08/29/2026
BLACKHAWKS CLAIM BOYS CHAMPIONSHIP, GIRLS TAKE THIRD AT SALEM INVITATIONAL
The Springs Valley cross country teams turned in a strong showing Saturday at the Salem Invitational, with the boys capturing the team championship with 66 points and the girls placing third with 69 points.
It was a good morning for racing as the girls took the course first, although temperatures began to climb toward the end of their race. Conditions grew warmer for the boys, who followed on a course that offered little shade.
BOYS CAPTURE TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
The Blackhawk boys came away with the team title in a close battle, edging Scottsburg by just five points, 66-71. Providence finished third with 87, followed by Salem with 88 and Trinity Lutheran with 96.
Leading the way was Calvin Seitz, who continued his strong start to the season with an individual championship. Seitz crossed the line in 16:14.78, winning by more than two minutes and earning a plaque for his first-place finish.
But securing the team championship required contributions throughout the Blackhawks' scoring five.
Dane Harris finished 12th in 19:21.55, with teammate Tristen Smith right behind him in 13th at 19:22.59. Both earned ribbons for their top-20 finishes.
Jimmy Curry was the Blackhawks' fourth scorer, placing 26th in 20:40.17, before junior Carter Long completed the scoring five in 28th with a time of 20:58.73. Long's performance was especially notable as Saturday marked his first-ever cross country race.
With only five points separating Springs Valley and Scottsburg in the final standings, each member of that scoring five played an important role in bringing home the championship.
Miles Albury finished 61st in 24:31.58, while Tucker Hatfield made his season debut and finished 69th in 25:50.08.
GIRLS EARN THIRD IN TIGHT TEAM RACE
The Springs Valley girls also put together a strong team performance, finishing third with 69 points. Mitchell won with 40 points, while Providence took second with 65. The Blackhawks were only four points out of second and held off Jeffersonville, which finished just three points behind Springs Valley with 72.
Belle Roberts and Addilyn Moffatt led the Blackhawks with nearly identical performances.
Roberts crossed the line seventh in 23:42.97, with Moffatt just 1.50 seconds behind in eighth at 23:44.47. Both earned medals for their top-10 finishes.
Paisleigh Roberts was Springs Valley's third runner, finishing 26th in 27:02.02, followed closely by Ava Chatman, who placed 29th in 27:16.23.
Sadie Hall rounded out the scoring five in her first race of the season after missing the opener, finishing 40th in 29:52.21.
FIVE BLACKHAWKS EARN INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
The meet recognized the top 20 individuals, with **first through fifth receiving plaques, sixth through 10th earning medals, and 11th through 20th receiving ribbons**.
Springs Valley brought home five individual awards: Seitz's championship plaque, medals for Belle Roberts and Moffatt, and ribbons for Harris and Smith.
LEARNING FROM EVERY RACE
Following the meet, Springs Valley coach Derek Freeman challenged his runners to look beyond Saturday's results and identify something from the experience that can make them better going forward.
"Every single time we race, there's got to be at least one thing that we can take from it and learn. It could be how we prepared the week before, our mileage, hydration, nutrition, sleep, the way we raced, going out too fast, not finishing hard enough or falling asleep in the middle mile. Whatever it is, there's always something. Find it and build upon it, because you are all doing a great job. This program is where it's at because of you all, and it's only going to get better and stronger. I'm very proud of you.”
Next up for the Varsity Runners is the North Harrison Invitational on Thursday.
All the results from today's races races can be seen at https://www.arrowliveresults.com/18thAnnualSalemXCInvitationalBoyshttps://www.arrowliveresults.com/18thAnnualSalemXCInvitationalBoys
