Four named Lorain County runners of the year in boys and girls cross country

It was another memorable run this fall for Lorain County high school cross country athletes. Of the four county runners of the year, three advanced to the state meet, with two achieving All-Ohio honors by placing in the top 30. A three-time Division I state qualifier and three-time All-Ohioan, Avon junior Kaitlyn Reese earned her third straight runner of the year award in Division I girls. Reese is one of only two girls, dating back to 2001, to win the top county honor three times, following Amherst's Alexis Szivan (2012-14). Lake Ridge senior Andrew Young was the top boys runner in Division II-III after earning All-Ohio honors in Division III. Along with teammate Christian Gorny, the pair is the first from the school to advance to the state meet. Avon sophomore Nick Thompson was the top boys Division I competitor after qualifying for the state meet and Elyria Catholic senior Gracie Jones was named girls runner of the year in Division II-III after qualifying for Division II regionals. Thompson is the Avon boys' first state qualifier since Austin Fasciana (2010-13). Jones is the EC girls' first regional qualifier since Beth Ziegelmeyer and Katie Barlow in 2017. Reese, Young, Thompson and Jones, along with their families and coaches, were honored Monday night at the 24th annual All-Lorain County cross country event hosted by Schlather Insurance of Elyria. Reese finished seventh among 182 participants at the Division I state meet in 17:35.50, the second-fastest 5K cross country time of her career. "I'm so thankful for the ability to run and at such a high level. I feel honored to receive this award again," Reese said. "Our coaches have a vision of repeating our success by staying healthy, strong and hungry for more." Reese advanced to regionals by winning the Elyria district for the second year in a row in a time of 18:06.2, the second-fastest time ever posted on the LCCC course by a high school girl. She advanced to state by taking second among 174 runners at the Boardman regional in a time of 18:11.79. "There are highs and lows in each season of running. I just try to stay positive and mentally tough so that I can always give my best, even when facing challenges," she said. "I keep pressing on to my goals of becoming a better runner, competitor and teammate." Reese's efforts helped her team to its fourth straight Southwestern Conference title (seventh overall). She also helped the Eagles to their second straight district title and third straight berth to the state meet, where they girls finished 12th among 20 teams. "I'm thankful for the ability God has given me, the training from my coaches and the love and support of my teammates and family," said Reese. "I feel incredibly blessed." Young finished 23rd among 192 runners at the state meet in a school-record time of 15:59.34. It was a personal-record time by 40 seconds. "It's incredible to be awarded the runner of the year," Young said. "It feels amazing be considered the best runner in the county and to see that everything I have been doing this year and past three years of track and cross country has paid off." Young qualified for the state meet by placing ninth (16:39.93) among 16 individual qualifiers and 115 runners at the Boardman regional. His start to this season was delayed several weeks because of a hip strain from track season. "Starting the season a little late gave myself more time to prepare," he said. "To be able to just constantly train and not risk injury early on in the season helped me build my base and make sure I didn't fade at regionals. Having (Gorny) to train with and push each other helped me stay disciplined and motivated." Young advanced to regionals by taking third among 20 individual qualifiers and 115 runners in 16:56.5 at the Elyria district. His efforts helped the Royals to their first regional team berth since 2019, as LRA earned the fifth of five team qualifying spots. Gorney and Young finished 1-2 to help the Royals win their first Lake Effect Conference title since 2019. "It feels great to have ended the season on such a high note. I couldn't have hoped for anything more," said Young. "To make state and run sub-16 is what I dreamed for my freshman year and worked towards the past four years." Thompson is just the second Avon boy to earn runner of the year and first since Dezmond Douglas took Division II-III honors in 2004. Thompson qualified for the state meet by finishing 31st of 32 qualifiers and 187 runners at the Boardman regional in 16:23.14. He finished 105th out of 178 runners at the state meet in a personal-record time of 16:19.06. "Coming into the season, I had absolutely no expectation or even the slightest idea it would turn out as good as it did," said Thompson. "I can only thank my teammates, coaches and especially parents for pushing me to this level." Thompson led the Eagles to their first SWC championship since 2015, finishing first