Columbus hosted an absolute showdown for the Hot Summer Bash at Hilliard.
The morning kicked off with the 9/10 races, a special opportunity for freshmen and sophomores to compete on a bigger stage. Races like these create moments where future stars can make their mark running at the front of the pack.
Eli Bright from Centerville almost cracked the 17-minute mark, clocking 17:01.10 and solidifying a big lead over the rest of the field. It was a battle for second between Will Bushbaker (17:27.12) from Olen. Liberty and Caleb Bolumen (17:28.38) from Gah. Lincoln. Then, the power of Olen. Orange emerged. They went 4-5-9-19-24 to solidify first place just ahead of Centerville and Beavercreek. Kingston Walker and Tyler Ring led the race up front for Olen. Orange. Beavercreek had a very impressive 10-second spread, putting all scoring five in the top-20.
The future already looks so bright for the Centerville girls. Erin Leonard, Elizabeth Wierwille and Caroline Callie Compton brought the brooms for a 1-2-3 sweep. Zweber Honora and Audrey Haas rounded out the top five for the Elks and stamped the win with 25 points. Julia Okrzesik from Dub. Jerome also challenged the Centerville pack and finished in fourth. Beavercreek had a solid pack, scoring 9-10-11, leading to a runner-up finish.
The youngsters warmed up the course for the varsity races. On the boys' side, Nicholas Beatty from Springboro ran away with the victory, clocking 16:00.98. Ben Canales (16:06.68) from Dub. Coffman and Cowen Allender (16:10.97) from Olen. Orange rounded out the top three. Springboro had everything to celebrate, taking the team title with 58 points. After Week 1, they sat at #2 on the OATCCC Cross Country Coaches’ Poll. Gah. Lincoln, Olen. Berlin and Beavercreek were other high-placing programs from this past weekend.
Northeast Ohio put up an incredible showing on the varsity girls' side. Avon took the team title with 117 points led by Ava Melott. Placing all five in the top-35 allowed them to shine in the stacked field. Mass. Jackson finished second with 131 points. Abby Parsons led the scoring for the Polar Bears, followed closely by Bryn Ball. Springboro took the third spot with 139 points. But it was Mackenzie Kline from Hil. Davidson, who took the top spot individually, clocking 18:42.63 and securing her team a fourth-place finish.
The open race brought close margins on the boys' side. Springboro took the win with 51 points, followed by Olen. Liberty with 57 points. Third place was less than a second difference as Mass. Jackson edged Dub. Jerome by one point. Ben Cahill from St. Xavier dominated the field, winning by just over 20 seconds.
Mass. Jackson won the girls open race in dominating fashion. They put all five in the top-10 and scored a total of 22 points. Kristen Bouserhal set the tone for her team with her near 20-second individual win. Madison Stonestreet, Aubrey Leatherberry and Paige Akers went 3-4-5 in scoring for the Polar Bears. Avon and Gah. Lincoln rounded out the top-three scoring teams. Isabella Eddy from Avon secured a runner-up finish.
