Madison had a little something to prove on Saturday at the Division I girls district cross country meet at Lakeland Community College on Saturday. The Blue Streaks wanted to show they were a program that was not to be overlooked.
Consider the message delivered as the Blue Streaks finished comfortably in fifth place to earn their second consecutive berth to the regional meet at Boardman next week.
“We’re very excited,” Madison coach Kelly Chandler said. “We knew we’d fall anywhere between third and fifth. We had one or two girls run very well, but it wasn’t quite what we wanted to do as a team.
“We were more focused on qualifying again. Last year, we just barely made it. And when that happens, it can be considered a fluke. Doing it again is not a fluke. It’s more of a legacy.”
Mentor won the meet with 39 points, Chardon was second with 62, Shaker Heights was third with 85, Mayfield was fourth with 100 and Madison was fifth with 134.
Katarina Funk paced Madison, placing 14th in 20:51 and Annette Brickman was 16th in 20:56.
“Annette and Kat ran phenomenal races,” Chandler said. “We told them to run about 20th and keep moving up. They ran smart races. They’re smart girls.”
Geneva’s Emily Deering and Hailey VanHoy qualified to the regional as individuals, finishing 8th and 15th in 20:21 and 20:53, respectively.
“They really worked hard the last few weeks on speed training,” Geneva coach Matt Deering said. “They’ve run a lot of 800s and hills. They’re really excited they’re going off to regionals, that’s for sure.”
Karen Barrientos of Lakeside finished eighth in 20:30 and Katie Durisin was 13th in 20:40 to secure spots at the regional.
“(Katie’s) been running those times all season,” Riverside coach Chris Basich said. “Well, I should say the last half of the season, she’s turned it on. Here’s the thing. She’s also in the marching band. She is with the band a couple of days and a couple days she’s running. She’s not even getting a full practice schedule.
“I think she was one of only two freshmen in the top 20.”
Ashley Duthie was 38th in 22:16.19, Sydney Ball was 39th in 22:16.88 and Samantha Martin was 42nd in 22:21 to round out the top five for the Blue Streaks.
“Our No. 3 through 7 runners were all within 20 seconds of each other,” Chandler said. “Sammie is our seventh runner and she stepped up and was fifth today. That’s huge. She did that last year, too. She wasn’t even a varsity runner until a couple weeks ago. She does it every year. She sneaks up there and scores points.”
Division II
Jefferson’s Colleen O’Connor was the lone Division II girl to make the regional. She finished 16th in 21:37 at the meet at Trumbull County Fairgrounds.
“She was supposed to be about 24th,” Jefferson coach Steve Locy said. “She did everything in her power to get there. I told her it doesn’t matter what you finish between one and 16, she moved on. That was a goal of hers. That’s a big step.”
Perry, running without two of its top five because of injuries, finished fifth for the second consecutive year to just miss out on a trip to Boardman.
“Unfortunately, we were fifth two years in a row now,” Perry coach Bill Sarvis said. “Give the girls a lot of credit. I had one girl cut a minute and half off her time today. I’m proud of the way they battled. I give them all the credit in the world. They didn’t fold the tents. They battled, it just wasn’t enough.
“Before we left, though, they were already talking about next year and what they had to do. They realized they’re all coming back and they have a job to do. That’s got to excite you when the kids are that way.”
The Pirates netted 134 points. Chagrin Falls won with 23, Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin scored 84, Beaumont had 125 and Hathaway Brown had 126.
Division III
Grand Valley freshman Jessica Finley took home ninth place at the Division III meet at Trumbull County Fairgrounds.
“We had a feeling she’d be in the top 10,” Fisher said. “We just kept talking to her about the goal being to be in the top 10 and get out safe. She ran well. I’m really pleased with her.”
She finished in 20:27.
“She made some moves early on that allowed her to get in the pack that separated itself away,” Fisher said. “That top 10 just decided in that first mile they were going to run away from everybody. She put herself in the mix. She actually led until about the mile mark. I just wanted her to go out under control and run her race. We’ve been preaching that all year long.”
Ettinger is a freelance writer from Ashtabula.
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