Yorktown girls win 7 in a row, Wapahani boys 3-peat at Delaware County cross country meet

MUNCIE, Ind. — In the process of breaking her own records, Delta's Nicki Southerland doesn't take every stride so seriously.

In fact, one of the state's top runners often has an imaginary jukebox playing in her head.

"I usually think of parts of songs, random songs, and they just play over and over," Southerland said. "When I'm done I can't remember what it was or why I was thinking of it, but it helps me get through."

Her unexplainable strategy clearly worked as the junior on Tuesday won her third consecutive Delaware County cross country title, topping her area record from last year by more than 22 seconds with a time of 17:52.9 minutes at Cowan High School, nearly two-and-a-half minutes faster than the runner-up, Daleville junior Faith Norris (20:21.98).

Related:15 East Central Indiana girls cross-country runners to watch during the 2022 season

After winning the 3,200m state title in the spring, Southerland set a new goal of a cross country state title. She finished second in the state last fall but has recommitted herself to superior hydration, nutrition and discipline to be better positioned for a winning effort on Oct. 29.

She's pleased with her performance so far this season, with the highlight being her record-setting time of 17:15.1 in the Marian Invitational meet at Indiana Wesleyan University on Sept. 3. She previously visited the University of Notre Dame that week and met the runner who held the previous record, which gave her some added motivation.

"I got to talk to her and I was like, 'If I can do that, then maybe the Notre Dame coach will be able to notice me,'" Southerland said. "I was really excited when I was able to get that."

Wapahani junior Nick Cook, another familiar name atop the leaderboards, won the boys race with a time of 16:38.06, marking his second county victory after placing second in 2021.

Related:15 East Central Indiana boys cross-country runners to watch during the 2022 season

Cook's time this year was about 20 seconds faster than last year's winner and 46 seconds better than his second-place time. He said he improved his discipline in the offseason, drinking less "pop," more water and with only the occasional sweet-tea lemonade, and it's paying off as he's now won two consecutive meets.

Now an upperclassman, Cook's goal is to make it to the state meet. He placed 60th in the New Haven semistate meet in 2021 with a slower time than any he's run this year thus far, so he'll continue aiming to finish in the mid-16 minute range.

"Nick Cook is a state-caliber runner that's running state-caliber races pretty much every race now," Wapahani head coach Bo Stevenson said. "He's trying to find a whole new level right now. He's doing a good job of doing the right things to get there ... Everyone's rooting for him. We're excited to see where he goes."

The team winners remained the same for the third straight season, with Wapahani's boys (24) and Yorktown's girls (36), hoisting the championship trophies for the third and seventh consecutive years, respectively.

Although Yorktown was led by its two seniors, Rachael Stagge (fourth place, 21:05.02) and Alison Smith (fifth, 21:07.59), head coach Jared Turner has been impressed with the improvement and maturation of his second-year runners this season.

Sophomores Tori Oliver (sixth, 21:45.48) and Aurilia Moulton (eighth, 21:53.27) were the only underclassmen in the entire field to earn All-County honors, and two more Tiger sophomore finished in the top-15. Turner feels the experience they gained last year, winning a sectional title and getting used to running a 5k instead of the middle school 3k, gave his younger runners a better game plan of what they needed to do to continue the program's success, and he's seen them increase their standard in 2022.

The runners enter the program knowing what is required of them, and the team leaders ever year have done well to not let discipline devolve. This group, in particular, is a mix of youth and experience, and Turner is excited to see what their potential is by the end of the season.

"It's cliché, but tradition never graduates, right? They've set this tradition in motion and kids just come into this program knowing, 'Oh my gosh, we've won seven county titles in a row. There's a winning tradition here. We want to be a part of that. We want to see how we can contribute to that,'" Turner said. "It just kind of builds, and pretty soon you're an old guy like me, you blink your eyes and you've won seven in a row and you're just like, 'Wow, that's really cool that it's just continued through all these years.'"

That mindset extends to Yorktown's reserves as well. Turner commended junior Abby Goller, who was a late substitution for a sick Tiger runner, for staying prepared despite not originally being asked to run in the meet. She finished in 14th place with a time of 23:49.7.

"She learned yesterday that she was running this meet, stepped right in there and did not miss a beat," Turner said. "She ran in front of I think most other teams' fifth runner today. So that's a junior being prepared, knowing that she could be called on, and when she was called on, she was ready. So that was a cool moment for me."

Stevenson has seen similar qualities in his Raiders boys runners, who this year also sport a mix of experienced seniors and motivated newcomers who've brought more of a "fire" than the group's had before, according to Stevenson.

One junior, three seniors and one freshman earned All-County honors for the team, with two more underclassmen placing in the top-20. Wapahani's boys won a sectional title in 2021, so the team will be looking to repeat again and improve its standing at the regional meet.

"We've got experience that's been around this whole time, and our seniors have been great all the way through," Stevenson said. "Their freshman year, they lost by one point and got second. For that year, that was a turning point for that team of dedicating themselves and having focused goals. They've carried that through through all four years at this point."

Full Delaware County meet results

Boys team scores:

1. Wapahani (34)
2. Yorktown (53)
3. Cowan (75)
4. Delta (106)
5. Daleville (116)
6. Wes-Del (incomplete)

Boys All-County:

1. Nick Cook, Wapahani (16:38.06)
2. Payton Baker, Wapahani (17:20.76)
3. Jackson Bradley, Cowan (17:26.26)
4. Clay Batio, Delta (17:30.89)
5. Jon Shrock, Wapahani (17:33.57)
6. Colton Boggs, Wapahani (17:34.39)
7. Jonathan Loney, Yorktown (17:36.96)
8. Aidan O'Donnell, Yorktown (17:58.88)
9. Caden Clark, Delta (18:03.90)
10. Mason Tomboni, Wapahani (18:11.49)

Girls teams scores:

1. Yorktown (36)
2. Delta (62)
3. Wapahani (83)
4. Daleville (88)
5. Cowan (90)
6. Wes-Del (incomplete)

Girls All-County:

1. Nicki Southerland, Delta (17:52.90*)
2. Faith Norris, Daleville (20:21.98)
3. Kendyl Thrasher, Wapahani (20:35.93)
4. Rachael Stagge, Yorktown (21:05.02)
5. Alison Smith, Yorktown (21:07.59)
6. Tori Oliver, Yorktown (21:45.48)
7. Brynn Wright, Cowan (21:48.54)
8. Aurilia Moulton, Yorktown (21:53.27)
9. Madeline Felton, Wapahani (22:00.26)
10. Olivia Bohanon, Delta (22:23.71)

*Indicates new county record.

Gus Martin is a sports reporter at The Star Press. Follow him on Twitter @GusMartin_SP, and contact him at gmartin@gannett.com.