OBETZ, Ohio -- The Rocky River girls placed seventh in Saturday's OHSAA DI Cross Country State Championships at Fortress Obetz and Memorial Park. [
Results]
Senior Samantha Coleman finished 15th to lead a group of three River runners in the top-100 in a field of 183 athletes. The Pirates posted an average time of 19:26 in the 5k race on a glorious autumn day in Central Ohio. Buoyed by strong runs up and down the lineup, the Maroon & White posted a team total of 219 points. Only six teams were better.
Coleman crossed the wire in 18:32.6. Her top-20 placement stands as a brilliant finish to a decorated career. Coleman was competing in her fourth state meet. The three-time Great Lakes Conference medalist (2018-20) finished 51st last fall after placing 36th as a sophomore and 93rd as a freshman. Only this time around, Coleman was surrounding by teammates, with River Girls' Cross Country competing in the state championships as a team for the first time since 2013. And those teammates came through with flying colors.
Sophomore Brianna Chaves capped off her tremendous 2021 campaign by taking 43rd place. Freshman Katie Stirm placed 83rd. Sophomore Carolyn Wanosik took 102nd. Freshman Jane Rathbun was close behind, in 116th. A senior top-20 and four underclassmen in the top-120.
And the finishing kick was spectacular. River's splits carried the group from 14th (450 meters) to 12th (1 mile) to 11th (2 miles) to seventh.
For good measure, Rocky River's sixth and seventh runners (freshmen Allie Dewey and Grace Lavelle) both earned top-140 finishes in their state-meet debuts.
The times were impressive. But there is evidence that the Pirates outkicked their speed, in effect. Rocky River went into the Buckeye State title meet ranked 20th in the state by the Ohio Association of Track & Cross Country Coaches Poll. Figure that as the team's measurable speed as logged through the fall -- event by event and mile by mile. And that roughly lines up with the Pirates' seventh-place finish in last week's region meet.
So what can be made of the jump to seventh on Saturday's big stage? Figure it as being some combination of heart, determination, grit, tenacity, and the sisterhood of a team bond. The exact formula couldn't possibly be determined because the 2021 Rocky River Girls' Cross Country squad appeared to have those traits in excess amounts -- up and down the roster, regardless of age or what anyone's expectations were.
So, indeed the times were impressive. But that's in reference to the experiences of a group of athletes sporting Double-R colors in the fall of 2021.