‘Obsessed’ For More: Defending D3 State Champion Aiden Monistre of Parkview Baptist Competing in Two Different State Events – One by Land, the other by water

by: William Weathers // GeauxPreps.com Contributor

For a guy who wakes up each morning at 4:45 a.m. for 5:30 a.m. roadwork, followed by a full day of school, and swim practice, Parkview Baptist senior Aiden Monistere believes there’s more he could do to excel in his craft.

“I don’t think I’m as dedicated as I could be,” Monistere said. “I feel like I should do a bit more with some other stuff. I’m lucky. It’s a gift from God. It’s the talent he’s given me and that I’ve found and love. I just do it to glorify him in whatever I can do. It’s dedication I have. I think I can figure out ways to do it a bit better.”

One of the nation’s top 50 cross country runners, Monistere looks to defend his individual Division III state championship and help his team extend their streak of state titles to four when Northwestern State hosts the LHSAA’s State Cross Country Championships on Monday in Natchitoches.

The Division III boys are scheduled to race at 12:45 p.m.

“I was kind of despising coming back being my year,” Monistere said. “I got into the season, and I knew I wanted to do something. Winning state was one of the big goals to go back-to-back in cross and in (indoor and outdoor 1600 and 3200) track.”

Parkview Baptist cross country coach Chase Duplessis has one goal in mind for Monistere.

“I hope he goes out and does his best and has the time as far as state meets, the best he’s ever done there,” he said. “That he’s able to finish out on a high note and win a state championship. He’s just a selfless kid who gives you his best.”

Monistere faces the challenge of competing in two different state championships this week.

Following the state cross country championship, the LHSAA moves its state-level venue to SPAR Aquatic Center for its State Swimming Championships Wednesday and Thursday in Sulphur.

Monistere is qualified in a total of four preliminary events – the 200 free, 100 back along with the 200 and 400 free relays.

“I think there may be a chance this year in the 200 free,” said Monistere, who has the third fastest qualifying time (1:54.99) in the event. “I’m naturally talented in swimming, more naturally talented than in running. I just didn’t like the sport as much and tried as hard. I’ve always made finals in every event but I have never made the podium. Class 3A has some really good swimmers.

“It’s more of a fun thing,” Monistere said of swimming. “I’m the good guy in running and I’m going against the good guys that swim. I feel like I’m the racers that I race (in cross country) against. Whatever happens in the pool, happens in the pool. I want to do my best and I’m not happy when I don’t do it. But as long as I go all out, and do what I can, I’ll be somewhat happy.”

Record-setting indoor, and outdoor seasons

Swimming was his sport of choice growing up until Monistere switched exclusively to running after COVID-19 pandemic because of the difficulty in maintaining the schedule the two sports presented.

He was part of the Parkview’s cross country program in the seventh and eighth grades and began to see dramatic drops in his times on the course as a ninth grader.

“It was a pretty fun sport, and I learned I wanted to make it past the high school experience,” Monistere said.

PBS’ distance runners, under then head coach Chad Landry, had become a focal point. The Eagles began a stretch of three straight state titles in cross country and became a driving force for the team during the indoor and outdoor track seasons in the middle distance and one and two-mile events.

Monistere was afforded the opportunity to learn from such veterans as Kole Feucht (now of UL-Lafayette) and Caleb and Wyatt Whipp, both of whom run at Mississippi College, and together the Eagles became a Division III power.

“All of those guys were able to pull him along as well and he’s pushing them,” said Duplessis, who first coached Monistere in the sixth grade and returned to coach this year. “There was always a sense of getting better together. It was a great team effort, and they were able to win state.

“(Coach) Sam Barham was another previous coach who kept the guys interested and pushed them until I came along,” Duplessis said. “That crop was able to push through together and worked hard. It’s iron sharpens iron, and Aiden was always at the top of that list. We’ve had really some great runners.”

