West Liberty-Salem Middle School cross country had an outstanding showing at the OHSAA State Meet this weekend, with the girls team capturing the state championship and finishing the season undefeated. The boys also finished in the top five, placing fifth out of 45 teams.
The West Liberty-Salem Middle School girls cross country team captured a state championship this weekend at the OHSAA State Meet, finishing the season undefeated.
The Big Orange girls scored 102 points to take first place out of 33 teams, edging out Beavercreek, which finished second with 113 points. Loveland placed third with 139 points.
Nika Matthews led West Liberty-Salem with a third-place finish in 11 minutes, 40.6 seconds. Elayna Hoover also earned a podium medal, finishing 12th in 12 minutes, 3.5 seconds.
Other West Liberty-Salem finishers included Paisley Strapp in 37th place with a personal record, Lilly Woodruff in 44th, Neema Smucker in 49th with a personal record, Iris Meister in 62nd and Ellie Louth in 206th place.
The boys team also turned in a strong performance, finishing fifth out of 45 teams with 291 points. Perrysburg won the boys team title with 156 points, followed by Kings with 178 and Cincinnati Nagel with 179.
Caizen Anders led the Big Orange boys with a 56th-place finish in 11 minutes, 33 seconds. Joel Hoover finished 67th, followed by Archer Anine-Sefah in 79th, Ozzy Anders in 97th, Harrison Sutherin in 99th, Isaac Falloon in 103rd and Cooper Thompson in 107th.
The boys finished their season with an impressive 140-and-6 record.
West Liberty-Salem also competed in the boys open race, finishing ninth out of 18 teams with 258 points. Braxton Louden led the group with a 45th-place finish, followed by Jack Troyer in 51st and Jackson Barth in 86th. Maddax Dobberstein also recorded a personal record.
Both teams capped off an outstanding season with strong performances at the state meet, with the girls bringing home a state championship and an undefeated season.
