Cross country coaches go off course to keep runners healthy
Qualifying for the state cross country meet is no simple task. Often, injuries are the roadblock.
“Kids are not riding bikes around like they used to,” said Olentangy Orange boys’ coach Adam Walters, “and we have them sit all day in school before coming to practice . ... We’re trying some yoga in post-workouts..”
Chris Szabo, who coaches the boys’ and girls’ teams at Grandview Heights, said there must be a balance between running and other types of training.
“They need mileage under their belt ... but you also have to do a lot of core training and different things like that,” said Szabo, a former personal trainer. .”
Eric Acton has had 35 years as coach of the Bexley boys’ and girls’ teams to refine his methods.
“We’re typically a conservative group of coaches in terms of sickness and injury,” he said. “We’ll hold people back in early August and September so they compete in October and November.”
Early season Super 12
Connor Ackley, Hilliard Davidson
Ackley is seeking the Division I state title after finishing second last season, 11th as a sophomore and 22nd as a freshman.
Brody Boyd, Hilliard Davidson
Last season as a sophomore, Boyd finished 53rd at state, 16th at regional, seventh at district and fifth in the Occcentral Division meet.
Andrew Bracken, Westerville North
Bracken was one of two state qualifiers for the Warriors last season, finishing 79th. He had top-five finishes in eight races.
Ben Gabelman, Westerville North
Gabelman, last season as a sophomore, finished 26th at state, turning in his second-best time of the season (15:51.3). His personal best of 15:38.8 came while winning the Occcapital meet.
Kaiden Lanoy, Lancaster
Lanoy captured the Occ-buckeye title, was third in district 2 and 12th at regional before placing 43rd at the Division I state meet.
Trevor Lanoy, Lancaster
Another of the Lanoy triplets who lead Lancaster, Trevor finished fourth in district 2, 18th at regional and 46th at state.
Will Mcgraw, Dublin Coffman
Mcgraw was seventh in the Occcentral, fourth at district and ninth at regional. He then placed 37th at state.
Steven Miller, Worthington Kilbourne
Miller finished 29th at state in his sophomore year and was a steady top-10 finisher for the Wolves last season.
Sam Ricchiuti, Dublin Jerome
Ricchiuti finished 45th at state, fourth at regional, second at district and first in the Occ-cardinal race as a sophomore, when he was a dual-sport athlete. He has since opted to leave soccer to focus on cross country.
Saketh Rudraraju, Olentangy Orange
Rudraraju placed 16th in the Division I state meet despite losing both of his shoes 400 meters into the course. He was the top sophomore finisher at state.
Liam Shaughnessy, Dublin Coffman
Shaughnessy was runner-up in the Occ-central last fall and followed with a championship in the Division I, district 1 meet. After placing fifth at regional, Shaughnessy turned in a fifth-place finish at state.
Ryan Smith, Worthington Kilbourne
Smith finished 49th at state as a sophomore, was third at the Occ-capital meet, 11th at district and sixth at regional.
Early season Super 7
1. Lancaster – The Golden Gales had just two seniors in last year’s lineup when they finished ninth at the Division I state meet. Leading the way again should be the Lanoy triplets – seniors Kaiden, Trevor and Isaiah.
2. Hilliard Davidson– With four runners back who competed at state a season ago, the Wildcats again have high aspirations.
3. Dublin Coffman –Two of Coffman’s top three from last season, when the Shamrocks surprised with a state runner-up finish, seniors Liam Shaughnessy and Will Mcgraw, have returned.
4. Dublin Jerome – The Celtics feature junior Sam Ricchiuti leading five runners back from a team that finished 17th at state.
5. Westerville North – The Warriors return both of their state qualifiers from last year in senior Andrew Bracken and junior Ben Gabelman.
6. Olentangy Orange – Two individual state qualifiers are back for the Pioneers in Saketh Rudraraju and Carter Giacomelli.
7. Worthington Kilbourne – Juniors A.J. Hawkins, Steven Miller and Ryan Smith return from last year’s team, which earned the Wolves’ first state berth since 2005.