Liberty Center girls complete 3-peat

Atkinson leads way with D-III title; Wauseon’s Vernot takes D-II

Liberty Center’s Emma Babcock, left, Rachael Pinson, Brittany Atkinson, and Jenna Vollmar leave the course after winning the Division III state championship.

SPECIAL TO BLADE/PHIL LONG

Liberty Center’s Emma Babcock, left, Rachael Pinson, Brittany Atkinson, and Jenna Vollmar leave the course after winning the Division III state championship.

Vernot

The Liberty Center girls cross country team won the Division III state championship for a third straight season.

The Tigers were led again by junior Brittany Atkinson, who won her second individual state title. She also won the race as a freshman.

Atkinson finished with a time of 18 minutes, 31.45 seconds, followed by teammates Paige Chamberlain (ninth), Jenna Vollmar (22nd), Olivia Kundo (30th), Cheryl Davenport, Rachel Pinson, and Hannah Knapp.

Wauseon junior Taylor Vernot captured a state title in the D-II girls race by running a personal-best time of 18:40. Her effort also helped the Indians place sixth.

In D-I, Clay sophomore Haley Hess turned in a stellar run and earned All-Ohio honors with her sixth-place finish with a time of 18:41.39. Her top-10 placing helped the Eagles finish eighth in the team results.

Perrysburg, led by Taylor Monheim (38th, 19:18.23), recorded its best team finish at the state championship in team history by placing fifth overall among the 16 D-I girls teams involved in the state championship.

Among the boys, Liberty Center also reached the state championships and placed sixth in D-III with Cameron Weaks (29th, 16:52.71) leading the way.

Otsego’s Brandon Avers, a junior, finished 11th in the D-II boys race to earn All-Ohio recognition. Wauseon junior Quintin Reiser also earned All-Ohio status after placing 14th.

Bryan’s boys team, led by Evan Morr (24th), finished sixth in D-II.

St. Francis de Sales’ Dan Siebenaller (54th) and David St. John (56th) guided the Knights to a 13th-place finish in D-I.

— Donald Emmons