The 2023 cross country season came to an end Saturday afternoon at the state championship races in Terre Haute. Both of the Warsaw boys and girls teams competed for the state crown, finishing eleventh and fifteenth.
On the boys side, Warsaw was led by a top-30 finish by Jackson Gackenheimer, who finished 27th with a time of 15:41.6. The sophomore proved himself time and time again this season as a cornerstone of the future of Warsaw cross country.
Tyler Swartz was the second Tiger to cross the finish line, finishing 73rd with a 16:07.2 time. Finishing six seconds behind Swartz was Clark Meridew. Tyler Mimnaugh and Rick Orr rounded out the Warsaw top five.
Carmel won the state team title while Brebeuf Jesuit’s Cameron Todd took first place in the boys race.

    Warsaw senior Joey Rastrelli races past a competitor on her way to an eleventh place finish.

In the girls race, senior Joey Rastrelli of Warsaw finished in eleventh place in the final cross country race of her high school career. The Indiana Hoosier commit finished with a time of 18:02.7, nearly 30 seconds faster than her time at regionals. Joey’s younger sister, Sammi Rastrelli, was the second Lady Tiger to cross the finish line with a time of 19:38.5. Eden Metz rounded out the Warsaw top three.
Along with the Lady Tigers, there were a handful of local athletes who competed in the state finals as individuals. The Manchester Squires sent two athletes to state, as Ayla Cashdollar (66th) and Kadence Fox (83rd) each earned top-100 finishes. Tippecanoe Valley’s Chesnee Miller was also in attendance, finishing 120th with a time of 19:31. Wawasee’s Mia Hodgson finished 141st.
Homestead took home the state team title while Indian Creek’s Libby Dowty took first place. There were 250 individuals and 25 teams in each race.