Tony Moorman ends his season with a top 25 finish at the State Cross Country Tournament.
Photos by Drew Terhall | The Daily Advocate
Bennett Lehman finishes his freshman season with a top 50 finish at states.
Ansonia senior Matthew Lee ends his cross country career at states and helping the boys team be the first WOAC champions in school history.
Versailles senior Meredith Barga said she had a good year overall and was thrilled to be able to compete at states one last time.
By Drew Terhall
DailyAdvocate.com
OBETZ — Ansonia and Versailles officially ended their cross country seasons at Fortress Obetz in the Division III Cross Country State Tournament.
The Versailles boys cross country team finished fifth out of 20 teams. Tony Moorman finished 24th with a time of 16:23.45. Cameron Magoto took 84th with a time of 17:20.25, Jackson Spitzer took 88th with a 17:23.49, Anthony Spitzer took 94th with a 17:26.78, Drew Meyer finished 96th with a 17:28.76, Marcus Briscoe finished 117th with a 17:45.49 and Zachary Rahm took 173rd with a, 18:58.88.
The boys team end their season as MAC champions and runner-ups in the District and Regional Cross Country meets.
For Ansonia, freshman Bennett Lehman finished 49th with a time of 16:51.55. Senior Matthew Lee finished 69th with a time of 17:06.55. Lee ran a 17:10.0 last year at states.
Lee said it was great to be back at states. He also said his season and the boys cross country team season as a whole was challenging but a great time.
“We had some pretty hard courses. But, it helped us prepare for later on in the future and helped us develop the program. We were able to win quite a few meets and were able to get our runners faster than they were last year,” Lee said.
Lehman said going up against the higher level of competition was fun and hopes to keep on doing it during his high school career.
“It was good. The fast competition is good to experience, something I hopefully get to experience for the next few years,” Lehman said.
While the whole team didn’t qualify, they still had a historic season. The Tigers won the Boys WOAC Cross Country Championships for the first time in school history.
Lehman said everyone on the team from Lee to the fifth and sixth runners did their job to get the title. Lee said he hopes to see the young team continue to grow and keep winning the WOAC championship.
“It was something special. It’s the first time a cross country team has ever done that in school history. It’s amazing to share that with my team,” Lee said.
In the girls race, Versailles senior Meredith Barga was the only Darke County girl runner to qualify for states. She finished 94th with a time of 20:30.35. She ran a 19:57.3 last year at states.
Barga said she felt like she had a good year this year, but wished she could have done better for her final round. But, Barga was glad to be able to at least come back to states and compete.
“I’m happy I made it here for my senior year. It’s a great experience going to state and everything,” Barga said.
Contact Daily Advocate sports editor Drew Terhall at [email protected]
