GALION - It's something the Crestline girls have been working towards for years.
Led by a quartet of upperclassmen all in the top 10, the Bulldogs totaled 36 points as a team to win the Division IV district meet at Amman's Park for the program's first ever postseason title.
“It’s led by the senior girls," coach Trevor Shade said. "It’s their third year running — me and coach (Chandler) Wilhelm’s fifth year coaching — and it’s something that when they were eighth graders and freshmen we hoped and envisioned down the road. To see it come to fruition with all the hard work throughout the years, it’s a special moment.”
FINDLAY DISTRICT: 7 PRs help Lexington nab Division II district boy cross country title
Twins Nevaeh (20:18.7) and Addison Hill (20:18.8) were third and fourth separated by 1.1 seconds, Jocelyn Noblit (20:54.6) was sixth, and Addysen Giesige (21:30.3) eighth. Sophomores Lillian Mills (18th), Faith Songer (20th), and Anna Erwin (39th) all placed in the top 40 of the 95-person field.
“We saw inklings of it throughout the (previous) years," Shade said. "We had good meets … I remember two years ago we came up a couple points shy at the County Meet and we saw the writing on the wall. The first meet we won this year was the County Meet and then the week before we ran here at Galion and came up one point shy without a full squad. We were like, OK, we can really go out there and do it.”
After finishing behind Colonel Crawford at the Galion Festival on Sept. 19th, the Bulldogs haven't lost. It started with the program's first ever Crawford County Meet title followed by the Buckeye Central Invite — the Hills were first and second at both — then the Crestline Invite, and their second Mid-Buckeye Conference title in the last three years; the girls finished third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, ninth to win the league.
“We’ve put in a lot of work this summer as a team," Noblit said. "This is our fifth consecutive meet we’ve won, and we knew coming out here that we’d have to work together as a team and try to stay together. Almost all of us ran PR’s … we just brought it all today.”
And more than half of the team has had to bring a little something extra every day this season. Noblit, Addison Hill, Giesige, and Songer played volleyball this fall as well.
“It’s a challenge, but that’s one of the best things at Crestline … the girls are allowed to do both sports," Shade said. "Thankfully, we’ve found a way to make it work. I’m proud of them for the work they do … two sports, you’re doing two practices each day and it’s a lot on the body.”
“It’s really hard," Noblit added. "It’s a lot on your plate. We go straight from volleyball practice to cross country practice or even have workouts and then go straight to a game. It’s mentally challenging, but you have to be strong and push through it. Our volleyball season ended Monday night, so maybe that helped a little bit for us ... I think it’s going to be easier now that we only have cross country to focus on.”
While extending the win streak is unlikely next week at regionals in Tiffin with teams like Ottawa Hills, Liberty Center, and Archbold all ranked in the top 12 of the Ohio Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches Poll — and who dominated their districts with Ottawa Hills averaging 19:22.8 as a team, Liberty Center a 19:22.2 and totaled a 19, Archbold 20:13.4 — Crestline (ranked 23rd) has another goal to check off.
“We’re really excited to have the chance to qualify for the state meet as a team," Shade said. "We took Nevaeh as an individual to state last year, but to be able to take them as a group is what we really want to do.”
Colonel Crawford led by talented underclassmen
It's pretty much a polar opposite situation down the road at Colonel Crawford.
The Eagles don't have a single senior that ran Saturday morning and have instead been led by a pair of freshmen, two talented sophomores, and three juniors who have helped rebuild the program after a couple down years.
Avary Stirm (20:35.5) continued her stellar debut high school season placing fifth and sophomore Sophia Keller (21:55.9) was 11th. Sophomore Emily Schwenning (22:52.4) and junior Sydney Link (22:56.5) finished back-to-back in 26th and 27th, while juniors Alyssa Crank (41st) and Eva Kozinski (56th) plus freshman Violet Rossman (70th) rounded out the team.
Colonel Crawford scored 97 to finish third to secure a spot at regionals.
“The girls work so hard — the guys do, too — it’s great to have a cohesive girls and boys program where they push each other," Eagles coach Jordan Kiess said. "We love having the girls push off the guys and they pull each other, which is great. And the amount of leadership has increased, which helps as well. When you have more positive energy going — and it’s not just coming from the coaches — it can flow throughout.
"A couple years ago we had a lot of young girls come up and Lexi Dure took them under her wing to keep the attitudes positive, those girls kept after it and have been working hard. We got some new girls added to our team this year and they have great attitudes as well, it has been a blessing to coach with the energy going around.”
Regional qualifiers from Galion
Joining the Bulldogs and Eagles will be New London (5th, 171 points) led by sophomore Lydia Geist (13th, 22:05.9) and junior Hailey Crockett (25th, 22:42.7) — the Wildcats are also a team full of underclassmen — Mansfield Christian (6th, 188 points) led by sophomore Leah DeLorenzo (33rd, 23:09.3), and Buckeye Central (8th, 203 points) paced by lone senior Samantha Auck (15th, 22:20.5).
Individual qualifiers include Crestview juniors Laynie Kemp (9th) and Gracie Gallaway (37th), Wynford freshmen Kaitlyn Messmer (12th) and Madison Kiess (31st) plus junior Aubrey Brewer (42nd), Bucyrus freshman Leah Jones (34th) and senior Madalyn Weiler (51st), Lucas freshman Peyton Crose (40th), and South Central junior Ady Stevens (54th).
In the Division III race, Galion and Willard advanced as teams.
The Tigers were district runner-up totaling a 57 led by seniors Makayla Halbisen (9th), Alayna Griffith (13th), and Makenzie Halbisen (14th), along with sophomore Katelyn Carr (10th) and junior Ashley Soha (16th) who all placed in the top 20. The Flashes were fourth as a team with 104 as sophomores Audrey Yonley (19th), Kaylee Tenore (20th), Genesis Arce (25th) plus seniors Helen Acosta Cerda (22nd) and Keilly Hernandez Rojas (23rd) scored as a cluster.
Clear Fork sophomores Eliyah Molina (15th), Raegan Sudol (30th), and Caylen Sellers (39th) were the area's individual qualifiers advancing to regionals.
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This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Crestline girls nab program's first district cross country title