BUCYRUS — Six Galion runners placed among the top 20 to pace the Lady Tigers to the team championship in the 2021 Wynford Cross Country Invitational on Tuesday at the Crawford County Fairgrounds.
The Galion boys finished third in the team standings with three runners placing in the top 20. Galion’s Chad Taylor was the meet champion in the boys race.
The Lady Tigers finished with 46 points and host Wynford placed second with 71 points. Clear Fork was a distant third with 111 points.
Raygann Campbell, Nora Harding, Zaynah Tate, Ava Smith, Emily McDonald, and Natalee Perkins each received a medal for their individual performances at the Wynford meet.
Campbell placed second overall, posting time of 21:07.51, to finish just behind race winner Destiny Rose of Willard. Rose’s winning time was 21:00.62.
Harding finished sixth, crossing the line in 22:05.02. Tate came in 10th place, posting a time of 22:26.66.
Smith finished 15th with a time of 23:13.02. McDonald placed 17th, turning in a time of 23:41.15. Perkins crossed the finish line in 23:59 to claim 20th place in the individual standings.
Following are the rest of the results for the Galion girls from the Wynford meet: Jasmine Clingman, 37th, 27:25.65; Elisha Brown, 51st, 28:44.07; Grace Sparks, 64th, 30:15.35; Hayla Cowdrey, 65th, 30:28.94; Ella Lehman, 68th, 32:33.58; Zoee Brissell, 76th, 35:20.18; Ryllie Preston, 78th, 39:35.29.
“The girls got out quickly and never settled in one spot,” Conner said. “They didn’t pack run like they usually do but accomplished the goal of winning as a team. They have been very close in both of the invitationals they have run this season and were excited about the win tonight.”
Tigers take 3rd place
In the boys’ race, Pleasant tallied 34 points to win the team championship. Upper Sandusky came in second place with 52 points. Galion finished with 92 points to claim third place.
Taylor and teammates Cannon Butler and Kellen Kiser were among the meet medalists. Taylor’s time of 18:09.21 gave him the individual championship by 21 seconds over runnerup Mason Cluff of Pleasant.
Butler placed 14th with a time of 19:35. Kiser finished in 18th place, posting a time of 19:52.96.
Following are the rest of the results for the Galion boys from the Wynford meet: Caleb Brutchey, 24th, 20:53.25; Tyler Fraizer, 35th, 21:46.48; Anthony Ferini, 42nd, 22:22.97; Riley Gabriel, 70th, 26:26.16; Ashton Faulds, 82nd, 30:34.35; Wyatt Estep, 89th, 35:40.06.
“We had a few boys that packed up closer to the front tonight than they had been running,” Conner said. “This is exactly what they need to do to accomplish their season goals. The packs are tight and getting faster.”
Conner said aside from the competition from runners on the opposing teams, all the runners had to manage the difficulties posed by the course at the fairgrounds.
The course starts on the race track and quickly cuts in to the inside lane. This caused some frustration for many runners who got pinned in,” Conner noted. “The boys saw the effects of this more than the girls as most of the girls chose to get out quickly or go to the outside. The course is mentally challenging because a big section of it has no spectators to cheer them on. We had discussed this before the run and emphasized the importance of positive talk.”
Upcoming meets
The Galion teams will compete in the McGowan Cross Country Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 11 at Watkins Memorial. The meet begins at 1 p.m.
The Galion Cross Country Festival is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 18 at Amann Reservoir. Meet time is 9 a.m.
The Crawford County Meet is planned for Saturday, Sept. 25 at Amann Reservoir. It will begin at 10 a.m.
