The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Who’s the best of the decade?
Staff writer Henry Palattella put together The Morning Journal boys and girls alldecade cross country teams. See who made the lists.
Athlete of the decade Alexis Szivan, Amherst
A decorated track and field runner, Szivan was no slouch in cross country either. A three-time state qualifier, Szivan had her best finsh in her senior year when she finished seventh at the D-I state meet with a time of 18:30. A two-time individual SWC champion, Szivan was also selected as the D-I Lorain runner of the year three times. Szivan ran both track and field and cross country collegiately for Miami (Ohio).
All-decade team
(in alphabetical order)
Olivia Bechtel, Bay:
Much like Szivan, Bechtel’s main focus was on track and field. But again, like Szivan, she was no slouch in cross country either. A three-time state qualifier Bechtel’s best finish came her sophomore year when she placed 36th (19:44.40) on a Bay team that finished second in the state. The next year, Bechtel finished 80th (20:38.80). Bechtel is a senior at Miami (Ohio) where she set a MidAmerican Conference indoor record of 53.07 in the 400m this past winter.
Maddie Britton, Bay: A key piece of Bay’s mid-decade success, Britton turned in stellar performances on a daily basis. After finishing 10th in the D-I state meet in 2012while also setting a school record with a 18:13, Britton finished ninth in the state in 2013 with a 18:51. In addition to being firsttime All-Ohio, Britton was also a District and Conference Champion. Britton ran at Xavier University upon graduation.
Abby Christel, Bay:
Another member of Bay’s 2013 second-place cross country team, Christel was a key piece in the Rockets’ success. As a sophomore in 2013, Christel placed 41st (19:47.60) at the state tournament before placing 71st (20:25.73) the next year.
Amanda Cusimano, Bay:
Cusimano put together a solid career for the Rockets. A three-time state qualifier, Cusimano earned All-Ohio her sophomore year with a 25th place finish (19:24.03) at the D-II state meet before taking a step back her junior year. She returned with a vengeance her senior year, finished 14th at state (18:47.7) to earn All-Ohio in her cross country curtain call. Cusimano currently runs at Xavier University.
Maggie Eck, Open Door:
Maggie Eck’s freshman year was outstanding. Eck burst on the scene in 2016 en route to a 50th place finish at the state meet with a PR of 19:46. And while Eck’s numbers dropped as the years went on — in large part because she was one of Open Door’s best soccer players — her freshman year still stands as one of the region’s best.
Madeline Finton, Columbia: A rising junior at Columbia, the sky is the limit for Finton as she enters the new decade. That said, her accolades in the previous decade are nothing to shake a stick at either. In 2018, Finton finished 71st in the state (21:09.8) while becoming the second girl in Columbia history to qualify for the state tournament. A year later, Finton finished 36th at the D-III state meet (19:40). There’s no doubting Finton will be one of the region’s best runners over the next two years.
Erica Francesconi, Westlake: Francesconi’s 2018 season is one of the most remarkable cross country seasons in recent memory. At the regional meet in 2017, Francesconi suffered a concession that caused her PTSD with symptoms so bad she didn’t fully recover until July 2018. Once she got back on the course, Francesconi was a runner on a mission, as the thensenior won a Southwestern Conference title, district title and placed 72nd in the D-I state meet with a time of 19:57.7.
Lillie Katsaras, Olmsted Falls: The first Olmsted Falls girls state qualifier since 2003, Katsaras finished in 39th place at the state meet with a time of 19:06 in 2019. Additionally, she finished as the runner up at both the Southwestern Conference Meet and the LCCC District meet.
Claire Robertson, Avon
Robertson’s last run in high school was her best one, as she placed 71st in the 2016D-I state meet with a 19:23.2, which tied her personal record. The state berth was Robertson’s first, as she finished 48th in the D-I regionals the year prior — with a thenPR of 19:52. Robertson ran at Walsh University upon graduation.
Shannon Wargo, Keystone A two-time state qualifier, Wargo put together one of the best cross country careers in Wildcats history. While Wargo narrowly missed out on the state tournament her senior year, she still had two solid showings at the state meeting, finishing in 66th (20:13.35) in 2014 and 93rd (20:37.10) in 2013. Wargo joined Oberlin College’s track and field team upon graduation.
Honor roll
Amherst: Emily Johnson
Avon: Jules Frombach
Avon Lake: Erin Boland
Bay: Olivia Bird
Brookside: Madison Palmer
Clearview: Sarah Ritter
Columbia: Logan Fress
Elyria: Emily Nemeth
Elyria Catholic: Samantha Filiaggi
Fairview: Elene Kaufmann
Firelands: Allessandra Davis
Keystone: Jena Copley
Lake Ridge: Maria Gilles
Midview: Audrey Sanzone
North Olmsted: Emily Johr
Oberlin: Asta Rustad
Olmsted Falls: Sarah Makari
Open Door: Alexandra
Velasquez
Vermilion; Emily Wagner Westlake: Teagan Walsh