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Duo powers PH to win
Hendershot, Mills both in top 3; Lapel's Steele third in girls race
By Joe Lanane, For
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Pendleton Heights Nathan Hendershot leads Oak Hills' Cameron Balser and his teammate Hunter Mills, far right, as the Arabians hosted 23 teams for their annual Arabian Roundup Cross Country meet Wednesday. Hendershot and Mills finished 2nd and 3rd securing the team title for the Arabians.
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PENDLETON — Nathan Hendershot admitted he was disappointed after taking second place at Wednesday’s Arabian Roundup, but the senior had plenty of support off and on the course in the form of was more than happy with the performance of senior teammate Hunter Mills and the rest of the Pendleton Heights Arabians cross country squad.
With Hendershot and Mills finishing second and third behind Oak Hill’s Cameron Balser, there was little doubt even before the results were revealed which school would be crowned boys team champion.
Anchored by second- and third-place finishes by Hendershot and Mills,The Arabians placed all seven runners in the top 40 to average more than 20 seconds better than second-place Yorktown.
Hendershot said he benefited from Balser’s injury at last year’s Arabian Roundup to take first place, but Balser ultimately came out on top with a slightly better finish at state. Despite not winning his hometown race his senior season, Hendershot said he now has a better idea where he ranks among the area’s elite runners.
“Those first two miles we were neck and neck, and then that last mile we started breaking apart,” Hendershot said, finishing at 16:41, just 10 seconds behind Balser. “That just tells me I have things to work on throughout the season, and I’ll see him again — but he ran a good race.”
Balser did not pose the only threat to Hendershot as Mills also found himself at an early advantage before ultimately finishing third. Hendershot said he was impressed with his fellow senior, and he hopes the high individual accolades will bode well for the Arabians come time for state.
“We’ve been running all summer, and this year (Mills) has got very strong and finishing pretty much even with me in all the workouts this year,” Hendershot said. “I was pretty surprised he was with me, but I shouldn’t be anymore.”
Pendleton Heights coach Alan Holden said he would still gladly put his money on Hendershot next time he crosses paths with Balser, and that he was proud to see his team accomplish one of many goals it set out for this season. After Wednesday’s performance, Holden said his team showed a lot of promise to recapture the Hoosier Heritage Conference title and even the school’s first state cross country appearance.
“You always look at the county, and this shows we’re going to be one of the best,” Holden said. “We had won the conference four or five years in a row, and we gave it up the last two years, so we’d like to get it back and continue on — maybe get a sectional. It’s been awhile.”
Frankton and Lapel rounded out the top 10 boys team standings, while Alexandria finished 15th.
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Lapel's Leah Steele competes in the Pendleton Heights Arabian Roundup Cross Country meet Wednesday. Steele was the top finisher for County schools out of the field of 23 teams placing third with a time of 20:26.
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On the girls side, Lapel junior Leah Steele anchored all Madison County runners with a third-place time of 20:26. The time fell almost 30 seconds above Steele’s desired time this season, but she said considering the conditions and high level of competition, she was satisfied with her results.
“It’s what you’re able to do in the long run and how you mentally prepare, especially today,” Steele said. “I felt good because I gave it my all. I got to that finish, and I didn’t think I could have done any better.”
Steele is coming off a first-place finish at last week’s dual meet against Alexandria, but she said she enjoyed competing against the 23-team large field Wednesday, explaining it served as a valuable precursor for bigger meets down the road.
“I like it a lot better because it’s going to prepare me a lot better for those bigger meets like sectionals and how to do with these nerves,” Steele said. “It’s really exciting to see what everyone brought to the table.”
Eastern Hancock’s Breanna Lawyer captured first place overall, but it was New Palestine that took the overall girls team title. Finishing fourth were the Pendleton Heights girls, led by Mur Hagerman’s eighth-place finish. Anderson was 13th, with Chloe Miller placing 24th.
