Results From Garmin RunningLane XC Championships
The notoriously fast John Hunt Running Park course in Huntsville, Alabama did not disappoint on Saturday.
At the Garmin RunningLane XC Championships, incredibly, 71 boys dipped under the 15 minute standard and 128 girls broke 18 minutes in the respective Gold Division contests.
Among the myriad elite performances displayed were some of the all-time best 5 kilometer efforts delivered by Ohioans.
Namely, Little Miami standout William Zegarski moved up to No. 2 in terms of fastest state-side clockings with his 14:35.31 mark. A showing that secured him 18th place in the individual standings.
Zegarski led the race for a time in the early stages and held his own in the lead pack for a significant portion of the mid-race time frame.
Ultimately, he improved upon his previous best of 14:39.9, a number that secured him OHSAA Division I state gold last month at Fortress Obetz.
His new personal record places him behind only Zach Kreft, formerly of Buckeye Valley, who went 14:29.95 at the Midwest Meet of Champions in September of 2017.
Also of historical significance, Luke Ondracek climbed to No. 7 Ohio all-time due to his 14:50.79 performance, which landed him in 51st position when the dust settled at RunningLane.
The Georgetown bound senior from Walsh Jesuit took full advantage of the ideal racing conditions during the XC finale for his high school career, as he put a 28-second dent into his previous PR, 15:18 at the 2021 Division I state meet.
On the ladies side, the results were equally as impressive. Grace Hartman was the first Buckeye State representative through the line in the 22nd spot. Her 17:01.03 mark lands her at No. 6 on Ohio's all-time list.
She closes her high school tenure on the cross country fields with a huge PR to go along with the multiple state titles to her credit that were earned during her junior and senior years.
Katie Clute recorded a top 30 finish with her time of 17:14.69. According to the MileSplit database this puts her at No. 10 within Ohio's historical listing.
Just a junior, presumably, Clute will return to RunningLane next year for the meet's third edition and capitalize on the opportunity to chip away at those all-timers currently ranked ahead of her.
