STATE CROSS COUNTRY Spencerville takes second to champ Minster

  By MARK ALTSTAETTER
sports@limanews.com 419-993-2085


    COLUMBUS — Going into Saturday’s state cross country meet at Scioto Downs, longtime Spencerville coach Brian McMichael knew it wasn’t going to be an easy task to dethrone defending Division III girls state champion Minster.
    Spencerville made a run at it, however, finishing second to Minster, 123-98.
    Saturday’s runner-up performance was Spencerville’s bestever showing for the girls program at the state tournament.
    For Minster, it marked the seventh state title in the past 11 years for head coach Jessie Magoto.
    Leading the way for Spencerville was senior Lyndie Brown, who finished fourth in 19 minutes, 21.68 seconds.
    Close behind Brown was teammate Ashley Gilroy, finishing eighth (19:28.58), while Kelli Ley was the third Spencerville runner (39th, 20:36.29).
    “We finished really well,” McMichael said. “I think most of our girls passed one or two people in the last quarter-mile. I was really happy with their performance.”
    Brown said the Bearcats were focused on one thing throughout the season.
    “It was about getting the team down here (to state meet),” Brown said. “We wanted to get back down here and see what we could do.”
    Gilroy agreed with Brown.
    “This was definitely the best year,” Gilroy said. “I just wanted us to make it to state. After last year (not making it to state as a team) we set the goal of making it down here.”
    Freshman Natalie Fausey led Minster with a 15th-place finish in 19:54.60. Fausey’s performance on Saturday was her best of the season.
    “Our No. 1 runner today was never our first runner during the season,” Magoto said of Fausey. “She had never run in the 19s this season. She PR’d by more than 30 seconds, today.”
    “That’s the thing about our team. It gives them comfort to know that if they struggle a little, that someone else will step up.”
    McMichael said he knew his team had the potential of battling for a state title.
    “After about the second or third week of the season, I felt that we could compete with anyone in the state,” McMichael said. “But, we started to have some injuries. In the last couple of weeks, we got healthy and we started to improve.”
    Ottoville had a strong showing, finishing 11th in the girls D-III race. Shayla Siefker led the Big Green, finishing 11th (19:37.11).
    Pandora-Gilboa’s Sarah Flickinger finished 41st (20:40.60).
    On the boys’ side in D-III, New Bremen’s Justin Eilerman had the best showing, finishing 10^th (16:27.35). As a team, the Cardinals placed 11th.
    Coldwater’s Mike Seas finished 15th (16:32.19). Lima Central Catholic’s Jim Kesner finished 42nd (17:07.54), while Spencerville’s Jonathan Rex was 69th (17:30.06).
    St. Henry finished 12th in the final team standings. Dillan Schulze led the Redskins, in 17:11.43, good for 47th.
    DIVISION II
    Van Wert’s Lauren Taylor closed out her high school career with a sixth-place finish in 19:17.40. As a team, Van Wert finished 12th.
    “I tried to get out to a fast start,” Taylor said. “That’s the only way you have a chance (to win). But, I finished about where I was supposed to, time-wise.”
    “(We had) a good year, but (it was) just a bad day,” Van Wert girls coach Brendon Moody said.
    The Coldwater girls ran well on Saturday, notching a sixth-place finish. Alyssa Brunswick led the Cavaliers, finishing 32nd (20:07.08).
    Shawnee freshmen Molly Scott and Adrienne Pohl placed well in their first-ever state meet. Scott finished 28th (20:01.67), while Pohl came in 68th (20:42.69).
    Defiance’s Megan Vogelsong was 21st (19:44.17), while teammate Anna Meyer came in 73rd (20:47). Celina’s Ashley Figel finished in 42nd (20:15.84).
    In the D-II boys race, Defiance finished fourth as a team. Trevin Flickinger finished eighth overall (16:20.24) to lead the Bulldogs. Celina’s Andrew Goodwin finished 11th (16:24.09).
    Goodwin said Saturday’s performance was not quite what he expected.
    “I’m a little disappointed on where I finished, but I did get on the podium,” he said.
    Shawnee’s Garrett Diltz finished 51st (17:15.20), while Van Wert’s Jared Fleming was close behind in 61st (17:29.99).