Cross Country: O-G girls, Van Wert boys win Wildcat Invite

OTTAWA – It has weighed on Anna Buddelmeyer’s mind for quite some time.

The Ottawa-Glandorf senior cross-country standout nearly broke O-G’s school record earlier this season when she clocked a winning time of 18 minutes, 23.8 seconds at the Columbus Grove Invitational on Sept. 7.

At Saturday’s Kalida Wildcat Invitational, Buddelmeyer finally reached one of her goals as she broke the school record with a winning time of 18:18.4 on the 5,000-meter course that traversed around the Kalida Fish and Game Club.

Wauseon’s Ella Rhoades finished second in 18:24.5. Napoleon’s Gwen Huddle (18:40.8), Bath’s Penny Francis (19:16.7) and Patrick Henry’s Mia Amador (19:16.8) rounded out the top five runners in the girls’ race. There were 184 finishers.

Buddelmeyer’s stellar performance on Saturday helped lead her team to the title. O-G scored 75 points, compared to second-place Napoleon’s 105 points. Lincolnview (118), Patrick Henry (165) and Archbold (189) rounded out the top five teams in a field of 20.

“I felt a lot more nervous than normal this morning,” Buddelmeyer said. “I didn’t want to talk to anybody. I was so focused. I think the nerves do help though. I felt so anxious. It was hard to go to bed last night. There’s a stigma to this course that you can PR. … It is fast. So, I was like, ‘Here is where I need to get it’. The whole race I was just thinking how bad that I wanted it.”

Last season, Buddelmeyer placed sixth at the Division II state cross country meet.

Rounding out the scorers (top five runners) for O-G on Saturday included Izzy Utendorf (14th, 20:39.4), Brea Recker (19th, 20:53.6), Liana Fortman (20th, 20:59.7) and Rose Turnwald (21st, 21:09.8).

“Our pack was good,” O-G head coach James Rader said. “Week to week, we’re never sure who will be second to seventh (runners on the team). They just compete with each other every week. It’s a really good situation for us to be in.

“Anna (Buddelmeyer) has been working hard to get that record. And for her to get it today, I think she was really excited. But the good thing is that she is not content. She’s aiming for higher things.”

On the boys’ side, Van Wert’s tight pack of runners led the way to the team title for the Cougars.

Van Wert recorded 56 points, compared to second-place Crestview’s 124 points. Otsego (124), Lincolnview (132) and Bath (143) rounded out the top five teams in a field of 20. Crestview was awarded second place, due to the sixth-man tiebreaker.

“A lot of them moved up in time,” Van Wert head coach Kim Laudick said about her boys’ team. “We tried to do a little bit different race strategy today. They each have a goal time. So, focusing on that, we gave them a little bit of a goal for the mental piece of it. I told them, ‘Fitness-wise, you guys are there. It’s that mental piece’.

“I think at times, they try to reserve a little bit. Overall, did they execute to where they wanted to? … No, but I think it was a good start for them leading up to tournament, and where they want to be. So, I’m super happy with their performance. They are such a strong pack, and they continue to move together. I’m happy with that.”

In the boys’ race, O-G’s Ty Rosengarten pulled away from Van Wert’s Owen Scott for the victory.

Rosengarten won in 15:38, while Scott crossed the finish line in 15:39.2. Van Wert’s Drew Laudick (16:22), Otsego’s Wesley Kellermeier (16:34.5) and Bath’s Jacob Wireman (16:42.5) rounded out the top five finishers. There were 143 runners.

Like many times before, Rosengarten and Scott battled to the very end on Saturday.

“Owen said, ‘Let’s go out and PR’. I said, ‘If it’s there, let’s do it, but if not, let’s just aim for (going) under 15:40’,” Rosengarten said with a grin.

“I say about 800 (meters) left is when I kind of said, ‘All right, let’s get ready’. I told myself that once I get in the woods and I can see the exit (leading to the finish line) is when I kind of start sprinting.”

Added Scott, “We know how each other races. So, once we get to the postseason and with other people, it’s going to be different. We’re in heavy (training) weeks, so it (the time) is not a big deal. We want to PR at state. That is the goal.”

At last year’s Division II state cross country meet, Scott finished fifth, while Rosengarten placed ninth.

Rosengarten said that he is aiming for better times later this season.

“We’ve been talking to coaches. About regional time, we’ll start cutting back (on mileage). That way, the legs are fresh. When we’re fresh, we run faster times,” he said.

Added Rader, “It seems like I’ve seen this episode before. Week after week, I feel like they (Scott and Rosengarten) talk about the race – about how they’re going to run with each other. It’s very exciting to watch.”

For Van Wert, its scorers behind Scott on Saturday included Drew Laudick (third, 16:22), Harrison Sloan (14th, 17:03.9), Johan Gemmer (18th, 17:11.8) and Noah Spath (19th, 17:15.5).

The O-G boys’ team placed eighth on Saturday.

**Complete results of the Kalida Wildcat Invitational are on runsignup.com.