Medina cross country and soccer teams impress; volleyball faces tough slate
Bees girls XC jump to No. 11 in state poll, boys finish runner-up at Kenston; soccer squads post strong starts, while volleyball battles through challenging schedule.
Medina’s boys cross country team started the week ranked No. 23 in the state coaches poll but slipped one spot between the first two weeks of voting. Beavercreek led the rankings, earning eight of 12 first-place votes.
The boys made a case to climb with a runner-up finish at the Frank Gibas Invitational at Kenston. Medina tallied 103 points, trailing only state powerhouse Woodridge’s 45. Woodridge entered as the state’s top-ranked Division III team. Medina’s top four finishers were seniors, led by Riley Dworznik in 13th, three spots ahead of Nate Fischer. Joey D’Aurelia (20th) and Liam Meade (24th) followed, while sophomore Ethan Antil placed 30th. Juniors Logan Butsko and Trent Schirmer finished 34th and 38th, respectively, among 158 competitors.
Medina’s girls leapt a dozen spots in the coaches poll, moving to No. 11 in Week 2. With 123 points, the Bees were within striking distance of No. 7. Gahanna Lincoln, with seven of 12 first-place votes, led the girls rankings with 231 points.
At Kenston, Medina placed third with 78 points, trailing Aurora’s 48 and Woodridge’s 67. Aurora is ranked No. 8 in Division II and Woodridge No. 1 in Division III. Senior Alexis Warnement was runner-up to lead the Bees, with junior Alanya Yamez fifth and senior Julie Deitrich ninth. Junior Marlana Cunningham placed 30th, two spots ahead of sophomore Leah Boehnen. Sophomore Marissa Winslow placed 39th.
Volleyball
Medina has struggled early, winning once in seven matches, including a 3-0 loss to Strongsville to open its final Greater Cleveland Conference season. Still, the Bees’ schedule has been brutal: three opponents were unbeaten entering the week, two had one loss and none had a losing record.
Senior Oliva Fedor led the team at the net with 44 kills and a team-high eight blocks. Freshman Kate Schellenberger followed with 36 kills. On defense, senior Leah McKinley posted 92 digs, with juniors Grace Tabaka (46), Schellenberger (46) and Ava Schellenberger (43) close behind. Junior Lauren Sherman averaged six assists per set, totaling 133 with only three errors in 488 attempts.
Soccer
Medina’s boys have rebounded from a 2-0 season-opening loss to Westlake, going 3-1-1 after a scoreless draw with state power Bay Village Bay. The Bees opened GCC play with a 2-1 win over Shaker Heights, with both goals scored by Brody Gannon. Cooper Korduba and Cooper Fuller had assists, and Bennett Werthmuller posted the shutout in goal.
Medina’s girls remain unbeaten through five matches, the only blemish a 2-2 tie with Walsh Jesuit. They carried a three-game win streak into the week, highlighted by a 9-0 rout of Shaker Heights to open GCC play and a 4-1 win over defending Division III state champion Bay. Six Bees scored against Shaker Heights, led by Naomi Sundermeier’s three goals and one assist. Sydney Atkinson added two goals and an assist, Emma McTigue scored twice, and Ella Wilgor and Holland Roller rounded out the scoring. Alexa Donze and Tallier Masternak each had two assists.
