Boys Field Brings Together Indiana's Best And Adds Powerful York From Illinois

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

The last time Columbus North and Carmel went head to head in boys cross country, at the Eagle Classic on on Sept. 11, the top prizes were evenly split. 

Columbus North, the No. 1 ranked team in the Midwest at the time, beat its Indiana rival by a 53-70 margin. 

Carmel's talented sophomore, Kole Mathison, edged Carmel North's standout, Reese Kilbarger-Stumpff, 14:57 to 14:58. 

That matchup is front and center again this weekend at the Nike XC Town Twilight, Presented by the Garrett Companies, at the LaVern Gibson Championship Course outside Terre Haute. ENTRIES

In an event billed as a Midwest regional preview, the top teams on the starting list are primarily from the Hoosier state. York (Elmhurst) IL will be a significant addition to the boys championship field. 

The meet, organized by the National Scholastic Athletics Foundation, does not closely resemble last year's XC Town Meet of Champions, which was one of the most important meets of the broken 2020 season.

IHSA rules mandate that interstate competition can only involve schools that live within 300 miles of the Indiana state border (600 miles roundtrip), which precludes larger scale meets from happening during the season. 

Still, it's a chance to race at LaVern Gibson, which is a meaningful opportunity to race on the Indiana state championship course as well as NXR Midwest. 

"It's a really great opportunity for us to see the No. 1 team in Indiana again," Carmel coach Colin Altevogt said. 

One concern is the weather. The meet is supposed to happen after dark and the weekend forecast warns of thunderstorms. 

On the girls side, Carmel and Columbus North are again the main attraction.

Carmel, ranked 19th nationally, edged Columbus North (No. 24) at the Eagle Classic, 52-59. Carmel junior Jasmine Klopstad finished second in that race (17:59) and Columbus North was led by junior Lily Baker's sixth-place finish (18:10).