2024 Carmel 3200m Showcase Meet Highlights

The Carmel 3200m Showcase is more than just a race; it's a testament to the talent and determination of Indiana's distance runners. From the thrilling start to the exhilarating finish, every moment is charged with the energy of athletes pushing themselves to the limit and spectators cheering them on across all 16 heats this year. It's a showcase of speed, endurance, and the indomitable spirit of the Indiana running community.

This year, the Carmel 3200m Showcase was a spectacle like no other, with records shattered, PRs all over the place and unforgettable moments throughout the evening. 

Here we highlight some of the top performances, records and more. Race videos for each of the 16 heats throughout the evening can also be found here.

Photo by Benson Nguyen.

Barco Flashes the Speed for the Win and New Record

Martinsville senior and University of Washington commit Martin Barco was determined not to finish 2nd this year and not only finished 1st this year after a runner-up finish last year, but also broke the boys meet record. Barco was able to narrowly beat Cameron Todd to the line, finishing with a time of 8:48.20 to Todd's 8:49.08. Todd would put in the work throughout the entire race nearly leading wire to wire before Barco unleashed a similar move to last week at the Flashes Showcase where he would power ahead down the final stretch. His time would beat the previous meet record of 8:54.09 set by Ryan Watts (Edwardsville, IL) back in 2022. 

2024 Carmel 3200m Showcase Top 3200m Times

This was a hefty PR for Barco, as his previous best outdoors was a time of 8:57.68 from last year's 3200m Showcase. His new PR of 8:48.20 ranks #3 in Indiana this season, #28 nationally this outdoor season and ranks #6 all-time outdoors in Indiana state history. 

All-Time IN Boys 3200m Times

1st: Will Conway (8:41.18 from 2024 Arcadia)

2nd: Kole Mathison (8:44.06 from 2023 NBNI)

3rd: Cameron Todd (8:46.55 from 2024 Arcadia)

4th: Futsum Zienasellassie (8:47.75 from 2012 Arcadia)

5th: Ben Veatch (8:47.85 from 2016 Brooks PR)

6th: Rudy Chapa (8:48.05 from 1975 Hammond Sectional)

7th: Martin Barco (8:49.20 from 2024 Carmel 3200m Showcase)

8th: Tim Keough (8:49.85 from 1975 Thornton Invite)

9th: Gabe Fendel (8:50.56 from 2017 Arcadia)

10th: Christian Wagner (8:50.82 from 2003 Adidas Nationals)

In a spectacular performance, Pendleton Heights junior Ava Jarrell nearly beat the 3200 meet record in a heat that saw the top five finishers all post top 50 times nationally this season. In short, Jarrell beat out some top tier competition for a prestigious title. Jarrell finished with a time of 10:11.87, holding off Nicki Southerland who finished with a time of 10:13.37 and is coming off a Flashes Showcase victory last weekend.

Jarrell's time of 10:11.87, now ranks as the #6 time in Indiana state history, with Southerland now ranking #7 and Dowty ranking 11th. All three girls set new PRs, with Jarrell setting a new PR by 11 seconds, Southerland by 1 second and Dowty by 8 seconds. Jarrell's time would be four hundredths of a second slower than the fastest 3200m of the year so far which belongs to Homestead's Addison Knoblauch from her 10:11.83 effort at Nike Indoor Nationals.

1st: Sophia Kennedy (9:53.69 from 2023 Brooks PR)

2nd: Anna Rohrer (9:56.48 from 2015 Brooks PR)

3rd: Lilly Cridge (10:03.16 from 2021 IHSAA State Meet)

4th: Annalyssa Crain (10:09.51 from 2021 IHSAA State Meet)

5th: Addison Knoblauch (10:11.83 from 2024 NIN)

6th: Ava Jarrell (10:11.87 from 2024 Carmel 3200m Showcase)

7th: Nicki Southerland (10:13.37 from 2024 Carmel 3200m Showcase)

8th: Addison Wiley (10:13.40 from 2022 HSR Finals)

9th: Gretchen Farley (10:13.86 from 2023 Carmel 3200m Showcase)

10th: Waverly Near (10:16.47 from 2011 NBNO)

A rising star for Westview High School, Noah Bontrager ran in the elite heat at the meet, facing off against not just the best that Indiana currently has to offer, but some of the best of all-time. Bontrager finished 4th in the elite heat, finishing only behind Martin Barco, Cameron Todd and Anthony Provenzano. Bontrager finished with a time of 9:03.56, a time that now ranks #4 for sophomore boys all-time in Indiana and a time that currently ranks #5 nationally for his class this season according to our database.

All-Time Indiana Sophomore Boys 3200m Times from our Database

Photo by Benson Nguyen.

Kenya Leitch Keeps Getting Better

Leitch was already an a rising star not only in Indiana, but nationally. Keitch raised the bar yet again as a freshman, running a new 3200m PR of 10:40.22 to finish 8th in the girls elite heat at this years Carmel 3200m Showcase. Leitch has previously has a 3200m PR of 10:46.41 indoors. With her time of 10:40.22 outdoors, she improved her outdoors PR by over a minute. Leitch has also run a full 2-mile PR of 10:51 earlier this indoor season. 

All-Time IN Girls Freshmen 3200m Times

Photo by Benson Nguyen.

Dowty, Weller, and Score Run Stellar Sophomore Times

Finishing 3rd, 4th, and 5th in the girls elite heat, Libby Dowty, Mallory Weller, and Julia Score all ran stellar times to break into the top ten times all-time for Indiana sophomore girls, early in their season. Dowty finished with a time of 10:18.55 and now ranks #3 all-time for sophomore girls, only behind Lily Cridge and Sophia Kennedy according to our database. Weller finished with a time of 10:24.94 and now ranks #6 all-time. Score finished with a time of 10:28.59 and now ranks #7 all-time. 

All-together, they rank as some of the top 3200m runners in their class, with Dowty ranking #9, Weller ranking #12 and Score ranking #15 for their class of 2026. 

Photo by Benson Nguyen.

Banner Barnes leads 8 freshman boys under the 10 minute barrier

After winning the freshman mile at the Flashes Showcase last weekend Noblesville's Banner Barnes came back to win the 3200m distance as well with a time that ranks third for the freshman class according our database. Although Barnes would win the fastest freshman heat he would not be the fastest freshman of the night as a couple of boys ran in section 5 including Carmel's Jonah Saul who ran a 9:42.07 to place third in his heat and rank second in the state boys freshman rankings for the event.

Currently Calvin Seitz holds the top time in the event for the freshmen this year as he ran to a time of 9:23.82 at the Harrison Quad meet back in late March.