Wyatt Whipp’s fourth-place showing highlighted PBS’ state title in 2021 and Monistere, a freshman, was seventh at 17 minutes, 16.8 seconds. A year later, when the Eagles repeated as state champions, Monistere made it to the podium in third, taking more than a minute off his ’21 time (16:14.8).

Monistere’s climb to the top came last year when PBS outdistanced Newman and Episcopal led by Monistere’s 15:25.2 first-place showing.

“My freshman year, I was asked about whether I wanted to run in college,” Monistere said. “I thought OK, this is a possibility. After my times started dropping my junior year, a lot of the nation’s schools were reaching out and it was kind of cool to be wanted. That’s when it clicked at the end of my junior year into the summer. A lot of people started reaching out. This is kind of what I want to do and see which place is best for me.”

Monistere’s junior year included a distance double in both the LHSAA’s indoor and outdoor state meets.

He set the class records in both the 1600 (4:23.84) and 3200 (9:38.45) and was part of PBS’ 4×4 relay team that finished fourth. The Eagles were third in the Division II team standings behind champion Glen Oaks.

Monistere was again up to his record-settings way at the outdoor meet, setting a class mark in the 1600 (4:18.53) go along with his triumphant time (9:23.51) in the 3200 meters where he edged teammate Caleb Whipp.

He was also the anchor leg on the Eagles’ victorious 4×400 relay that edged Lake Charles College Prep by second seconds.

Monistere’s recruiting process hasn’t yet reached the finish line. He’s made official visits to Oklahoma State, Tulane, and Tennessee and continues to talk to several other schools, and doesn’t expect to make a decision until the spring.

“I like the schools that I’ve gone to,” he said. “I see a possibility of going to any one of those three.”

Swimming has helped cross-country results

Swimming (both club and high school), and distance running, remained part of Monistere’s repertoire until his sophomore year because of his love for running.

He’s been a member of PBS’ swim team throughout his high school career, though, finding the sport somewhat therapeutic with the cross and aerobic training to help deal with running-related injuries.

Monistere credits PBS swimming coach Kate Kramer for the introduction of plyometrics into the team’s training workout, along with strength training, for a senior season that’s been void of injuries and complete with impressive marks.

“When I was injured, I could hop in the pool and do different training,” he said. “I fell in love with the sport (swimming) again. That’s helped me understand why I’m running so much faster this year. I’ve always dropped time in swimming. It’s been fun to get back into the pool. The training for the two in the morning and afternoon has been a bit of a puzzle that I’ve had to figure out.”

Swimming and elliptical exercises have also been part of Monistere’s training for cross country and track. While he’s now completing at least half of the roadwork of some other runners, he’s also minimizing the risk of injury such as nagging shin splints which have flared up during his career.

He’s entering his final high school cross-country meet in peak condition.

“It’s a lot of hard work,” he said of the training. “You go through the ups and downs of it. There’s sickness and fatigue. I’m training as smart and as hard as possible. The fun parts are the hard days. My senior year is when it clicked and I realized that this is what I want to do, and I wanted to do it for a long time.”

Duplessis, a teacher at PBS for 17 years, is equally amazed by Monistere’s workout regimen.

“When he’s at the team practices, it’s always a different workout geared toward him,” he said. “It’s an individual workout. The strenuousness of the workout you’re watching is hard to appreciate because it’s just that fast. He’s always coming through and he’s always at the max level time. He’s not cutting corners.

“You wonder if he’s going to fall or collapse because he’s pushed it to that extent,” he said. “He’s always hitting his rest time and he’s always hitting the marks he’s supposed to. His workout, no one else can do. It’s got to be him driving himself which is extremely impressive. It’s elite-level, impressive stuff. We have extremely good runners on the team, but the times he’s coming in at, it’s him and him alone.”

One final time

Monistere won his first state cross-country title in 2023 by more than a minute. Could it be more of the same this year?

“It hasn’t really hit me yet that it’s my final one,” he said.

Monistere, who grew up around a strong group of upperclassmen at PBS, is now the veteran who sets the pace for a talented team ranked fifth in the latest small school (Classes 3A-B).

