LEXINGTON — Carina Weaver wasn’t sure what she and her Lexington teammates would do for an encore, but the newly-crowned Richland Source Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year couldn’t wait to find out.
A junior, Weaver helped Lady Lex win its second team title in three seasons at the Division II state meet at National Trail Raceway in Hebron earlier this month. She finished 14th overall in 18 minutes, 57 seconds as Lexington held off runner-up Fairfield Union 137-147.
“I’m already looking toward next year and hoping for another state title,” said Weaver, the Ohio Cardinal Conference Girls Runner of the Year. “We’re definitely going to get after it. I’m excited.”
Weaver got better as the postseason progressed. She was second at the Galion district in 19:23.99 before winning a regional crown at Tiffin in 19:15.44. That set the stage for the state meet.
“It played out exactly how I thought. I knew in the girls race it was going to be whatever team could be solid and put it all together,” Lady Lex coach Denise Benson said. “Every girl knew it was a team effort. That’s why it was so sweet. We did it as a team.”
Olivia Wolfe, Lexington: A senior, Wolfe was a member of two state championship teams (2017, 2015) and two runner-up teams (2016, 2014). She was 47th overall at the state meet, finishing in 19:31.4. Wolfe was sixth at the Galion district (19:54.6) and seventh at the Tiffin regional (19:38.5).
Grace Maurer, Ontario: A sophomore, Maurer finished 31st at the Division II state meet in 19:19.2). Maurer was fourth at the Galion district (19:35.66) and was runner-up to Weaver at the Tiffin regional (19:17.2).
Emily Atwell, Madison: A sophomore, Atwell became Madison’s first female cross country state qualifier since 1992. She finished 36th overall in 19:23.9. Atwell was fifth at the Owens Community College district (19:50.35) and sixth at the Tiffin regional (19:37.92).
Carolina Trumpower, Mansfield Christian: Trumpower finished 58th in the Division III state meet in 20:20.2 but almost certainly would have challenged for a podium finish had she not lost a shoe about 800 meters into the race. The sophomore was second at the Galion district (19:53.15) and 15th at the Tiffin regional (19:52.35).
