Medina athletes excel across sports during action-packed fall weekend
Bees post strong cross country finishes at Milt Place Festival as golf, tennis and soccer teams advance in postseason play
In an event that would have made its namesake proud, the 34th annual Milt Place Cross Country Festival on Oct. 4 at Ella Canavan Elementary School brought together some of the top runners from across the state, while Medina athletes in golf, tennis, and soccer also made strong showings as postseason play begins.
Medina’s girls cross country team finished fourth among 29 teams and 232 runners in the Division I-II race. Senior Alexis Warnement led the Bees with a 10th-place finish, followed by freshman Addison Joffre (13th), junior Alanya Yanmaz (25th), senior Julia Dietrich (39th) and sophomore Julia Black (46th).
The boys team placed fifth among 28 Division I-II teams and 233 runners, with junior Logan Butsko (31st) and senior Nate Fischer (32nd) leading the way. Seniors Joey D’Aurelia (38th), Riley Dworznik (41st) and Liam Meade (45th) rounded out the scoring.
Wadsworth won the girls team title, led by junior Maggie Gerschutz, while Highland’s Katherine Schuler finished third overall. Cloverleaf placed 17th, and Buckeye 24th.
In boys competition, Cloverleaf finished sixth, paced by senior Caleb Neville’s fifth-place finish, and Buckeye placed 10th behind junior Dimitry Pshonyak’s 18th-place effort.
Golf
Medina’s girls team finished ninth out of 21 at the Division I sectional at The Elms Country Club in North Lawrence on Sept. 29, with senior Corrinne Christeon shooting a 94 and Lily Zimmerman adding a 98.
The boys squad excelled Sept. 30 at the Division I sectional at Good Park, taking second place behind Hoban with a team total of 315. Trent Riedel led Medina with a 76, followed by Declan West (77), Cameron Stafford (80), Elliot Morgan (82) and Colin King (80). Buckeye also advanced to districts with a 318, led by Blaise Bir’s 78. Highland’s Michael Caza qualified individually.
Tennis
At the Division I sectional tournament in West Akron, Medina’s Ashley Wallace and MJ Pimpeo each advanced to the third round in singles, while doubles partners Lellie Alber and Janet Haynes reached the third round before falling to Strongsville.
Soccer
Both Medina soccer teams entered the final stretch of the regular season atop the Greater Cleveland Conference standings. The boys (8-2-2, 5-0 GCC) were on a five-game unbeaten streak, allowing just one goal, with critical matchups against Brunswick on Oct. 7 and Strongsville on Oct. 14 likely to determine the league title.
The girls (11-0-2, No. 10 in Division I) were also set for key late-season tests against Brunswick (Oct. 8) and No. 8 Strongsville (Oct. 15).
Postseason seeds
Medina’s boys and girls soccer teams both earned No. 4 seeds for Division I postseason play. Medina Christian Academy earned the No. 18 seed in Division V. In volleyball, Medina was seeded No. 7 in Division I, while Medina Christian Academy landed at No. 21 in Division VI.
Tournament schedules and results will be available next week.
