Bull Dogs win national-caliber drag race; North girls finish 4th amid deep field

Rick Weinheimer Classic — Cross Country at CERAland

The Bull Dogs didn’t jog—they howled. Ranked No. 2 in Indiana and Top-15 nationally, Columbus North put four in the top-10 and clipped No. 1 Noblesville in a 39-team showpiece, 42–57. Senior Denton Sluder blazed 14:57.22—tied for the second-fastest 5K in program lore—while Jace Works (7th, 15:10.49), Justin Reckers (9th, 15:21.99), Joseph Day (10th, 15:22.31) formed a front-pack hammer. Add Logan Vanzant (12th, 15:32.61), Graham Pumphrey (13th, 15:32.73) and Sam Steinmetz (16th, 15:38.63), and you get a rolling phalanx. The headline metric: a 15:16.93 top-five average—best in school history. That’s blue-ribbon, podium-ready stuff.

The North girls (No. 12 Indiana) battled a loaded board—Milford (OH), No. 13 Floyd Central, No. 16 Noblesville—and placed 4th on the tiebreaker. Tristan Works (18th, 19:06.90), Emma Lowther (22nd, 19:16.97), and Kodi Smith (24th, 19:19.21) paced a training-heavy group that will sharpen as mileage comes off.

Area report:

Hauser took 3rd in Class A, fueled by Nolan Dailey (26th overall, 15:55.12) and Jace Wright (16:43.60).

Jennings County (13th), Greensburg (14th), Brown County (19th), Columbus East (18th) banked PRs that matter when the Brown County Sectional pistol pops. Notables: Max Rodriguez (Jennings, 16:36.11), Eddie Webb (Brown, 17:01.38), Norman Dickson (East, 16:20.02).

Verdict: the Dogs’ boys pack looks like a title contender; the girls are trending upward with a taper to come.