Wheeler freshman Hailey Orosz earned the first win of her high school career on Saturday, but there was still one runner she couldn’t get away from during the 50th Highland Invitational.
That was her mother, Kim, a veteran of the Chicago and Boston Marathons who likely ran 5 kilometers herself while cheering on her daughter throughout the race.
But that support and a determined effort on a steamy Saturday morning helped Orosz break away from Bishop Noll’s Megan Sullivan, who ran with Orosz for much of the race.
“I was pretty tired,” Orosz said. “I wish I could’ve kicked a bit more. But I’m still happy.”
Orosz clocked in at 19 minutes, 43 seconds, which was 11 seconds ahead of Griffith senior Trinity Austin in second. Sullivan finished fifth at 20:05.
Despite her obvious running pedigree, Orosz said it took her a while to get into the sport.
“I didn’t like running (at first),” Orosz said. “But in sixth grade … I just liked it. It’s like when you don’t like vegetables, but then you do.”
Orosz has shown dramatic improvement in her brief career, and she surpassed her own expectations on Saturday.
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“It was pretty surprising,” she said. “I wasn’t expecting much from this race because of the weather. I’m just not used to this.”
Wheeler coach Luis Guillen had set a high bar for Orosz, but she surpassed that, too.
“She’s had a great season so far,” Guillen said. “I expected her to be in the top five. For her to win the race shows how much of a competitor she is. A freshman going up against sophomores, juniors and seniors is intimidating. But she showed us that she can do it.”
The Bearcats had the top local finisher in the boys race as well, with Wheeler sophomore Hudson Hall finishing as runner-up (17:00) to Perry Meridian senior Chris Switzer (16:19).
Hall was fifth with 300 meters remaining; the course at Highland finishes with a three-quarter lap around the track. But Hall surged in that final leg, passing three opponents on his way to second place.
“I just stayed in that top pack and kept it there because I knew I had a good sprint finish,” Hall said. “We’ve been doing a lot of sprints lately, as well as the distance stuff. Just integrating everything in there.”
The Valparaiso boys and Lowell girls won team titles, with each team resting several top runners ahead of next week’s conference meets.
Dave Melton is a freelance writer for the Post-Tribune.