In the blink of an eye, we are already through Week Two of Ohio XC action. The Hilliard Hot Summer Bash, Mel Brodt Invitational and Columbus Grove Invitational were amongst the biggest meets of the weekend. Here's everything that went down.
Columbus Grove Invitational
Talk about a fight to the finish on the team side to start the morning. The West Liberty-Salem boys were able to eke out the title, scoring 103 points. Asher Cole and Brayan Gullett surged themselves into the top-six which gave West Liberty-Salem a momentum boost. Then, there was a fight for second between Bryan (108 points) and Tinora (109 points) that ultimately came down to a single point. Despite Tinora having a tighter spread, low-stick Colton Sheline from Bryan took fifth overall, running 16:15.7, which was a significant contribution to the Golden Bears. Russell Stine from Findlay took the individual title running 15:44.3.
Gwen Huddle from Napoleon did it again and is now two-for-two. Her time of 18:02.3 beat the rest of the field by nearly 30 seconds. The question is: will anyone be able to catch her the rest of the season? On the team scoring side, margins were tight. Fremont Ross claimed victory with 93 points. Lillian Kiser had a strong runner-up finish, clocking 18:35.00 which solidified the win for her team. Liberty Center took second place with 104 points and Ottawa-Glandorf came in just behind with 123 points.
Hilliard Hot Summer Bash
It was a big showdown in Columbus filled with mostly larger Division I teams that will be seeing each other again at Fortress Obetz later this season. Nicholas Beatty from Springboro led things for the boys, running 16:00.98. Surging down the stretch came Ben Canales from Dub. Coffman took the runner-up spot in 16:06.68 and Cowen Allender from Olen. Orange clocking 16:10.97. Springboro continued to bring the depth with seniors Nolan Hicks, Tyson Andrews and Quintin Harty all placing themselves inside the top-16. They took a comfortable win of 58 points. Gah. Lincoln came second with a wildly impressive 20-second spread, putting 93 points on the board.
The Northeast Ohio teams did not leave Columbus disappointed on the girls side. Avon took the team title with 117 points followed by Mass. Jackson, taking the runner-up spot with 131 points. Both of these teams placed all five of their scoring runners in the top-50. Ava Melott led the way for Avon, placing 10th in 19:34.34. She is the top returner on the roster from their third-place state finish in 2025. It was Mackenzie Kline from Hil. Davidson who broke the tape running 18:42.63. Makenna Long from Northmont and Tessa Andrews from Springboro also surged to the finish to crack 19-minutes.
Mel Brodt Invitational
This week, Joel Smelcer enters the OH Top-10 list. The senior from Perkins threw down an impressive 15:40.40 to win the race by three seconds. Many teams tried to claim the top spot, but it was Covington that answered with their 0:39 second spread that propelled them to victory. Seniors Braden Franxman and Lucas McLane led the way for the Buccaneers. Dexter and Thom. Worthington were separated by one point. Even though Thom. Worthington scored Calvin Watson, Wesley Nash and Rishi Jha in the top-10, Dexter, a team located just outside of Detroit, was able to use their depth to take the runner-up spot.
Pop some popcorn, because it became a real showdown between Perrysburg and Ottawa Hills. Tied at 94 points, the depth of Perrysburg swung them into the top spot with defending state champions Ottawa Hills placing second. This competition will help each team in their respective divisions. Alexis Schultz led the way for Perrysburg while Natalie Nixon was the top finisher for Ottawa Hills. Tol. St. Ursula Acad. had one of the narrower spreads of the day at 2:06 between their first and fifth runners. They placed third. The sophomore from Syl. Southview, Julia Bocik, won it all with a time of 18:32.20.