History of NIC Boys Cross Country
Boys’ Cross Country became an NIC sport in 1930. The IHSAA officially sanctioned boys cross country in the 1946-47 school year. Below are a few noteworthy titles of NIC Schools.
- 1946-47 – Mishawaka IHSAA State Champions (tied) with Coach Walter Thurston
- 1946-47 – Rarick of Goshen Individual IHSAA State Runner-Up
- 1947-48 – Mishawaka IHSAA State Runner-Up with Coach Walter Thurston
- 1948-49 – Mishawaka IHSAA State Runner-Up with Coach Walter Thurston
- 1954-55 – Dale Lubs of LaPorte IHSAA State Champion – Time 10:03.6 (2 mile)
- 1957-58 – Charles Umbarger of Elkhart IHSAA State Runner-Up
- 1958-59 – Charles Umbarger of Elkhart IHSAA State Champion – Time 9:40.5 (2 mile)
- 1960-61 – Bob Scott of Elkhart IHSAA State Runner-Up
- 1966-67 – Fred Landis of Elkhart IHSAA State Runner-Up
- 1969-70 – Gary Schroeder of Michigan City Elston IHSAA State Runner-Up
- 1973-74 – Elkhart Central IHSAA State Champions
- 1976-77 – Kevin Higdon of Michigan City Elston won the IHSAA Mental Attitude Award
- 1979-80 – Ed Wroblewski of Michigan City IHSAA State Champion – Time 12:03.9 (2.5 mile)
- 1995-96 – Damian Sherck of Elkhart Central IHSAA State Runner-Up – Time 15:35 (5K)
| Year | Champion School | Record | Coach | MVP | Coach of the Year | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930-31 | Hammond | ||||||||
| 1931-32 | Gary Horace Mann | ||||||||
| 1932-33 | Gary Horace Mann | ||||||||
| 1933-34 | Hammond | ||||||||
| 1934-35 | Hammond | ||||||||
| 1935-36 | Mishawaka | ||||||||
| 1936-37 | Gary Horace Mann | ||||||||
| 1937-38 | Hammond | ||||||||
| 1938-39 | Hammond | ||||||||
| 1939-40 | Hammond | ||||||||
| 1940-41 | East Chicago Roos | ||||||||
| 1941-42 | Fort Wayne North | ||||||||
| 1942-43 | Fort Wayne North | ||||||||
| 1943-44 | Fort Wayne North | ||||||||
| 1944-45 | Fort Wayne North | ||||||||
| 1945-46 | Hammond | ||||||||
| 1946-47 | Hammond | ||||||||
| 1947-48 | Mishawaka | Walter Thurston | |||||||
| 1948-49 | Mishawaka | Walter Thurston | |||||||
| 1949-50 | Mishawaka | Walter Thurston | |||||||
| 1950-51 | Fort Wayne North | 8-0 | |||||||
| 1951-52 | Fort Wayne North | 8-0 | |||||||
| 1952-53 | Fort Wayne North | 9-0 | |||||||
| 1953-54 | Mishawaka | 8-0 | Ralph Burgess | ||||||
| 1954-55 | Fort Wayne North | 8-0 | |||||||
| 1955-56 | Mishawaka | 8-0 | Ralph Burgess | ||||||
| 1956-57 | SB Riley | 8-0 | |||||||
| 1957-58 | Elkhart | 7-1 | |||||||
| Michigan City Elston | 7-1 | ||||||||
| Fort Wayne North | 7-1 | ||||||||
| 1958-59 | Elkhart | 9-0 | |||||||
| 1959-60 | Elkhart | 9-0 | Joe Harvey | ||||||
| 1960-61 | Mishawaka | 9-0 | |||||||
| Hammond | |||||||||
| 1961-62 | Fort Wayne North | 9-0 | |||||||
| Valparaiso | |||||||||
