The ILMS girls’ and boys’ cross country teams concluded their seasons at Fortress Obetz during the OHSAA middle school postseason race on Sunday. The Lady Lakers finished strong, placing 7th overall. Abby Bihn led the team with a medal-winning performance, finishing 26th with a personal record time of 13:23. Laura Metzger closely followed, also medaling in 27th place with a time of 13:24. Other notable finishes included Caroline Jones in 76th (14:40 PR), Allison Overmyer in 106th (15:38), Jessica Phillips in 135th (16:43 PR), Karlee Taylor in 139th (16:48), Lara Hagedorn in 165th (19:07), and Olivia Albert in 171st (20:36).
On the boys’ side, Hayden Kuhlke was the standout, finishing 100th with a time of 13:10. Nathan White placed 119th (13:27), Dalton Young in 134th (13:49 PR), and Kyler Dague rounded out the team in 195th (15:14).
West Liberty-Salem participated in the OHSAA end-of-season State Invitational, where the boys’ team finished 6th out of 22 teams. Eric Hoover led the Big Orange, earning a medal with a 16th-place finish in 11:31. The team score showed competitive results, with Med. Highlands taking the top spot at 103 points. Other finishers included Zeke Lauck (49th, 12:11), Everett Brooks (54th, 12:17), Milo Matthews (58th, 12:21, PR), and Liam Harrington (77th, 12:38).
The girls’ team finished 13th out of 24 teams, with Charlee Albers leading the way in 41st place (13:33). Elin Leichty followed closely behind in 47th (13:40), while Mia Dooley (98th, 14:47), Annabelle Booze (145th, 15:35), Elia Matthews (147th, 15:38), Marissa Fish (153rd, 15:49), and Emily Finch (154th, 15:49) contributed to the team’s overall performance. Coaches praised the team for their improvement and competitive spirit throughout the season.
Benjamin Logan’s Paislee Rodenberger capped off her eighth-grade cross-country season at the state championship meet held at Dublin Coffman High School. Rodenberger set a new personal record, finishing in 13:45 and placing 43rd, ranking in the top 25% of the Division 2 race.
The BMS boys’ team also wrapped up their season at the MS State Meet, placing 10th in the Division II race. Andrew Myers led with a 34th-place finish in 11:57. Teammates Sennet Stolly and Jackson Maus closely followed, achieving personal records of 12:05 and 12:10, respectively. Nic Herrera-Diaz finished with a PR time of 13:13.
In the Division II/III 6th grade and under race, Camden Vollrath excelled, finishing 20th out of 199 runners with a personal best of 12:39.
Highlighting the performance of the BMS 6th graders, Kylie Lowe shone at the Middle School XC State Meet, finishing 7th out of 136 runners in the Division II/III 6th grade and under race with a PR time of 13:21. Baya Deal followed closely, placing 15th with a PR of 13:38, both earning medals. Fifth-grader Emma Smith also participated in the race, finishing 66th with a time of 15:45. Meanwhile, Cameo Greene concluded her middle school career in the 7th/8th-grade Division II race, placing 65th out of 162 runners with a time of 14:22.