The Sophomores Are Already Here

At the 2 mile of the Division II girls state final, four runners were within half a second of each other: Celina's Elle Miesse, Sylvania Southview's Julia Bocik, Aurora's Audrey Miller and Fremont Ross' Lily Kiser.

All four are sophomores. Bocik ran from the 2 mile to the finish in 6:21.7, seven seconds faster than Miesse, and won the state title in 17:37.7. Miesse was second in 17:44.5. Bay sophomore Maya Gonzalez was third in a personal best 17:45.6. Miller was fourth in 17:49.5.

The first four across the line at Fortress Obetz on Nov. 7 were sophomores. So were six of the top 10 and 12 of the top 25.

How Bocik won it

Miesse had beaten Bocik by 1.3 seconds at the Tiffin regional a week earlier. At the 2 mile at state, they were side by side again.

"At the 2 mile, I was thinking about how difficult it would be to hold onto the top pack and if I had it in me to do so," Miesse told Podium Watch. "I was also wondering how much more they had in the tank compared to what I had in order for me to get as high on the podium as possible."

Bocik was thinking something different.

"I realized I was still feeling smooth, much more so than our pack," Bocik said. "I knew Elle would charge the hill, so I went with her. My coaches and I had agreed to kick with 600-800 to go, so I did."

Asked what changed between the regional and state, Bocik said, "Well, for one I tapered. I made sure to focus on getting more carbs and protein throughout the week to allow myself to really focus on recovering. And most of all, I learned how Elle races. This year has been a lot of learning!"

Miesse took a lesson from it too. "Mentally I was driven and determined to win but the only reason I didn't was because my body quit at 100 meters left," she said. Her focus for next season, she said, is "not just preparing to GET to state but instead preparing FOR state."

The Division II girls race was the loudest example, not the only one. Nine sophomores finished in the top five of a state race. Sophomores led two of the top three boys teams in Division IV and both of the top two girls teams in Division III. And a lot of them were nowhere near the front a year ago.

A year ago

Meadowbrook's Vincent Campbell finished 123rd at state as a freshman in 17:12.5. On Nov. 7 he was fifth in Division III in a personal best 15:10.9, two minutes faster.

"I had a change in mindset," Campbell told Podium Watch. "I realized that if I wanted to be the best I had to allow running to be my number one priority at all times, I knew that winning wasn't going to come by being a runner only when I felt like it."

He was not the only one who made that kind of jump.

Kiser, the fourth sophomore in that lead pack at the 2 mile, was 96th a year ago. She finished sixth.

"I learned the lesson of what you give to the sport is what you get," Kiser said. "So I credit the amount of training + focus I gave throughout the winter months have shown and I'm grateful!"

She said there was no single moment when she knew she belonged at the front. "There was never a vivid moment. But almost every race, I was running with one of the fastest girls in Ohio, so I knew I had to adapt because I know I am just as good."

The other change was in her head. "Last year I was nervous racing which definitely hurt my performance," she said. "But this year I only truly felt adrenaline and excitement, because I knew deep down I had a shot at winning."

Bocik was already close. She was 18th at state as a freshman.

Asked what he thought when he crossed the line in fifth, Campbell said, "I was happy to have performed at the level that I knew I was capable of, and to have run my fastest when it mattered most. I felt satisfied but by no means complacent, I know I'm capable of more."

One second apart

The Division IV boys race had two sophomores at the front. McDonald's Owen Cappuzzello shared the lead at the 2 mile in 10:00.2 and finished third in 15:38.0. Russia's Paxson Bixler was fourth in 15:39.0, one second behind him.

Cappuzzello had not planned to lead. "When I was leading, I kinda took in the moment, while also keeping my race plan in mind," he told Podium Watch. "I originally planned to sit on the leaders and make a move late, but when I realized that the race was beginning to slow, I decided to make a move to keep it honest."

