Cross Country teams find victory in the postseason

After a successful season thus far, the boys and girls cross country teams are continuing to enjoy victory in the postseason. In fact, this weekend the girls varsity team took first place at the district meet. The boys had some difficulties with injuries, and ended up not qualifying as a team, although several boys managed to qualify as individuals.

The district meet took place at Trumbull County Fairgrounds, and the course was muddy and cold so the times were significantly slower than they typically would due to the poor weather. The top five teams and any individuals to finish in the top twenty advance to the regional tournament in Pickerington.

Finishing with a combined time of 1:41:44.24, the girls team is advancing in first place to regionals. The team average was 20:20.85; Olivia and Sammy Grohe came in fourth and fifth at 19:43.67 and 19:52.28, then Karsen Zabell and Brynn Sesny came in seventeenth and eighteenth at 20:32.63 and 20:36.09, next was Liz Keller in 26th at 20:59.57, Katy Fellenstein in 28th at 21:04.57, and Maddie Schmidt in 30th at 21:09.45.

Meanwhile the boys team finished in seventh place with a combined time of 1:28:04.66 and an average time of 17:36.94. Donovan Boyle finished first for Aurora and qualified as an individual for the regional meet, placing 16th overall with a time of 17:05.8. Robbie Taylor finished next in 23rd at 17:11.96, then Solomon Bibza in 36th at 17:42.75 and Henry Rees in 43rd at 17:56.01, next was Zach Jenkins in 56th at 18:08.14, Connor Brown in 64th at 18:28.34, and Samuel Siedel in 81st at 19:13.64.

There is more to cross country than just the times and stats however.

“The seniors really set the tone, foundations, and expectations for the underclassmen over the summer,” said Head Coach Laura Bell. “They reached out to new and returning athletes, organized team focused events, and set up several summer runs in addition to our 10 official summer practices. They were all instrumental in the culture of the program and the reason why the program is what it is today.”

The summer preseason is incredibly important for those athletes wishing to be competitive later in the season. Seniors such as the Hailey and Shelby Adler, Marissa Henderson, Abbey Stechler, Matthew Peluso, Zach Jenkins, and David Meredith stepped up this season to make summer practices and events like team bonfires and dinners. This early inclusion inspired the team to work harder over the summer and ultimately perform better in the postseason.

“The boys team knew it was going to be difficult to qualify out as a team, as they were predicted to take 9th place based on OhioMile Splits,” said Bell. “The coaching staff was extremely impressed by their efforts and performance on Saturday. We could not have asked for more out of them.”

First time cross country runner Donovan Boyle is the second ever male runner to qualify to regionals in Division 1, current Assistant Coach Scott Black being the first to qualify back in 2009 and 2010. Bell said, “Boyle knew it was going to be difficult to qualify out, but he also knew it wasn't impossible if he was willing to gut it out. He, along with Taylor and Bibza, had a great start.”

Robbie Taylor was only three athletes short of qualifying and finished with his season’s personal record. “He has grown so much over this season, and I am confident he will come back strong in the track season and even stronger in the 2017 season,” said Bell.

Solomon Bibza and Henry Rees are two former soccer players that turned out to be quite successful on this year’s team. Bell said, “We hope they will both consider coming back out next year as they have a bright future in running.”

Zach Jenkins was also very successful this season, dropping a whole 90 seconds off of his previous season personal record. Bell hopes he will continue to run next year in college as she sees a lot of potential in him.

Bell is looking to Connor Brown to be a leader next year as the seniors move on. “He is the key to keeping the balance on the team. He senses when the pressure is high and brings laughter to the team, and he is hardworking and consistent and will rise to the occasion,” said Bell.

Bell also mentioned Ryan Markowitz, Michael Kaplan, and Sam Siedel as key members of the boys team. Siedel dropped 150 seconds from his time trial at the beginning of this season, and she is looking forward to seeing Siedel and Kaplan continue to improve next year.

As for the girls team, Bell said, “Over the last 5 years, the girls team has been slowly evolving into an unstoppable force.” In the past few years, there have always been several extremely talented girls, but the rest of the team would struggle. After advancing to regionals in fourth place for the first time ever in Division One in 2014, the girls team has only been increasing in strength.

Although it is described as a team, cross country for most athletes is an individual sport. The girls varsity team sees it differently though. “This team has something very special that many teams do not have. They are willing to work together as one unit, and they don’t get caught up on beating each other, only beating their opponents. They each have a unique trait about themselves but fit together like a puzzle with their strengths and weakness when they come together as one,” said Bell.

Olivia and Sammy Grohe have been leading the team for years and are finishing off their senior year the same way. They are consistently hard-working and prepared to do anything to reach their goals together. Brynn Sesny has also been consistent over this season and even improved her personal record by over 90 seconds throughout the year.

Bell described Maddie Schmidt, Katy Fellenstein, and Liz Keller as a trifecta force, always running together and pushing each other for the top spots. Karson Zabell is the freshman on the varsity team and clearly has a lot of potential for the future.

Next week at regionals, the top eight teams and top 36 individuals will go on to states. The Grohes, Zabell, and Sesny have the opportunity to qualify as individuals, as all of them would have also qualified as individuals at the district meet in the top twenty. The competition will be difficult as they face some of the toughest teams in the state, but Bell has faith that they can succeed. Make sure to wish them good luck as they run this Saturday!