Girls place fourth, boys 24th at Berlin Bear Dash cross country meet
Running in a loaded field in which 18 of the 23 participating teams were ranked in their respective division in the latest state coaches poll, Avon’s girls cross country team placed fourth Saturday at the Berlin Bear Dash at Olentangy Berlin High School.
Milford, the top-ranked team in Division I, won the race with 121 points, followed closely by Columbus Watterson with 125. Watterson is the defending state champion in Division II and is ranked No. 1 in its division. Third place went to Upper Arlington, ranked No. 2 in Division I, with 145, followed by Avon with 193. The Eagles are ranked third in the state in Division II.
“Today was a great opportunity to go up against some of the best teams in the state and compete at a faster course,” said coach Justin Carroll. “It was a good racing experience today and the continuing momentum of the pack running carries on. This group is doing some awesome things, and including the open race, we saw some great racing and the gaps between one another continue to close.”
Ava Melott was the top finisher for Avon, placing 15th with a career best time of 18 minutes, 32.7 seconds over the 5,000-meter course. She was followed by the solid pack of Brooke Tindera (41st in 19:12.3), Molly Suter (42nd in 19:12.6), Madison Colaizzi (49th 19:25.5) and Molly Pomfrey (55th in 19:28.5). The top seven was rounded out by Momoka Tanaka (70th in 19:48.4) and Lauryn Hider (86th in 20:15.9).
Avon’s boys also ran in the Berlin Bear Dash, and despite having some runners post excellent times, the Eagles placed 24th of 25 teams with 510 points.
Nick Thompson was Avon’s top finisher, placing 72nd in 16:30.0. He was followed by Jared Keressi (85th in 16:38.9), Blaise Wieber (97th in 16:44.2), Luke Fox (136th in 17:04.2), Matthew Lochbihler (140th in 17:07.9) and Levi Harbeck (151st in 17:15.3).
Both Avon cross country teams will be participating in the Milt Place Cross Country Festival in Medina next Saturday, the final meet of the regular season.
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