The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
RUNNER OF THE YEAR
Erica Francesconi Westlake, senior
There are inspiring athletes, and then there is Erica Francesconi. The Demons’ senior placed 72nd in the Division I state meet, coming in with a time of 19:57.7. But it was the road she had to take to get to Hebron that made her season special and an inspiration. Francesconi was concussed at the regional meet last year and suffered from PTSD in the aftermath. She didn’t fully recover until the end of July and set her goal from Day 1 to conquer the regional hump. And that is exactly what she did — and more. Francesconi won a Southwestern Conference title, a district title and broke just about every Westlake record in the books. She ran for two seasons, but looked like a veteran runner from the beginning. Her time at Westlake will not be forgotten.
COACH OF THE YEAR Rob Juergens Avon Lake
Avon Lake captured its first district championship since 1996. What made the title even more special was Juergens did it with a young group of runners. The Shoregals placed five runners in the top 20, including three freshmen. And that is where the Avon Lake coach showed his true skill. Getting seasoned runners to perform to the best of their ability is difficult. Getting inexperienced runners to perform at a championship level is a nearly insurmountable task. Juergens did a great job getting the most out his team.
FIRST TEAM
(In alphabetical order; S — State, R — Region, D — District)
Victoria Bailey, Jr., Amherst
(R): 60th; (D): 29th
Olivia Bird, So., Bay
(R): 26th; (D): 10th
Samantha Coleman, Fr., Rocky River
(S): 93rd; (R): 17th; (D): second
Madeleine Finton, Fr., Columbia
(S): 71st; (R): seventh; (D): third
Jules Frombach, Sr., Avon (R): 63rd;
(D): third
Kristin Groppe, Jr., Lutheran West
(S): 21st; (R): third; (D): first
Maggie Jantz, So., Avon Lake (R): 43rd;
(D): sixth Riley Mullen, Fr., Avon Lake (R): 49th; (D): seventh
Ella Russell, Fr., Rocky River
(R): 51st; (D): fourth Meadow Smith, So., Avon (R): 46th; (D): ninth
SECOND TEAM
(In alphabetical order; R — Region, D — District) Erin Boland, Fr., Avon Lake: (R): 81st; (D): 17th
Madison Coppolino, So., Avon: (R): 78th; (D): 13th
Norah Hamil, Fr., Bay: (R): 64th; (D): 13th
Shanna Koehler, Sr., Avon: (R): 122nd; (D): 43rd
Emily Nemeth, Sr., Elyria: (R): 115th; (D): eighth
Kalyn Potyrala, Sr., Amherst: (R): 102nd; (D): 10th
Jane Roach, Fr., Avon: (R): 117th; (D): 15th
Abby Sidloski, Sr., Avon: (R): 112th; (D): 28th
Emma Sherban, Jr., Avon Lake: (R): 104th; (D): 12th
Teagan Walsh, Jr., Westlake: (R): 116th; (D): 11th
THIRD TEAM
(In alphabetical order; R — Region, D — District) Mafe Chaves-Bernal, Sr., Rocky River: (R): 150th; (D): 27th
Olivia Crimaldi, Jr., Avon Lake: (R): 152nd; (D): 24th Alessandra Davis, Jr., Firelands: (D): 29th Alicia Fike, So., Brookside: (R): 75th; (D): 18th Meredith Garrity, Sr., Bay: (D): 27th Kaylee Haff, So., Amherst: (R): 142nd; (D): 21st Cassidy Hill, Sr., Amherst: (R): 136th; (D): 26th Annie Lang, Jr., Bay: (D): 24th
Paris Mather, Jr., Lutheran West: (R): 39th; (D): ninth Isabell Russell, So., Avon Lake: (R): 128th; (D): 22nd
HONOR ROLL
Amherst: Marisa Del Valle; Avon: Liz White; Avon Lake: Alli Star; Bay: Mackenzie Reinke; Brookside: Mackenzie Glass; Clearview: Sarah Ritter; Columbia: Savannah Kinder; Elyria: Jacqueline Sopko; Elyria Catholic: Kayla VanDyke; Fairview: Lily Palisin; Firelands: Mackenzie Allsop; Keystone: Casey Spatafore; Lake Ridge: Maria Gilles; Lorain: Olivia Triplett; Lutheran West: Amber Nuti; Midview: Francesca Peters; North Olmsted: Kayla Simon; North Ridgeville: Kylie Cope; Oberlin: Megan Dobos; Olmsted Falls: Danielle Andrews; Open Door: Maggie Eck; Rocky River: Katie Wojnowski; Vermilion: Maggie Hoffman; Wellington: Emily Watters; Westlake: Ashley Boyd