October 5, 2021 at 5:02 a.m.
Wood sixth to earn first team all-ACAC
Wood sixth to earn first team all-ACAC
BERNE — The team’s only senior wanted to keep up with the lead pack.
She was forced to run the fastest mile of her career to begin the race.
She ran faster than she had ever before, leading a charge of career-best times.
Lindy Wood took sixth overall and all but four members of the Jay County High School cross country team had personal-best times during the Allen County Athletic Conference Championships on Saturday at South Adams.
“I kind of knew where the girls were going to be but the boys stepped it up,” said first-year JCHS coach Bruce Wood, Lindy’s father. “I think they’re starting to buy in to what their training has done for them and they’re starting to trust it.”
Jay County’s boys scored 113 points for fourth out of seven teams. Bluffton totaled 36 for the championship, nine points ahead of runner-up Woodlan. Heritage totaled 84 for third.
Host South Adams had 48 points to win the girls’ title. Adams Central (61) was runner-up while Woodlan (72) took third. Jay County, which had five runners for just the second time this season, totaled 129 points for fifth.
Lindy Wood pushed her way toward the front of the field nearly 400 meters after the start, trailing a few meters behind Sydney McFarren (Southern Wells), McKenzie Sturwold (South Adams), Leslie Sprankles (Bluffton) and Marissa Van De Weg (Adams Central).
Wood completed her first mile in about 6 minutes, 20 seconds, the fastest mile of her career, and she was sitting fifth. But after mile two she had slipped one spot to sixth as Adams Central’s Gabi Landis passed her.
“That was a little quick and she paid for it a little bit at the end,” Bruce Wood said of his daughter. “She gutted it out and (ran a personal best).”
Lindy Wood held that sixth spot and finished in 21 minutes, 16.9 seconds, to earn first team All-ACAC honors. The top seven runners make the first team, while those placing eighth through 14th are second team all-conference.
“There’s no complaints there,” Bruce Wood said. “I’m proud of her. She did a great job.”
Sturwold was the individual champion with her time of 19:35.2.
JCHS freshman Natalie Carreno was 19th in a career-best 21:14, and Spanish exchange student Maria Sanchez placed 29th. Willow Hardy was 34th in a career-best 25:00, and Lucy Raines had a time of 27:48 for 48th.
Two-thirds of the JCHS boys set career-best times, led by Sebastian Solis’ mark of 19:01. He was 18th, four spots away from earning second team All-ACAC honors.
“He’s had some pretty high goals,” Wood said. “Aaron (Funkhouser) has been our fastest runner all year, but he’s dealing with some nagging injuries … I think Sebastian is getting closer to where Aaron would have been. It’s been a decent trade off for Sebastian to step up and run those times.”
Taven Fosnaugh (19:26) and Dustin Harris (19:30) both ran the fastest times of their careers in placing 22nd and 23rd, respectively, with Funkhouser (19:31) 24th and Seth Wilson (19:36) posting a career-low time for 26th.
Also running for the JCHS boys were Darren Fisher (36th – 20:46), Owen Ransom (38th – 21:37), Timo Minnich (48th) and Isaac Kunkler (49th). Fisher and Ransom set new career-bests.
“I doubt we were forecasted to finish fourth,” Wood said. “I was real happy with fourth. During the race … it was tight in the middle. I’m really happy with them.”
Junior high
Two runners finished in the top 10 in leading the Jay County Junior High School boys cross country team to a runner-up finish.
The host Starfires scored 33 points for first. Jay County’s 77 points were two better than third-place Woodlan.
Jay County’s girls did not have enough runners for a team total.
Joseph Boggs led the Patriot boys by placing second in 10 minutes, 45.2 seconds. Dakota Sprunger of South Adams was the race winner in 10:25.3.
Raif Beiswanger placed fourth in 11:12, and Beckett Brandenburg finished 19th in 12:30. Rocky Beiswanger crossed the finish line 29th in 13:07, and Dougie Cox was 32nd with his time of 13:14 to complete the team total.
Alexis Sibray paced the Patriot girls by taking sixth in 12:55.3. Paityn Wendel (14th) had a time of 13:33, Emily Young (16th) ended in 13:48 and Kaitlyn Fisher (18th) finished in 14:00.
