Mechanicsburg’s Isabelle Rodgers (pictured) is one of several local runners who have qualified for Saturday’s Division III state cross country meet in Obetz.
Photo by John Coffman Photography
The West Liberty-Salem girls and boys cross country teams both qualified for Saturday’s Division III state meet after winning regional titles in the same season for the first time last week.
For the girls, it was the 8th Division III regional title in the program’s history and their 8th consecutive state meet berth. It is the 13th state meet berth overall for the WL-S girls cross country program.
At the regional, Malia Miller and Breece Gullett led the Big Orange attack with top 10 finishes. Miller placed second (19:09.65) and Gullett was 9th (19:40.21). Both times were career bests for the runners.
The Big Orange went on to place four other runners in the top 35 with Ashley Yoder placing 19th (20:08.21), Gwen McCullough 23rd (20:33.25), Addison McAuley 26th (20:33.85) and Hattie Jacobs 32nd (20:56.17). Mallory Bostick rounded out the Big Orange placers by finishing 44th (21:32.10).
The regional title for the WL-S boys cross country team was the school’s first since 1989.
This will be the program’s 6th straight trip to state and the program’s 22nd overall.
Results for the Tigers at the regional were Asher Knox 6th 16:18.45, Caleb Larson 14th 16:55.25, Dylan King 17th 17:01.95, Troy Bradley 19th 17:06.85, Garrett Wallen 20th 17:07.35, Quentin Rudolph 25th 17:21.05 and Joey LaRoche 27th 17:24.97.
“We’re appreciative and grateful for the opportunity to compete at the state meet and we will go into that meet with the same approach and mindset that we’ve had at the first eight meets of the season,” said WL-S Coach Mike Louden.
Mechanicsburg’s Will Negley and Beck Negley, along with Clair Rodgers and Isabelle Rodgers, are also heading to the Division III state meet after qualifying during the Central District regional meet last week.
At the regional in the boys race, Will Negley was ninth in 16:16.53 and Beck Negley was 10th in 16:24.78. For the girls, Clair Rodgers placed 18th in 20:00.46 and Isabelle Rodgers was 23rd in 20:09.55.
At the state meet on Saturday at The Fortress in Obetz, the Division III girls will race at 10 a.m. while the boys will race at 10:45 a.m.
