She made a calculated move that pushed her into first place around the 3K mark. Headed into a wooded section, Mize knew that it would be hard for anyone behind her to see up front and even harder to catch up.
When it was over, after her strategy paid off, oblivious to the time, the cross country runner was enamored by what she clocked in. She secured a school record time of 18:35.8, glowing with winning aura after clinching the Marion County Championship on Aug. 29.
“Seeing the time when I crossed the finish line, I was just shocked,” Mize said. “It had gone through my mind that I definitely wanted to be close to that record but just to see that I broke was just amazing.”Mize, a three-time state qualifier, earned the best performance of her high school running career. She summoned her will to win. She outlasted everyone with strategy and grit in her pursuit of gold. She embedded her name deeper into the Roncalli history books. It’s the reward for a grind that started about three years ago, a journey that fluctuated at times.
She suffered tendonitis in her knees that she said held her back during her freshman year. She believed she plateaued as sophomore in a year where she struggled to hit PRs. The setbacks were difficult on her psyche, but she stayed consistent.
Now a senior, Mize has carved out a successful path forward. Her work is paying off. The time spent in the lab is showing on the course. She joined the Roncalli swim team last winter. It helped build her strength outside of running which carried over into her junior track season.
“She’s looked strong over the past six months,” Roncalli coach Cathy Kitchens said. “You could tell she was improving and that she was going to have a successful season just by her strength and her workouts.
“She swam this past winter plus ran on top of that as well. She’s been consistently running, basically, since freshman year and putting in work … We lift twice a week, and she tries to add in an extra day, so she’s always trying to everything she possibly can to improve.”
Mize is revered by her peers. Her work ethic has earned her respect. She is a role model for the young runners. The same ones that are turning in the miles and chasing production like Mize.
“Obviously, with running, you need to be strong physically and mentally and I think her approach mentally is really good,” said Roncalli sophomore Josephine Clark. “When we do run together, she pushes me to be better … it makes me faster too.”
Mize’s time at the Marion County Championship eclipsed Roncalli’s previous record of 18:41, which was set in 2024. Her big win was the latest benchmark in her cross country voyage. She finished top 10 at sectionals in each of her first three seasons. She is the first Roncalli girls cross country runner to , who is in process of speaking with different colleges to figure out what makes sense both academically and athletically.
She yearns for more production and motivated to beat her own school record. With a little over a month until the postseason, Mize wants to keep building on her success.
“It was definitely a super exciting moment, so I’m just trying to keep building off that momentum,” Mize said. “Just get faster and faster times this season and it definitely puts me in a good place going into these competitive meets.”
Marc Ray is a high school sports reporter at the IndyStar. He can be reached at .
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