| 1962-63 | Elkhart | 9-0 | Joe Harvey | ||||||
| Valparaiso | Valpo won NIHSC title, Elkhart was Eastern Divison winner | ||||||||
| 1963-64 | Elkhart | 9-0 | Joe Harvey | ||||||
| 1964-65 | Elkhart | 9-0 | Joe Harvey | ||||||
| 1965-66 | Elkhart | 9-0 | Joe Harvey | ||||||
| 1966-67 | Elkhart | 8-0 | Joe Harvey | ||||||
| 1967-68 | Elkhart | 8-0 | Joe Harvey | ||||||
| 1968-69 | Elkhart | 7-1 | Joe Harvey | ||||||
| Michigan City Elston | 7-1 | ||||||||
| 1969-70 | Michigan City Elston | 6-0-1 | |||||||
| 1970-71 | Michigan City Elston | 6-0 | |||||||
| 1971-72 | Elkhart | 6-0 | Marshall Sellers | ||||||
| 1972-73 | Elkhart Central | 7-0 | Marshall Sellers | ||||||
| 1973-74 | Elkhart Central | 7-0 | Marshall Sellers | ||||||
| 1974-75 | Elkhart Central | 7-0 | Marshall Sellers | ||||||
| 1975-76 | Elkhart Central | 8-0 | Marshall Sellers | ||||||
| 1976-77 | Elkhart Central | Marshall Sellers | |||||||
| 1977-78 | Elkhart Central | 9-0 | Marshall Sellers | Ran a NIC Meet | |||||
| 1978-79 | Elkhart Central | 9-0 | Marshall Sellers | ||||||
| 1979-80 | Penn | 9-0 | Bob Wiseman | ||||||
| 1980-81 | Penn | 8-1 | Bob Wiseman | ||||||
| Elkhart Central | 8-1 | Marshall Sellers | |||||||
| 1981-82 | Penn | 8-1 | Bob Wiseman | ||||||
| SB Adams | 8-1 | Doug Snyder | |||||||
| Mishawaka | 8-1 | George Marzotto | |||||||
| 1982-83 | Michigan City Elston | 9-0 | Cabot Holmes | ||||||
| 1983-84 | Mishawaka | 9-0 | George Marzotto | ||||||
| 1984-85 | Michigan City Elston | 9-0 | Cabot Holmes | ||||||
| 1985-86 | Michigan City Elston | 8-1 | Cabot Holmes | ||||||
| Elkhart Memorial | 8-1 | Ted Noffsinger | |||||||
| 1986-87 | Elkhart Memorial | 9-0 | Ted Noffsinger | ||||||
| 1987-88 | Elkhart Memorial | 9-0 | Ted Noffsinger | ||||||
| 1988-89 | Mishawaka | 9-0 | Don Hendricks | ||||||
| 1989-90 | SB Riley | 8-1 | Larry Morningstar | ||||||
| Elkhart Central | 8-1 | Dana Homo | |||||||
| 1990-91 | Elkhart Central | 9-0 | Dana Homo | ||||||
| 1991-92 | Elkhart Central | 8-1 | Dana Homo | ||||||
| Penn | 8-1 | Don Sloan | |||||||
| 1992-93 | Elkhart Central | 9-0 | Dana Homo | ||||||
| 1993-94 | Elkhart Central | 9-0 | Dana Homo | ||||||
| 1994-95 | Elkhart Central | 9-0 | Dana Homo | Mark Ermis of Elkhart Central | Dana Homo of Elkhart Central | ||||
| 1995-96 | Elkhart Central | 8-0 | Dana Homo | Damian Sherck of Elkhart Central | Dana Homo of Elkhart Central | ||||
| 1996-97 | Elkhart Central | 8-0 | Dana Homo | Damian Sherck of Elkhart Central | Dana Homo of Elkhart Central | ||||
| 1997-98 | Penn | 8-0 | Tom Miller | Jason Floyd of Elkhart Central | Randy Isaacson of Adams | ||||
| 1998-99 | Penn | 8-0 | Tom Miller | Andy Hendricks of Mishawaka | Don Hendricks of Mishawaka | ||||
| 1999-00 | Penn | 8-0 | Tom Miller | Corey Rzepka of Penn | Tom Miller of Penn | ||||
