UPPER SANDUSKY — Galion opened the 2021 by placing second in the team standings of the girls division on Tuesday at the Upper Sandusky Ice Breaker Invite. The Tiger boys squad finished fifth at the meet.
“I am so proud of the Tigers. They raced very well in the heat with the high heat index on Tuesday,” Galion head coach Cindy Conner said. “Both the girls and boys teams finished better than they have ever finished at the Upper Sandusky meet. Many of the runners were using this meet as a practice to try some new strategies. Some found success and a few want to try something different.”
St. Ursula Academy edged Galion to win the girls meet, scoring 79 points to the Lady Tigers’ 82 points. Tiffin Columbian came in third place with 109 points.
Sophomore Raygann Campbell headlined a group of four Lady Tigers who finished in the top 12 and earned medals at Upper Sandusky. She posted a time of 21:12.78 to finish in third place on the course at Harrison Smith Park.
Two seniors and a sophomore also placed among the top 12 runners for Galion in the meet. Senior Zaynah Tate placed 10th, crossing the finish line in 21:49.78. Senior Ava Smith came in 11th place, completing the course in 21:54.88. Sophomore Nora Harding finished in 12th place for Galion, turning in a time of 22:10.72.
Rounding out the top seven for Galion were seniors Natalee Perkins and Emily McDonald and junior Ella Lehman. Perkins came in 52nd place with a time of 24:47.84. McDonald placed 55th with a time of 24:56.61. Lehman finished in 104th place with a time of 28:39.32.
The following Galion athletes also competed in the Upper Sandusky Ice Breaker: sophomore Elisha Brown (116th, 29:31.41); freshman Avery Lutz (118th, 29:48.14); freshman Grace Sparks (126th, 30:43.11); senior Jasmine Clingman (128th, 31:07.95); freshman Zoee Brissell (144th, 34:33.76); and freshman Ryllie Preston (145th, 34:36.04).
The average finishing time for the Lady Tigers’ runners was 22:23.20.
“How exciting for the girls to earn the runner up trophy, only three points behind St. Ursula,” Conner said. “We were matched up well with each of their runners and wish them the best of luck this season. They have several first year runners who are trying to learn the ropes of 3.1 miles.”
Boys race results
In the boys race, Galion turned in its best performance on the Harrison Smith Park course with its fifth-place finish, head coach Cindy Conner said.
Sophomore Chad Taylor was the top runner for Galion. He finished 23rd, posting a time of 18:36.64.
Senior Kellen Kiser placed 39th, crossing the finish line in 19:31.38. Sophomore Erik Hilario finished in 46th place, turning in a time of 20:06.73. Senior Cannon Butler completed course in 20:41.09 to finish 57th.
Junior Caleb Brutchey placed 79th with a time of 21:27.73. Freshman Anthony Ferini finished in 81st, posting a time of 21:33.86. Freshman Josue Hilario placed 92nd with a time of 22:03.68.
Following are the rest of the Tigers who competed at Upper Sandusky: sophomore Riley Gabriel (144th, 26:55.06) and freshman Ashton Faulds (160th, 31:35.62).
Galion runners posted an average finishing time of 20:04.72.
Mount Gilead won the boys meet, tallying 27 points. Columbus Grove finished second with 34 points. Tiffin Columbian placed third with 85 points.
“The boys were missing a few key runners and one runner even ran through he had issues with his shoes,” Conner said. “With everyone back next week — and a new pair of shoes — the Tiger boys are excited to continue to compete.”
Next on the schedule
Galion heads to Attica on Saturday to compete in the Seneca East Tiger Classic. The meet begins at 8:30 a.m.
The Lady Tigers won the Seneca East meet last season.
The Galion boys finished third in that event in 2020.
Upper Sandusky Ice Breaker Invite 2021
Harrison Smith Park
Girls Team Standings
1-St. Ursula Academy — 79
2-Galion — 82
3-Tiffin Columbian — 109
4-Wynford — 143
5-Port Clinton — 145
6-Mount Gilead — 147
7-Carey — 170
8-Gibsonburg — 183
9-Napoleon — 231
10-Kenton — 242
11-River Valley — 269
12-Oak Harbor — 292
13-Upper Sandusky — 318
14-Columbus Grove — 364
Boys Team Standings
1-Mount Gilead — 27
2-Columbus Grove — 34
3-Tiffin Columbian — 85
4-Upper Sandusky — 118
5-Galion — 185
6-Carey — 188
7-Gibsonburg — 194
8-Port Clinton — 228
9-Kenton — 239
10-Napoleon — 239
11-Oak Harbor — 288
12-Fostoria — 345
