Ones to watch
Individuals
McKenzie McMillin, Greenon: The senior placed 43rd at the Division II state meet last fall.
Jaci Combs, Tecumseh: The senior will take the lead for the Arrows from last year's Runner of the Year Jasmine Redman.
Meghan Vogel and Shawnda Henault, West Liberty-Salem: The junior duo has led the Tigers the past two seasons.
Teams
West Liberty-Salem: The Tigers will be strong again following a fourth-place finish in D-III a year ago.
Greenon: The Knights are gunning for three straight appearances at the D-II state meet.
Tecumseh: The Arrows have won three straight CBC Kenton Trail titles, and have been to the regionals four years in a row.
WEST LIBERTY — Ann Vogel spent a lot of her summer on Facebook.
The West Liberty-Salem High School cross country coach created a group, West Liberty-Salem’s Big Orange Cross Country, where she and members of the community posted motivational quotes and videos for everyone, including the runners, to see.
“It’s a good way to stay motivated,” Ann Vogel said. “The people in the community really get into it, sharing quotes. They even post when they see our kids running around town.”
The Tigers have plenty to be motivated about after last fall. The Tigers were the top-ranked team in Division III heading into the state meet, but finished fourth.
“It was a disappointment, but we’ve got to move on from it,” Vogel said. “We learned a lot. We learned what we had to do.”
Two years ago, the Tigers advanced to state with no expectations. Last year, the roles were completely reversed as they entered the race as the favorite. They’re hoping they can learn to mature and grow from the experience.
“We’re hoping to use it to our advantage,” Vogel said.
The Tigers return six of their top seven from last year, graduating just one senior, Courtney Karg.
Top runners Meghan Vogel and Shawnda Henault, both juniors, return, along with classmates Jordan Smith, Jasmine Smith, Savanna Shipp and Sarah Williams and sophomore Alyssa Strickland.
“All the horses are back,” Ann Vogel said, “but Division III girls didn’t get any easier.”
State powerhouse Minster won the title last season, while Coldwater, which placed seventh in D-II a year ago, also drops down to D-III.
Coach Vogel said her team is cautiously optimistic about this season, but knows they’ve got to work hard to make a run at a state title.
“Nobody is a shoo-in,” she said.
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