| 2000-01 | Penn | 7-0 | Tom Miller | Jason Beisel of Penn | Tom Miller of Penn | ||||
| 2001-02 | Penn | 7-0 | Tom Miller | Ben Allen of SB Riley | Mike Smorin of SB Riley | ||||
| 2002-03 | Penn | 8-0 | Tom Miller | Jeff Hoover of SB Adams | Tom Miller of Penn | ||||
| 2003-04 | Penn | 8-0 | Tom Miller | Jeff Hoover of SB Adams | Chris Kowalewski of Mishawaka | ||||
| 2004-05 | Penn | 49 pts | Tom Miller | Brent Snyder of Penn | Tom Miller of Penn & | ||||
| Chris Kowalewski of Mishawaka | |||||||||
| 2005-06 | Mishawaka | 49 pts | Chris Kowalewski | Craig Padgett of Mishawaka | Chris Kowalewski of Mishawaka | ||||
| 2006-07 | SB Riley | 50 pts | Chad Wetzel | Lucas Roscoe of Elkhart Central | Chad Wetzel of SB Riley | ||||
| 2007-08 | Mishawaka | 51 pts | Chris Kowalewski | Craig Padgett of Mishawaka | Chris Kowalewski of Mishawaka | ||||
| 2008-09 | SB Riley | 38 pts | Chad Wetzel | Lucas Roscoe of Elkhart Central | Chad Wetzel of SB Riley | ||||
| 2009-10 | SB St. Joseph | 32 pts | Jerry Hoffman | Michael Bradley of SB St. Joseph | Jerry Hoffman of SB St. Joseph | ||||
| 2010-11 | SB St. Joseph | 32 pts | Jerry Hoffman | A. J. Walker of Mishawaka | Jerry Hoffman of SB St. Joseph | ||||
| 2011-12 | Mishawaka | 29 pts | Chris Kowalewski | Joey Zielinski of SB St, Joseph | Chris Kowalewski of Mishawaka | ||||
| 2012-13 | Penn | 65 pts | Tom Miller | Andrew Timmons of SB Adams | Tom Miller of Penn | ||||
| 2013-14 | SB Riley | 43 pts | Chad Wetzel | Jacob Timmons of SB Adams | Chad Wetzel of SB Riley | ||||
| 2014-15 | SB Riley | 51 pts | Chad Wetzel | Travis Kulczar of SB Riley | Chad Wetzel of SB Riley | ||||
| 2015-16 | Penn | 47 pts | Tom Miller | Colton Shail of Penn | Tom Miller of Penn | ||||
| 2016-17 | Penn | 19 pts | Tom Miller | Jonathan Harley of Penn | Tom Miller of Penn | ||||
| 2017-18 | Penn | 33 pts | Tom Miller | Amani Morrell of SB St. Joseph | John Arndt of New Prairie | ||||
| 2018-19 | Penn | 51 pts | Tom Miller | Jared Chapin of SB Riley | John Arndt of New Prairie | ||||
| 2019-20 | Penn | 32 pts | Tom Miller | Casey Quintana of Mishawaka | Tom Miller of Penn | ||||
| 2020-21 | Penn | 30 pts | Tom Miller | Mariano Retzloff of Penn | Chad Wetzel of SB Riley | ||||
| 2021-22 | Penn | 25 pts | Tom Miller | Mariano Retzloff of Penn | Tom Miller of Penn | ||||
| 2022-23 | Penn | 27 pts | Tom Miller | Bol Agwick of SB Adams | Savino Rivera of SB Adams | ||||
| 2023-24 | Penn | 36 pts | Tom Miller | Maxwell Malloy of Elkhart | Adams Homo of Elkhart | ||||
| 2024-25 | Penn | 27 pts | Tom Miller | Maxwell Malloy of Elkhart | Tom Miller of Penn | ||||
| 2025-26 | Penn | 20 pts | Chad Wetzel | Brody Lederer of Penn | Mike McCarthy of SB St. Joseph |