Five young athletes from Fishers took home a first-place win at the USA Track & Field (USATF) National Junior Olympic Cross-County Championships late last year.
Over 3,000 youth runners from across the nation came to the Hoosier state to showcase their physical talents. These impressive athletes ranged in age from 7 to 18 years old. Coincidentally, the nationals were held in Shelbyville, Indiana, just miles from Fishers, making it a home-state win.
Indiana was represented well at USATF nationals with 312 athletes and 25 teams, ranging in age from 8 to 18. The standout winning team was the Fishers Fire, led by Emerson Schoenrock (fourth, 7:52), Emerson McCarty (ninth, 8:20), and Stella O’Connell (15th, 8:28) – each earning all-American honors. Their efforts were backed up by Clara Atchison (36th), and Lucy Howard (79th). These young ladies competed against 198 other girls from all over the U.S. in the 2000-meter race, and won by 31 points.
Fishers Fire Coach Stan Collesano raved about how proud he is of these 7- and 8-year-old athletes. They worked hard all season training and traveling to other competitions, all to make it to the championship back home in Indiana. In December the team competed in freezing 29-degree temperatures, but nothing held them back from getting the team win.
“This is a unique set of girls who are very talented and enjoy running,” Collesano said. “They are highly competitive and hard working. You forget they are 7 and 8 years old when they are running, but once they are done it’s back to being kids.”
The Fishers Fire team is a part of the Mudsock Youth Athletics (MYA) nonprofit club for girls and boys aged 6-18, based in Fishers. The organization has been bringing organized sports to Fishers kids for over 35 years. MYA offers 12 different sports and is one of the largest volunteer-led organizations in Indiana. The focus of the program is fitness, fun, and training to participate in multiple meets locally and nationally. USATF is the U.S. national governing body for the sports of track and field and cross-country. MYA is a proud USATF member.
Runners not only participate in team events, but are also individually ranked at each race. The five ladies from Fishers Fire won collectively at the USATF event, and also all placed in the top 100 individually. It was a long journey to achieve such accolades, as the girls first had to qualify at the state level, then at regionals.
O’Connell, Schoenrock, and McCarty got all-American status because they finished in the top 25 individually at the USATF championships. This was only the second year of competing for Atchison, Howard, Schoenrock and McCarty, and the first year for O’Connell. Coach Collesano sees greatness in these ladies and hopes they all continue this journey.
“I know they are young and will choose to play what they like, but I hope they all continue to run,” Collesano said.
Collesano led this team of five to a national victory while also coaching other runners in the Mudsock program. Collesano has been coaching for nearly 17 years in Fishers and his dedication has not gone unnoticed. He is a vital part of the Fishers Fire community and revered by athletes of all ages. Collesano even won Mudsock volunteer of the year in 2024 for his impressive coaching talents and overall kindness.
“I’ve always been a runner,” he said. “I enjoy it and have coached for many years. I’ve coached kids and professionals alike.”
MYA offers sports in all seasons, and this group of girls is already kicking off the spring 2025 season. Let’s hope the Indiana weather is kind to these hard-working athletes this year. Congratulations again to the Fishers Fire ladies, and good luck in 2025!
For more information or questions, email fishersfire@gmail.com or info@myathletics.com.
