Kimmel wins back-to-back State Championships

Landon Kimmel delivers when it counts.

The Tipp senior cross country runner did something that has never been done in Tippecanoe athletic history: he became the first athlete to ever win back-to-back state championships in any sport by winning the Ohio Division Two state cross country title last weekend near Columbus. He also won the Division One state title last season. 

Kimmel had little competition in the finals, running 15:12.70 to secure the overall championship by 16 seconds over Jacob Proctor of Anthony Wayne, near Toledo, who placed second. For Kimmel, it was a great way to end his historic and record-setting career with the Red Devils.

“For Landon to win back-to-back state championships, across two divisions, is something really special,” said Tipp coach Matt Lieber. “He’s the kind of athlete who makes everyone around him better, not just because of his talent, but because of his mindset.”

“Even today, when he wasn’t thrilled with his time, he still competed like a champion. His success reflects the standards we want in this program: humility, work ethic, and a drive to improve no matter how good you already are.  The Kimmel name will be forever stitched in Tipp cross country history.”

As a team, Tipp placed ninth overall just missing the podium as the top eight teams are recognized. Lieber knows how tough it is for a whole team to qualify and is pleased how they got to that point. 

“Ninth place wasn’t what we were hoping for, especially after the kind of season we had, but I’m still really proud of this group,” Lieber said. “It’s hard to qualify for state, and to do it in such a competitive field says a lot about their work.”

“We just didn’t have our best day across the board, but that’s part of the sport.  We talked about how we had a nice little run with Districts and Regionals, but we fell a little flat today. Our coaching staff always examines our training program and evaluates our success after the season ends.”

Everett Muhlenkamp placed 82nd overall with a time of 16:46.10 after a very strong start in the first 1600 meters of the race. 

“Everett had a goal of finishing in the top 20 today, which might have been a little ambitious, but I loved that he went for it,” Lieber said. “He held his position until about halfway through and just couldn’t get his breathing under control. That’s the thing about the state meet, one small lapse and you can lose 25 spots in an instant.”

“This happened, and then he realized it, and it happened again. I really appreciated that he was willing to take that risk and push himself. If it had worked out, we might be having a completely different conversation right now. He will learn from this and use it to fuel his growth. I truly believe he has the potential to be our top guy next year.”

Eli Ramos finished 104th with a time of 16:53.92, Luke Schwieterman was 110th (16:58.92), Ben Pierson was 162nd (17:31.07), Elias Stienecker placed 173rd (17:39.12) and Sam Stark rounded out the top 200 with a 197th place finish with 18:15.30.