The area is loaded with strong girls cross country programs.
The Wayne County Athletic League alone produced all sorts of heavy-hitting
teams in 2024, and most appear that way again.
Rittman finished third in the state in Division III after
winning the Boardman Regional. Norwayne, which finished 10th in the
state, was the regional runner-up to Rittman.
“(The) league finish will be very difficult to predict this
season,” Waynedale coach Shauna Pittman said.
Locally, Smithville placed eighth in the region and was WCAL
runner-up to Rittman. The conference was so good that fourth-place Dalton did
as well in the postseason as it did during the regular season. Waynedale
finished fifth in the conference; three schools did not field teams.
The following is a look at the 2025 versions of
coverage-area teams.
Smithville
District champ and regional runner-up Kaitlyn Carr, now a
senior, is coming off an All-Ohio season that ended with a third-place
individual finish in the Div. III state race.
Maryn Erdman, who placed third in the district and ninth in
the regional, just missed the podium and all-state status, placing 27th
in the big race. Those two should be a nice 1-2 punch this season.
The Lady Smithies have everybody back as they were without a
senior last season. That group is expected to include sophomore Tessa Duell,
who was a top 25 finisher in the regional, just missing a state berth as a
freshman.
Elsa Henico was the Smithies’ No. 4 runner at the regional
as a freshman. Kora Gardener was in the regional lineup last year as a
sophomore. Brooke Harmon and Grace Tilton both could be back as sophomores with
regional experience while junior Maggie Wenger was in the lineup in some
postseason meets last season.
“Having a small team means we depend on every runner,”
Smithies coach Greg DeRodes said. “We have all of our varsity girls back this
season. We’re looking to build on our success from last year. They’re a
hardworking group with a good summer of training, and we’re looking forward to
seeing what they can accomplish this fall.”
Waynedale
Waynedale finished fifth out of five in the WCAL last year
but sixth of 14 in the Lorain District and 13th in the Boardman Regional,
an indicator of how tough the WCAL is.
The Golden Bears are back for more this season, with nearly
their entire roster returning intact. Talor Polen, the Bears’ No. 5 runner in
the postseason lineup, was the only one to graduate.
Piper Polen, now just a sophomore, was the only Waynedale
girl to qualify for state, and she had a nice showing as a freshman, placing 95th.
She started her postseason with a sixth-place finish in the district.
Seniors Anna Pittman (22nd at the district) and Abigail
Polen (44th in the district) return along with sophomores Makena
Conrad and Taydum Hasseman. Another sophomore, Mackenzie Holcomb, has come out
this year and gives the Bears a bit more depth.
Pittman is a three-time regional qualifier in cross country
and a three-time state qualifier in track. She knows about big stages. For good
measure, she has qualified for two state swim meets and earned All-Ohio honors
in that sport as well as track.
“We have a full team again this season, and we have
struggled with this in the past,” Shauna Pittman said. “Last season we only had
one returning athlete, and now we have five that are returning this season, so
that is huge for us. I expect the team’s strengths to be their hard work ethic
and their desire to encourage each other on. This is a great group of girls,
and they all help to build each other up.”
Dalton
Dalton finished fourth in the WCAL, then bounced back to
repeat that finish in the Lorain District, trailing Rittman, Smithville and
Norwayne but placing ahead of Waynedale. The Bulldogs placed 14th
among 15 teams at the Boardman Regional.
Senior Samantha Thiel, who was the Bulldogs’ fastest runner
in the postseason a year ago, placing 62nd at the Boardman Regional,
should be back along with classmate Myah Lehman, who also competed in the
regional along with current sophomores Samantha Lehman, Addy Carpenter and
Jaida Reid.
Kendal Nussbaum and Jordan Nussbaum graduated from Dalton’s
14th-place regional squad, which finished fourth at the district
level.
Orrville
Orrville last year finished fifth in the Principals Athletic
Conference. The Red Riders did not send a runner to regionals or state.
Four of their top runners will be back, though, as senior
Annie McAllister, junior Kinsley Martin, and sophomores Maddie Carter and
Brielle Kendrick are back. They will be joined by juniors Emma Brede and
Jasmine Garcia and freshmen Reese Foy, Kayleigh Lierer and Olivia Kozma.
“This season we have many new faces joining our team, with
only (four) returning letter-winners,” Orrville coach Elle Shumney said. “I am
confident that our more experienced runners will guide our newcomers to
success.
“We have a lot of new faces on the team this year that have
never run cross country before. There is definitely a learning curve to racing
a 5k, and experience is the best teacher.”
