Autumn is in the air and that means only one thing: cross country season is in full swing and it’s time to race. It’s been a little more than a week since the Panthers last competed, and their fresh legs are ready to run. On Tuesday, the Panthers travel to OHC rival Triad for the annual Triad XC Invitational. “The Triad meet is always a highlight for our season. Last year, we did well, and this year, we’ll do better,” said Head Coach Mike Van Winkle. “This is a winnable meet for us,” he added.
Last year, the Panthers had a strong showing at this event with the high school girls finishing in third behind Ben Logan and North Union and the boys taking runners-up honors behind Mechanicsburg. Rachael Hoover and Addie Thrush went 1-2 on the girls side and Hoover is eager to try for the repeat. “It’s going to feel great to race again,” said Hoover. “I’ve been battling a cold on and off for a few weeks, but now I feel healthy and there ain’t no one gonna stop me. I’m gonna go get me that medal and our team is going to bring home the bacon.” With strong runners behind her, Hoover’s bold prognostication may just come true. Last year the boys were led by Zeke Gingerich, then only a freshman, who finished in fifth place, followed by Caleb Wenger (9th), Nathan Parks (24th) and Cam Nisly (25th), but it was the pack running mentality that allowed the boys to haul home the runner-up trophy. “That’s always been a focus for us,” says Wenger. “We are like a pack of panthers on the open plains of the Serengeti. We hunt as one; we kill as one; we feed as one.”
The weather forecast is calling for a high of only 61 degrees on Tuesday, so the Panthers are going to have to do some extra warming up for this race. “It’s going to be the first cool weather we’ve faced this year, but our runners have experience on their side and this will be a good introduction into the races we have left on our schedule. Everyone knows that once you get into the district and regional races, the weather is a wild card, but that’s part of the beauty of this sport,” said Van Winkle.
The schedule for the meet is as follows:
4:00 PM—Elementary Fun Run
5:00 PM—Middle School Boys Race
5:30 PM—Middle School Girls Race
6:00 PM—High School Girls Race
6:30 PM—High School Boys Race
The race address is 8099 Brush Lake Road, North Lewisburg, OH 43060 and results will be able to be found on finishtiming.com.