Cougar boys 1st, girls 3rd at Coldwater

Van Wert cross country information

COLDWATER — The first week of October always marks a tough race on the calendar for the Cougar Cross Country Teams as they head south for the Coldwater Lions Cross Country Invitational.  The race boasts some of the best that northwest Ohio has to offer when it comes to cross country.

Thursday evening’s race was no letdown as the girls field played host to current Division III state ranked No. 3 Minster, No. 4 Coldwater, No. 16 Versailles, and No. 20 Fort Loramie, along with Van Wert’s Division II No. 15 Lady Cougars.

For the first time since 2009, the Lady Cougars walked out of Coldwater with some hardware, as they finished third to host and champion Coldwater and Minster (second).  Leading the way for the lady cougars was senior Amanda Clay (18th) 20:24. Junior Schealissa Williams (20th) 20:25, sophomore Chloee Gamble (25th) 20:41, senior Andi Foster (36th) 21:17, and sophmore Megan Barnhart (41st) 21:22, rounded out the top five scorers. Freshman Natalie Riethman (78th) 22:30 and sophomore Alicia Danylchuck (89th) 22:47 completed the varsity squad.

“The ladies ran well today, given the distractions of all the homecoming activities that have taken place this week,” said Head Coach Brendon Moody. “We proved this evening that we can run with some quality teams in this area, and the state, and some of the best weeks of the season lie ahead. We just need to stay focused on the little details in the upcoming weeks”

On the boys’ side, Van Wert distanced itself from the field by scoring just 63 points to second place St. Henry, 119, and third place Minster, 122.

The Cougars once again used their solid pack, led by junior Connor Holliday (third) 16:33, and junior Connor Shaffer (10th) 16:51. Junior Jordan Butler (16th) 17:12, junior Daniel Perry (17th) 17:16, and sophomore Cade Fleming (20th) 17:25 completed the scoring. Junior Nick Keber (24th) 17:43, and senior Eric Easley (37th) 18:08 rounded out the scoring.
“The boys’ team continues to show why they are one of the best teams in the state,” said Coach Moody. “They approach each race in a business type mentality and execute their race plan.

“This is a very special group that puts the team before themselves and it is evident in the results,” the coach added.

The next race for the Cougars is the Western Buckeye League championships, which will be held at St. Marys Memorial High School on Saturday, October 12.