MARION – Shelby senior Anna Will had time to catch her breath and take in the people running up to congratulate her before it was time to applaud her competitors and teammates alike.
Waiting just off the finish line, one by one, she offered hugs, back-pats, high-fives and everything in between; a Post-it note marked “1” in her hand the whole time.
MOAC girls cross country
Final standings are listed below, ranked by points.
- Shelby 57
- Galion 58
- Pleasant 76
- Highland 77
- Ontario 90
- Clear Fork 143
“I’ve made a lot of really good friends from other schools that I’ve met through running,” Will said. “I’m just really proud of everyone who was running today.”
Will finished with a time of 19:19.43. It took 26 seconds for another runner to come through behind her. Her overall title effort propelled Shelby to a first-place finish at the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference girls cross country meet.
It marked the Whippets’ sixth straight MOAC team championship.
Check out the complete results at this link.
“We’ve been focused a lot this season on hitting our peak at the right time, and I think I was able to do that today,” Will said.
“My plan was just to run the race that was set before me. So, go with the pack and see how I feel. And I was feeling pretty good, so I took a little bit of a risk, and I went with it.”
Will wasn’t the only Whippet with effort to give, though. Shelby’s team trophy came via 57 points, just one point ahead of Galion.
“Having good competition really helped,” Will said. “Running with a lot of these girls has pushed me a lot. I know everybody here has put in a lot of hard work, and everybody running deserves to be here.”
Shelby had nine runners in the top-30. Natalia Peters was 14th with a 21:31.17, Emma Mahek was 16th with a 21:55.18, Jordyn Thauvette was 18th at 22:05.27 and Delaney West was 20th in 22:23.42.
Galion rode the fine finishes of Makayla Halbisen (20:44.89) and Alayna Griffith (20:48.35), who were fifth and sixth, respectively.
Highland took a similar finish, with fourth-place Veronica Ballard (19:53.11) and ninth-place Braylin Romshak (21:10.64).
Highland, Ontario and Clear Fork finished fourth, fifth and sixth in the team standings.
