ATTICA — Perrysburg girls cross country is off to a solid start, taking the top three spots in winning the Black Division (big school) of the Seneca East Tiger Classic on August 26.
Of 197 runners, Perrysburg senior Hannah Kersten finished first in 19:51.35, followed by senior teammate Anna Dalton (19:53.87) and junior Natalie Sanders (19:56.92). They were the only three runners in the entire division to finish under 20 minutes.
Perrysburg scored 18 points to easily defeat Lexington (88), Tiffin Columbian (97), Cloverleaf (109), Norwalk (111), Shelby (133), Sycamore (147), Ashland (219), Ontario (254) and Springfield (289).
Perrysburg junior Ava Beeks (20:40.41) placed fifth and Perrysburg sophomore Kaelyn Becken (20:57.67) took seventh as the Yellow Jackets took five of the top 10 positions.
Perrysburg senior Aubrey Evans (21:26.63) placed 15th and junior Laura Valette (22:06.82) finished in 24th.
The Yellow Jackets’ average time was 20:16.05, which in itself would have placed fourth, and Perrysburg’s split between the first and fifth runners was 1:07.
Coach Jon Monheim, in his 14th season at Perrysburg and 29th overall, is getting used to this kind of success, but not complacent.
In the last 13 seasons, Perrysburg has won eight Northern Lakes League titles, seven regional titles, 10 state appearances, and won a state championship in 2021.
“Year after year we field the largest team in Northwest Ohio,” Monheim said. “We have a great junior high program which really helps generate interest.”
Last year’s team won an NLL, district, and regional championship, then finished fourth at the Division I state meet.
Four runners are returning who competed at the state championships, including Beeks, the reigning NLL individual champion. Beeks’ best time last year was 18:21.
Sanders (18:40 best time) placed 14th at the state meet last year, earning All-Ohio honors, and Kersten (19:03) and Taylor Moody (19:37) were first team all-league.
Evans returns with a best time of 20:29 last year and contributing is sophomore Brayleigh Becken. Monheim says Kersten and Evans will compete collegiately next year but have not committed yet.
The Perrysburg coach says his top four runners have had a great offseason.
“Kersten, Sanders, Beeks, and Dalton will be a great top four because all have had great summers of training and all have big meet experience,” Monheim said.
“Laura Valette has really improved and could be a key member of our varsity squad. She had a great track season and looks to build on that.
“Sophomore twins Kaelyn and Brayleigh Becken are new to the team after playing soccer last fall and both are hard-working difference makers that add needed depth.”
As a result, expect the Yellow Jackets to be one of the preseason favorites to take another NLL title.
“We are really strong up front, and our best runners have had lots of experience and success at the state level,” Monheim said.
“If we stay healthy, we will be a very tough team to beat in the league,” Monheim continued. “The competition in the league should be much improved with the additional teams joining this year.
“There are some quality programs with solid individuals that will make the league more competitive.”
Meanwhile, Monheim is not waiting around to backfill the back end of his roster with additional talent.
“We have a sizable gap between our ninth runner and the rest of the team,” Monheim said. “Runners 10 to 15 need to develop throughout the season and push our seven through nine runners.”
Before coming to Perrysburg, Monheim was coach at Toledo St. John’s for 11 years, including seven years as head coach. He coached at Sylvania Northview for five years.
