Area high school cross country runners competed in the 2026 OHSAA Cross Country State Championships Saturday, November 7, at Fortress Obetz.
Four local teams qualified for the state meet, including the Bellefontaine boys, West Liberty-Salem boys and girls, and Mechanicsburg girls. Individual qualifiers from the regional tournaments included Bellefontaine’s Grace Brown, Urbana’s Hazel Lightle, and Calvary Christian’s Adly Knox.
West Liberty-Salem’s boys turned in the area’s top team finish, placing fourth in Division III, while the Tigers’ girls finished 14th in Division IV. Bellefontaine’s boys placed 22nd in Division II, and Mechanicsburg’s girls finished 22nd in Division IV.
Division II Boys
Bellefontaine Chieftains – 22nd place (461 points)
Bellefontaine finished 22nd as a team in Division II. Oliver Grandstaff led the Chieftains with a 43rd-place finish in 16:13.0.
- 43rd – Oliver Grandstaff – 16:13.0
- 127th – Landon Gerwels – 17:00.8
- 163rd – Brenden Murray – 17:21.4
- 165th – Jake Moreland – 17:22.4
- 170th – Will Myers – 17:26.0
- 172nd – Jackson Maus – 17:27.6
- 197th – Andrew Myers – 17:47.7
Bellefontaine Boys Head Coach Ben Davis praised the team’s performance and senior leadership, saying:
“Team goal was to beat someone and we nabbed two as we caught Bellbrook (3rd at regional). After the advent of an extra division last year to make 4, it shoved 80 D1 schools into D2 which made qualifying much tougher, so we were thrilled to compete at the top level. The team had a great race on a day PRs were hard to come by. We will miss the phenomenal senior leadership of Oliver, Will, Jake, and Brenden who have displayed tremendous character at BHS.”
Ian Res of West Geauga won the individual championship in 15:22.8, while Bowling Green captured the team championship with 181 points, edging runner-up Lexington by one point.
Division III Boys
West Liberty-Salem Tigers – 4th place (232 points)
West Liberty-Salem finished fourth in Division III, earning its fourth consecutive top-four finish at the OHSAA state championships. The Tigers previously placed fourth in Division III in 2023, fourth in Division II in 2024, and second in Division III in 2025.
Asher Cole paced the Tigers with a 16th-place finish in 15:42.6, while Brayan Gullett also recorded a top-50 finish.
- 16th – Asher Cole – 15:42.6
- 43rd – Brayan Gullett – 16:23.2
- 89th – Zeke Longshore – 17:02.2
- 98th – Eric Hoover – 17:07.6
- 144th – Zeke Lauck – 17:46.7
- 159th – Zeke Sidders – 17:58.9
- 171st – Gauge Lee – 18:05.4
Head coach Mike Louden expressed appreciation for the team’s hard work and growth throughout the season, while emphasizing the significance of another top-four state finish.
“I’m extremely grateful and appreciative to have coached these incredibly hardworking and enthusiastic young men this season. Watching all 18 guys grow and mature throughout the year has been a true pleasure. As for the state meet today—finishing fourth for a fourth consecutive year is an achievement these young men should be incredibly proud of! We want to wish our two senior members, Zac Carter and Zeke Sidders, all the best with their future plans. Thank you both for everything you’ve done for the Big Orange program!”
Brice Fuller of Fairless won the individual championship in 14:50.7. Woodridge claimed the team championship with 65 points, finishing 50 points ahead of Fairless.
Division III Girls
Bellefontaine Chieftains
Bellefontaine’s Grace Brown finished 34th in the Division III girls race with a time of 19:30.9. A four-time All-Ohio athlete and current Bellefontaine High School record holder, Brown capped off an impressive four-year career in a Chieftain uniform.
- 34th – Grace Brown – 19:30.9
“I think something people might not realize about this season is how much went on behind the scenes. Whether that was waking up early to get my workouts in before heading to work, balancing two jobs over the summer while still making it to cross country and basketball practices, or dealing with injuries along the way, there was a lot that went into getting to this point.
“One of the biggest challenges was finding a balance that allowed me to feel good physically and mentally while still having the confidence to go out and perform to the best of my ability. Looking back, I’m proud of the work I put in and the determination it took to get here.”
Urbana Hillclimbers
Urbana’s Hazel Lightle placed 60th with a time of 19:57.4.
- 60th – Hazel Lightle – 19:57.4
Gwen Huddle of Napoleon won the individual championship in 17:35.7, while Oakwood captured the team title with 119 points, six points ahead of runner-up Huron.
Division IV Boys
Calvary Christian Spartans
Calvary Christian’s Adly Knox finished 59th in the Division IV boys race with a time of 16:57.4.
- 59th – Adly Knox – 16:57.4
Bennett Lehman of Ansonia won the individual championship in 15:30.7. Mount Gilead captured the team championship with 84 points, finishing 15 points ahead of runner-up Russia.
Division IV Girls
West Liberty-Salem Tigers – 14th place (334 points)
West Liberty-Salem finished 14th as a team in Division IV. Addi Wallen led the Tigers with a 52nd-place finish in 19:43.9, while Isla Leichty and Elin Leichty also finished inside the top 100.
- 52nd – Addi Wallen – 19:43.9
- 86th – Isla Leichty – 20:14.5
- 93rd – Elin Leichty – 20:20.9
- 146th – Hattie Jacobs – 21:23.0
- 148th – Elia Matthews – 21:24.4
- 160th – Charlee Albers – 21:52.7
- 162nd – Olive Matthews – 21:53.4
Girls Head Coach Aaron Lauck said finishing the season at the state meet is always a positive experience, giving the team an opportunity to compete at a high level and celebrate its accomplishments.
“Ending the season at the State Meet is always a good thing. It is an awesome mix of competing at a high level and celebrating our accomplishments. Our returners gained valuable experience for next year. Addi Wallen battled hard but was just outside of making 2nd team All-Ohio. Hattie Jacobs ended her high school career with a tremendous two weeks running back-to-back season best times. Olive Matthews also ran a PR and dropped into the 21’s! This is a nice capstone to the season. The girls have enjoyed success this year as conference champs, district runners-up, and state qualifiers. We appreciate our senior runners, Hattie Jacobs and Mariska Smith for their hard work and contributions to the Big Orange program.”
Mechanicsburg Indians – 22nd place (492 points)
Mechanicsburg finished 22nd as a team. Elizabeth Shuryan paced the Indians with an 83rd-place finish in 20:13.8, followed by Reiner Schaadt in 98th.
- 83rd – Elizabeth Shuryan – 20:13.8
- 98th – Reiner Schaadt – 20:30.9
- 136th – Blake Rausch – 21:14.6
- 190th – Bailee Eyink – 23:09.5
- 201st – Ayla Picklesimon – 23:56.8
- 212th – Ally Dingey – 24:29.0
Natalie Nixon of Ottawa Hills won the individual championship in 17:34.0. Liberty Center captured the team championship with 112 points, finishing 33 points ahead of runner-up Minster.
Other State Champions
Several other state champions were crowned across the remaining divisions:
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Division I Boys: Ryne Reynolds won the individual championship in 15:01.4, while Springboro won the team title with 107 points.
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Division I Girls: Reese Galinger won the individual championship in 17:51.0, while Milford won the team title with 111 points.
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Division II Girls: Julia Bocik of Sylvania Southview won the individual championship in 17:37.7, while Aurora captured the team title with 80 points.
