Springboro spent most of the fall as the No. 1 boys team in Division I. On Saturday at Fortress Obetz it finished the job without putting a single runner near the front.
Springboro scored 107 to beat defending champion Beavercreek by 21 points. Its first finisher was 16th. In the girls race, Milford lost the No. 1 ranking in the final poll of the season, trailed Upper Arlington by 23 points with 1,800 meters to go and won by 34.
The individual races had stories of their own. Little Miami put two runners across the line before anyone else in the boys race. In the girls race, Reese Galinger of Teays Valley, running as an individual qualifier, came out of a seven-runner pack and won.
Springboro's five
Springboro's scorers finished 16th, 22nd, 29th, 36th and 37th. Senior Nicholas Beatty led them in 15:41.5. Senior Nolan Hicks was 22nd, senior Maxwell Gerstner 29th, junior Joshua Linde 36th and senior Tyson Andrews 37th. Beatty to Andrews was 22.3 seconds. In team scoring that came to 14, 19, 21, 26 and 27.
By Podium Watch's count from the timing splits, Springboro led the team race at 1,600 meters. At 3,200 meters it led Beavercreek 92 to 134. Beavercreek cut that to 21 by the finish, and no one else got closer.
Hicks was 115th at this meet a year ago. On Saturday he was Springboro's second runner.
The coaches saw this coming. Springboro was No. 2 behind Mason in the preseason poll, moved to No. 1 in Week 2, slipped to No. 2 in Week 3 when Mentor edged it 236 points to 235, and held the top spot from Week 4 through the Pre-State poll. It drew all 12 first-place votes in every poll from Week 6 through the Pre-Regional poll and 10 of 12 in the Pre-State poll. A week before state, it won the Troy regional with 72 points to Mason's 83.
Springboro's winning score of 107 was the same score Beavercreek won with a year ago.
Beavercreek, Mason and the rest
Beavercreek won its first Division I title in 2025. It started this season sixth in the preseason poll and entered state ranked fourth. It finished second with 128. Senior Nick Szymanski was ninth in a personal best 15:34.6, and sophomore Lucas Kappel, senior Will Przybyla and senior Owen Tuinstra finished 33rd, 34th and 35th, all within 2.6 seconds.
Mason, the preseason No. 1, was third with 146. Junior Logan Mix led Mason in seventh in 15:27.7. Sophomore Thomas Moran was 15th.
Mentor was No. 2 in every poll from Week 4 through the Pre-Regional poll and won the Boardman regional with 46 points. It was fourth as a team at 1,600 meters, eighth at 3,200 meters and finished seventh. Senior Carter Schaubert led Mentor in 18th with a personal best.
The biggest climb belonged to Medina, 16th in the Pre-State poll and eighth on Saturday. All five Medina scorers ran personal bests. Dublin Jerome, seventh in the Pre-State poll, finished fourth behind senior Carter Hutchinson, who was 19th in a personal best.
Mason was the only school in the top three of both races. Its girls were second.
Little Miami goes one-two
The boys race came down to two teammates.
Little Miami junior Ian Patrick went through 1,600 meters in 4:45.8, a tenth of a second ahead of senior Ryne Reynolds. At 3,200 meters the two were side by side at 9:43.1. Hilliard Darby senior Logan Behm, Thomas Worthington sophomore Calvin Watson and New Albany junior Austin Benedict were all within 0.8 seconds of them.
Reynolds ran the last 1,800 meters in 5:18.2, the fastest closing segment in the lead group, and won in 15:01.3. Patrick held on for second in 15:10.7, 9.3 seconds back. Benedict was third in 15:11.6. Behm, an individual qualifier, was fourth. Solon senior Matthew Scipione was fifth in a personal best 15:19.3. Watson was sixth.
Reynolds was 22nd as a sophomore in 2024, the year Little Miami made its first state meet as a team, according to MileSplit. Last fall he was third and Patrick was seventh.
Little Miami had the first two runners across the line and finished 11th as a team. Its next three scorers were 89th, 132nd and 163rd.
Galinger closes fastest
Reese Galinger was never in front at a split. She was 1.7 seconds off the lead at 1,600 meters and 0.2 seconds back at 3,200.
