Travis Hendell always hoped running would take him somewhere.

He never thought it would take him to Australia.

The Karns City sophomore has accepted an invitation to compete for the United States in the cross country portion of the Down Under Sports Tour in Australia June 25 through July 15.

"They sent out invitations to various runners across the region, I'm assuming based on how well you did last season," Hendell said. "I've heard this is a great experience and I decided to pursue it."

The Down Under Sports Tour brings together teams in various sports from the United States and Australia. The cross country runners will compete in a practice race along with a 5K.

Karns City football players have played on a Penn-Ohio team in the Down Under Bowl in recent years. Six Gremlins were part of a team that went unscored upon in Australia in 2002.

Hendell placed ninth in the District 9 cross country meet last fall. He was 67th at the PIAA meet, completing the course in 18 minutes, 24 seconds.

"We qualified for the state meet as a team, but Travis would have qualified as an individual had that not happened," Karns City cross country coach Don Loughry said. "He made tremendous strides from his freshman to sophomore year."

Travis Fiscus, a junior when Hendell was a freshman, was the Gremlins' top runner in 2003. Hendell was the team's top runner in 2004. He was Karns City's top finisher at the district and state meet.

"He's an exceptional runner mentally," Loughry said of Hendell. "He's a very consistent runner and that's tough to do in this sport."

Hendell played soccer until his freshman year in high school. He played one game that season and left the sport.

"I didn't feel motivated by it," Hendell said of soccer. "I didn't see a future in it for myself.

Hendell's been running ever since.

"I love running. I love the individualism and pushing myself. I wanted to break 18 minutes this past, but just couldn't get there," he said.

Hendell's fastest time last fall was 18:06.

Even during the winter months, he battles the elements enough to run up to eight miles per week.

"Travis was our most valuable runner last season and he's only going to get better," Loughry said.

Hendell hopes the Down Under Sports Tour contributes to his improvement.

"It's another race to get ready for," he said. "And you can get some college credits through doing this, which is something I'm looking into."

The cost of the trip is $3,590, which Hendell must raise on his own. He is the only cross country runner from this area making the trip thus far.

"I know others were invited," he said. "Moniteau and Union have some really good runners. I'm hoping a couple of them decide to go."