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Home > Blogs > High School Huddle > Archives > 2009 > November > 07 > Entry
Nuggets from state cross country
Here’s some news, nuggets and names to wrap up the boys and girls high school state cross country championships held at Scioto Downs in Columbus on Saturday, Nov. 7:
• If you weren’t at the cross country championships Saturday, you still might have known Cleveland St. Ignatius won the Division I boys title. Ignatius’ wild and enthusiastic student cheering section — complete with three St. Ignatius flags waving them to victory — blasted out the school song and chanted ‘State Champ!’ with gusto.
• Mason junior Zach Wills repeated as the D-I champ in 15 minutes, 45.11 seconds. That was slower compared to his 2008 time of 15:15.66.
• Among other local finishers in D-I, Butler senior Doug Norris was 44th, Carroll junior Chadd Kiggins 48th and Fairborn sophomore Jordan Redd 53rd.
• Peninsula Woodridge won the D-II boys title and Bay Village Bay junior Michael Brajdic won the individual title.
• Eaton junior Todd Hewitt just missed All-Ohio honors (top-15 finish) in the D-II boys meet. He clocked in at 17th, a second behind the cutoff. Clinton-Massie senior Myles Corcoran and Tippecanoe freshman Sam Wharton also logged top-25 finishes.
• Independence claimed the D-III boys title and individual title with sophomore Ryan Polman.
• Bethel senior Brandon Graves finished in the top 25.
• Russia’s boys finished 8th in the D-II boys meet, with New Bremen (11th) and St. Henry (12th) close behind.
• Springboro’s girls, runner-up in the D-I meet, returns six of its top seven runners next season: freshman Rachael Mahle (11th), junior Carly Hamilton (18th), junior Alex Mahle (76th), freshman Lycia Hollon (84th), freshman Sarah Smith (111) and sophomore Heather Baruxes (121). Senior Katie Kessler was 30th.
“We basically said to win state we‘re really going to have to step it up,” Springboro coach Ron Rohrer said. “We tried to be realistic with them but we knew we had a good shot at runner-up. … They all stepped up and did it.”
• Sylvania Northview senior Meredith Wagner won the girls D-I title.
• Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary won the girls D-II title and Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy junior Christina Blair took the individual title.
• Chaminade Julienne senior Lizzie Gleason (16th) and Alter sophomore Grace Untener (17th) just missed podium finishes by one second.
• Alter’s girls logged the best D-II finish at fifth, led by Untener and sophomore Olivia Albers (25th). Coldwater was sixth, Greenon eighth, Carroll 13th and Bellbrook, making its first state appearance in girls cross country, 15th.
• When Minster freshman Natalie Fausey led the Wildcats to their eighth state title and second straight in D-III, it marked the first time all season she finished first among her teammates.
“She’s run well all year,” said Minster coach Jessica Magoto. “She just had that extra umph and that courage to go out there.”
Magoto admitted the carefree and practical-joking Wildcats had her a bit nervous before the state meet with their attitude.
“Let me tell you, they almost killed me,” Magoto said. “They like to have a lot of fun and I was worried they wouldn’t know when to stop having fun and focus. Spending time with them Friday I was really, really nervous, that I was telling them remember what you‘re coming here for. Remember what the focus is. The fun comes after the race.”
Magoto thought quiet and reserved Fausey wasn’t one of the ring leaders. Oops.
“The girls were telling me she’s one of the craziest of all,” Magoto said.
That brought a smile to Fausey’s face.
“Yeah, I’m quiet around her but the whole team is pretty wild though,” said Fausey, who has two older sisters that also won state cross country titles with Minster.
• Xenia Christian freshman Bethany Norman finished 24th to crack the top 25.
• West Liberty-Salem also competed as a team and finished fifth.
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