High school cross country: Wellington's Joe Fox, Open Door's Claire Hepner win individual titles at Open Door Invitational

ELYRIA — Joe Fox and Claire Hepner made it feel like 2023 all over again at the Open Door Invitational. Fox, a Wellington senior, and Hepner, an Open Door junior, both broke form the pack late in the race to defend their individual titles by a margin of 21 seconds on the hilly Lorain County Community College course. Fox ran a 18:14.29 to win his second Open Door Invitational. He also finished second as a sophomore in 2022. "It was a lot warmer today and a lot more humid, too," Fox said. "I had to warm up differently. I did more stretching than trying to exhaust myself. I took the heat into consideration for everything. "My goal was to stay in front of the race but I really wasn't planning to pull ahead, but stuff happens. That's why you race, and it turned out better than expected." After turning his ankle in the opening half-mile of the race, Open Door sophomore Trevor Taylor relied on his inner strength and a little divine intervention to help him to a second-place finish in a time of 18:35.42. "I don't know how I ran through it. It was mostly my adrenaline kicked in, and God. He gave me second place, even with a rolled ankle," said Taylor, who was wearing an ice pack on his left foot after the race. Taylor's finish, along with a fourth-place finish from senior Nolan Raack, allowed the Patriots to win the team title with 62 points, four ahead of Elyria Catholic. "It means a lot for my school and everyone here to do well in this race," Taylor said. "I had my grandpas and my grandmas and my aunts and uncles here watching me. A couple of my friends, too. I love to see everyone out here supporting me and supporting our school." The Panthers' top runner was Aiden Kunkle. His time of 19:19.27 was good enough for a fifth-place finish. In the girls race, Hepner used her knowledge of the course to pull away in the latter stages from Hearts for Jesus Christ sophomore Kirsten Mason. Hepner crossed the line in a time of 22:18.91. "I didn't want to start out too hard. I saw my teammates on the guys team do that and it didn't work out too well," Hepner said. "I made my break after getting up that big hill. I remember in middle school, getting passed on that hill, and that stuck in my brain, so I knew when I had to make my move. "I love representing my school and the Lord, so it's amazing to get the win in our home invitational." Hearts for Jesus won the team title with 53 points. Heritage Classical Academy, a private school with campuses in Pepper Pike and Peninsula, finished second with 63. Oberlin (66), Open Door (79) and Christian Community (136) rounded out the top five. The Phoenix had a pair of runners, juniors Olivia Hudson and Courage Bielawski, finish in the top five. Hudson's time of 23:34.61 was good enough for third place. "I tried to get out and put myself in a good position and then in the last mile I was trying to kick up on people," Hudson said. "I tried to go as hard as I could on the flat parts of the track so I didn't lose too much time going up the hill." Hudson shaved 13 seconds off her time from last year's 10th-place finish. "I was happy with my race today," she said. "It wasn't my best race but I just want to keep improving." Contact Todd Shapiro at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com. Boys Team results: Open Door 62, Elyria Catholic 66, Hearts for Jesus Christ 76, Columbia 132, Oberlin 150, Westside Christian 159, Brookside 161, Heritage Classical Academy 165, Benedictine 200, Lawrence 234. Top 5 finishers: 1. Joe Fox, Wellington, 18:14.29; 2. Trevor Taylor, Open Door, 18:35.42, 3. Luke Tirabassi, Hearts for Jesus, 18:59.80; 4. Nolan Raack, Open Door, 19:00.39; 5, Aiden Kunkle, Elyria Catholic, 19:19.27 Locals in Top 20: 6. MIcah Eskridge, Lorain, 19:28.30; 7. Grant Abeyta, Oberlin, 19:32.64; 8. Peter Caldwell-Kepner, Oberlin, 19:34.25; 10. Jake Skor, Columbia, 19:47.14; 11. Ian Pallardy, Elyria Catholic, 19:50.33; 14. Luke Jones, Elyria Catholic, 19:54.26; 15. Mason LaScola, Brookside, 19:58.82; 18. Zane Palmer, Brookside, 20:08.87; 19. Charlie Murphy, Open Door, 20:11.14; 20. Tripp Taylor, Open Door, 20:18.91 Girls Team results: Hearts for Jesus Christ 53, Heritage Classical Academy 63, Oberlin 66, Open Door 79, Elyria Catholic 91, Christian Community 136, Lorain 162. Top 5 finishers: 1. Claire Hepner, Open Door, 22:18.91; 2. Kierten Mason, Hearts for Jesus, 22:39.98; 3. Olivia Hudson, Oberlin, 23:34.61; 4. Stella Maechner, Hearts for Jesus, 23:40.37; 5. Courage Bielawski, Oberlin, 23:47.51 Locals in Top 20: 6. Emma Palmer, Brookside, 23:59.34; 7. Alena Bray, Elyria Catholic, 24;12.83; 11. Aubrey Abeyta, Oberlin, 24:36.64; 12. Allison Powers, Open Door, 24:55.06; 17. McKylie Cusano, 25:38.89; 18. Lucy Groshek, Elyria Catholic, 25:46.77; 19. Youstina Hanna, Columbia, 25:49.24.