Ryan Nix runs fourth-fastest time this century by a Chesterton cross country junior on a day when all 11 teams that finished ahead of Trojans are ranked in the top 25 in the state.

Tom Keegan
Onwardtrojans.com
One stride at a time, junior cross country runner Ryan Nix quietly forces his way onto charts where only 21st century Chesterton distance greats names are listed.
Nix ran a 15:45.4 last weekend at the Eagle Classic in Brown County to finish 14th in a meet in which all 11 schools that finished ahead of Chesterton appear in the Indiana high school cross country top 25 poll.
In so doing, Nix ran the fourth-best 5K cross country time time by a junior at his school in the past quarter century, moving past Evan O’Connor (15:48) and Steve Vrksa (15:46).
The only ones ahead of him are Jakob Kintzele (15:32) and David Osborn (15:35).
Nix’s steady rise sends the imagination sprinting at the thought of how good this team could become if fellow junior Spencer Martin can strike the right training balance to both stay healthy and come close to maximizing his talent. A year ago, Martin ran the second-fastest time (15:47, Marion Invitational) by a Chesterton sophomore this century, ranking behind only Kintzele’s 15:34.
“We had a lot of PRs on the team, so it was a really good race,” Nix said of the Eagle Classic. “It was nice to experience some good competition that if we can make it to the state meet, we’re going to be seeing again. It helped to go fast when you know there are other people around you running fast times.”
Nix puts a lot of thought into not just how to train year-round in a way that maximizes getting stronger and minimizes injury risk. He also thinks a lot about how to manage the 3.1-mile distance on courses that differ weekly.
“At this point of the season, I’m focusing on my third or fourth K of the race,” Nix said. “I’ve been getting out well and closing well, but I feel like that third or fourth K, I’ve been struggling to keep a solid pace.”
This Saturday at the New Prairie Invitational, the same course where the regional is run, the phase of the race Nix alluded to includes what is known as Agony Hill, a long, steep climb in the woods.
“Right when we get to the top of it you hit 3K,” Nix said. “From there you come out of the woods, so how you tolerate that hill determines what you’ll do for the rest of the race.”
The Brown County course is flatter than most, although a little hillier than the Marion Invitational course from the previous week. Flat courses tend to neutralize Nix’s strength advantage, so for him to run that well on it was particularly encouraging and portends well for an improved track season.
“New Prairie’s my favorite course, mainly because of how hilly it is,” Nix said. “It’s a harder, more challenging course. It really comes down to a battle of guts because it’s not just a fast time where it’s a track or a flat course. It determines how strong you are.”
Last weekend, Martin was Chesterton’s second finisher with a time of 16:14.3, followed by Nick Jakel (16:44.6), Nolan Harrington (16:59.1), Aaron Pieters (17:17.6), Xander Sierazy (17:30.9), Logan Booth (17:54.9), Nathan Fernandez (17:59.8), Ray Hundt (18:00.1) and Elijah Fletcher (18:02.2).
Hundt, on the road to recovery from two hip surgeries, had to walk one minute in the middle of the race, per doctor’s orders. He’s unsure when that restriction will be lifted and said it depends in part on how his hips respond to increases in training.
Will Roberson and Will Morgan did not run in the race. Nix, Pieters and Booth all had personal records.
What shapes up as a crowded competition for the final spots on the postseason roster will have runners pushing hard in practice and taking their feet of the gas pedal when instructed to do so.
Assuming everyone stays healthy, Nix, Martin and Jakel should lock up the top three spots. After that, as many five runners, six if Hundt recovers in time, are in contention for the final four spots. Morgan, Roberson and Hundt are seniors, Pieters and Sierazy sophomores.
Eagle Classic team results: 1. Carmel 83; 2. Bloomington North 99; 3. Center Grove 110; 4. Brownsburg 155; 5. North Central 163; 6. Avon 202; 7. Lawrence North 206; 8. Zionsville 223; 9. Westfield 231; 10. Franklin Community 279; 11. Floyd Central 311; 12. Chesterton 325; 13. Northview 374; 14. Terre Haute South Vigo 379; 15. Bloomington South 380; 16. Silver Creek 385; 17. Mt. Vernon 398; 18. DuPont Manual 452; 19. Castle 477.