Indiana Champion Completes Historic Season With Fastest Time Since 2015

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

SAN DIEGO - Kole Mathison had checked off nearly every box in a legendary career at Carmel High in Indiana. 

He'd been the No. 1 runner on his team for four years. He was unbeaten through the Indiana state meet this fall, performed well week after week in the postseason, and arrived in San Diego ready to cap his season as a national champion. 

RESULTS | INTERVIEWS | PHOTOS by Becky Holbrook and Dianne Martinez

Mathison pushed his 6-foot-4 frame up the steep slope on the east side of Morley Field and flew down Upas Street on the way to victory Saturday at the Champs Sports Cross Country Championships. 

His winning time of 14:56.6 was the fastest since Drew Hunter in 2015. 

"My coach said, at some point in the race to take the lead, and after that, just don't relinquish it and press on to the finish," Mathison said. "I think I did that pretty well and it worked out today."

Take the lead and don't give it up, of course, is easier said than done. 

But Mathison also knew what he was doing. He was the top returning finisher from the 2021 meet (fifth) and the highest placing runner at Nike Cross Nationals (fourth) in Saturday's race. 

Mathison is the fifth consecutive boys champion from the Midwest region and joins 2018 winner Cole Hocker and 2007 winner Michael Fout from the Hoosier state. 

"It's an easy course to make mistakes on," Mathison said. "It's really tough, there's lots of undulations and tight corners you have to push (through), so it's kind of a slow course. Knowing where to push and how to run the race is definitely huge."

Mathison was one of just three in Saturday's race who had been here last year. Hunter Jones of Benzie Central MI, one of the pre-race favorites, improved from 33rd to 10th. Sam Burgess from Framingham MA improved from 29th to seventh. 

A fourth runner who competed in 2021 and was in attendance, but did not compete due to an injured hamstring, was Texas 6A champion Kevin Sanchez of Austin Vandergrift. 

The Midwest's extended domination of the meet, helped by the fact that the best runners in the region are eligible to compete at more than one national meet, was further confirmed by a record-low score of 18 points, not only eclipsing the previous boys mark of 21 points, but also surpassing the girls all-time performance of 19 points produced by the West lineup in 2000. 

Mathison was joined by Minnesota's Noah Breker (second), South Dakota's Simeon Birnbaum (fourth), Ohio's Connor Ackley (fifth) and Indiana's Cameron Todd (sixth) from the Midwest team. 

Samuel Hansen of Woods Cross High in Utah, who had finished 12th at his state meet Oct. 25, followed his victory at the West regional last week with a surprising third-place finish at Balboa Park. 

Mathison and the girls champion, Karrie Baloga, will be college teammates next year at the University of Colorado. 

"I saw Karrie take the win and honestly that gave me even more confidence to go out there and perform," he said. "To get it done, it's a really special moment, taking pictures with everybody. I would say that the Buffs kind of showed out in terms of alumni. A lot of the pros that are here are from Colorado and to be able to join that family is something special and solidifies for me that God pointed me in the right direction."