Phillips wins Van Wert Health CC Invite

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports editor

Bolstered by an individual championship by Van Wert’s Caylee Phillips, the Lady Cougars edged Shawnee by a single point to win the girls’ eight team Van Wert Health Invitational on Saturday.

Van Wert finished with 46 points, while Shawnee finished with 47.

On the boys’ side, Lincolnview finished third behind Ottawa-Glandorf and Shawnee, Van Wert finished fifth and Crestview was sixth out of 12 teams.

Phillips ran the 5K course in 20:20.3, while Lincolnview’s Madison Williams was second with a time of 20:32.5, as the Lady Lancers finished fourth overall. Ragen Harting and Emily Greulach notched fifth and sixth place finishes, clocking in at 21:34.2 and 21:44.5, respectively, and the Lady Knights finished third in the team standings.

Van Wert’s Tyra McClain finished 10th (22:12), while teammates Kyra Welch and Rachel Spath were right behind with 11th and 12th place finishes time of 22:13 and 22:17. Alli Gemmer recorded a 16th place finish (22:47).

“Our girls team showed what they are capable of when they put together a solid team effort,” Van Wert head coach Ryan Holliday said. “Our top five were firing on all cylinders, and we were excited to come out on top. The girls went into the meet simply wanting to become better team and individual racing versions of themselves. We know that’s what we need to do every week from here on out to get to where we want to be.”

“We also know Shawnee is one of the best teams in the WBL, so it was a great challenge to compete with them and we’re looking forward to racing them again at the league meet in a few weeks,” Holliday added.

Crestview’s Lauren Walls finished 18th (23:02), Kate Leeth 27th (24:37), Adalynn Longstreth 29th (24:53), and Megan Mosier (33rd, (25:13).

After Williams, Lincolnview was paced by Julia Stetler (15th, 22:42), Victoria Snyder (20th, 23:13), Dylann Carey (36th, 25:34), and Kenna Mason (50th, 26:38).

“Madison again had a strong race placing second overall, and Julia and Tori had one of their best overall races of the season,” Lincolnview head coach Matt Langdon said. “We still need to close the gap behind Madison, but we are taking some steps forward. We hadn’t raced in over 10 days so it was good to get back at it.”

Van Wert’s Hunter Sherer led county runners with a third place finish and a time of 17:11, while Devon Bill led Lincolnview with a time of 17:44 and a fifth place finish.

After Bill, other finishers for Lincolnview included Joe Sadowski (14th, 18:18), Jackson Robinson (21st, 18:39), Brandon Renner (23rd, 18:40), Daegan Hatfield (24th, 18:41) and Brad Korte (44th,19:59).

“Devon had a very strong race and my normal four and five guys were three and four today, a sophomore and a freshman, and that makes us a lot better given our pack time was under a minute for the first time all season,” Langdon said. “We have yet to put it all together in the same day, but we are trusting that day is coming soon.”

In addition to Sherer’s third place finish, Jayden Welker placed 20th (18:37) for Van Wert, followed by Gage Wannemacher 25th, 18:43), Ben Lange (34th, 19:03) and Jacob Sealscott (50th, 20:28).

“Several of our guys brought really fantastic efforts on a hot day,” Holliday said. “Hunter Sherer, Jayden Welker, and Ben Lange, to name a few, all competed extremely well. We knew with the conditions, times would likely be slow, so we wanted to focus on how we race. These guys became better versions of themselves and put themselves in a position to take an even bigger step next time we get the chance to compete.”

Jacob Forwerck led Crestview with a 16th place finish (18:20), followed by Hayden Tomlinson (31st, 18:54), Cameron Cearns (33rd, 19:03), Danil Lichtensteiger (36th, 19:21), Isaiah Watts (41st, 19:39), Dayton Schuerman (42nd,19:49) and Brian Myers 43rd, 19:51).

“Both of our teams used a high level of effort to continue on a path of improvement,” Crestview head coach Jeff Bagley said.

“Hosting Saturday’s invitational was a chance for us to try to provide other teams with an incredible meet experience,” Holliday said. “It was also a chance to showcase our program to the Van Wert community. We wanted to show people how well we work hard and have fun.”

“We were thrilled with the support we received from local businesses, the school, and the community,” Holliday added. “All in all, it was a fantastic day to celebrate the sport of cross country and running.”

Team scores

Girls: 1 – Van Wert (46); 2 – Shawnee (47); 3 – Crestview (80); 4 – Lincolnview (107); 5 – Parkway (138) 6 – Ottawa-Glandorf (147) 7 – Spencerville (154) 8 – Paulding (217)

Boys: 1 – Ottawa-Glandorf (61); 2 – Shawnee (65); 3 – Lincolnview (79); 4 – Parkway (119); 5 – Van Wert (123); 6 – Crestview (147); 7 – Elida (178); 8 – Ottoville (213); 9 – Bluffton (217); 10 – Paulding (251); 11 – Allen East (274); 12 – Ada (350)