Area middle school cross country teams competed in conference championship meets Saturday, October 17, with West Liberty-Salem sweeping the boys and girls titles at the Ohio Heritage Conference Championships. Bellefontaine also captured the girls team championship at the Central Buckeye Conference Championships, led by individual champion Kylie Lowe, while the Chieftain boys finished as conference runners-up.
CENTRAL BUCKEYE CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Saturday, October 17, 2026 | Urbana, Ohio | 12 teams
Bellefontaine Chieftains
Boys — 2nd Place
Bellefontaine finished second out of 12 teams at the CBC Championships. Camden Vollrath, Daniel Campbell and Owen Smith earned First Team All-CBC honors with top-13 finishes.
Vollrath placed third in 12:02, Campbell finished 10th in 12:53, and Smith took 13th in 13:03 with a personal record. Anthony Carter placed 15th in 13:06, Jayden Lambert finished 43rd in 15:38, and Malek Alhaj was 47th in 16:04.
The Chiefs will compete next at the state meet at Dublin Jerome on Saturday.
Girls — 1st Place
Bellefontaine won the CBC girls team championship, finishing first out of 12 teams. Kylie Lowe captured the individual title, placing first among 62 runners in 12:31.
Five additional Chieftains earned First Team All-CBC honors. Emma Smith placed fifth in 12:50, Willow Rupp finished sixth in 13:31, Danica Engle took eighth in 14:07, Gemma Rutan placed 12th in 14:45, and Emily Escue finished 14th in 14:51. Rupp, Engle, Rutan and Escue each recorded personal records.
Rosie Moreland finished 62nd in 25:02.
Bellefontaine will compete next at the state meet at Dublin Jerome on Saturday.
Benjamin Logan Raiders
Boys — 7th Place
Benjamin Logan finished seventh out of 12 teams at the CBC Championships, with Braydon Laird leading the Raiders in 13:27.
Waylon Damron finished in 15:30 with a new personal record, followed by Kolt Hays in 16:15 and Max Schoepfle in 16:27. Hezakia Archey-Stover placed in 18:01 with a new personal record, while Carlin Curtis finished in 21:49.
The Raiders wrapped up their regular season with several runners recording their best times of the year.
Girls — 3rd Place
Benjamin Logan placed third out of 12 teams in the girls standings. Pippa Zvansky led the Raiders with a fourth-place finish in 12:50, a season-best time.
Paige Courtney finished in 15:19 with a personal record, followed by Mia Cook in 15:26 with a personal record and Payton Courtney in 15:58. Avah Berry placed in 17:00 with a personal record, Danyka Iiams finished in 17:18, and Jediah Tingley recorded a personal-best 17:59.
Hope Williams finished in 19:21, Haedyn Hinkle in 19:45, Ava Nangle in 20:51, Cassia Varney in 21:05, Alexis Gootee in 21:33 with a personal record, and Otylia Dennis in 22:27.
The Raiders concluded their regular season with eight runners across the boys and girls teams recording season-best times.
Indian Lake Lakers
Boys — 4th Place
Indian Lake finished fourth in the boys team standings, placing second among teams on the Mad River side of the conference.
Hayden Thompson led the Lakers with a 14th-place finish in 13:04, earning First Team All-CBC honors and a conference medal. Isaac King placed 17th in 13:17, while Kole Gilliam finished 25th in 14:03 with a personal record.
Lincoln Nielsen placed 37th in 15:00 with a personal record, and Lincoln Halterman finished 38th in 15:09 with a personal record. Owen Flory took 41st in 15:29, Carter Flory placed 52nd in 16:33, and Gunner Rogers finished 54th in 17:36 with a personal record.
Girls — 5th Place
Indian Lake placed fifth in the girls standings and third among teams on the Mad River side of the conference.
Aubrey Hoffman led the Lakers with a 30th-place finish in 16:07, recording a personal record. Serenity Albert followed in 31st in 16:12, also with a personal record.
Taylor Alltop placed 38th in 17:16, while Makenna Gibbons finished 40th in 17:34 with a personal record. Cheyenne Pender took 45th in 18:51 with a personal record, and Raelyn Hoge placed 47th in 19:16 with a season-best time.
Hailee Schoenberger finished 51st in 20:03 with a personal record, Kenzi Arnett placed 55th in 20:39 with a personal record, and Kaylyn Warren finished 56th in 20:44. Adalyn James took 61st in 23:07 with a personal record.
Several Indian Lake runners will compete in the seventh- and eighth-grade postseason invitational Sunday, October 25, at Fortress Obetz in Columbus.
OHIO HERITAGE CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Saturday, October 17, 2026 | Cedarville, Ohio
West Liberty-Salem Tigers
Boys — 1st Place (19 points)
West Liberty-Salem captured the boys team championship, finishing with 19 points to runner-up Cedarville’s 59. The Tigers placed seven runners in the top 12, led by individual champion Caizen Anders, who won the race in 11:01.1.
Joel Hoover finished third in 11:28.4, Arche Anane-Sefah placed fourth in 11:37.2, and Harrison Sutherin took fifth in 11:45.8 with a personal record. Isaac Falloon finished sixth in 11:46.8, Ozzy Anders placed eighth in 11:59.0, and Cooper Thompson was ninth in 12:16.2.
Braxton Louden finished 12th in 12:29.1, Mason Hinds placed 15th in 12:50.7 with a personal record, and Jackson Barth took 17th in 12:58.0. Jack Troyer finished 18th in 13:00.0, Bryce Michael placed 20th in 13:28.7, and Jett Ziegler finished 21st in 13:31.5.
Gabriel Wilson placed 23rd in 13:42.2 with a personal record, Jordan Griffith finished 36th in 14:39.8, Maddax Dobberstein was 37th in 14:40.9, and Ayden Henson placed 38th in 14:41.9 with a personal record. Josey Fullenkamp finished 41st in 14:51.8 with a personal record, while Reuel Matthews placed 51st in 17:47.6 with a personal record.
Girls — 1st Place (22 points)
The Tigers completed the conference sweep by winning the girls team championship with 22 points, ahead of runner-up Cedarville with 55. West Liberty-Salem finished the regular season undefeated, with Nika Matthews capturing the individual championship in 11:45.0.
Elayna Hoover placed second in 12:12.2, and Lilly Woodruff finished fourth in 12:24.2 with a personal record. Iris Meister placed seventh in 12:57.9, while Paisley Strapp finished eighth in 12:59.6 with a personal record.
Neema Smucker took 10th in 13:16.4, Ellie Louth placed 18th in 14:09.8 with a personal record, and Kynslie McIntosh finished 39th in 16:07.1.
The Big Orange will compete next Sunday at the middle school state meet at Fortress Obetz.