He finished 0.4 seconds behind runner-up Stephen Wojtowicz of Legacy Christian. "The last stretch of the race was driven by pure heart," Cappuzzello said. "I convinced myself to keep pushing no matter the outcome. In the end, if nothing else, I had lots of fun in that closing stretch. I believe I will remember that moment for the rest of my life."

Bixler was the one chasing him.

"I was just trying to get by him right at the start of the straight away," Bixler told Podium Watch. "And I thought that if I could do that I could get him, but he had a great kick and he's a very talented runner, so I just need to keep working at it."

Bixler led Russia to second place, the first state podium finish in program history.

"It means everything to be able to lead this great group of guys," he said. "Without them this wouldn't be at all possible so I'm very thankful for everyone pushing each other and making each other better."

Botkins was third, led by Schumann in ninth, with sophomore Sawyer Braun its second runner in 36th.

The teams they carried

Aurora won the Division II girls title with 80 points, and four of its five scorers were sophomores: Miller fourth, Claire Jenkins 12th, Evelyn Jenkins 14th and Mia Paech 40th. Paech was 130th at state a year ago.

The Division III girls title came down to two teams led by sophomores. Oakwood won 119 to 125 behind sophomore Evelyn Reinoehl in 15th. Runner-up Huron was led by sophomore Laney Schlessman in 14th, with sophomore Andrea Lesnak 24th.

Six of the eight team champions had at least one sophomore among their five scorers. In Division II boys, sophomore Rece Simon was Bowling Green's second runner in 26th in a 181 to 182 win over Lexington. In Division IV girls, champion Liberty Center's second and third runners were sophomores Castyn Miller (27th) and Mya Stark (41st).

In the big race, too

Division I is the hardest place for a sophomore to get to the front. Thomas Worthington's Calvin Watson was within 0.8 seconds of the leaders at the 2 mile of the boys race and finished sixth in 15:22.6, behind three seniors and two juniors.

In the Division I girls race, Mentor's Carmella Curtis was 10th in a personal best 18:31.4 and Springboro's Tessa Andrews 11th.

In Division IV girls, Seneca East's Aubrey Ritzler was fourth and Fort Loramie's Elaina Borchers fifth, both in personal bests. In Division III girls, Fairfield Union's Sadie Schultz was sixth.

By the numbers

The girls carried most of it. Sophomore girls took 30 of the 100 top-25 places in the four girls races. Sophomore boys took 11 of 100.

Two more years

Two of this year's champions were outside the top 20 as sophomores. Little Miami's Ryne Reynolds was 22nd at state as a sophomore in 2024 and won the Division I boys title on Nov. 7. Teays Valley's Reese Galinger was 33rd as a sophomore and won the Division I girls title.

Nine sophomores finished in the top five this year: Bocik, Miesse, Gonzalez and Miller in Division II, Cappuzzello and Bixler, Ritzler and Borchers in Division IV, and Campbell in Division III.

Campbell knows what he wants from the next two. "The goal is to keep having faith in my coaching and my ability to continue progressing," he said, "and to hopefully stand at the top of that podium the next 2 years."

Bixler put it more simply. "I just want to become the best that I can be by working extremely hard and not giving up when things get tough."

Cappuzzello wants a title, and not only his own. "Now, I feel like the obvious goal would be to bring home a state title of my own," he said. "With that said, cross country is much more enjoyable when you are doing it for your team and so, God willing, it would be awesome to lead a team to a state championship one day."

And in Division II, the two fastest sophomore girls at the state meet have split their last two races. Miesse beat Bocik by 1.3 seconds at the Tiffin regional. Bocik beat Miesse by 6.8 at state. They have two more seasons to settle it, and both sound like they can't wait.

"Knowing I'll race them the next 2 years is an insane thought," Miesse said. "I think it's amazing that we will get to push each other so much."

"I feel incredibly lucky," Bocik said. "I realize that it will take a lot to get another championship and I am grateful for that motivation. Plus, they're all so kind and inspiring!!"

The class of 2029 watch list

Every sophomore who finished in the top 25 of a 2026 state race.