Troy Regional Preview

Hundreds of cross country fans will convene on the levee 

bank of the Great Miami River in Troy this Saturday

If by any chance you need to get in touch with me this Saturday morning or early afternoon, I'll be standing on the levee bank of the Great Miami River just south of Troy Memorial Stadium. That's because high school cross country runners from all over southwest Ohio will compete in the Troy Regional with hopes of advancing to the State Tournament the following Saturday. I've said it before and I'll say it again, this day is simply of my favorites of the year. Last year the weather was brutally cold and this Saturday the forecast is near picture perfect. The elements are of little concern to me though, I'll be there rain or shine.

While I have some interest in the Division I and II races, my focus is clearly on the Division III boys and girls. I'll start with my preview of the D-III boys race which starts at 11:00 am. The field will consist of 16 teams and 23 individual qualifiers, which equals 135 runners from 32 schools. Here's a spoiler alert - quit reading this now if you don't want to know how this race ends. Okay, here you go... This will be a huge morning for the boys from Cincinnati Summit Country Day. Their team should dominate in a big way and they're lead by seniors Mason Moore and John Murdock who will likely finish 1-2 in the race. Keep your eye on the clock with Mason Moore. With ideal conditions Mason might threaten the course record of 15:32.7 set by Sam Prakel of Versailles back in 2011.

Last year Mason Moore won in Troy with a 16:11.53

and this year he may challenge the course record

The only real drama will be for the remaining three team spots that advance to state and the individual qualifiers. I see Russia and Anna grabbing two of the team spots. I think Botkins, West Liberty-Salem and Versailles will battle for the final spot. Individuals that finishes in the top 16 will qualify for state as well. Here are some of the local individuals I expect to challenge for the top 16:

• Richie Ware, Senior - Versailles
• Joey Adams, Junior - West Liberty-Salem
• Brady McBride, Junior - Newton
• Cameron Flora, Junior - Botkins
• Nate Dunn, Senior - Covington
• Alex Steiner, Senior - West Liberty-Salem
• Caleb Ball, Junior - Russia
• Devon Jester, Senior - Houston
• Aaron Fullenkamp, Junior - Botkins
• Joe Spitzer, Freshman - Versailles
• Tyler McKee, Junior - Anna
• Lucas Huber, Sophomore - Anna
• Alex Seger, Sophomore - Russia
• Tom Ballas, Sophomore - Ft. Loramie

The D-III girls race starts at 1:30 pm. Their field will consist of 16 teams and 17 individuals, which equals 129 runners from 31 schools. Last year the Russia girls won their first regional cross country championship in school history and this year I believe they'll do it again. The Lady Raiders have all the ingredients for a repeat, including a senior leader in Emily Borchers and a couple of veteran juniors in Lauren Heaton and Molly Kearns. If that isn't enough, the trio of freshman Megan Frazier, sophomore Shae Goubeaux, and senior Claudia Monnin all ran season best times last Saturday to bring home a district championship. The next two teams I think will advance to state are Versailles and Xenia Christian. That fourth and final spot should give hope to a lot of schools, but ultimately I believe the CCC champs from Miami East will celebrating a trip to Hebron. 

Expect these three girls in the lead pack early,

which one has the most kick at the end is the question

When I look at the individual competition I see a lot of parity. The course record of 17:51.6 set by Sunni Olding of Minster in 2003 seems ancient and will no doubt survive another year. The big star in this area all season has been Botkins junior Chloe Flora and I expect her to lead early with Purcell Marion senior Kansas Greenwell. West Liberty-Salem's emerging freshman Reghan Bieleski, Russia's Emily Borchers, and Covington sophomore Anna Dunn should also be part of that front pack that may result in a wild ending. Here is my list of local individuals I feel could qualify for state by finishing in the top 16:

• Chloe Flora, Junior - Botkins
• Reghan Bieleski, Freshman - West Liberty-Salem
• Emily Borchers, Senior - Russia
• Anna Dunn, Sophomore - Covington
• Megan Frazier, Freshman - Russia
• Lorenza Savani, Sophomore - Miami East
• Lauren Heaton, Junior - Russia
• Madison Grilliot, Junior - Versailles
• Molly Kearns, Junior - Russia
• Marie Ewing, Sophomore - Miami East
• Carly Shell, Junior - Covington
• Alanna O'Leary, Freshman - Lehman
• Rachel Schmitmeyer, Junior - Ft. Loramie
• Lindsey Yingst, Freshman - Miami East
• Kenia McEldowney, Freshman - Versailles
• Morgan Ely, Freshman - Houston

There you have it, my regional preview. Now, join me on the levee bank this Saturday and watch the kids prove me wrong! 

Note: If you're a Russia Raiders fan like I am, you're invited to the annual pre-game tailgate party that follows the Russia school buses to Troy. And if you don't follow the buses to Troy, just look for the largest RV in the Troy Memorial Stadium parking lot with all the people dressed in Blue & Gold. A large pot will be cooking chicken noodle soup to be served between the boys race at 11:00 am and the girls race at 1:30 pm. Feel free to bring your own chicken noodle soup to add to the pot and whatever else you like! 

Chicken noodle soup is an annual tailgate tradition 

for Russia fans between the boys and girls races