At the annual Metro Buckeye Conference meet on Saturday, Oct. 14, the McKinney Middle School boys and girls cross-country team ran to first-place finishes, with several team members earning all-league honors. Pictured in the front row, left to right: Coach John Gudgel, Violet Matteson, Graham Turnmire, Orion Sage-Frabotta, Sherrod Wheeler, Coach Isabelle Dierauer, Ella Reardon and Bella Thomas; back row, left to right: Sam Garrard, Sierra Sundell-Turner, Elise Bongorno, Cooper Folck, Matteo Chaiten, Maddox Cooper, Alex Lewis, Luke Levier, Henry Babb and Coach Peter Dierauer. (Submitted photo)
Bulldog Sports Round-Up | Oct. 20, 2023
- Published: October 20, 2023
CROSS COUNTRY
Season bests, conference honors
The Yellow Springs High School and McKinney Middle School cross-country teams had their best team finishes of the season Saturday, Oct. 7, at the Mechanicsburg William Saxbe Invitational.
The McKinney boys team earned a first-place trophy out of 17 teams with a score of 41 points, far outdistancing the runner-up team from Urbana. The Bulldogs had three finishers in the top 20, with Alex Lewis (6th), Matteo Chaiten (10th) and Maddox Buster (19th) all earning awards. Seventh grader Luke Levier (29th), along with Graham Turnmire (32nd) and Orion Sage-Frabotta (34th), added to the winning margin, while eighth graders Sherrod Wheeler and Sam Garrard provided valuable depth in the field of 62 runners.
The McKinney girls were two points from securing a runner-up trophy and placed third out of 14 teams and 43 competitors. Eighth grader Sierra Sundell-Turner ran to a ninth-place finish, while fellow classmate Violet Matteson finished 17th, with both girls earning awards. Elise Bongorno competed admirably, while seventh grader Ella Reardon and teammate Bella Thomas made significant contributions to the total team effort.
The YSHS girls team garnered their highest team finish of the year, placing fifth out of 15 teams and 56 runners. Ninth-grader Abebu Barnett continues to impress as she finished in 30th place. The strong sophomore quintet of Sasi Drees, Rebecca DeWine, Llnyah Grant, Lauren Finney and Hannah Finney were key cogs to the success of the girls squad, while junior Cynthia Burke ran a competitive race.
Sophomore Kyle Johnston ran an all time best of 19:05 (25th) in leading the YSHS boys team to a 10th place finish out of 15 teams and 102 runners. Ninth grader Wills Oberg, sophomore Oskar Dennis and seniors Jack Horvath, Kael Cooney and Kyle Raymer ran gutsy races in a highly competitive field.
Coach Isabelle Dierauer was enthused with the total team effort and the positive results as the Bulldogs primed themselves for the annual Metro Buckeye Conference meet at Emmanuel Christian Academy the following Saturday, Oct. 14. It was a successful meet for both the McKinney boys and girls teams as they ran to first-place finishes.
The girls team was led by Sundell-Turner, who claimed first place. Fellow eighth grader Matteson ran to a runner-up finish, while Bongorno crossed the finish line in fifth place, with all three girls earning all-league honors. Rounding out the scoring for the Bulldogs were Reardon and Thomas.
The McKinney boys flexed their way to the first-place trophy, with Lewis (3rd) and Chaiten (4th) earning all-league recognition. The boys team once again displayed its tremendous depth, with Buster, Cooper Folck, Henry Babb and Turnmire all finishing in the top 15. Levier, Sage-Frabotta and Garrard contributed to the total team effort. Wheeler, who could not compete due to an injury, was an inspiration to the overall performance.
The YSHS girls team ran to a third-place finish in a very competitive field. Barnett earned second team honors with her 12th-place finish. Drees ran a season-best time and was assisted by teammates DeWine, Grant and Burke, who ran gutsy races.
The YSHS boys team finished in fifth place, led by Johnston (19th) and Oberg (25th). Senior Horvath finished strong, along with fellow seniors Cooney, Raymer and Charles Whitlock, who all ran great races, while underclassmen Dennis and Arthur DeVore showed great determination and grit in this highly competitive field.
Coaches Isabelle Dierauer, Peter Dierauer and John Gudgel were elated with all of the performances, along with the bevy of seasonal best times that were achieved at the most important meet of the year. The Bulldogs were inspired by the large contingent of fans from Yellow Springs who cheered on the runners and offered tremendous support.
Both teams competed on Tuesday, Oct. 17, at the annual Young’s Dairy meet, hosted by the Bulldogs and featuring more than 700 runners. The high school team will run at the district meet this Saturday, Oct. 21, at Cedarville University.
—John Gudgel, coach
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