Seven central Ohio boys finished among the top 14 at the Division I cross-country state meet held November 7 at Fortress Obetz, placing the Columbus area firmly in the spotlight. New Albany junior Austin Benedict led the local runners by taking third place with a time of 15 minutes, 11.6 seconds, just behind Morrow Little Miami’s Ryne Reynolds and Ian Patrick.
Benedict, who had won the regional title a week earlier at Pickerington North, said he was satisfied with his performance despite feeling slightly under the weather before the race. “I’m happy with the race,” he told The Columbus Dispatch. “I gave it a good run. I’m excited for what’s to come. I came down with a little bit of a sickness Thursday, but it held off for the most part, so I’m happy with the performance.”
Joining Benedict in the top ranks were Logan Behm of Hilliard Darby, who finished fourth in 15:17.9, and Calvin Watson from Thomas Worthington, placing sixth with 15:22.7. Westerville North’s Holden Gray (10th, 15:35.6), Olentangy Orange’s Cowen Allender (11th, 15:35.8), Olentangy Berlin’s Vansh Sethi (12th, 15:36.8), and Dublin Coffman’s Benjamin Canales (14th, 15:40.8) completed the list of central Ohio runners in the top 14.
Benedict credited the competitiveness among the central Ohio athletes for pushing them to perform well. “None of us would be where we are without each other,” he said. “We’re always competing against each other – [it’s] very competitive – but we’re also extremely happy to have each other’s back.”
Dublin Jerome emerged as the highest-placed team from the region, finishing fourth overall with 175 points. They trailed behind the state champions Springboro, who scored 107. Other area teams included Gahanna Lincoln in fifth place (189), Pickerington North tenth (270), Thomas Worthington twelfth (302), New Albany thirteenth (310), Berlin fourteenth (330), Olentangy Liberty fifteenth (348), and Dublin Coffman nineteenth (407).
“We had a good pack up in the front,” said Calvin Watson of Thomas Worthington. “When [Reynolds] had gone and the pack started to separate, I was happy because I felt like I was able to keep pushing.”
At the smaller school level, Mount Gilead captured the Division IV title with a score of 84, edging out runner-up Russia, who finished with 99 points. This marked Mount Gilead’s third state championship in five seasons, following wins in 2022 and 2024. The Mount Gilead scorers included Brycen Gabriel (15th, 16:16.6), Aiden McLain (28th, 16:31.4), Ethan Turner (37th, 16:38), Grayson Smith (39th, 16:40), and Henry Bartlett (45th, 16:43.4). Wellington’s Ben Austin placed 22nd with a time of 16:20.
In Division III, Connor Runkle finished seventh individually (15:22) for Fairfield Union, which placed fifth as a team with 233 points. Peninsula Woodridge won the division with 65 points. Centerburg and Utica finished 22nd and 24th respectively.
Big Walnut led the central Ohio contingent in Division II, with Ethan Shultz finishing fourth in 15:30.1. Shultz took an early lead but slipped to fifth after a collision with eventual winner Ian Res of Chesterland West Geauga during the latter half of the race. “I led it for a while,” Shultz said. “The only bad thing was I got tripped up at the hill. [It was] a lot more physical race than usual. Today was probably the most physical race I’ve been in. … [It was a] disappointing end.”
Big Walnut finished sixth in the team standings with 247 points, behind champion Bowling Green (181). Bexley’s Owen Comes placed ninth (15:44.4), and Mount Vernon’s Calvin Heithaus came in 14th (15:51). Watterson finished 16th (325), DeSales 20th (391), and Granville 21st (408).
According to Yahoo Sports.
