It was a banner day for Richland County cross country teams.
In all, four team won conference championships on Saturday, Oct. 17 and two runners won individual titles.
Let's run down what all happened in the Ohio Cardinal Conference, Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference, Firelands Conference and Mid-Buckeye Conference.
FOLLOW THE SEASON: 2026 Richland County Cross Country Scoreboard: Runners pass big tests before conference week
Lexington sweeps Ohio Cardinal Conference championships
In the girls race, the Lexington Lady Lex won the Ohio Cardinal Conference championship with just 26 team points. Gabi Twedt led Lady Lex in second place with an 18:27.38 while Jenna Halfhill was fourth with a 19:14.52, Evalynn Adkins was fifth with a 19:32.84, Adria Sharrock was seventh with a 20:38.39 and Nyra Loy was 10th with a 20:52.88 to round out the Top 5 runners for Lexington. It is Lexington’s 20th league championship in program history and 19th consecutive conference crown. The 2026 team joins team from 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026 to win league championships.
The Madison Rams took seventh with 216 team points. Livia Grove led the Rams in 36th place with a 23:48.58 while Casey Rachel was 42nd with a 24:50.17, Natalie Smith was 45th with a 25:20.39, Mariah Stacy was 46th with a 25:24.76 and Chloe Jeffers was 47th with a 26:13.12 to round out the Top 5 runners Madison.
In the boys race, the Lexington Minutemen made it a clean sweep winning the team title with 23 points. Will Hooper led the Minutemen by winning the individual OCC championship with a 15:58.11 while Christian Estep was second with a 16:07.29, John Bartone was third with a 16:13.32, Mathias Bender was fifth with a 16:38.77 and Chidalu Ezike was 12th with a 17:26.59 to round out the Top 5 runners for Lexington. The Minutemen won the 13th league championship in program history and fifth consecutive conference crown joining teams from 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025.
Madison took sixth as a team with 138 points. Evan Larsen led the Rams in eighth place with a 16:56.12 while Jackson Brummett was 17th with a 17:38.05, Gannon Conway was 26th with an 18:08.21, Alden Washington was 43rd with a 19:49.02 and Jonas Stapleton was 44th with a 19:58.15 to round out the Top 5 runners for Madison.
Mansfield Senior finished eighth as a team with 222 points. Prince Converse led the Tygers in 35th place with an 18:38.87 while Gavin Camak was 36th with an 18:40.97, Tyler Hubbard was 48th with a 20:55.46, Christian Cole was 50th with a 21:04.86 and Xavier Kegley was 53rd with a 24:15.75 to round out the Top 5 runners for Mansfield Senior.
Shelby girls win Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference championship
The Shelby Whippets won the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference girls cross country team championship with 57 total points. Anna Will led the Whippets with an MOAC individual championship in 19:19.43 while Natalia Peters was 14th with a 21:31.17, Emma Mahek was 16th with a 21:55.18, Jordyn Thauvette was 18th with a 22:05.27 and Delaney West was 20th with a 22:23.42 to round out the Top 5 runners for Shelby. The Whippets won the eighth league championship in program history joining teams from 2003, 2009, 2010, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024.
Ontario took fifth as a team with 90 points. Ava Zehe led the Warriors in 15th place with a 21:31.75 while Hudsyn Pelphrey was 17th with a 21:58.63, Zoey Shaffer was 23rd with a 22:44.36, Olivia Sandwall was 24th with a 22:52.34 and Molly Sapp was 26th with a 22:58.56 to round out the Top 5 runners for the Warriors.
Clear Fork took sixth as a team with 143 points. Eliyah Molina led the Colts in 13th place with a 21:28.80 while Raegan Sudol was 32nd with a 23:42.04, Caylin Sellers was 39th with a 25:02.48, Kaitlyn Gerhart was 47th with a 26:25.86 and Aimee Greene was 52nd with a 34:05.28 to round out the Top 5 runners for the Colts.
In the boys race, the Ontario Warriors took second as a team with 55 points. Liam Hershberger led the Warriors in fifth place with a 17:13.21 while Logan Sesco was eighth with a 17:19.76, Alex Simmering was ninth with a 17:21.74, Jackson Buttil was 15th with an 18:02.14 and Braxton Schneider was 20th with an 18:15.72 to round out the Top 5 runners for Ontario.
Shelby took third with 78 team points. Jake Frangella led the Whippets in seventh place with a 17:17.31 while Isaac Friebel was 14th with a 17:55.37, Avery Schroeder was 16th with an 18:06.33, K.C. Cooke was 21st with an 18:28.70 and Anthony Tackett was 24th with an 18:39.36 to round out the Top 5 runners for Shelby.
Clear Fork did not post a team score, but Peyton Freitag led the Colts in 10th place with a 17:25.94 while Hayden Maglott was 27th with an 18:53.25, Jayden Weemhoff was 52nd with a 20:25.76 and Cole Sellers was 58th with a 21:49.24.
Crestview boys win back-to-back Firelands Conference championships
In the boys race, the Crestview Cougars won the Firelands Conference championship with 33 total points. Isaac McFarland led the Cougars in second place with a 17:09.83 while Isaac Smith was third with a 17:17.04, Easton Smith was fifth with a 17:23.89, Logan Robinson was seventh with an 18:14.84 and Jackson VanScyoc was 16th with an 18:58.15 to round out the Top 5 runners for Crestview. The Cougars won the 11th league championship in program history joining teams from 1965, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2025.
The Plymouth Big Red took sixth with 144 total points. Carter Jester led the Big Red in 13th place with an 18:46.65 while Weston Smith was 22nd with a 19:32.60, Levi Foley was 46th with a 21:52.80, Trevor Furr was 54th with a 23:55.11 and Luke Kelbley was 56th with a 24:26.40 to round out the Top 5 runners for the Big Red.
In the girls race, Crestview took third overall with 82 team points. Laynie Kemp led the Cougars in second place with a 21:30.89 while Gracie Gallaway was 10th with a 23:08.82, Elianna Kelley was 27th with a 27:11.14, Emily Pond was 30th with a 27:57.24 and Alexandra Cutlip was 31st with a 28:02.41 to round out the Top 5 runners for Crestview.
Plymouth’s Anna Caughenbaugh led the Big Red in 22nd place with a 25:26.19 while Grace Edwards was 36th with a 35:58.10 and Ari Miller was 37th with a 38:13.57. Plymouth did not post a team score.
Mansfield Christian performs well at Mid-Buckeye Conference championships
In the boys race, the Mansfield Christian Flames took second as a team with 54 points. David De Lorenzo led the Flames in third place with a 17:10.92 while Matthew Kalashnik was ninth with an 18:44.34, Abraham Evans was 12th with an 18:51.77, Blaine Houser was 14th with a 19:09.25 and Tyler Webb was 20th with a 21:25.34 to round out the Top 5 runners for Mansfield Christian.
In the girls race, the Flames took third with 68 team points. Leah de Lorenzo led the Flames in 10th place with a 23:05.58 while Florence De Coster was 11th with a 23:12.59, Adalyn Dean was 14th with a 23:38.52, Stephanie Baughman was 17th with a 23:49.10 and Leah Robinson was 18th with a 25:01.72 to round out the Top 5 runners for Mansfield Christian.
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Four teams, two individuals bring home cross country titles to Richland County