The Bellefontaine boys cross country team turned in a historic performance Saturday in Wapak, finishing second out of 16 schools.
Senior Hayden Maus stole the spotlight by shattering a 32-year-old school record, running 15:33 to win the race.
His time eclipsed the 1994 mark of 15:37 set by Aaron Augustus, who was a two-time regional champion in 1992 and 1993.
Bellefontaine finished just behind host Marysville, 45–52, in the team standings.
Defiance (76), Wapakoneta (154), and Lehman Catholic (156) rounded out the top five.
The Chieftains had nine career-best times on the day.
- Oliver Grandstaff (6th, 16:40) and Jake Moreland (7th, 16:40) joined Maus in the top 10.
- Landon Gerwels (18th, 17:40) and Will Myers (20th, 17:43) rounded out the scoring five.
- Also competing: Andrew Myers (32nd, 18:08), Brenden Murray (50th, 18:45), Nick Herrera-Diaz (93rd, 20:35), Tristyn Wilson (128th, 22:31), Brayten Swisher (149th, 25:29), and Jake Christen (161st, 26:32).
Head coach Ben Davis praised Maus’s record-breaking run and the team’s depth:
“Congrats to Hayden for breaking the school record. Augustus was a legend in our program, and Hayden just stepped into that company. We ran really well, hitting our goal times in every case. We closed the gaps where we needed to, especially between our 3-4 and 4-5 runners.”
The Chieftains will be back in action at the Tiffin Invitational on Saturday, September 6, at Hedges Boyer Park, with varsity racing at 9:00 a.m. and the open race at 10:15 a.m.
