Several area cross country teams turned in strong performances at the OHSAA Regional Championships in Troy on Saturday, highlighted by multiple state qualifiers and season-best times.
WEST LIBERTY-SALEM
Girls – Division III Regional (Troy)
The Lady Tigers are Regional Champions, capturing their 9th regional title and qualifying for their 15th OHSAA State Meet in program history.
Team Results (Top 5 qualify):
West Liberty-Salem – 64
Fort Loramie – 79
Versailles – 96
Cedarville – 108
Newton – 124
Individual Results (149 finishers):
- 6. Malia Miller – 19:14.93
- 10. Addi Wallen – 19:54.93
- 14. Gwen McCullough – 20:05.20
- 16. Isla Leichty – 20:08.73
- 29. Elia Matthews – 20:48.68
- 31. Mariska Smith – 20:50.74
- 40. Charlee Albers – 21:10.26
“I am incredibly proud of these girls and the way they competed. They continue the Big Orange tradition of excellence, adding a 9th regional title and 15th state appearance. Regionals can be stressful, but our girls ran composed, tactical races. I liked the way we packed together — it shows depth and teamwork.”
– Head Coach Aaron Lauck
Next Race: OHSAA DIII State Championships – Saturday, November 1 at Fortress Obetz.
Boys – Division III Regional (Troy)
The Tigers finished 4th out of 20 teams, earning their 8th consecutive and 24th overall state appearance since 1973 — breaking the program’s previous 7-year streak.
Team Results (Top 5 qualify):
Cincinnati CHCA – 70
Oakwood – 81
Versailles – 81
West Liberty-Salem – 81
Madeira – 148
Individual Results (175 runners):
- 4. Asher Cole (So.) – 15:40.1
- 6. Caleb Larson (Sr.) – 15:41.5
- 22. Brayan Gullett (So.) – 16:36.8
- 24. Dylan King (Sr.) – 16:41.7
- 30. Garrett Wallen (Sr.) – 16:45.7 (PR)
- 46. Eric Hoover (Fr.) – 17:27.5 (PR)
- 61. Zeke Longshore (So.) – 17:52.9
“We came in aiming for our third straight regional title, so just missing that stings. But this was our best collective race of the season against one of the toughest regions in the state. We’re proud to qualify again — having one more week together is a true blessing.”
– Head Coach Mike Louden
Next Race: DIII Boys State Championship – Saturday, November 1 at 12:30 PM at Fortress Obetz.
BELLEFONTAINE
Girls – Division II Regional (Troy)
The Lady Chiefs placed 13th out of 24 teams, highlighted by two state-qualifying performances.
Grace Brown finished 3rd (19:01) and Kaeleigh Flora placed 24th (20:03) — both advancing to the OHSAA DII State Championships.
For Brown, this will be her third consecutive trip to state, while Flora qualifies in her first-ever cross country season — impressively while also competing in volleyball.
Other Bellefontaine finishers:
- 118. Cece Reier – 22:46
- 130. Blakely Vollrath – 23:18.19
- 131. Leila Hammond – 23:18.60 (PR)
- 137. Cameo Greene – 23:29
- 148. Sloan Stolly – 24:00
“Grace and Kaeleigh have been incredible leaders for us in different ways—Grace with her experience and consistency, and Kaeleigh with her drive and composure in her first season. I’m so proud of the way this young team has come together and competed as a pack all year. They’ve built something special that gives us great momentum heading into next season.”
– Head Coach Stacey Wilson
Next Race: Brown and Flora will compete at the OHSAA DII State Championships on Saturday, November 1 at Fortress Obetz.
Boys – Division II Regional (Troy)
The Chieftain boys just missed a team state berth, finishing 6th out of 23 teams — only 12 points shy of the final qualifying spot.
