Girls cross country places second at Boardman

By Joe Magill The recent cool temperatures came to an end Saturday as the Avon girls cross country team competed in the Spartan Invitational at Boardman, but the Eagles used their usual formula in placing second in the Division I race that included state-ranked teams from Ohio, Virginia, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. “Today was a bit warmer than what we've raced in all season, so it provided us a good opportunity to be challenged in a different way,” said coach Justin Carroll. “The girls ran strong and were so positive all morning and afternoon, which helped them in the race. It was another step forward.” The formula for success is to have senior Kaitlyn Reese near the front of the race followed by a tight pack. Reese placed second among 257 finishes with a time of 18 minutes, 4.0 seconds over the 5,000-meter course that will host the regional meet next month. She placed second to Hannah Jicha of Strongsville, who crossed the finish line in 18:00.3. Reese was backed by Julianna Stein (17th in 20:31.0), Ava Melott (18th in 20:38.3), Olivia Pajak (21st in 20:39.6) and Molly Suter (27th in 20:56.6). Rounding out the top seven the Eagles were Jessica Pendleton (33rd in 21:13.14) and Moly Pomfrey (36th in 21:18.3). Avon, ranked fifth in this week’s Division I state coaches poll, totaled 85 points to finish 33 points behind West Springfield, which was second in the Virginia state meet last year. The Eagles were followed by Medina with 104, Perrysburg with 141 and North Allegheny (PA) with 149. Medina was ranked 11th in this week’s poll, and Perrysburg was 7th. North Allegheny was third in the state last year in Pennsylvania after winning the previous six titles in a row. The Eagles will next race at the Todd Clark Cloverleaf Invitational Sept. 20 at Silver Creek Metro Park.