Tiffin Carnival
There were no rides, there was no cotton candy, and there were no carnies.......
There were no rides. There was no cotton candy. And there were no carnies. But the Fairbanks Panthers still made the most of their experience at the Tiffin Cross Country Carnival on Saturday at Boyer Park. The races were packed with the names from distant, unfamiliar schools, and the competition was amazing. For the Panther girls, Rachael Hoover again led the charge by finishing in 19:57 which was good for 14th place out of 256 runners. Elaina Lahmer’s finished 32nd in 20:46, matching freshman Mara Vicari, who finished 34th in 20:46. Freshman Elizabeth Phillipo finished 25:14 for 174th place and Marisa Wenger ran a 27:50 finishing 221st place. Freshman Meredith Reinhard finished 233rd place in 28:51 and junior Kayden Fields rounded out the Panthers in a 28:56, good for 234th place. The team finished 19th out of 36 teams. “Good weather. Good race. Girls ran strong,” said head coach Mike Van Winkle. “Not having the Thrushes for this race probably hurt our team standings a little bit, but that comes with the territory. The course itself was unlike any one we’ve seen so far. It was crowded and there were a lot of hills and downhill areas. Our top three can run with anyone in the state of Ohio, so I feel confident heading into next week’s The Spartan at Michigan State University.
On the boys’ side, sophomore Zeke Gingerich led the way, finishing in 50th place out of 219 total runners, in a 17:57. Freshman JJ Miehls was next for the Panthers in 150th place running a 19:56. Senior Nathan Parks had a strong race finishing third for the Panthers in 157th place in 20:10. Sophomore Bryce Nisly edged his older brother by placing 165th in a 20:27, just ahead of Cameron Nisly, who finished in 171th in a 20:36. Nicholas Powell was right there with them finishing 181th, in 20:28, followed by another Nicholas in Nicholas Johnson, finishing 182nd in 21:32. Tim Staton finished 219th in a time of 33:29. According to the leading Panther, Zeke Gingerich, “I don’t know what to say about the race. I’m a runner, not a quoter.” Assistant Coach Vivienne Van Winkle took a break from reading her children’s books to blow some bubbles during the boys’ race. “Vivienne really likes to cheer for the Panthers during their races. She gets so hyped, it’s hard to get her to go to sleep at a decent hour on race day,” said proud mother Emily Van Winkle.
Overall, it was a beautiful morning and afternoon. The Fairbanks tent was crowded with parents, fans, snacks, and drinks, which made the 6:30 A.M. departure and hour forty minute bus ride worthwhile. “We don’t get to see competition like this very often during the season. It had the feel of a regional meet,” said Mike Van Winkle. “I’m glad our student athletes got to experience the Cross Country Carnival and this is definitely an event I feel compelled to return to again next year.”
Meet Results Link - Finishtiming.com