Team Scores (Top 5 advance):
Tipp – 103
Turpin – 107
Loveland – 110
Bellbrook – 129
Indian Hill – 142
Bellefontaine – 154
Individual Results (174 runners)
- 4. Hayden Maus – 15:57 (State Qualifier)
- 21. Oliver Grandstaff – 16:37 (PR, State Qualifier)
- 28. Jake Moreland – 16:46
- 55. Will Myers – 17:25
- 59. Landon Gerwels – 17:33 (PR)
- 63. Andrew Myers – 17:37 (PR)
- 92. Brenden Murray – 18:29
“We put together one of our best overall team races. Oliver sprinted by eight runners in the final stretch to claim his first state berth and a PR, while Hayden stamped his ticket for the third straight year. We return six of seven runners — maybe we can reel in that elusive state berth in 2026.”
– Head Coach Ben Davis
Next Race: Maus and Grandstaff will race in the DII Boys State Championship at 2:20 PM Saturday, November 1 at Fortress Obetz.
INDIAN LAKE
Girls – Division III Regional (Troy)
The Lady Lakers placed 13th out of 19 teams, closing out a strong season with multiple PRs
Results:
- 33. Laura Metzger – 21:01 (PR)
- 41. Reagan Rash – 21:07
- 67. Evie Wagner – 21:53
- 113. Kayleigh Taylor – 23:09 (PR)
- 120. Alicia Brielmaier – 23:28
- 145. Haley Metzger – 24:26
- 160. Olivia Albert – 26:18
It was the final race for seniors Reagan Rash (3rd all-time at IL) and Evie Wagner (12th all-time). Metzger’s PR moved her to 19th all-time in program history.
Boys – Division III Regional (Troy)
The Indian Lake boys had three runners compete as individuals.
Results:
- 88. Cason Lacher – 18:33.4
- 89. Will Faler – 18:33.5 (PR)
- 108. Nathan White – 18:54
“It was great to see everyone compete so well today. They never gave up and moved well through the field.”
– Head Coaches Justin & Renee Metzger
BENJAMIN LOGAN
Girls – Division III Regional (Troy)
The Lady Raiders qualified five individuals to the regional meet. While they did not have a full team score, they finished their season with multiple PRs and a strong showing.
Results (167 runners):
- 103. Gwen Smith – 22:48 (PR)
- 121. Lottie Bodin – 23:30 (PR)
- 123. Lucy Wenger – 23:34
- 124. Molly Siefring – 23:35
- 139. Elliott Butler – 24:02
The team capped its year with a 2nd-place finish in the CBC Mad River Division and seven All-Conference honorees.
“This team has left its mark. Finishing the season at regionals will be a highlight we’ll remember. We lose two seniors — Natalie Chapman and Peyton Smith — who’ve been key leaders. We return five athletes with regional experience and look forward to another competitive season next year.”
– Head Coach Kevin Butler
Boys – Division III Regional (Troy)
The Benjamin Logan boys had four individual runners compete at the regional meet.
Results:
- Tyler Shoopman – 18:24 (PR, Senior – final race)
- Greyson Butler – 18:54
- Oliver Morse – 19:02
- Maxwell Troth – 19:19
“Tyler finished his career with a season-best and has had a tremendous impact on our program. All four of these young men put in a lot of time, effort, and commitment this year. Congratulations on a successful season.”
– Head Coach Mike Coder
Wrapping up regional competition, several area runners are headed to the state stage next weekend at Fortress Obetz.
For Bellefontaine, senior standout Grace Brown and first-year runner Kaeleigh Flora will represent the Lady Chiefs in the Division II girls state race. On the boys’ side, Hayden Maus and Oliver Grandstaff earned their state berths after top finishes in the regional meet.
West Liberty-Salem will once again send both its girls and boys teams to state, continuing the Big Orange’s long tradition of championship-level cross country success.
The OHSAA State Championships will be held Saturday, November 1, at Fortress Obetz, where local athletes will look to cap off an outstanding 2025 season.
