Boys cross country 2024 preview: Mishawaka's Bauschke among state title favorites

MISHAWAKA — Liam Bauschke won every cross country race he competed in last year — except the final one.

A late season leg injury to the then-junior created a permanent “what if” moment for the Mishawaka distance runner, who battled through the pain to still win a regional championship. He wasn’t able to overcome it at the state finals that following weekend, still finishing a respectable 17th to earn All-State honors.

With one last crack at individual state glory, Bauschke is ready to do whatever it takes to be the first Cavemen boys runner to win a cross country state championship.

“I’m just really excited,” Bauschke said. “Training has gone really well over the summer. I’m just excited to get into this season, start competing and hopefully work towards the state meet. … (The injury) didn’t change my training too much; you still have to get after it in training. But the process changes a little bit. I think taking it day by day, taking small steps and not getting too ahead of ourselves is what I’ve learned.”

From 2023: Mishawaka's Liam Bauschke is setting records

Bauschke reached the state finals as a sophomore as well, placing ninth. He entered the state tournament last year projected to finish in the top five before the injury slowed him down.

“My top three goals are to, one, help the team as much as I can; see how far we can make it in the tournament and compete with teams in the area,” Bauschke said. “I’d also like to get to the state championship meet. Then, I’d like compete for a state title and, ideally, win. That’s the main goal, but there’s probably five to 10 other guys that have that same goal. It’s no easy task, but that’s the main focus.”

Bauschke headlines a deep class of boys cross country talent from the South Bend area. Here are some other teams and individuals that will be in the mix to not only reach the state meet, but do well at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in the final weekend of October.

Top three South Bend area boys cross country teams going into 2024

Penn Kingsmen

An always strong Kingsmen program finished ninth as a team at the state finals last year. Their lead runner in Braedon Mueller has graduated, but key pieces like seniors Matt Givens (64th at state), Jack Ryan and Tanner Mammolenti, alongside junior Kush Grewal, return. Penn won the Northern Indiana Conference and sectional meets last year before finishing third at the regional.

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Northridge Raiders

The Raiders return their top five finishers from the state meet last year, an event they finished 13th place at. Junior twin brothers Baylor and Xavier Miller were 52nd and 123rd, respectively, as individuals at the state finals, while junior Marc Hernandez had a top-100 showing by placing 90th. Senior Joe Keyser and junior Brady Hicks also ran for Northridge, making them a contender for Northern Lakes Conference, sectional and regional championships once again this fall.

Elkhart Lions

The Lions enter the 2024 season with the best 1-2 punch at the top of a lineup in seniors Aaron Richter and Max Malloy. Both Bellmont University commits, Richter almost won the individual state title a season ago , leading with 1,000 meters to go before ultimately finishing fifth. Sickness affected Malloy’s state finals showing, but he had consistently finished in the top five of all his races prior to state.

Whether Elkhart advances to state as a team or not will depend on the development of the rest of the roster, including senior Ernest McClain, junior Ethan Sharp and sophomore Trevor Becker, among others. The Lions will be in the mix for NIC hardware against Penn and a sectional title against Northridge.

Five other individuals to consider

Goshen junior Dorian Diaz

Diaz placed 41st at the state meet as a sophomore after competing with the entire RedHawk team at state as a freshman in 2022. An All-State finish could happen this fall if everything comes together for Diaz.

Concord junior Reid Sollars

Sollars finished 32nd at the New Prairie regional last year, falling just short of advancing to the state finals. Three other Minutemen regional qualifiers from 2023 return in Jackson Yoder, Jaxson Meyer and Daniel Montiel, making Concord an intriguing team this fall.

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Goshen sophomore Levi Schlegel

Like Sollars, Schlegel was close to advancing to the state finals last year with a 40th-place showing at the New Prairie regional. He and Diaz will lead the Goshen team this fall in a strong NLC.

LaPorte senior Hunter Quadlin

Quadlin is the top returner from a Slicers team that advanced to the state meet last year, placing 108th individually. LaPorte has an outside chance to reach the state finals as a team again this year, and Quadlin will be a key part of it if the Slicers do so.

Mishawaka sophomore Aiden Rogers

While Mishawaka is considered a longshot to make it to state as a team, Rogers has a chance to join Bauschke at state after finishing 36th in the regional race a season ago.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Boys cross country 2024 preview: Mishawaka's Bauschke among state title favorites