“The best thing is to individually win and help the team,” he said. “There’s a small chance that we could pull it out. We’re getting the guys ready for state, to have them ready to do what they can do. I think the guys are better than what they’ve run this season. They just haven’t been able to perform as to how fast they really are.

“It’s just another race, it doesn’t matter,” he said of his pre-race advice. “It is the biggest race of the season. As long as you put your heart into the race and go all out, that’s all that we care for. If it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t work. If you’re having fun, the nerves will go away, and you’ll have a great race.”

Despite nagging shin splints, Monistere opted to expand his horizons outside of his home state this fall. He ran in the 2024 Nike Outdoors Nationals at famed Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon in June and was eighth in the mile run (4:09.73).

“I wanted to go race against competition,” he said. “I didn’t a expect great time with an injury and not being able to run much. It was a learning experience I wanted to have, and who doesn’t want to run at Heyward Field. It’s magical and fun to race there.”

Monistere’s been nearly perfect in the ramp-up for his final run this fall, winning all but one meet, while serving notice he was pursuing a repeat individual championship with a vengeance.

Monistere was 10 seconds behind first-place Luke Alverson of Alabama with a time of 14:57.5 in the Southern Showcase in Huntsville, Ala. He won his two other out-of-state meets, the first at the Nike South Invitational in The Woodlands, Texas in a time of 15:21.50 over the 5,000-meter course.

His performance in the Southern Showcase on Sept. 17 also resulted in the fastest time in Louisiana history – shaving two seconds off the previous time of Brady Mullen of Jesuit in 2023.

“At the beginning of the season, it was about trying to figure out pacing,” Monistere said. “I realized I was training a bit faster, and I felt great.”

Monistere followed that three weeks later with a convincing win at the Watson High School Cross Country Classic in Clinton, Miss. He covered 5,000 meters in a time of 14:33.90 and defeated Noah Mooney of Brother Martin of New Orleans (15:28.0).

Monistere’s literally been a blur on his home course – Highland Road Park.

During the St. Joseph Academy Invitational on Oct. 5, Monistere, in spite of a sinus infection, set the course record in 14:12.34 – edging Eric Costen of St. Paul’s (14:25 set in 2017).

He also won the East Baton Rouge Metro Championship (14:43.6) and captured the Region II Qualifier (15:12.9) – more than a minute better than the runner-up – in what was his final opportunity to run at Highland Road Park.

“Every race is different,” Monistere said. “When you’re solo and out in front by yourself, it’s mentally destroying and wastes a lot more energy to have to focus on hitting your times all by yourself and chasing no one. You have to push and push and don’t stop. When you’re racing with other guys and it’s a pack, it’s a lot more technical. I love those like the mile, the short and quick ones. In a big pack, you want to turn your mind off, and let your body go and wait until the end to make your move.”

Duplessis is in awe of watching Monistere’s once he crosses the finish line.

“He grabs his water,” he said. “For someone running so impressively, you would think he would collapse at the finish line. It’s just staggering to watch.”

Parkview Baptist traveled Sunday for a ‘shake out’ on the course in Natchitoches, stayed in Alexandria, and returned Monday morning to begin preparations for the meet.

Whether someone wants to challenge Monistere remains to be seen. He’s anticipating a slower pace, one that’s not too taxing, and allows him to retain control in his final high school race in Louisiana.

“I don’t need to kill myself too much,” Monistere said. “Just have fun and run it. It’s the last time on the course. I also hope the team does well.”

Monistere’s aspirations reach beyond this week’s state championships. He will run in the Nike Cross Country Nationals on Dec. 7 in Portland, Oregon with an eye on making the United States’ U20 national and Pan American teams, before selecting the school of his choice where he believes he’ll run any of the following races – 10K, 1600, 3200 or steeplechase.

“It’s developed and it’s just an obsession … the love of two sports,” said Monistere. “I’ve become obsessed with it and it’s the only thing I can think of, and what I want to do.”