Alex Banfich goes up for seconds

One of the most colorful spectacles in all of high school athletics took place Saturday at the 26th annual girls cross country state finals in Terre Haute.

And it turned out to be just like the 25th edition for Culver Girls Academy runner Alex Banfich.

The CGA standout defended her state title with a convincing 18-second win on the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course, easily defeating all of the other competitors in the field of 174.

Even with seven of last year's top 10 and 12 of the top 20 overall individuals returning, Banfich's time of 14:20.9 over the 4,000 meters was by far the class of the meet.

Last year Banfich became the first sophomore to win the title since 1996 and is now the first to repeat since Indianapolis Brebeuf's Courtney Adams won back-to-back crowns in 1992 and 1993.

“I was a little surprised (at the winning margin), but I just focused on my race,” said Banfich, who had a season-best time despite battling 30 mph winds and a soggy course. “The plan was to break from the pack at the 3K mark, but I pushed the pace a little earlier and kept my distance after that.”

Did she ever.

Maggie Bingham, a junior on the winning Westfield team and the third-place finisher a year ago, was the runner-up this time, but nowhere near Banfich at 14:38.5. Senior Amanda Hardesty of second-place Valparaiso, who was Banfich's closest competition at last week's semi-state, came in a full 24 seconds after the CGA junior to finish fifth.

“There was more pressure (coming in as the defending champ), but it was just as much fun and exciting,” Banfich added. “The team ran hard and finished higher than last year. It was just a lot of fun.”

CGA finished 14th out of the 20 teams. A year ago the Lady Eagles were 15th. Mary Peter had the second-best time for CGA, posting a 16:01.6.

WESTFIELD 114, VALPARAISO 129 (6th runner tiebreaker), NOBLESVILLE 129, CENTER GROVE 144, CARMEL 152, NORTHRIDGE 185, BISHOP CHATARD 202, LAKE CENTRAL 207, FW CARROLL 214, DEKALB 257, WEST LAFAYETTE 271, FW CONCORDIA 278, PORTAGE 293, CULVER GIRLS ACADEMY 336, TELL CITY 363, JASPER 402, TERRE HAUTE NORTH 424, HUNTINGTON NORTH 426, BLOOMINGTON NORTH 447, BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE 480

Top 10

1. Alex Banfich (CGA) 14:20.9; 2. Margaret Bingham (Westfield) 14:38.5; 3. Sara Terashima (Richmond) 14:38.7; 4. Chelsea Blanchard (FW Carroll) 14:43.7; 5. Amanda Hardesty (Valparaiso) 14:44.9; 6. Lorna Whaley (Avon) 14:45.4; 7. Katy Achtein (Indianapolis Cathedral) 14:54.0; 8. Kaitlyn Love (Westfield) 14:55.3; 9. Renee Masterson (Beech Grove) 14:56.1; 10. Lindsey Dauga (West Lafayette) 14:57.1.

CGA Results

1. Alex Banfich 14:20.9, 72. Mary Peter 16:01.6, 111. Kiley Trennepohl 16:30.1, 133. Hannah Goettle 17:04.9, 137. Elise Hoover 17:09.2, 156. Kelly Norton 17:45.2, 160. Marisa Gilmore 18:06.