Cathedral senior gives thanks while winning state cross country title

Cole Hocker, a senior at Cathedral High School in Indianapolis, sprints to the finish in winning the 2018 Indiana High School Athletic Association’s state finals in cross country on Oct. 27. He finished second in last year’s state competition. (Submitted photo)

By John Shaughnessy

One of Cole Hocker’s favorite parts about running cross country is how grueling the sport is, how it tests the depths of a person’s competitive spirit.

“I like the idea of who can stomach the most pain and get there first,” says Cole, a 17-year-old senior at Cathedral High School in Indianapolis.

A year ago, Cole felt a different kind of pain after he raced in the 2017 Indiana High School Athletic Association’s state finals in cross country—finishing second by just two seconds.

That memory motivated him all through the past year until he reached the starting line of the 2018 state finals on Oct. 27, a race where the runners had to contend with windy conditions and a muddy course.

“Going into it, I knew I had the fastest time in the state,” he says. “I knew if I ran to my ability, I would be fine. Sometimes, the pressure can get to people. I knew I could trust in my training and my race strategy.”

His strategy was to start fast and strong, trying “to take the breath out of people.” His lead grew from there, eventually reaching the finish line 16 seconds ahead of the second-place runner.

“Going down the final stretch, I thought of everyone who helped me get there—God, my family, my coaches, my teammates and everyone who has supported me. It was just a rush of adrenaline.”

Cole’s individual championship also helped pace Cathedral to a second-place finish in the team competition.

“It’s the best-ever finish in school history for us,” says Cole, who led the team effort with fellow seniors Rodney O’Neal and Ryan Pehlman. “We have a close team. There’s a lot of chemistry. We pretty much hang out every weekend together.”

For Cole, pain has been replaced by a different feeling this season.

“Not a lot of people get the chance to be an individual champion and also be contending for the team title,” he says. “It’s been fun.” †