2022 Morning Journal girls cross country all-stars

RUNNER OF THE YEAR

Katie Clute, Olmsted Falls

What else could the undefeated state champion be other than the runner of the year? From late August until early November, the Oregon recruit won every race she entered, usually in dominant fashion. She came enticingly close to breaking the iconic 17-minute barrier with a time of 17:02.68 at Seneca East, and she set several course records along the way, including becoming the first female to break 18 minutes at Lorain County Community College, breaking the record of 18:07 held by Olympian Emily Infeld. Her state title in cross country was her second in six months, coming on the heels of her 3,200-meter title in track last June.

COACH OF THE YEAR

Dennis Sullivan, Westlake

Yes, Sullivan inherited a very talented squad that had made consecutive state meet appearances. But under his tutelage, the Demons went from a team that was battling to reach the state meet to a team that was battling to win the state meet. That should not be overlooked. Westlake won conference, district and regional titles and finished third in the state behind Mason and Hilliard Davidson. Much of the improvement has to do with the culture that was established by Sullivan. By the way, four of the top five and five of the top seven return for another go-around next year.

FIRST TEAM

Briana Chaves, Rocky River

One of the most improved runners in area, the junior placed 16 th in the state meet with a time of 18:41.7 to earn All-Ohio laurels. Last year she was 43 rd in the state meet with a time of 19:06.3. She led the Pirates to their second consecutive state meet berth, this time finishing in 13th . She also was fourth in the regional meet, fourth in the district meet and third in the Great Lakes Conference meet.

Maddie Harrington, Avon

The top returner from last year’s team that narrowly missed a state berth, the senior helped the Eagles place 12th in the state while also winning the Southwestern Conference title and invitational titles at Seneca East, Galion and Medina. She placed 44 th in the state meet with a time of 19:18.4, an improvement of 13 places from last year.

Sarah Peer, Westlake

After two years of beating her head against the wall while chasing Clute around the course, the junior had an epiphany this year when she realized that chasing Clute was not conducive to her own racing style. So, she started races a little slower and begin finishing closer, including taking second in the state meet, 34 seconds ahead of the third-place finisher. Interestingly, she set several PRs this season, some of
which were faster than Clute ran as a junior. What does that mean? Who knows? But definitely stay tuned.

Sydney Peer, Westlake

Perhaps the key to the Demons turning into a legitimate state contender was the growth of the senior, who went from placing 118th with a time of 19:59.7 in 2021, to placing an All-Ohio 21st in 2022 with an 18:49.3 clocking. A big factor was changing her focus from soccer to cross country, although she continued to do both. This fall she began fielding Division I college offers and is likely to be competing
collegiately as a runner next year.

Maeve Ransom, Bay

Late in the season, she came on to establish herself as one of the top runners in the area, taking second in the Division II district meet and seventh at regionals. However, she really struggled physically in the state meet and was unable to finish. Based on the people she competed with in the previous two weeks, had she completed her usual race she would have been in line to earn All-Ohio honors while leading
the Rockets to a top five finish as a team.

Kaitlyn Reese, Avon

The new kid on the block was instrumental in leading the Eagles to their first state berth since 1988. Just a freshman, Reese was the top runner on a team that was ranked as high as fourth in the state before a late-season rash of illnesses derailed things. Reese earned All-Ohio honors by placing 20th in the state with a time of 18:45.0 as Avon finished in 12th place.

SECOND TEAM

Ellie Irwin, Westlake: The junior wasn’t quite as sharp as last year, when she earned All-Ohio honors, but she was instrumental in the Demons placing third in the state. She took 64 th in the state meet with a time of 19:39.1.

Brooklyn Marriott, Bay: The No. 2 runner on a team that ended the season ranked eighth in the state, the sophomore placed 53 rd in the state meet with a time of 20:13.8.

Madison Palmer, Brookside: As a demonstration of just how difficult the conditions were at the state meet this year, the senior ran 10 seconds slower than last year but moved up 20 places to finish 29th, earning All-Ohio status with a time of 19:45.2.

Julia Richards, Westlake: Could have been the star on many teams, the freshman helped Westlake take third in the state, placing 49th in Columbus with a 19:22.5 clocking.

Katie Stirm, Rocky River: The sophomore backed up her strong freshman campaign, helping the Pirates place 13th in the state by finishing 95th with a time of 20:10.6.

Christina Ware, Westlake: Showing great improvement from last year, the junior went from placing 157th in the state meet last year with a 20:37.2 clocking to finishing 89 th this year in 20:06.6.

Aurora Wilson, Amherst: Coming out of nowhere late in the season, the senior qualified to the state meet as
an individual, placing 76th with a time of 19:53.3.

HONORABLE MENTION

Amherst: Katherine Low, Sophia Pecora, Catherine Turner; Avon: Anna Argabright, Maddie Gettings, Sarah Pomfrey, Carolina Reed, Savannah Reed, Anika Singh; Avon Lake: Kylie Bennington; Maddie Betz; Bay: Erin Belveal, Abbie Dent; Brookside: Cameron Haffner, Ashleigh Joyce, Emma Palmer; Fairview: Lacey McQuate; Firelands: Zoe Gifford; Olmsted Falls: Samantha Goodnough; Rocky River: Allie Dewey, Grace Lavelle, Jane Rathbun; Westlake: Sarah Colman, Maggie Hennessey.