Lancer boy runners head to state — again

Lincolnview cross country information

TIFFIN — The Lincolnview Lancer boys’ and girls’ cross country teams competed in the regional championship meet in Tiffin on Saturday.  Both teams came into the meet ranked in the state and off of District runner-up performances the week before.  The top four teams and the top 16 individuals qualified for the State meet next weekend in Columbus.

The boys’ team placed third in the 16-team field, qualifying the Lancers for the state meet for the third consecutive season as a team. The top four teams were Liberty Center (62), Carey (116), Lincolnview (144), and Minster (153).  Senior Trevor Neate led the Lancers in a time of 17:15.  He was followed very closely by teammates Austin Elick (17:22), Tracey West (17:27), Alek Bowersock (17:27), and Karter Tow (17:46).  Rounding out the varsity were Jacob Keysor and Colton Snyder.

“It was an incredible race for the boys, to cap off an incredible season,” said Lincolnview Coach Matt Langdon. “These boys had a lot of obstacles to overcome this year and they refused to be defined by those obstacles.

“They were the very definition of a team,” Coach Langdon added. “We did not have one individual qualifier (top 16), yet were able to qualify as a team; that is rarely done and it is a testament to their resolve and their trust in one another.

“I could not be more proud of how they raced,” he said. “They executed our game plan exactly and finished the race without fear; it was fun to watch. We take five kids to the state meet that did not run at the state meet on our 2014 team. It’s a great accomplishment for these boys.”

The Lady Lancers ended their season by placing eighth as a team, only 20 points from the fifth position. Senior Anna Gorman, who placed 23rd overall in the race in a career best time of 20:11, led the Lincolnview girls. She was followed by teammate Brayden Langdon, who also ran a career best time of 20:54. Rounding out the scoring was Madeline Snyder (21:30), Alena Looser (21:35), and Trinity Welch (22:48).  Abbie Enyart and Rylee Byrne completed the varsity runners for the Lady Lancers.

“It was a difficult day for the girls,” Coach Langdon said. “Their goal from the beginning of the season was to go to state. We certainly gave ourselves that opportunity, but even our best would not have been enough today.

“The top four teams ran extremely well and gave us no chance to qualify,” he added. “It was an historic season for the girls and I enjoyed the journey with them.

“It’s tough to end the season so close to the goal, but soon they will be able to look back and see all of the great things they accomplished this year,” the Lancer coach said. “They were a blast to coach and fun to watch race.  We hope to build from this and carry it into the track season and then into next summer for the 2016 cross country season.”