The Van Wert boys’ and Ottawa-Glandorf girls’ cross country teams secured team titles at the Kalida Wildcat Invitational held Saturday at the Kalida Fish and Game Club. The event saw strong individual performances, including new school records and personal bests, as teams prepare for upcoming league championships.
Van Wert’s boys’ squad clinched the team championship with 55 points, narrowly surpassing Crestview, which earned 66 points. Bryan finished third with 86 points, followed by Shawnee (141) and Napoleon (187) among 21 full teams competing. Van Wert coach Bob Spath noted that the team has been looking for runners to push the pace. “Our freshman, Ollie (Oliver Scott) is coming along. ‘Q’ (Quintin Parrish), a senior captain, had the race of his life today,” Spath said.
Freshman Oliver Scott placed fifth overall with a time of 16:16.96, marking his best time of the season after returning from a lingering illness. Scott expressed his excitement, stating, "This was my best time all season." Senior Quintin Parrish finished ninth at 16:38.62, a significant improvement from his 21:12 performance at last year’s invitational. Parrish is continuing his recovery from open-heart surgery, which he underwent in May of 2025. Parrish, who Spath called the "heart of our team," said his goal for the season was to be one of the top seven runners on the team. Other scoring runners for Van Wert included Calvin Byrum (15th, 16:53.36), Alex Bauer (16th, 16:53.87), and Harrison Sloan (18th, 16:57.21). The team is now looking ahead to the Western Buckeye League Championships on October 17, with Parrish expressing hope of getting five or six runners on the first team all-WBL.
On the individual boys’ side, Crestview junior Derek Young captured first place, setting a school record with a time of 15:26.81. This marks the second consecutive week Young has broken his own school record. Young said his strategy involved attacking the final mile, recording splits of 4:55 at the first mile and 9:58 at the two-mile mark. Bryan’s Colton Sheline finished second at 15:41.24, and Miller City freshman Luke Brickner placed third with 16:13.92. Other Crestview scorers included Kale Vining (seventh, 16:37), Hudson Perrott (17th, 16:56.32), Caleb Thomas (23rd, 17:20.44), and Andy Heth (25th, 17:27.09) among 155 finishers in the boys' race.
The Ottawa-Glandorf girls’ team secured their team title with 50 points, narrowly beating Van Wert, who finished with 54 points. Napoleon came in third (129), followed by Lincolnview (133) and Bath (204) in a field of 18 full squads. Ottawa-Glandorf’s performance was led by freshman Lily Nienberg, who finished sixth at 19:22.66. Nienberg, who missed the first two meets due to a knee injury, stated that running in the 19s "was the goal." Other scoring members of the O-G team were Maci Maag (eighth, 19:51.20), Kayt Croy (ninth, 19:55.87), Liana Fortman (16th, 20:24.85), and Alivia Schroeder (21st, 20:43.02).
Van Wert’s girls, who finished second as a team, were led by Noelle Byrum’s fifth-place finish at 19:17.28. Other top finishers for Van Wert included Symphony Schuerman (seventh, 19:46.58), Jasleen Sharma (14th, 20:14.37), Ava Keuneke (18th, 20:36.92), and Faith Stoller (20th, 20:40.90).
Napoleon’s Gwen Huddle won the girls’ individual race in 17:33.49. Lincolnview freshman Maeleigh Evans placed second with a personal best of 18:58.70, attributing her strong finish to trying to keep pace with Huddle. Allen East freshman Kylee Korte took third place, also achieving a personal best of 19:12.21, improving her previous time by about 30 seconds.