in a time of 16:43.72. He was third of 32 individual qualifiers and 168 runners in a time of 16:48.10 at the Elyria district to help his team to its second straight trip to regionals, where the Eagles finished third out eight team qualifiers. Only a year ago, Thompson finished 33rd among 180 runners at districts in 17:28.34 as his team's No. 2 runner, and was only 109th out of 193 runners at regionals in 17:21.08 as the Eagles' No. 3 runner. "I really can't describe how much fun I've had this season," said Thompson. "Looking back at the success I've had and being recognized for the county runner of the year is something I will remember for the rest of my life. When I look back at my high school cross country career, I will most definitely remember this season and can only work for each sequential season to be as successful as this." Jones qualified to regionals by taking 19th among 24 qualifiers and 127 runners at the Elyria district with a time of 21:21.4. A year ago, Jones finished only 44th out of 95 runners at districts in 23:07.70, as she missed regionals by 70 seconds. "Running is a sport very much about consistency," said Jones. "It was not only giving up time and running every day, but it's a mental thing as well. I kept pushing myself because I knew that it would pay off in the end. In a sport like this, it takes a while of persistence and effort in order to see improvement, so the wait may be discouraging but it's worth it in the end." Jones finished 45th out of 157 runners at the Boardman regional in 21:21.4. She finished fifth out of 40 runners in 20:40.39 to lead the EC girls at the inaugural North Coast Conference meet. "To be recognized for this means so much to me because it really shows that all of the time and energy I've spent on this sport has paid off," she said. "It excites me that other people can see my success as well. This is something that will in the future definitely help out and encourage me to keep reaching for my goals and be passionate about what I love to do." Contact Paul Heyse at 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com. Boys Division I Runner of the Year: Nick Thompson, so. (Avon) First team Asa Nicely, jr. (Amherst); Franco Gallo, sr. (Avon); Gavin Smith, sr. (Elyria); Ben Susi, sr. (Amherst); Cooper Tanski, sr. (Avon); Jacob Michalak, sr. (Amherst) Second team Matthew Walker, jr. (Amherst); Jose Alvelo, jr. (Avon); Gabriel Johnson, sr. (Avon Lake); Lincoln Bouman, sr. (North Ridgeville); Jared Keressi, so. (Avon); Matthew Lochbihler, fr. (Avon); Ian Fababe, jr. (Avon Lake) Honorable mention Dominic Gallo, so. (Avon); Isaac Gomes, so. (Avon Lake); Niko Koutouras, so. (Avon Lake); Lucas Edgell, sr. (Midview); Christian Stovicek (North Ridgeville); Nathan Greiger, jr. (Avon Lake); Eli Nicely, fr. (Amherst) Division II-III Runner of the Year: Andrew Young, sr. (Lake Ridge) First team Joe Fox, sr. (Wellington); Christian Gorny, jr. (Lake Ridge); Jamie Yuronich, fr. (Keystone); Joseph Webb, sr. (Vermilion); Daniel Grisel, sr. (Vermilion); Trevor Taylor, so. (Open Door) Second team Eli McConoughey, jr. (Keystone); Craig Stroud, jr. (Keystone); Sam McConoughey, fr. (Keystone); Carter Woods, so. (Firelands); Mark Sferra, sr. (Lake Ridge); Dane Vanderpool, jr. (Firelands); Nolan Raack, sr. (Open Door) Honorable mention Trevor McMahon, sr. (Elyria Catholic); Rylan Copen, sr. (Firelands); Brooks Thompson, fr. (Keystone); Grant Abeyta, jr. (Oberlin); Tyler Krese, sr. (Elyria Catholic); Collin Trimble, sr. (Vermilion); Luke Jones, fr. (Elyria Catholic) Girls Division I Runner of the Year: Kaitlyn Reese, jr. (Avon) First team Ava Melott, so. (Avon); Olivia Pajak, jr. (Avon); Carolina Reed, sr. (Avon); Anika Singh, sr. (Avon); Julianna Stein, jr. (Avon); Katherine Low, sr. (Amherst) Second team Jessica Pendleton, jr. (Avon); Nora Darkow, sr. (Amherst); Cassidy Valerino, so. (Avon Lake); Sophia Pecora, sr. (Amherst); Julia Fossie, fr. (Amherst); Liana Del Valle, so. (Amherst); Kelsey Sheehan, so. (Avon Lake) Honorable mention Rosalie Kapalin, so. (Amherst); Sophie Fada, fr. (Elyria); Alaina Alflen, jr. (Amherst); Hannah Cline, jr. (Avon Lake); Abby Henry, sr. (Avon Lake); Tori Bell, jr. (Elyria); Reyna Dalveren, jr. (North Ridgeville) Division II-III Runner of the Year: Gracie Jones, sr. (Elyria Catholic) First team Claire Hepner, so. (Open Door); Lauren Vannatter, jr. (Wellington); Emma Calkins, jr. (Lake Ridge); Dilynn Copley, so. (Firelands); Natalie Smith, fr. (Firelands); Courage Bielawski, jr. (Oberlin) Second team Alena Bray, so. (Elyria Catholic); Audrey Fote, sr. (Elyria Catholic); Olivia Hudson, jr. (Oberlin); Audrey Smith, jr. (Firelands); Aubrey Abeyta, jr. (Oberlin); Hannah Bacskay, fr. (Midview); Emma Palmer, sr. (Brookside) Honorable mention Allison Powers, fr. (Open Door); Colette Hunger, jr. (Open Door); Alayna Boone, fr. (Open Door); Lily Shmois, so. (Lake Ridge); Phoebe Shuck, jr. (Oberlin); Ava Lyczkowski, jr. (Vermilion); Youstina Hanna, jr. (Columbia)