By: Connor Gulick, Head Cross Country Coach
The Beavers made the short trip over to Tiffin to kick off the outdoor season for the Tiffelberg Invite co-hosted by Tiffin and Heidelberg University on Saturday, March 29, 2025.
Taking home gold in the 110 hurdles was senior Desmond Gist (Detroit, Mich./Trenton) as he crossed the line with a time of 14.70. Gist then came back later to run a lifetime best in the 400 with a time of 49.15, taking 2nd and moving up to 4th in school history. Teammate Russell Lough (Wintersville/Indian Creek) wasn't far behind him as he took 3rd with a time of 49.65 which places them 1st and 4th in the HCAC, respectively. Lough also came back and claimed a lifetime best in the 200 with a time of 22.67. Freshmen Hassan Greene (Jacksonville, Fla./Bishop Snyder) and Jase Bailey (Orlando, Fla.) also saw big time drops in the 400, running 56.30 and 58.20, respectively.
In the jumps, senior Joey Bonham (Vanlue) took home a win in long jump with a leap of 6.40 meters which is his best on the year. Bonham also took silver in the high jump, matching his best of 1.90 meters.
On the distance side, junior Jarrod Roudebush (Coshocton) had a big day, running a five-second PR in the 1500 with a time of 4:30.85 and then came back later in the day for the 800, running a time of 2:10.48.
"After our first outdoor meet, as coaches, we can tell everything is starting to click. They finished off the indoor season strong and it rolled right into the outdoor season. What an amazing start to the season," said Head Coach Chris Scott with how the team looked to kick off the outdoor slate.
On the women's side, sophomore Amelia Adams (Celina) picked up right where she left off indoors as she finished 2nd in high jump with a leap of 1.50 meters and made her long jump debut with a leap of 4.81 meters, placing third in the meet. Adams hit the HCAC qualifier mark in both events, ranking 3rd and 4th in the HCAC, respectively.
On the sprints side, senior Kinsey Myers (Stryker) ran a season best in both the 400, with a time of 1:08.95, and the 200, with a time of 29.96. Adams also ran a lifetime best in the 200 with a time of 29.36.
On the distance side, the duo of freshman Sara Smith (Mansfield/Madison Comprehensive) and senior Basil Gates (Galion) had a strong showing in both the 1500 and 800. Smith finished her debut 1500 in 5:15.70 which qualified her for the HCAC meet and places her 8th in the conference. Smith then came back in the 800 later and took 2nd with a lifetime best time of 2:33.23. Gates, nipping at the heels of Smith in both races, crossed the line in the 1500 with a time of 5:24.98 and then came back in the 800 with a season best of 2:37.77, taking 4th on the day.
"I thought we opened up the season very strong," Distance Coach Connor Gulick had to say on how the team looked. "We had a tough last few weeks of training and it was exciting to already see that work pay off with so many bests in the first race of the season.'
The harriers will be back on the road on Saturday, April 5, when they travel to HCAC-foe Manchester for the Manchester Invite.
-BEAVERS-