OBETZ, Ohio (Nov. 5, 2022) -- The Pirate girls closed out a tremendous autumn with a 13th-place finish in Saturday's DI Ohio Championships. [results]

Appearing in the annual Buckeye State title race for a second time in as many years, Rocky River got solid runs up and down its youthful lineup. Junior Brianna Chaves crossed the wire in a tidy 18 minutes-and-41.2 seconds to take 16th place and lead the squad. Three of River's seven runners earned top-100 finishes, and the Pirates tallied 320 points as a unit. They placed 13th in a field of 20 schools that had qualified for the meet, which was held at Fortress Obetz and Memorial Park in Obetz, Ohio, a suburb of Columbus.

Rocky River's four other scorers Saturday were Katie Stirm (95th), Grace Lavelle (100th), Jane Rathbun (102nd), and Allie Dewey (131st).

"I am beyond proud of this team’s determination, grit, and hard work," said coach Dee Zuercher. "They fought hard all season and did their best in tough conditions against the best in Ohio."

The Pirates' seven-man roster in Obetz included six underclassmen. No other roster in the meet had as many as five.

The meet ended a Rocky River season that saw the squad log a runner-up finish at the Great Lakes Championships. It was a season that saw the Pirates press some of the top squads in northeast Ohio and then at the end, from all over the Buckeye State. Only four times before had River Girls Cross Country made the state meet in back-to-back years (2004-06, 2008-10).

Youthful exuberance. And youthful excellence. Five kilometers at a time.


by Skip Snow

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