Multiple Runners Earn All-Ohio
Cross country runners from Chagrin Falls, Chardon, Hawken, Kenston and West Geauga participated Nov. 4 in the OHSAA State Championships in Fortress Obetz.
Cross country runners from Chagrin Falls, Chardon, Hawken, Kenston and West Geauga participated Nov. 4 in the OHSAA State Championships in Fortress Obetz.
Matthew Dienes, a senior from West Geauga, claimed Geauga County’s top individual finish.
He finished sixth in the OHSAA Boys Division II State Championship with a time of 15:47.
After the awards ceremony, Dienes talked about his performance and his cross country career.
“This is just amazing — this whole atmosphere, all these people, especially the ones that came to see me, it means so much,” Dienes said. “I had a great day here at Fortress Obetz.
“It’s been a real ride. I always say I work hard 48 weeks a year. This is my fourth year now, and I love this. … It’s paid off. I had such a great season during this cross country season, winning so many races. I’m very happy how it ended.”
The Kenston Bombers brought home the top team finish for Geauga County, claiming fifth in the state. The Bombers’ total time for the the team score (top five individuals) was 1:23:53.68, and they averaged 16:46 for the 5K.
Members of the Kenston boys team included, Kyle McMahan (16:07), Sean Tobin (16:46), Matthew Collins (16:53), Martin Weber (16:59), Dominic Fantana (17:06), Christian Lioudis (17:07) and Jacob Kovalski (17:29).
Also, individually, both Emerson Greene and McMahan earned All-Ohio Honors for Kenston.
McMahan finished 17th in the Boys Division II State Championship with a time of 16:07, while Greene finished 13th in the Girls Division II State Championship with a time of 18:51.
Greene talked about her performance after receiving her award.
“It’s a big honor to be here with all these girls, the top in the state,” Greene said. “Going out (in the race), I just (focused) on sticking with the group and not getting too stressed out about kind of where everybody was at the first 800 — just kind of moving through with the great girls here today — so it’s an honor to push through with them.”
Also competing for Kenston in the Girls Division II State Championship was Briana McIvor, who finished 44th with a time of 19:37.
Finishing right behind the Kenston boys was the Hawken boys cross country team, which finished sixth in the state as a team. Members included Nick Garcia-Whitko (16:03), Parker Carrus (16:08), Chase Levey (16:43), Luke Nelson (17:27), Logan Miller (17:40), Zoltan Onutz (19:15) and Will Margolis (19:48).
Hawken Head Cross Country Coach Kim Curtis was happy with how her team performed.
“Our team finished in sixth place, which for Hawken is the best boys finish in Hawken history,” Curtis said. “We’re really excited about it. Even our youngest guys stepped up, ran well, scored well, handled the pressure of a state meet for some of them their first time — so, really impressed. We had great leadership all season, and this is the best we were today.”
Hawken cross country runner Brielle Collins also participated in the championships, finishing 32nd with a time of 19:24 in Girls Division II.
Earning individual All-Ohio honors for Hawken were Garcia-Whitko (13th – 16:03) and Carrus (20th – 16:08).
Also earning All-Ohio honors were athletes from Chagrin Falls.
Mila Gresh finished 15th in Girls Division II with a time of 18:57 to earn All-Ohio Honors, and Lily Stukus finished 68th with a time of 20:06.
Participating in the championships for Chardon was Rae Kalawec, who finished in 57th place with a time of 19:24.
The Chardon boys cross country teams participated in the Division I State Championship and finished 20th. The team ran a combined 124:11.42 and averaged 16:50 for the 5K.
Chardon team members included Thomas Nelson (16:27), Makoto Gumpf (16:48), Taman Chokski (16:50), Joshua Calzada (17:01), Jacob Neiset (17:03), Matthew Sopchak (17:09) and Karl Dietz (17:23).
Geauga County runners will now have a few weeks off before practice begins for indoor track and field.
