MARION — The girls cross country scene in the Marion area went through a lull last year as only two girls and no teams qualified for the state meet.
Of those two runners, only Mount Gilead senior Kimberly Staley is back.
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Look for that to change in 2024 as the area sees stronger and deeper teams with improved runners competing for accolades.
Here are three things to watch for during this season in girls cross country.
1. KMAC strong again
Nothing new here. The Knox Morrow Athletic Conference has long been central Ohio's best small-school running league, and it will be again this fall.
"Fredericktown's girls are the defending KMAC champions and they return everyone from that top seven last season," Mount Gilead coach Josh Hayes said. "They will be the favorites for the KMAC title. Northmor also returns their top seven from last year, adn they will be very competitive in the KMAC and the D-III postseason run. Cardington and Centerburg bring back very strong individuals, and Loudonville has one of the best girls in the state joining our league."
And, oh yeah, Mount Gilead is another team in that league that lost no one to graduation. Besides Staley, MG will look to all-leaguers Ava Baker and Danielle Pohlkotte to be leaders as well. Gwen Hershner, the KMAC middle school champ, is joining the roster, too.
For Northmor, Kate Lehman just missed a state appearance by two spots at the regional, while Ryann Brinkman and Natalie Hunter are uber-experienced all-league runners. The Golden Knights went to the regionals last year, and they've set their sights on higher goals.
"We hope to compete for the top three in all competitions," Northmor coach Mark Yaussy said. "As always, our main goal is to make the state meet."
2. Watch the individuals in Marion County
Marion Harding brings back the two best runners in the area in junior twins Leah and Lydia Price. At last year's Division I district, Lydia was 10th in 19:12 and Leah 15th in 19:24, while a week later at the regional, Leah was 23rd in 19:11 and Lydia 30th in 19:26. Of course, the duo went 1-2 at the MOAC Championships in 19:17.39 and 19:18.67 with Leah earning the top spot.
After the Prices, Sarah Jordan of Pleasant was the next best returning finisher from Marion County in the MOAC as she posted a 13th in 21:02. Now she is a sophomore. Others to watch for the Spartans are Lydia Baumgartner and Nicole Robinson.
At River Valley, they ran as a pack, and being a year older, the hope is that pack can move closer to the front of races. Erica Mason, Madison Lust and Addi Ebert are three names to focus on.
Elgin did not have any girls who ran last year, but this year coach Jeff Ferrell debuts four freshman. At Ridgedale, Hannah Staton returns for her junior season to a two-girl team.
3. North Union, Highland intriguing
North Union finished five points shy of advancing to the Division II regional as a team last year. This season the Wildcats have dropped to D-III, and they return three runners who competed at the D-II regional meet as individuals: Kailin McElroy, Lauren Hall and Kennedy Ludwig. Along with Savannah Amstutz and Josie Held, they five veterans to follow this year; however, those are the only five runners competing, so depth is a serious issue.
At Highland, which was fifth at the D-II district and sixth in the MOAC, it will follow the leads of Kindylle Mallow, Riley Matthews and Abbie Pruett as their top returnees.
"(We have) several incoming freshmen with a lot of talent. We also have several underclassmen who will be fighting for openings on the varsity lineup," Highland coach Rich Williams said.
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This article originally appeared on Marion Star: 2024 Girls Cross Country Preview: Marion-area looking for bounce back season this fall
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