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Eels get valuable experience at Stuart Bennett Invitational
When the inaugural Stuart Bennett Invitational was postponed due to inclement weather earlier in the month, Clay City’s cross country programs were keeping a close eye on when it would be moved to.
Upon hearing that it would take place on Wednesday – and with the Shakamak Invitational, one of the prominent meets the Eels compete in each year, taking place on Saturday – head coaches Cole Schroer and Melanie Laswell had a choice to make with how they would approach things.
They ultimately decided to remain in the pair of races due to the respect they had for Bennett but used it as a way to work on their long-distance conditioning, although they acknowledged that their initial plan was altered a bit when the competitive juices came out for their runners at the start line.
Clay City’s boys team finished third behind Terre Haute South and Northview while the girls team finished fourth behind Northview, Terre Haute South and Terre Haute North. Still, it was a productive night that should make them better the rest of the season, said Schroer and Laswell.
“We used it as a higher-paced tempo run. They ran hard but didn’t completely go all out,” said Schroer. “It’s completely different from practice. You get your uniform on and get to the start line and things change quite a bit. You could tell they got some leg speed just based on that.”
“The girls, they were due for a long run but it’s also a recovery week, so we told them to go through their normal warmup and then run their race. But after that, we asked them to run an additional mile before calling it a night, so that’s what they did,” said Laswell. “It all went pretty well. We had some that really wanted to race today and just went.”
It also served as an opportunity for the Eels to get another look at LaVern Gibson Championship Course, the host site for the upcoming sectional championship meet.
Schroer said that with four teams, it gave his group a different perspective on the course. He’s hopeful that will translate when the calendar flips to October and there’s not as much room for his team, which was led by Jayden Hickenbotham, who finished 25th with a time of 20:03, to maneuver.
“Being able to see better without it being overly crowded was big,” said Schroer. “You can run a lot better when you can see where you’re going. We talked about the importance of getting another look at the course. I think we feel better about it now.”
Laswell, who has a very young and inexperienced team this fall, is hopeful that just being at LaVern Gibson for another race will give her group of freshmen – Anna Duckwall, Shelby Hofmann and Sydney Lowdermilk – as well as the others that have been in the program for no more than two years will help calm their nerves when the stakes are the highest during the postseason.
“I think being back out here helps,” said Laswell. “It’s also good to get back out here, especially for the freshmen to get another look at the course.”
And while the experiences and competition were paramount for the Eels in Wednesday’s meet, the main reason Clay City wanted to participate in the first-ever Stuart Bennett Invitational was due to the admiration it has for the Northview cross country alum.
“Stu came around Clay City and hung out with some of the people on our teams back then, so we knew him and joked around with him a lot. It was important for us to come here and remember Stu and run in honor of him,” Schroer said.
Stuart Bennett Invitational boys results
Team scores – Terre Haute South 22, Northview 35, Clay City 85, Terre Haute North N/S
Clay City (85) – Jayden Hickenbotham 20:03, Luke Laswell 20:36, Brady Hauer 20:46, Luke Swearingen 20:46, Brayden Wiram 20:57, Alex Edwards 21:09, Jack Edwards 21:30, Ethan Schopmeyer 23:18, Elliott Corbin 23:31
Stuart Bennett Invitational girls results
Team scores – Northview 33, Terre Haute South 37, Terre Haute North 51, Clay City 119
Clay City (119) – Anna Duckwall 26:54, Jenna Hofmann 27:34, Shelby Hofmann 28:28, Olivia Shidler 28:37, Sydney Lowdermilk 28:38, Millie Withers 28:38, Tessa Stagg 28:38