(Hilliard Davidson's Connor Ackley shown on his way to winning at the Pickerington North Regional)
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With the launch of Ohio's 2021 high school cross country campaign now just a week away, we're unveiling our Subjective Pre-Season Overall Top 10 Rankings.
The listing is a blend of athletes from Division's I, II and III and is based primarily on XC performances during the 2020 season, success at the '20 OHSAA State Championships, as well as distance track pedigree from 2021 indoor and outdoor.
The depth of returning talent made for intensive analysis and ultimately difficult final decisions. We have no doubt that our rankings will experience a shake-up once the season commences and under-the-radar veterans and incoming freshmen alike begin to display their skills. For now, however, see below the first installment of our Subjective Top 10.
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1) Connor Ackley / Hilliard Davidson -- Ackley stands as the lone Ohio-based returner who traversed 5k in under 15 minutes last fall (14:59.67 at the Dublin Jerome Celtic Clash). To complement his perennial fast times on the clock, Ackley crossed the line first half a dozen times as a sophomore in 2020. Beyond cross country, he continued to impress on the oval during the winter and spring track seasons. In Ackley's marquee event, the 1600, he placed third at both the OATCCC Indoor Finale and the OHSAA State Championships.
2) William Zegarski / Little Miami -- Unfortunately, Zegarski's 2020 cross country campaign was cut short prior to the postseason tournament. Before that, however, he won six of his seven races highlighted by a 15:25.90 performance where he defended Little Miami's home invite course. Zegarski did not contest indoor track, but he returned emphatically on the outdoor circuit. In his most recent competitive outing, he took second in the 3200 at the OHSAA Division I State Championships, where he gave race champion Nathan Moore a serious run for his money down the finishing stretch.
3) Sam Ricchiuti / Dublin Jerome -- Ricchiuti made waves as a freshman by bursting out of the gate with a victory in his high school debut, a 16:48 flat effort at Pickerington North. He carried that momentum all the way to the OHSAA State Championships, where he placed ninth. In between those book-end performances, Ricchiuti finished in the top 5 during seven of his other eight starts.
4) Nick Puhl / Hilliard Davidson -- Puhl along with the aforementioned Connor Ackley will provide the Wildcats with a formidable 1-2 punch up front. Entering his senior year, Puhl will look to build off the success he enjoyed as a junior. Last year he raced with the leaders up front in every one of his outings. Pulh finished in the top 6 in his first eight contests of the season and then crossed the line 15th at the OHSAA Division I State Championships.
5) Drennan Akins / CVCA -- Akins displayed solid results throughout the course of the 2020 regular season, but then flourished bigtime when it counted the most. He went 15:49.80 to earn runner-up honors at the OHSAA Division II State Championships. Since that time, the senior has continued to cement a reputation for performing at his best when the stakes are the highest. He took the 1600 meter victory at Division II Region 5 this past spring and then claimed the state title in the same event at OHSAA Division II - Pickerington North, where he completed a furious comeback over the final stretch to secure the win at the line.
6) Ryan Chevalier / Loveland -- Last year, as a junior, Chevalier earned four first place finishes during the regular season and then continued to compete up front during the postseason tournament. He wound up 4th at Southwest District - VOA and 7th at the Troy Regional before saving one of his best efforts for last at the OHSAA Division I State Championships, where he crossed the line 13th. His work on the track this past spring indicates that a big senior campaign is on deck. Chevalier finished 10th in the 1600 at OHSAA Division I - Hilliard Darby and he owns one of the top 5k XC marks among Ohio's returners (15:34.50).
7) Kiefer Bell / Talawanda -- Bell finished 20th at the 2020 OHSAA Division I State Championships and produced an excellent season's best mark of 15:48.60 during district competition. Those achievements alone would have placed him in solid standing as we enter the 2021 cross country, but his work on the track last spring has really served notice. While competing against the state's best competitors at Mason Rod Russell, Bell clocked 4:15.03 for 4th place over the imperial 1 mile distance. He solidified his stance as one of Ohio's top 1600 meter runners when he went 4:14.41 for seventh overall at OHSAA Division I - Hilliard Darby.
8) Tommy Rice / GlenOak -- On paper, Rice is Ohio's second fastest returner by virtue of his 15:22.42 mark at last year's Federal League Championships. Leading up to the 2020 state meet, the rising junior earned top 5 finishes in ten straight races, including victories at the Ashley White Invitational and the Malone XC Invite. He finished 28th at the OHSAA Division I State Championships and then gained valuable experience by taking the runner-up spot in one of the Open Division contests at the XC Town Meet of Champions. Rice continued to develop his track speed in the spring by breaking 2 minutes in the 800 and by going 4:27.74 and 9:23.36, respectively, in the 1600m and 3200m events.
9) Braden Yingst / Lima-Perry -- Similar to the previously mentioned Kiefer Bell, Yingst raised his XC stock following a barrage of breakout performances during the spring and summer track seasons. Demonstrating impressive range from the 400 to the 3200, Yingst's career highlight, to this point, has to be his 3rd place finish in the 2000 Steeplechase at AAU JOs in Humble, Texas, where he ran a 6:17.22 mark within the 17-18 Division. That accomplishment followed a spring high school season where he went 52.38 for 400, 1:57.23 over 800 and 4:17.01 in 1600m competition. He was the runner-up in the 1600 and the 5th place finisher in the 800 at the OHSAA Division III State Championships. Yingst won ten of his eleven cross country starts last year, but did not line-up during the regional or state meets. His 5k personal best on the grass is 15:47.70.
10 (tie) Bobby Ganser / Louisville -- Ganser found himself in contention for victory from his 2020 opener at Salem all the way through to the Boardman Regional, where he never finished lower than sixth place during an eight race stretch. Included in that collection of contests were wins at East Canton, Malone and Wooster with the latter marking his all-time best clocking over the 5k distance (15:31.80).
10 (tie) Alex Zuckett / Massillon Jackson -- Zuckett won his 2020 cross country debut at GlenOak and established his high school PR of 15:34.18 at the Federal League Championships. He also performed admirably during the OHSAA postseason tournament, where he took 4th at the district meet, 5th at the Boardman Regional before claiming All-Ohio honors at the OHSAA Division I State Championships with his 16th place showing.
10 (tie) Noah Graham / Marlington -- Noah makes up one half of Marlington's potent Graham duo (his younger sister Bella is noted in the same position within the girls subjective rankings). Last year on the XC fields, he collected seven race victories plus a pair of third place finishes. His bronze medal efforts came at the OHSAA Division II State Championships and at the Boardman Spartan Invitational, one of Ohio's premier regular season meets. Graham continued his stellar work as a junior during indoor and outdoor track by claiming the Division II/III State Finale title and the second spot at OHSAA Division II - Pickerington North. Both honors were achieved within 3200 meter competition.