SCOUTING LOCAL CROSS COUNTRY REGIONALS
Crown Point Regional
When: 11 a.m. today.
Where: Lemon Lake County Park, Crown Point.
Advancement: Top five teams and top 15 individuals advance to the Oct. 24 New Prairie Semistate.
Participating teams: BOYS -- Andrean, Crown Point, Gavit, Griffith, Highland, Hobart, Lake Central, Lowell, Munster, Merrillville. GIRLS -- Andrean, Crown Point, Griffith, Hanover Central, Highland, Lake Central, Lowell, Munster, West Side, Whiting.
Favorites: Crown Point boys, Crown Point girls.
Darkhorses: Lake Central boys, Lake Central girls.
Runners to watch: (BOYS) Andrean -- CJ Duncan, Pat Musgrave, Anthony Janiga; Crown Point -- Chris Shellenberger, Colin Likas, Kyle Davis, Marcus Trybula; Gavit -- Jose Palmerin, Dario Palmerin; Griffith -- Jimmy Burch, Ryan Zubrick; Highland -- Allan Appiah, Jake Baranowski; Hobart -- Paul Goodman, Vince Jimenez; Lake Central -- Kevin Horecky, Jake Ponton, Efrain Flores, Chris Jelewski, Eric Hickok; Lowell -- Cameryn Brady, Kyle Pattee, Cole Bushore, Austin Henderson, Brandon Bullitt; Munster -- Tony Rigoni, Grant Sepiol; Merrillville -- Dylan Harrison; Jacob Caddick. (GIRLS) Andrean -- Becca Conley, Alyssa Adelsperger, Beth Conley, Marina Alvarez; Crown Point -- Laicee Pierce, Lauren McCarroll, Augusta Schrader, Melissa Ostaszewski, Morgan Kleinaman, Allison Wortel, Madison Koch; Griffith -- Taylor Austin, Chrissy Leslie; Hanover Central -- Shelby Mager, Taylor Hillegonds; Highland -- Kristina Hayes, Hannah McCormick, Shannon Doolittle, Gabrielle Hernandez; Lake Central -- Dana Payonk, Megan Plenus, Anna Kacius, Shelby Carroll, Jill Tharp, Amanda Onest, Alaina Willis; Lowell -- Kristen Anderson, Cassandra Schnelle; Munster -- Kyela Specht, Lyndsey Kunz, Colleen Boyle, Kristin Brajak, Colleen Ogren, Ashley Burton; West Side -- Ashley Bebley, Kortney Mabone; Whiting -- Sayra Jimenez, Ilse Jimenez.
Fast facts: David Gladys of Hanover Central finished third in last year's race, and he's back again this season after placing third this past Tuesday at the Crown Point Sectional. The two runners who placed ahead of him -- Crown Point's Brian Witt and Munster's Matt Gehrig -- have graduated. Munster won last year's boys race, followed by Crown Point and Lake Central. Dana Payonk is the defending individual champion on the girls' side. The Lake Central girls team is seeking its sixth consecutive regional title.
New Prairie Regional
When: 11 a.m. today.
Where: New Prairie High School, New Carlisle.
Advancement: Top five teams and top 15 individuals advance to the Oct. 24 New Prairie Semistate.
Participating teams: BOYS -- Chesterton, Hebron, Kankakee Valley, Kouts, LaPorte, New Prairie, Portage, Rensselaer, Valparaiso, West Central. GIRLS -- Chesterton, Hebron, Kankakee Valley, Kouts, Michigan City, New Prairie, Portage, Valparaiso, West Central, Winamac.
Favorites: Chesterton boys, Portage girls.
Darkhorses: Rensselaer boys, Valparaiso girls.
Runners to watch: (BOYS) Boone Grove -- Mike Fauser; Chesterton -- David Osborn, Shane Kenney, Ryan Cutter, Jon Rogers, Andrew Morris; Hebron -- Jasen Egolf, Kyle Schmidt, Trevor Lewin; Kankakee Valley -- Dustin Schultz; Kouts -- Jake Carden; LaPorte -- Mitch Hubner, Josh Hojnacki, Austin Alcorn; New Prairie -- Blake Lawson; Rensselaer -- Trent Nagel, Corey Dowds, Casey Hooker; Valparaiso -- James Elia; West Central -- Cody Feuquay. (GIRLS) Boone Grove -- Jordan Chester; Chesterton -- Milana Socha, Melanie Buckmaster; Hebron -- Jordan Hanaway; Kankakee Valley -- Felicia Sytsma, Breanne Chevrette, Kelsey Osborne; Kouts -- Courtney Bennett; Michigan City -- Kristina Parrish; New Prairie -- Julie Jeszenszky; North Judson -- Holly Buckman; Portage -- Terra Norman, Christina Delturco, Abby Trader, Sierra King; Valparaiso -- Katelyn DeVries, Tiffany Fortney, Tricia Joll; West Central -- Alysha Faler; Wheeler -- Abby Zeitler.
Fast facts: Valparaiso is the defending girls champion. Valpo's Katelyn DeVries is the top returning individual, placing third last year. Chesterton is the defending boys champion. The Trojans' David Osborn is the top returning individual, placing second last year.
-- Compiled by Times sportswriters Jim Peters and Nate Ulrich
