(Taylor Roth / Minster shown at the 2021 Bob Schul Invitational)
* Debut article by MileSplit Ohio Northwest Region metro contributor Kyle Grabowski *
Midwest Athletic Conference Preview:
The Hunted, The Hunters, and The Herd
The Midwest Athletic Conference, or MAC to those familiar with our programs, is a group of ten small schools (none larger than D2) which have trophy cases so full schools have to raffle off old district and regional awards to make room for the new school year. 2022 looks to be another banner year with teams and individuals competing for the coveted title of MAC Champion and with eyes of All-Ohio finishes.
The Hunted
When speaking of the MAC for the sports of cross country along with track and field the discussion begins, and for some ends, with Minster. Minsters girls have won a state record 14 team titles and in 2017 set the D3 all time low score for the state meet with 34 points. This group of Minster girls returns to defend their 2021 state title after losing no seniors from last year's team.
The boys of Minster return on a five year title streak in the MAC and have started the season off strong with good showings in early season meets. While the loss of multi time All-Ohioan Alex Albers will be a challenge the Wildcats appear to be up for the task of defending their status and are looking to do it by committee with all but one of their top five runners starting the year off below 18 minutes.
When I spoke with Coach Larry Topp of Minster he said this was something his guys have been preparing for, "we knew for some time now that the numbers were going to be smaller and that we were going to have a team without the sub-16 minute guy to clean up for us, these guys have embraced that and worked to be able to compete as a whole unit."
As they prepare to compete and be a different team than they have been in some time I asked at what point will he feel comfortable with how they are progressing, coach Topp offered his wisdom saying, "after 42 years of this I know that I don't know for sure until the day after the state meet whether we did enough or not this season".
While he offers there to be no one time to benchmark the team this coming weekend at the Tiffin Carnival could serve as a good measuring stick for all of us observers.
As for the glory of individual champions the two front runners appear to be Taylor Roth of Minster and Trevor Heitkamp of Fort Recovery.
On the girls side the returning champion of Margaret (Maggie) Hemmelgarn has no record of racing thus far but the junior has all the talent and determination needed to challenge her teammate Taylor to reclaim the title. For Trevor, only a junior, this year is both a time to learn how to be the lead dog in the pack but also a breath of relief as Alex Albers, the bane of every other distance runner's existence, has graduated.
Coach Christy Diller of Fort Recovery spoke on her top male runner saying, "Trevor has been chomping at the bit to get going and race, last year finishing second to Alex Albers at the MAC meet (3200m) kind of opened his eyes to the potential for him to be that guy for the MAC as he enters his junior year".
The Hunters
On the boys side this season possess significant intrigue as the Minster teams of recent were untouchable by their MAC compatriots, the 2022 season however, features two teams with legitimate chances to knock the Wildcats off their throne.
New Bremen and Marion Local began the walk down of the Wildcat cross country runners last spring as all three had their 4x800 teams make it to the state meet for track and field. The competition now builds in magnitude as all eyes are upon the distance squads in the fall. For New Bremen a variety of athletes from the largest roster in the conference allows for intersquad competition as they work to build up behind Junior Zach Wiedman.
Marion Local is led by the senior duo of Noah Budde and Troy Stucke but they are supported by a medley of underclassmen who have come in ready to compete. Senior Noah Budde of the Flyers speaking on the underclassmen says, "adding the new guys brings energy and fun to the team, morale is up, meets are more fun and in general having them just makes it better because there is competitiveness".
For the girls the case for a clear contender is a bit more congested, Versailles, Fort Recovery, St. Henry, Delphos St Johns, and Parkway are all in a cluster that could change drastically depending on how the fourth and fifth runner race on any given day. This closeness not only has teams eyeing what they can do in the conference but has half the MAC looking for OHSAA postseason success when the time comes.
Fort Recovery coach Diller spoke on the girls team and their goals coming off a state qualifying year, "we definitely want to be the team to win the MAC but it is understood that Minster is a different beast and so we have more looked to getting our team back to state and being competitive in the postseason".
From the individual perspective Meridith Barga of Versailles and Natalie Brunswick of Fort Recovery offer the most serious of contenders from outside the wildcat squad itself. The two are seeded in the top five of the conference currently and offer an underclass challenge to the senior Taylor Roth.
On the boys side Troy Stucke of Marion Local, Jack Grieshop and Ryan Halpin of Minster have been closest to the times that Trevor Heitkamp has run so far this season. Coach Diller also spoke on Natalie Brunswick, "she has been successful for us in track and now out for cross for the first time she has been running with lots of confidence and is now starting to work on developing closing speed for the end of races to be able to be with the Minster girls at this distance".
The Herd
To be a member of the herd in a conference such as the MAC is not to be taken lightly. Herds of bison on the Western Plains of our country were the top of the ecosystem even without predatory action because no other creature could stand up to their strength individually or in their numbers. The Herd for MAC cross country is strong and regal in much the same way as those great beasts were in the 1800s.
On the boys side a talented young group of runners from Versailles are the upstart team to watch to pick off one of the aforementioned leaders. Followed by Parkway, Fort Recovery (As a team), Coldwater, Delphos St. Johns, St. Henry and New Knoxville. This collective while working to close in on other MAC teams regularly has success against non league opponents.
This past weekend at the Greenville Treaty City Invitational Versailles finished third as a team with Coldwater and Fort Recovery both beating non league teams in standings. A week earlier MAC teams at Celina Rotary took the top four spots in a field of eleven teams, this includes Parkway and Coldwater, two teams from our MAC "herd". In the boys races this fall there will be plenty to watch out for and many photo finishes, even after a full 5k.
The girls "herd" in the MAC is even more threatening to see in the starting boxes than the boys. Once we go past Minster, Versailles, Fort Recovery, St. Henry, Delphos St Johns, and Parkway we have entered the discussion a young and drastically improved Marion squad, a plentiful team of athletes from New Bremen, a well balanced and competitive Delphos St. Johns and pack running Coldwater.
None of these teams are out of the mix in any challenging meet they go to. As we look at the early season results we can see this conference depth at work. Two weeks ago at the Celina rotary the women of the MAC held onto four of the top six positions in a nine team field with Parkway, St. Henry, New Bremen, and Marion Local going 2, 3, 4, 6.
The top end of the MAC is without a doubt state caliber but there are many unsung squads that have the potential to upset some conference placers from other Northwest Ohio Leagues.
