Cross country teams shine at tourneys

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports editor

Van Wert simply dominated the Western Buckeye League Championships by bringing home the boys’ and girls’ team titles on Saturday, while the Crestview Lady Knights stunned state-ranked Columbus Grove to win the NWC team title. In addition, Lincolnview’s Madison Langdon won the individual title and the Crestview boys logged a fine third place finish.

WBL

With five runners in the top 22, the Cougars finished with 48 points and edged Defiance (50) for the team title at Elida.

Van Wert’s Hunter Sherer finished as the runner-up with a time of 16:28, while Asanke Steyer recorded a fourth place finish and a time of 16:36. Gage Wannemacher and Jacob Wasson finished 10th and 11th with times of 17:02 and 17:07, while Gage Springer placed 22nd by running the course in 17:32.

Shawnee’s Isaiah Johns was the individual champion with a time of 16:20.

“Our guys were coming in, on paper, based on times in first, but Shawnee had just beaten us the week before and Defiance is a pernnial powerhouse,” Van Wert head coach Ryan Holliday said. “We knew they’d come in and be ready to defend their title. We put ourselves where we needed to be in the race and had just enough to come out on top.”

“Jacob Wasson passed 10 guys on the last mile, so that was a game changer for us,” Holliday added.

On the girls’ side, Van Wert and Celina each finished with 71 team points and the Lady Bulldogs had the top two finishers, Kaylie Dameron (18:31) and Joscelyn Dameron (19:14), but the Lady Cougars won the tiebreaker with the No. 6 runner, Kirsten Dunning, who placed 27th (22:08). Celina’s No. 6 runner finished 50th.

Van Wert’s first five runners all finished in the top 22. Kyra Welch led the pack by finishing No. 8 (20:35), while Rachel Spath (21:12), Tyra McClain (21:19) and Tayler Carter (21:22) finished 13th, 14th and 15th. Carly Smith placed 22nd with a time of 21:37.

“Our girls came in wanting to win, but we knew any one of five teams could come out on top,” Holliday explained. “We didn’t have our absolute best team effort but it was solid and good enough to win. Tayler Carter stepped up in an especially big way to help us and I’m so proud of our girls and excited for them to have achieved one of their big season goals.”

In addition to the varsity championships, Van Wert captured the middle school boys’ and girls’ team titles.

“It was one of those rare days where you just have to sit back and soak it in,” Holliday said. “I was so extremely proud of our athletes, coaches, parents, and high school and middle school guys and girls. To win four WBL team championships is something incredibly special.”

“It’s never happened before at Van Wert and although records are a little fuzy, we think this may never have happened before for any school in WBL cross country history.”

The varsity teams will run at the Division II district meet at Ottawa on Saturday.

NWC

At Columbus Grove, Crestview had five runners in the top 16 and finished with 36 points to edge perennial power Columbus Grove (39) for the team title. Lincolnview placed third with 56 points.

The Lady Knights were paced by Emily Greulach, who finished fourth overall with a season-best time of 20:53. Lauren Walls (21:51) and Adalynn Longstreth season best 21:58) finished fifth and sixth, while teammates Megan Mosier (personal record 22:04) and Kate Leeth (23:10) placed 10th and 16th.

Greulach earned first team All-NWC honors, and Walls, Longstretch and Mosier were named second team All-NWC.

“Both the girls and boys teams continued to show growth and improvement at the NWC meet, and a gutty performance was turned in by both groups,” Crestview head coach Jeff Bagley said. “The fun challenge ahead is to continue to build on what we are doing in practice and in the meets.”

While Crestview won the team title, Lincolnview’s Madison Langdon won the individual title, her third of the season. Langdon finished with a time of 19:33 to easily outpace runner-up Lillee Stewart of Spencerville (20:01). She was named NWC female cross country athlete of the year.

Teammate Julia Stetler enjoyed a fifth place finish after running the course in 21:28 and was named first team All-NWC. Emma Hatcher (19th, 23:41), Dylann Carey (24th, 24:58) and Lillian Mount (25th, 25:09) rounded out the top five runners for the Lady Lancers.

“Both Madison and Julia have outstanding chances to advance individually at districts and the team also has a great chance, but we will need to close the gap a little between our front two and our No. 3-5 runners,” Lincolnview head coach Matt Langdon said. “I really feel optimistic about our chances.”

On the boys’ side, Columbus Grove easily finished as conference champion by winning the team title with 29 points. Lincolnview finished second (58) and Crestview third (91).

Columbus Grove’s Caleb Stechschulte and Trent Koch finished 1-2 with times of 16:33 and 16:42, while the Lancers had four runners in the top 11. Jackson Robinson led the way with a fifth place finish (career best 17:13) and Daegan Hatfield placed eighth with a time of 17:23. Brandon Renner (17:37) and Conner Baldauf (27:43) finished 10th and 11th, while Kohen Cox rounded out the scoring for the Lancers with a 29th place finish (18:40).

“The boys ran their best team race of the season,” Langdon said. “They continue to improve and have placed themselves in a great position going into the tournament.

Robinson earned first team All-NWC honors, while Hatfield and Renner were named second team All-NWC, and Baldauf was the highest placing freshman in the conference.

“These individuals and the team should advance at the district tournament,” Langdon stated. “This boys team has worked incredibly hard and they are now starting to see that hard work pay off. I’m extremely proud of how far they have come this season and I can’t wait to see how the tournament goes.”

The Knights turned in their best No. 1-5 pack time of just 37 seconds and the group was led by Dayton Schuerman, who placed 12th with a personal record time of 17:44. He was followed by Hayden Tomlinson (19th, 18:06), Maddux Cunningham (22nd, 18:13), Isaiah Watts (24th, personal record 18:15) and Jayden Renner (25th, personal record 18:21).

Crestview and Lincolnview will compete at the Division III district meet at Ottawa on Saturday.