At that point seven runners were within 1.1 seconds. Stow-Munroe Falls senior Maddie O'Brien was at the front in 11:30.9, followed by Galinger, Cleveland Heights junior Kassadi Thompson, Hilliard Davidson senior Mackenzie Kline, Perrysburg junior Lexi Schultz, Mason senior Atalia Hawkins and Northmont senior Makenna Long.
Galinger ran the last 1,800 meters in 6:19.8, the fastest closing split in the race and 6.3 seconds faster than anyone else in that group. She won in a personal best 17:50.9, 6.9 seconds ahead of Hawkins, who ran a personal best 17:57.8. Thompson was third in a personal best 17:59.5. Kline was fourth in 18:00.8, and O'Brien, who was at the front of the pack at 1,600 and 3,200 meters, was fifth in a personal best 18:01.7. The top five finished within 10.8 seconds.
Galinger qualified as an individual. She was third at the Pickerington regional in 18:00.8, behind Kline and Upper Arlington's Josie Cox. She was 33rd at state as a sophomore and 15th last fall. Thompson and Long were also individual qualifiers, which put three of them in the top seven. Long was 136th at this meet a year ago and finished seventh in a personal best.
Milford's last 1,800 meters
Milford was No. 1 in the first 10 polls of the season. In the Pre-State poll, Upper Arlington took the top spot with 238 points and 10 first-place votes. Milford had 230 points and the other two. Podium Watch's own projection from regional times had Upper Arlington winning by 18. Upper Arlington had won the Pickerington regional with 86 points. Milford had won Troy with 75.
For most of Saturday's race the projection looked right. By Podium Watch's count from the timing splits, Mason led the team race at 1,600 meters. At 3,200 meters Upper Arlington led with 116, Milford had 139 and Mason had 157.
Then Milford's pack moved. Senior Elle Campbell went from 11th to eighth. Junior Maren Barnett went from 47th to 28th, senior Lauren Johnson from 43rd to 34th and senior Katie Reckman from 49th to 40th. Sophomore Nora Lindley was 57th. Milford finished with 111.
Upper Arlington went the other way. Josie Cox was eighth at 3,200 meters and finished 25th. Sophomore Beth Baker was ninth at 3,200 meters and finished 89th. Freshman Claire Groom moved from 56th to 38th, but Upper Arlington finished third with 159. Mason, led by Hawkins in second, was runner-up with 145.
It is the first state title for a program that had never qualified for state as a team before 2024. Milford was seventh in that first trip and fifth last year with 225 points. Campbell was 19th as a sophomore and 17th as a junior, according to the school and The Clermont Sun. At Troy she beat Hawkins by three-tenths of a second.
Mason's runner-up finish came after a long slide in the polls. Mason was third in the preseason poll, 10th from Week 7 through the Pre-Regional poll and seventh in the Pre-State poll. Centerville was fourth. Gahanna Lincoln, the defending champion, was fourth in the Pre-State poll and finished eighth.
What the polls got right, and what they didn't
The coaches had the right boys champion and kept Milford on top in every poll but the last one. The biggest misses were teams that faded late.
Mentor, third in the Pre-State poll, finished seventh. Thomas Worthington, No. 3 in the preseason, was 12th. Medina was 25th in the preseason and eighth on Saturday, and the Milford boys climbed from 28th in the preseason to ninth, led by senior Henry Newman in eighth.
On the girls side, Upper Arlington went from No. 1 to third, and Gahanna Lincoln, No. 2 in the preseason, finished eighth. Massillon Jackson, No. 3 in four straight polls from Week 2 through Week 5, was 10th.
