WEST MILTON — West Liberty-Salem, Bellefontaine and Indian Lake took part in the annual Bob Schul Invitational on Saturday to kick off the 2025 cross country season.
The Big Orange boys took first place in the Division I-II race with 46 points. It is the seventh straight year they have won the team title.
The top five finishers were Asher Cole (2nd, 16:16), Caleb Larson (3rd, 16:29), Brayan Gullett (6th, 16:39), Dylan King (12th, 17:03) and Owen Hardwick (23rd, 17:30).
“It was an outstanding start to the 2025 season. To win this prestigious meet for the seventh straight year speaks volumes to these young men and the amount of work they’ve put in over the offseason,” said Coach Mike Louden of West Liberty-Salem.
Other runners for WL-S were: Zeke Longshore (18:08), Garrett Wallen (18:31), Eric Hoover (18:35), Gauge Lee (18:56), Zac Carter (19:28), Zeke Sidders (20:02), Daniel Erne (21:53), Landon McKenzie (22:07), Isaiah Barth (22:17) and Jackson Henry (22:42).
Bellefontaine had 111 points and finished fourth.
Hayden Maus of the Chieftains was the race winner with a time of 16:07. He was followed by Jake Moreland (9th, 16:56), Oliver Grandstaff (11th, 16:59), Will Myers (33rd, 17:53) and Andrew Myers (57th, 18:44).
Other results for Bellefontaine were Landon Gerwels (18:44), Brenden Murray (18:59), Tristyn Wilson (24:15), Brayten Swisher (27:03) and Jake Christen (32:18).
BHS coach Ben Davis said, “We set out to beat the D-II schools we will see at regionals. That goal was accomplished. We had a great 1-2-3 punch, with Hayden, Jake and Oliver all cracking into the 16s. Hayden’s win was part of a great battle up front.”
Indian Lake was 18th in the Division III-IV race. The top five runners were Will Faler (78th, 19:08), Nathan White (85th, 19:13), Aiden Stinebaugh (102nd, 19:34), Cason Lacher (132nd, 19:58) and Titus Kelly (147th, 20:20).
For the junior high runners, Abby Bihn was 15th (13:23) and Hayden Kuhlke was 65th (13:13). Other top finishers were Caroline Jones (15:36), Abby Arnett (20:09), and Raelyn Hoge (23:12), and Dalton Young (14:10) and Hayden Thompson (14:51).
GIRLS
The Bellefontaine girls were sixth in the Division I-II race with 157 points. Oakwood was the team champion with 39 points.
Grace Brown had a time of 19:29 and finished second. Hannah Wilson was 34th (23:04), followed by Cece Reier (47th, 23:49), Blakely Vollrath (51st, 24:04), and Cameo Greene (54th, 24:08). Also in action were Leila Hammond (24:56) and Sophia Marker (26:59).
Coach Stacey Wilson said, “The girls’ hard work this summer is already paying off. (Our finish) is a huge improvement from last season and will set the tone for the weeks to come. Being able to be in a race with our postseason competition is invaluable and allows us to see where we are at and what to focus on. We’ve got a gritty team this season, and today was just the start.”
West Liberty-Salem was third with 85 points in the Division III-IV race. Summit Country Day was first (68) and Minster was second (75).
Malia Miller (5th, 20:35) and Addi Wallen (7th, 20:47) were in the top 10, followed by Isla Leichty (16th, 21:25), Gwen McCullough (32nd, 22:21) and Mariska Smith (34th, 22:24).
Others in action for WL-S were Ivy Matthews (22:30), Elia Matthews (22:51), Hattie Jacobs (22:52), Mia Dooley (23:33), Charlee Albers (23:32), Rachel Stanford (25:37), Emma Smith (26:36) and Annabelle Booze (30:04).
Big Orange girls coach Aaron Lauck said, “This is a great meet to start our season. We were pleased with where we stacked up. The girls battled well and most of them moved up throughout the race. More importantly, I liked the way we approached our pre- and post-run drills as well as the way they encouraged each other. We have a lot of work left to do, but I feel we can continue to improve throughout the season as long as we focus on the process and team.”
The Lady Lakers finished eighth. Reagan Rash was 36th (22:28), followed by Laura Metzger (64th, 23:18), Evie Wagner (70th, 23:24), Kayleigh Taylor (81st, 23:55) and Alicia Brielmaier (101st, 24:38).
Other runners were Haley Metzger (26:08), Olivia Albert (31:22), Lara Hagedorn (31:26).
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Raiders, Pirates run at Northwestern
SPRINGFIELD — Benjamin Logan and Riverside were part of the field at the Northwestern Invitational on Saturday.
The Raiders girls were fourth out of nine complete teams with 118 points. Hilliard Darby had 31 points to take first place.
Gwen Smith was scored 18th with a time of 23:45 to lead the BL pack. Lucy Wenger was 22nd (24:11), followed by Molly Siefring (24th, 24:32), Lauren Kennedy (25th, 24:39) and Peyton Smith (29th, 25:04).
Other results: Elliott Butler (25:30), Bonnie Brunson (25:46), Lottie Bodin (25:52), Illiana Vermillion (27:35), Montana Coleman (29:01), Mallie Ricketts (32:16), Mallory Chapman (32:29) and Natalie Chapman (38:32).
Ben Logan’s boys finished eighth out of 13 teams with 193 points. They were led by Tyler Shoopman (24th, 19:35), then Greyson Butler (35th, 20:12), Oliver Morse (40th, 20:35), Maxwell Troth (41st 20:36) and Michael Berry (53rd, 21:27). Gabe Elsasser was also in action (22:43).
The team champion was Hilliard Darby with 48 points.
For Riverside, Aiden Fout had a time of 22:05, Kristen Thompson ran the course in 30:49, and Margaret Beaty finished in 35:41.
