For the second straight weekend, the Gilmour Academy girls cross country team won a postseason event as the Lancers came away victorious at the OHSAA Regional Championship held at Boardman High School this past weekend.
With their victory, the Lancers advance to the OHSAA State Championship this coming Saturday, Nov. 6, at Fortress Obetz and Memorial Park in suburban Columbus, Ohio.
This marks the 12th consecutive season in which the Gilmour girls team has advanced to the State Championship.
The course at Boardman was rather wet and muddy after large amounts of rain had fallen in the days preceding the Regional race. However, that did not impede the Lancers in their quest for a second straight Regional crown.
While Gilmour put two runners in the top 10 of the race and three in the top 15, the depth of the Lancer team really stood out. Gilmour placed all five of its scoring runners within the top 30 of the race while no other school even managed to place four runners in the top 30.
Clare Valenza '23, in her first season competing in the sport, was Gilmour's top finisher at Regionals. She placed fifth overall in 20:32.8. Amy Weybrecht '24 also finished among the top 10, placing eighth in 21:02.1.
Mary Lombardo '22 was the third Lancer to cross the finish line as she took 15th place in 21:30.2.
Gia Rosko '24 (22:16.2) and Mia Polisena '22 (22:24.9) rounded out the scoring contingent for GA in 27th and 30th places, respectively.
Kaitlin Rulison '23 and Anna Grossner '24 also contested the event for Gilmour, finishing in 22:41.8 and 23:29.0, respectively.
This is the ninth overall OHSAA Regional title for the Lancer program and the third in the past four years.
This Saturday's race will mark the 17th all-time appearance in the State Championship for the GA girls, all of which have come under the tutelage of current head coach Matt Lindley.
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