It didn’t take long for Libby Dowty’s reputation to go national.
The Indian Creek sophomore, the first-place finisher at the girls state cross country finals in October, placed third at the Foot Locker Championships Midwest Regional this past Saturday at the University of Wisconsin Parkside in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Dowty covered the 5,000 meters in a time of 17 minutes, 30.73 seconds. Her personal best continues to be the 17:06.7 she blazed at state on the LaVern Gibson course in Terre Haute.
“That course is incredibly challenging,” Indian Creek coach Brady Devine said of the UW Parkside layout. “The first 800 is literally straight uphill. Nobody runs their PR on that course.”
Added Dowty: “I think I did okay. I just tried to do my very best. There was a giant hill, but after I got past that part, it wasn’t too bad.”
Dowty soon tests her skills in two more states she’s never set foot in before, having qualified for prestigious national cross country showcases in Oregon and California.
This Saturday, she’ll compete at the NXN (Nike Cross Nationals) in Portland. Dowty stamped her ticket for that event by placing fourth out of 696 competitors at the Nike Cross Regional Midwest meet on Nov. 11. Her time there was 17:19.25 at the aforementioned LaVern Gibson course.
Dowty’s plan on is to then be part of the Midwest team at the Foot Locker Championships at Morley Field, Balboa Park in San Diego on Dec. 9. The 10-person Midwest squad competes against teams representing the south, northeast and west portions of the country.
Per usual, the quiet and unassuming Dowty will show up, do her best and use the experiences to grow as both a person and athlete.
Then, and only then, is it on to the next challenge.
“The coolest part to me is that she is able to do this consistently and not have a bad meet,” Devine said. “Libby is just incredibly competitive and composed. She’s pretty even keel no matter what the race is. It’s pretty incredible, really.”
