pack. “We preach group running like Coach Prow. It’s remarkable to note that our top pack consists of three freshmen, one sophomore, and one new junior. A promising future is sure to come,” he said.

Peyton Reed and Ari Coulopoulos finished together for Valpo at 16:04, the former in 1st and the latter in 2nd. Ari inspired everyone with an outstanding finish. He recalled, “It felt good to still be in front of the first two runners from La Porte.

It was only possible because we stuck together.” Thrilled that Ari was once again his running partner, Peyton remarked, “I’m glad Ari had his breakthrough during this meet. He is a vital part of our pack being unbeatable”. Taylor Bisacchi followed in 3rd with a time of 16:10.

The girls pulled off a brilliant finish as well, placing 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 6th, 7th, and 9th, the perfect example of running together. In 2nd was Allison Mundell with a time of 19:26, followed by Ellie Joll in 3rd at 19:57, and Aurora Bonner in 4th at 20:06. Hannah Zygmunt, a senior runner, described the experience, “Being able to see a teammate in front of you is the greatest motivation to move up, and running next to your teammate keeps you feeling twice as strong. That is the beauty of pack running”. She placed 16th with a time of 21:06.

LaPorte’s Anthony Didion held a lead for the first mile of the boys’ race. He finished 4th in a time of 16:14. 2nd for LaPorte, Nathan Gerick placed 9th in a time of 16:44. LaPorte’s Elena Lancioni was first in the girls race with a time of 19:08. Sarah Hudi finished 5th with a time of 20:06.

Top 10 Valpo Boys’ Times

Peyton Reed 16:04
Ari Coulopoulos 16:04
Taylor Bisacchi 16:10
Xavier Reed 16:20
Pat Dalton 16:20
Landon Davison 16:37
Andrew Lyp 16:42
Andrew Jankowski 16:56
Jordan Galligan 16:57
Corey Alfredson 17:07

Top 10 Valpo Girls’ Times

Allison Mundell 19:26
Ellie Joll 19:57
Aurora Bonner 20:06
Sydney Nosbusch 20:07
Alena Tonne 20:19
Michaela Gazdich 20:28
Tiffany Fortney 20:52
Hannah Zygmunt 21:06
Caira Walker 21:23
Brianna Konrad 22:35

Photos provided by Kathy Mengel, Zeke Beagle, and Molly Joll