Runners fall short of State meet

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Kevin Lawson, 9, sprints to the finish at an earlier meet. He was one of the seven key members of the Varsity team. In his first year, he was able to finish as the third-fastest runner. Photo Courtesy of Nancy Belcher.

Months of training have come to an end for both the girls and boys cross country teams. The boys team placed ninth at Regionals, and junior runners Rosie Menyhert and Julia Temple ran as individuals but were unable to qualify.

Temple finished 24th and Menyhert finished 52nd in the highly competitive field comprised of over 150 runners from the region. However, in order to qualify for the State meet, runners must place in the top 16 individually.

“I didn’t advance but I still ran my best meet and got a PR (personal record). Overall, I’m happy,” said Temple.

From the team standpoint, only four teams qualify for each gender. Although the boys team ran well, the extremely aggressive field left them unable to place in the top four.

The boys team was led by senior captain Jacob Belcher, followed by Ray Berling, 10, Kevin Lawson, 9, William Schrantz, 11, Martin Gonzalez, 10, Miles Menyhert, 9, and Adam Lucken, 11.

“The competition was so fierce; it was really difficult,” said Lucken.

The boys teams that qualified and will be moving on to compete at the State meet are as follows.

  1. St Xavier
  2. Mason
  3. Centerville
  4. Beavercreek

The four girls teams that qualified are:

  1. Centerville
  2. Ursuline Academy
  3. Mason
  4. Beavercreek

Click here to view the full results from the meet.