MID-JANUARY/MID-MARCH 2016
RUNOHIO
Ohio High School Athletic Association State Cross Country Championships
Near perfect November cross country weather greeted the 87th Boys and 38th Girls Ohio High School Athletic Association State Cross Country Championships. With 426 girls from 134 schools and 446 boys from 145 schools, over 10,000 fans enjoyed the weather, the six races, and perhaps the country’s best High School State Cross Country Championships. The Girls Division III race was the first Championships of the day as runners started east of the Grandstands and ran a half mile before running in front of the grandstands, the runners made a 180 turn at the start of the race track and ran on the west side of the track before looping for almost a mile in the field west of the grandstands. Then the runners returned to the northwest part of the grandstands before turning north and crossed the bridge/ramp put in place to cross over the race track. The runners then headed to the northeast woods. The runners would return from the area near the start and run the final 100 meters in front of the main grandstands. Six girls in the Division III race hit the mile mark with each other within a second at 5:37. Louisville St. Thomas Aquinas’ senior Athena Welsh took a five second lead on junior teammate Kalee Soehnlen at the two mile mark with her 11:32. Thomas who finished third last year would widen her lead to the finish as she won in 17:58. Soehnlen who was sixth in 2014 took home the runner up award with her 18:10. Lancaster Fisher Catholic Academy’s junior Kyleigh Edwards (18:25) finished third, while Botkins’ senior Chloe moved up nine spots from last year to finish fourth in 18:29. Liberty Center’s senior improved twelve spots from last year to place fifth in 18:35. Louisville St. Thomas Aquinas finished seventh in 2014 and stood atop the podium as the Division III team champion with 69 points. Minster which ash won nine team title moved up from fourth last year to take home the runner up trophy with 87 points. Last year’s McDonald placed third with 127
points, while Liberty Center (176) and Sugarcreek Garaway (181) rounded out the top five. Three Division II girls hit the mile mark at 5:32 with two athletes going through the two mile mark at 11:33. Kettering Archbishop Alter’s senior moved up from eighth last year to win in 18:05.4. Oakwood’s senior Mary Kate Vaughn who won the race as a freshman and closed the final 100 meters to post the closest finish ever in the girls race as she clocked a 18:05.6. Millersburg West Holmes’ junior Michelle Hostettler (18:19) finished third. Last year Lexington’s Dominique Clairmonte won the cross country title as well and the 1600 and 3200 meter track title finished fourth in 18:29. Chagrin Falls’ sophomore Annie Zimmer (18:30) rounded out the top five. Last year Lexington finished second, one point behind Granville who won the Division II title by the largest margin of any team with their 64 points. Tipp City Tippecanoe moved up from their 2014 ninth place finish to take home the runner up trophy with 125 points. Gates Mills Gilmour Academy (with 148 girls) which finished eighth in Division III last year might have battled for the Division III title this year but with 30 more boys in school and with cross country using combined enrollment they were forced to run Division II and placed third with 141 points. Kettering Archbishop Alter (163) repeated their 2014 fourth place finish while Chagrin Falls finished fifth with 180 points. In the girls Division I race Troy’s sophomore Morgan Gigandet spirited out to a seven second lead as she hit the mile at 5:22 and maintained a two second lead at the mile with her 11:22. Last year’s winner, Centerville’s senior Lainey Studebaker, pulled away in the final mile to win in 17:39. Hilliard Davidson’s India Johnson moved up thirty-one spots from last year to take home the runner up award in 17:43. Olentangy Liberty’s sophomore Emma Bower improved
START OF BOYS DIVISION I fourteen spots from last year to capture the bronze in 17:54. Troy’s sophomore Morgan Gigadet moved up seven spots from 2014 to place fourth in 18:04 while Solon’s freshman Olivia Howell (18:05) rounded out the top five. Centerville defended their team title as they won the girls Division I crown with 71 points. Olentangy Liberty improved four spots from 2014 to take home the runner up trophy with 124 points. Mason moved down a spot from last year to finish third with 131 points. Hilliard Davidson moved down a spot to finish fourth with 175 points while Troy (188) finished fifth. Last year’s Division II girls champion Granville started the season again in Division II but with the state wide charter student enrollment reversal and with combined enrollment placed seventh in Division I this year. In the boys Division III race four runner went by the mile mark in 4:55 while five more were at 4:56. Last year’s winner Cortland Maplewood’s s senior Tristan Dahmen had a five second lead at the 2 mile mark (9:50). Dahmen would widen his lead as he crossed the finish line in 15:18, just two second off the all time Division III time by Versialles’ Samuel Perkins. Antwerp’s senior Sam Williamson
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Hebron, Ohio November 7
by Matt McGowan
(PHOTOS BY MATT MCGOWAN)
improved five spots from last year as he captured the silver in 15:36. Sullivan Black River’s senior Tanner Hawley moved up twenty one spots from last year to finish third in 15:46. Ottoville’s sophomore Brendon Siefker (15:48) and Lancaster Fisher Catholic’s senior Aaron Wood (15:51) rounded out the top five. Cortland Maplewood’s captured their seventh Division III Boy’s team championship with 61 points. Louisville St. Thomas Aquinas (87) improved five spots to take home the runner up trophy. McDonald repeated their third place finish from last year with 141 points. Liberty
center (156) and Ft. Loramie (179) finished next. In the boy’s Division II race eleven athletes were within a second of 4:55 at the mile mark. Three runners went through the two mile mark in 9:59. Chargin Fall’s senior Joseph Bistritz (15:16) repeated his Division II individual title. Tipp City Tippecanoe’s senior Mitchell Poynter improved three spots from last year to capture the runner up award in 15:24. Lexington’s senior Nick Stricklen (15:43) improved five spots from 2014 to win the bronze. Lexington’s sophomore Ryan Johnston (15:47) improved twenty spots from last year to finish fourth while (Cont. on next page)
BOYS RUN DIVISION I, INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
NAME SCHOOL TIME Andrew Jordan.....................Watkins Memorial................14:54.0 Gavin Gaynor.......................Hudson................................15:13.8 Dustin Horter........................Lakota East.........................15:14.4 Danny Cohen.......................Solon...................................15:24.1 Luke Wagner........................St. Ignatius..........................15:26.6 Bradley Davis.......................Dublin Jerome.....................15:29.5 Hunter Moore.......................Olentangy Orange...............15:31.5 J. P. Trojan............................University School................15:31.7 Stephen Jones.....................Troy.....................................15:35.1 Zach Birdsall.........................Fairfield...............................15:35.6 Joe Riordan..........................Solon...................................15:36.4 Edmund Colemand...............Ashland...............................15:37.6 Matt Parkhurst......................Westerville North.................15:38.1 C. J. Ambrosio......................St. Ignatius..........................15:38.6 Owen Keith...........................Newark................................15:40.4 Daniel White.........................Watkins Memorial................15:40.4 Arjun Jha..............................Thomas Worthington...........15:41.6