Ohio State Department of AthleticsThe Ohio State women’s cross country team did not qualify for nationals.
The Ohio State men’s and women’s cross country teams saw their seasons come to a close Saturday on a slippery track with 20 mph winds at the Great Lakes Regional Championships in West Lafayette, Ind. The men’s team finished the 10K in eighth place out of a 28-team field while the women placed 13th in the 6K among the 35 participating schools.
Neither team nor any individual qualified for the national cross country meet, which showcases the top two teams from each region as well as a field of 13 at-large squads. Michigan and Wisconsin snared automatic bids in both races, with Wisconsin winning the men’s race and Michigan the women’s.
The OSU men’s squad failed to qualify for only the third time in the last nine seasons under 12th-year coach Robert Gary. The day signified both the team’s best race and worst course conditions with temperatures in the 20’s, Gary said.
“It’s always a hard region and we knew we really needed a great race to get out,” coach Gary said. “I thought we competed harder then we did at any other meet this year, but unfortunately we were just a little bit short.”
Redshirt freshman Taylor Williams concluded his season with another top finish for the Buckeyes, his sixth in as many races. The Sycamore, Ohio native finished in 25th-place and just eight seconds behind Dayton’s Matt Lemon, the final individual in the region to qualify for nationals.
“He had an absolutely fantastic year,” Gary said of Williams. “If we had five Taylor Williamses we would have made the national meet and would have been top 10 in the country.”
Following Williams to the finish line were redshirt freshman Adam Green, senior Levi Fox, junior captain Chris Olinger and redshirt sophomore Skyler Schmitt. Fox, a former Ohio high school state track champion in the two-mile, stood out in his top finish of the season. The Troy, Ohio native displayed some of the promise that the team missed the two seasons he decided not to compete as a varsity athlete.
“He missed a lot of races and he’s thinking of coming back for another fall, and we would love to have him,” Gary said. “The fact that he could show up and be our third man at the end of the season is good news for Levi and maybe bad news for the rest of our team.”
For first-year assistant coach Chris Neal and his women’s team, the same story yielded positive results. That story, consisting of sophomore Sarah Foster leading the unit with junior Emily Thompson behind her, could pay major dividends next season. Foster earned top Buckeye status for the fifth time in as many races with a 28th-place finish, while Thompson crossed the line in 50th-place.
“Sarah Foster ran really tough and with more miles and training she will be good to go,” Neal said. “She has a lot of ability and I look forward to seeing what the future holds for her. The revival of Emily Thompson also has me really excited for the next year-and-a-half.”
A trio of underclassman finished next for a Buckeye team whose oldest contributor is Thompson. Sophomore Ellen Birmingham, true freshman Sarah Yerkey and sophomore Jordan Jennewine all plan to contribute next season.
Although the meet marked the 28th-consecutive season the squad has not qualified for nationals, the effort resulted in the Buckeyes’ top overall finish of the season. Focused on the bigger picture rather than just one season, Neal said his goals for the team are conference improvement and at least one individual qualifier to the national meet.
“If we can do those things then we will be on the path towards qualifying as a team for the national meet the following year,” Neal said. “We intend on succeeding at the national level, and this is just the beginning of our process.”
Brian Rosen can be reached at [email protected].