Boys: polls vs. finish
| Team | Preseason | Pre-State | State finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Springboro | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Beavercreek | 6 | 4 | 2 |
| Mason | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Dublin Jerome | 9 | 7 | 4 |
| Gahanna Lincoln | 13 | 6 | 5 |
| St. Xavier | 7 | 5 | 6 |
| Mentor | 5 | 3 | 7 |
| Medina | 25 | 16 | 8 |
| Milford | 28 | 12 | 9 |
| Westerville North | 11 | 8 | 10 |
Girls: polls vs. finish
| Team | Preseason | Pre-State | State finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milford | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Mason | 3 | 7 | 2 |
| Upper Arlington | 10 | 1 | 3 |
| Centerville | 14 | 6 | 4 |
| Hilliard Davidson | 4 | 5 | 5 |
| Springboro | 12 | 3 | 6 |
| Beavercreek | 19 | 11 | 7 |
| Gahanna Lincoln | 2 | 4 | 8 |
| Stow-Munroe Falls | 25 | 13 | 9 |
| Massillon Jackson | 6 | 9 | 10 |
Source: OATCCC Division 1 coaches' polls, Preseason (Aug. 27) and Pre-State (Nov. 5).
The last race
Fourteen of the top 20 boys were seniors. Reynolds goes out as a state champion. Behm was fourth, Scipione fifth and Newman eighth after finishing 36th last year. Beavercreek's Szymanski was ninth and Westerville North's Holden Gray 10th. St. Xavier's Aidan Dehring was 13th in a personal best after finishing 175th a year ago.
Seven of the top 10 girls were seniors: Galinger, Hawkins, Kline, O'Brien, Long, Campbell and Gahanna Lincoln's Abigail Young, who was ninth.
Who's back
On the boys side, Patrick, Benedict and Mix are juniors, Watson and Moran are sophomores, and Sycamore freshman Maxwell Frasure was 17th. Springboro loses four of its five scorers. Linde is the one who returns. Beavercreek returns Kappel and sophomore Cody Pirk, and Mason returns Mix, Moran and junior Isaac Mecum.
On the girls side, Thompson and Schultz are juniors. Mentor sophomore Carmella Curtis was 10th in a personal best, Springboro sophomore Tessa Andrews 11th and Olentangy Orange freshman Ellery Jepson 12th. Watkins Memorial junior Kate Michael was 13th after finishing 86th last year, and Hilliard Davidson sophomore Olivia Tartaglia was 14th after finishing 103rd. Milford returns Barnett and Lindley. Upper Arlington returns four of its five scorers.
Division I results
Boys teams: 1. Springboro 107; 2. Beavercreek 128; 3. Mason 146; 4. Dublin Jerome 175; 5. Gahanna Lincoln 189; 6. St. Xavier 195; 7. Mentor 246; 8. Medina 250; 9. Milford 255; 10. Westerville North 270.
Boys individuals: 1. Ryne Reynolds (Little Miami) 15:01.3; 2. Ian Patrick (Little Miami) 15:10.7; 3. Austin Benedict (New Albany) 15:11.6; 4. Logan Behm (Hilliard Darby) 15:17.9; 5. Matthew Scipione (Solon) 15:19.3; 6. Calvin Watson (Thomas Worthington) 15:22.6; 7. Logan Mix (Mason) 15:27.7; 8. Henry Newman (Milford) 15:33.1; 9. Nick Szymanski (Beavercreek) 15:34.6; 10. Holden Gray (Westerville North) 15:35.6.
Girls teams: 1. Milford 111; 2. Mason 145; 3. Upper Arlington 159; 4. Centerville 176; 5. Hilliard Davidson 187; 6. Springboro 208; 7. Beavercreek 221; 8. Gahanna Lincoln 229; 9. Stow-Munroe Falls 254; 10. Massillon Jackson 263.
Girls individuals: 1. Reese Galinger (Teays Valley) 17:50.9; 2. Atalia Hawkins (Mason) 17:57.8; 3. Kassadi Thompson (Cleveland Heights) 17:59.5; 4. Mackenzie Kline (Hilliard Davidson) 18:00.8; 5. Maddie O'Brien (Stow-Munroe Falls) 18:01.7; 6. Lexi Schultz (Perrysburg) 18:09.7; 7. Makenna Long (Northmont) 18:14.9; 8. Elle Campbell (Milford) 18:20.3; 9. Abigail Young (Gahanna Lincoln) 18:31.1; 10. Carmella Curtis (Mentor) 18:31.4.
Full results and splits for every Division I runner are at podiumwatch.org.
