Senior Alex Banfich passes Penn's Valerie Burns at the New Prairie
Invitational Saturday. Banfich set a new record at the course. She also won
her fourth straight individual title. Tribune
Photo/GENE KAISER
Article published Sep 16, 2007
Banfich accelerates in passing lane
TIM CREASON
Tribune Correspondent
NEW CARLISLE -- Alex Banfich had to outrace two major opponents Saturday.
One was Penn sophomore Valerie Burns.
The other was traffic around Chicago.
The Culver Girls Academy senior handled both, surging away from Burns with a little over a mile remaining to win the Girls AAA (large school) division at the 40th annual New Prairie Cross Country Invitational.
Immediately after the race, she jumped into a car and took off for O'Hare Airport, where she was scheduled to board a plane to Virginia for a college recruiting visit.
The race, at least, had no unexpected detours. Banfich clocked a course-record 17:58.6 to win perhaps the most-anticipated battle of the season, one that included three of the top five finishers from last year's IHSAA girls state finals.
Her toughest opponent, though, was Burns, a newcomer who stuck right with the two-time state champ until they crested New Prairie's much-dreaded Agony Hill.
"Coming off Agony Hill, Alex just blasted away," said Burns, who came home second in 18:12. "She stayed just off my shoulder for the first part of the race, I could hear her. And then she just took off."
Banfich, who won four New Prairie Invitational titles in her four years of high school, ran in Class AAA while the rest of her teammates were finishing fourth in Class AA (medium-sized schools).
She moved up to get a little better competition.
"Valerie came out and set the pace for the first (2,000 meters) and that was good," said Banfich. "I didn't take control till the top of the hill. (Burns) is a great runner."
So is Banfich, who becomes the first girl to break 18 minutes on the New Prairie course.
Valparaiso's Megan Ranegar finished third, 10 seconds behind Burns. Hannah Miller of Northridge (11th) and Mary Mellen of Michigan City (13th) were the next local runners to reach the finish chute.
Miller led Northridge to a third-place finish in the girls AAA standings, behind champion Lake Central and runnerup Fort Wayne Carroll.
Hanna Mercer was 16th for the Raiders.
"We don't have a real strong frontrunner, and in a big meet like this that hurts us," said Northridge coach Ryan McClane. "Our pack is getting better and that's a good thing, but we still have a ways to go."
Riley, lifted by a 17th-place effort from sophomore Beth Werge, finished eighth. Mishawaka was 10th.
In girls AA, Plymouth's Morgan Hite and New Prairie's Mary Gamble each made a bid for the lead -- in fact, Gamble pulled the field through the one-mile mark -- but West Lafayette freshman Kaisa Goodman eventually pulled away for a 19:19 victory.
The girls A (small school) race was dominated by Boone Grove freshman Jordan Chester, but Bremen's Hope Jordon and Sarah Konkey of Oregon-Davis captured the 2-3 spots.