Kokomo Athletics

The Wildkats boys cross country team brought home the NCC Championship for the first time since 2005, ending a 20-year drought!! The Kats won with a team score of 47 points, edging out runner-up Richmond, who finished with 57. The team was led by senior Cooper Cage, who dominated the field to win the individual NCC title with a time of 16:11. Senior Preston Arreola followed close behind, placing third overall in 16:59, giving Kokomo a strong start at the front of the race. While those performances were expected from the team’s top two runners, the true difference came from the performances of our No. 3–5 runners — Ben Wallace, Reece Wright, and Leo Serra — whose efforts sealed the championship. Senior Ben Wallace had a career day, setting a personal record (PR) of 17:21 and finishing 7th overall, moving up several spots late in the race. With that finish, Wallace joined Cage and Arreola on the All-NCC Team. Sophomores Reece Wright and Leo Serra made the biggest moves of the day, both turning in massive PRs when their team needed them most. Wright dropped 42 seconds off his previous best to run 17:42 and place 13th, while Serra cut 40 seconds off his PR to clock 18:09 as Kokomo’s fifth scorer. Between the two, they moved up 17 spots from their predicted finishes — a key factor that helped secure the conference championship for the Kats. Several other Kats also had personal bests, including Monte Bunn (20:11), Gaius Cooper (21:31), Tyler Anderson (22:30), and Odin Salinas (22:44), making it a great day of racing overall for Kokomo. This championship was the top goal of the boys this season, as it had been so long since Kokomo had won the conference. They worked hard all summer and fall to make it happen, and I am proud of them for accomplishing their main goal and bringing a conference championship back to Kokomo! Following the race, Coach Jordan Ousley was named NCC Boys Cross-Country Coach of the Year, recognizing his leadership in guiding the team to the championship. The Kats now have two weeks to prepare for the Logansport Sectional on October 18, where they will aim to advance to the regional as a team for the second straight season