Bay runner set the decade’s standard

title and second place finish at the regional meet. The year prior, Hill broke the Lorain County record with a 15:34.7 and placed seventh in the state meet to earn All-Ohio honors. Hill finished his career with the Comets as a three-time state qualifier and runs collegiately at Eastern Michigan.

Simon Perales, Oberlin:

In 2015, Perales was the only Morning Journal area runner to qualify for the state meet, a feat even more remarkable considering he was working his way back from a preseason Achilles injury. Pearles finished his senior year with two wins and finished in the top eight in four other races. After finished third at district with a time of 16:48.10, 13th at regional (16:48.10) and fifth at the Patriot Athletic Conference championship (17:00), he placed 41st in Division III with a time of 16:44.80 in his first ever appearance at state. Perales ran collegiately at Haverford College.

Matt Pettegrew, Columbia: In many ways, Matt Pettegrew could be considered the face of Columbia cross country. In 2019, the then-senior won the inaugural Lorain County League title, the district title at LCCC and finished second at the Boardman Regional while finishing ninth at the state tournament with a time of 16:21. Pettegrew, who was named PAC MVP in 2018 and LC8 MVP in 2019, holds Columbia’s school record in cross country with a 16:17. Pettegrew is committed to run at Baldwin-Wallace in the fall.

Luke See, Vermilion: A two-time state qualifier, See’s first three years as a member of Vermilion’s cross country program have been accolade-filled. After finished 95th in the state as a sophomore, See made the cut as an All-Ohio runner in 2019 by coming in 29th with a time of 16:26.

Ivan Slyepkan, Bay: In 2018, Bay’s cross country team finished fourth in the state thanks in large part to Slvepkan. After having an injury riddled junior year, Slvepkan finished 14th in the state (16:47.1) his senior year as Bay’s No. 1 runner. The same year he finished third at the Division II Regional and won his first district title with a time of 16:24.80. Slyepkan joined Ohio State’s cross country team upon graduation.