Seymour senior Jude Bane didn’t feel like he had the best summer heading into this fall’s cross-country season.

He was dealing with a nagging injury that held him out of some training.

“I was really unsatisfied with how much training I got in,” Bane said.

But at the same time, Bane thought it might’ve paid off in a weird way down the stretch of the season, saying maybe he wasn’t as worn down come postseason time.

The postseason was when Bane put together some of his best times, including a personal record. Bane was the fastest runner in Jackson County all season, and for the second straight season, he has been named The Tribune’s Boys Cross-Country Runner of the Year.

The senior Owl placed in the top 10 in every single race he competed in this fall except for semistate.

Bane started the season at the Seymour Invitational placing second in 17:05.7. His times only got faster from there.

In Franklin Invitational, Bane was ninth place in 16:57.8. At the Eagle Classic in Brown County, he was fifth in 16:49.4.

The following week, Bane won the Ray Gerkin Invitational at Jennings County in 16:20.79. After that, he placed ninth in the Golden Bear Invitational at Shelbyville in 16:25.7.

Then the postseason began for the Owls. In the Hoosier Hills Conference meet at Freeman Field, Bane placed seventh overall in 16:38.2.

It marked the third-straight season in which Bane was all-HHC, which head coach Randy Fife said is rarely done in their tough conference.

Despite being all conference, Bane wasn’t too pleased with how he did in that race.

“My big thing is I was just trying to focus on my own race,” he said. “I tried not to get too worried about what other people are doing.”

He admits worrying about other people might’ve thrown him off in the Hoosier Hills Conference meet, but he was able to switch his mindset heading into sectionals, and that led to Bane’s fastest time of his career.

At the sectional meet at Eagle Park, Bane placed seventh overall with a PR time of 16:11.7.

Bane was also seventh at regionals on a tough course, and he said heading into semistate that it was the biggest race of his career, saying it was his best chance to qualify for the state meet.

He wound up 28th at semistate, just a few spots shy of qualifying for state as an individual.

Bane was disappointed he didn’t make it out of semistate, and he was also disappointed he didn’t break 16 minutes, but looking back on it, he’s happy with what he has been able to accomplish during his cross-country career.

But Bane’s attention has already shifted to the track and field season this spring. After school every day, you can find Bane running around the high school trying to get his speed up for track season.

Bane plans to focus on the mile and two mile this spring, where he has a regional qualifier in both events last season.

Remaining members of the boys cross-country all-county team:

Shane Ratliff (So.), Brownstown Central: MSC all-conference, semistate qualifier PR 17:12.1.

Carter Murphy (Sr.), Seymour: semistate qualifier, PR 17:41.4.

Chance Ratliff (So.), Brownstown Central: MSC all-conference, semistate qualifier, PR 17:11.4.

Sam Rockey (Jr.), Seymour: semistate qualifier, PR 17:29.3.

Kylan Ellerbe (So.), Seymour: semistate qualifier, PR 17:54.0.

Dirk Crater (So.), Crothersville: SAC all-conference, PR 17:50.

Traven Wellman (Jr.), Brownstown Central: MSC honorable mention, semistate qualifier, PR 17:58.4.

Bradley Edwards (Sr.), Brownstown Central: MSC honorable mention, PR 18:10.8.