Running on Experience: FHS Harriers Set Goals & Plan to Fly!
The 2022 Cross Country season is just about set to get underway and the Fairbanks Cross Country Team has been running all summer to get ready. Just 1 year ago the program set it’s course with a stock pile of 1st and 2nd year runners.
Coach Van Winkle
“In 2021 we were young and you knew it was just going to take time for these runners to develop. “
Only graduating 1 Senior from the past season the Panthers are stocked with veteran 5k specialists ready to take on the fall races.
FHS CC Boy’s Team
Returning Letter winners:
Cameron Nisly - Senior & Team Captain
Nathan Parks - Senior, Team Captain & 2021 Panther Award Winner
Caleb Wenger - Senior & 2020 FHS CC Runner of the Year
Nicolas Powell - Junior
Zeke Gingerich - Sophomore, Team Captain, 2021 FHS CC Runner of the Year, 2021 2nd Team All-OHC & 2021 Regional Qualifier
Nicolas Johnson - Sophomore
Bryce Nisly - Sophomore
Freshman & 1st year High School runners:
JJ Meihls - Freshman
FHS CC Girl’s Team
Returning Letter winners:
Kinley Green - Senior & Team Captain
Elaina Lahmers - Senior & 2021 1st Team All-OHC
Addi Thrush - Senior & 2021 1st Team All-OHC
Rachael Hoover - Junior, Team Captain, FHS CC 2021 Runner of the Year, 2021 1st Team All-OHC, 2021 State Qualifier
Kayden Fields - Junior, Team Captain, & 2021 Panther Award Winner
Freshman & 1st year High School runners:
Marissa Wenger - Freshman
Elizabeth Philippo - Freshman
Hannah Neihaus - Freshman
Meredith Reinhard - Freshman
Nicole Nabbale - Freshman
Mara Vicari - Freshman
Molly Thrush - Freshman
Riley Jones - Freshman
Coach Van Winkle
“The boy’s finished 6th in the Ohio Heritage Conference last year and the girl’s finished 3rd. We feel like we have plenty of room to improve. The OHC is such a strong running conference.
Last year the Ohio Heritage Conference had 5 teams qualify for the Regional Meets and 3 teams qualify (West Liberty Boy’s & Girl’s & Mechanicsburg Boy’s) for the State Meet.
Coach Van Winkle
West Liberty-Salem will be the team, on the girls side, that everyone is going to be chasing. The Boy’s very similar, West Liberty & Mechanicsburg really have a hold on the conference from the top. We are excited to get out there and mix it up with those schools. If we can finish as a top 3 team at the OHC Championships, on October 15th, then we are going to feel really good about our team goals for the D3 Central District Meet.”
Rachael Hoover is returning from a 55th place at the OHSAA State Meet and is looking to improve previous success.
Rachael Hoover
“I took a little break over summer to reflect on my All-Ohio 800m race from the spring. It was refreshing to take some time off but now that I’m back I’ve been really enjoying running longer distances. I really want to focus on getting All-Ohio honors in Cross Country this fall. It’s a big goal. Also I really want to see our team qualify for the Regional meet.”
Coach Van Winkle
“Rachael is such a strong runner, a strong leader, and a strong teammate. I’m really proud of how she helps organize and direct the team. These runners all look to her, listen to her and respect her. Obviously Rachael is a big talent and has the chance to be the GOAT for the FHS CC Girls Team but the team is so important to her. Rachael remembers being in 8th grade and wanting to be on the 2019 girls state qualifying team. That’s a goal too, beyond being a great individual runner, Rachael wants to be on a great team.
Zeke Gingerich is the boy’s top returner off a strong freshman season reaching the Regional Meet. Teammates Cameron & Bryce Nisly assisted with the following quotes:
Zeke Gingerich
“The great Philosopher Lighting McQueen taught me that “I AM SPEED”.
Cam Nisly
“This is 10% luck, 20%skill, 15% power of will, 5% pleasure, 50% pain, 100% reason to remember the name!”
Bryce Nisly
“Pain is a good wake up call.”
Coach Van Winkle
“Those 3 guys have been the heart beat of the team over the last 2 seasons. They are great friends, team leaders and fun to be around. They have an enthusiasm for the sport that permeates out to the rest of the team. Zeke is fit and looks like he will be in the mix at the Regional Meet to be a possible individual qualifier the State Meet. The question, really the goal is to have his teammates running with him at that Regional Meet as well.”
The FHS CC Team has some challenging invitationals along the way that should help shape them across the season.
Coach Van Winkle
“Some really good meets coming up this year. We are going to Pickerington North for 2 Invitationals because that’s where our Regional Meet is run, so we are really preparing for that. Our home invitational is on Sept. 6th, that’s Senior night and Cow Chip Bingo! Tiffin was a popular meet last season for our runners, we will be there on Sept. 10th. The big event is a trip we are taking to Michigan State University for the Spartan Invitational on Sept. 16th. It’s our first time traveling out of state for the CC program, so obviously a new challenge there too.”
FHS Meet Schedule:
8/23 - Ben Logan Early Bird
8/27 - Pickerington North XC Classic
9/6 - Farm Banks Panther Invitational (Senior Night & Cow Chip Bingo)
9/10 - Tiffin Cross Country Carnival
9/16 - MSU Spartan Invitational
9/27 - Triad Invitational
10/1 - Pickerington North Panther XC Invitational
10/5 - Darby Dash Hillard Darby High School
10/15 - Ohio Heritage Conference Championship
For Coach Van Winkle this marks 15 years as Head Coach for the Panthers Program.
Coach Van Winkle
“A lot of how this team is going to race this season was built last year. As a team in 2021 we struggled to find the runway at times. Those experiences helped us develop a really strong core of runners that understand the challenge of 5k races. There are some young runners, freshman, that will chip in too. If we simply improve on what we accomplished last year, personal records and overall team times, then our goals are, for sure, in sight and we plan to fly!”
Good luck to the Panthers this fall!