Also running for Jay County’s boys were Seth Bee (33rd), Max Klopfenstein (34th), William Hawbaker (36th), Jacob Kellogg (45th), Carter Hartman (46th) and David Keen (47th).
She was forced to run the fastest mile of her career to begin the race.
She ran faster than she had ever before, leading a charge of career-best times.
Lindy Wood took sixth overall and all but four members of the Jay County High School cross country team had personal-best times during the Allen County Athletic Conference Championships on Saturday at South Adams.
“I kind of knew where the girls were going to be but the boys stepped it up,” said first-year JCHS coach Bruce Wood, Lindy’s father. “I think they’re starting to buy in to what their training has done for them and they’re starting to trust it.”
Jay County’s boys scored 113 points for fourth out of seven teams. Bluffton totaled 36 for the championship, nine points ahead of runner-up Woodlan. Heritage totaled 84 for third.
Host South Adams had 48 points to win the girls’ title. Adams Central (61) was runner-up while Woodlan (72) took third. Jay County, which had five runners for just the second time this season, totaled 129 points for fifth.
Lindy Wood pushed her way toward the front of the field nearly 400 meters after the start, trailing a few meters behind Sydney McFarren (Southern Wells), McKenzie Sturwold (South Adams), Leslie Sprankles (Bluffton) and Marissa Van De Weg (Adams Central).
Wood completed her first mile in about 6 minutes, 20 seconds, the fastest mile of her career, and she was sitting fifth. But after mile two she had slipped one spot to sixth as Adams Central’s Gabi Landis passed her.
“That was a little quick and she paid for it a little bit at the end,” Bruce Wood said of his daughter. “She gutted it out and (ran a personal best).”
Lindy Wood held that sixth spot and finished in 21 minutes, 16.9 seconds, to earn first team All-ACAC honors. The top seven runners make the first team, while those placing eighth through 14th are second team all-conference.
“There’s no complaints there,” Bruce Wood said. “I’m proud of her. She did a great job.”
Sturwold was the individual champion with her time of 19:35.2.
JCHS freshman Natalie Carreno was 19th in a career-best 21:14, and Spanish exchange student Maria Sanchez placed 29th. Willow Hardy was 34th in a career-best 25:00, and Lucy Raines had a time of 27:48 for 48th.
Two-thirds of the JCHS boys set career-best times, led by Sebastian Solis’ mark of 19:01. He was 18th, four spots away from earning second team All-ACAC honors.
“He’s had some pretty high goals,” Wood said. “Aaron (Funkhouser) has been our fastest runner all year, but he’s dealing with some nagging injuries … I think Sebastian is getting closer to where Aaron would have been. It’s been a decent trade off for Sebastian to step up and run those times.”
Taven Fosnaugh (19:26) and Dustin Harris (19:30) both ran the fastest times of their careers in placing 22nd and 23rd, respectively, with Funkhouser (19:31) 24th and Seth Wilson (19:36) posting a career-low time for 26th.
Also running for the JCHS boys were Darren Fisher (36th – 20:46), Owen Ransom (38th – 21:37), Timo Minnich (48th) and Isaac Kunkler (49th). Fisher and Ransom set new career-bests.
“I doubt we were forecasted to finish fourth,” Wood said. “I was real happy with fourth. During the race … it was tight in the middle. I’m really happy with them.”
Junior high
Two runners finished in the top 10 in leading the Jay County Junior High School boys cross country team to a runner-up finish.
The host Starfires scored 33 points for first. Jay County’s 77 points were two better than third-place Woodlan.
Jay County’s girls did not have enough runners for a team total.
Joseph Boggs led the Patriot boys by placing second in 10 minutes, 45.2 seconds. Dakota Sprunger of South Adams was the race winner in 10:25.3.
Raif Beiswanger placed fourth in 11:12, and Beckett Brandenburg finished 19th in 12:30. Rocky Beiswanger crossed the finish line 29th in 13:07, and Dougie Cox was 32nd with his time of 13:14 to complete the team total.
Alexis Sibray paced the Patriot girls by taking sixth in 12:55.3. Paityn Wendel (14th) had a time of 13:33, Emily Young (16th) ended in 13:48 and Kaitlyn Fisher (18th) finished in 14:00.
Also running for Jay County’s boys were Seth Bee (33rd), Max Klopfenstein (34th), William Hawbaker (36th), Jacob Kellogg (45th), Carter Hartman (46th) and David Keen (47th).
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