Lincolnview, Lady Knights statebound

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports editor

TIFFIN — Lincolnview’s boys’ and girls’ cross country teams are headed to state, along with the Crestview Lady Knights.

The Lancers finished second behind New London at Saturday’s Division III regionals at Tiffin’s Hedges-Boyer Park.

Alek Bowersock was the top finisher for the Lancers, finishing third overall with a time of 16:25. He was followed by Jacob Keysor (20th, 16:54), Karter Tow (24th, 16:55) and Devon Bill (63rd, 19:39).

The Lady Lancers finished fifth out of 24 Division III teams and were led by Madison Langdon, who placed 26th with a time of 20:08. Brayden Langdon finished 54th (21:06), followed by Victoria Snyder (56th, 21:08), Julia Stetler (77th, 21:28) and Madeline Snyder (96th, 21:51).

Led by Ragen Harting, the Lady Knights finished eighth and also qualified for the Division III State Cross Country Meet on Saturday.

Harting placed 18th with a personal record time of 19:54, while teammate Emily Greulach finished 42nd with a personal record time of 20:56. Lauren Walls was right behind, placing 43rd with a personal best time of 20:56. Lizzie Bowen captured an important spot, placing 90th with a personal record time of 21:39. Adalynn Longstreth closed out the team scoring for Crestview with her season best time, and Kenzie Leeth and Lydia Saylor both ran strong races to round out the seven varsity runners for the Lady Knights.

“The girls did a great job of completely focusing on their jobs,” Crestview head coach Jeff Bagley said. “We are extremely thankful that we were able to run our best team race of the year at the regional meet.”

“This group has taken care of all the little things during the season so that they could continue to grow, improve, and develop as people and runners. I know their families and our school are extremely proud of the way they conduct themselves and compete.”

Wyatt Richardson wrapped up his season for the Knights at the Tiffin regional on Saturday. While fighting through a foot injury, Richardson placed 110th with a time of 18:18.

The 2018 OHSAA State Cross Country Meet will be held Saturday at National Trail Raceway in Hebron.