Men’s and Women’s XC turn in solid showing at All-Ohio Challenge

CEDARVILLE, Ohio – The Otterbein University cross country teams competed Friday afternoon at the All-Ohio Intercollegiate Challenge, hosted by Cedarville University. The meet featured a wide range of competition, with Division I, II, III, and NAIA programs all in attendance.

FULL MEET RESULTS

Women's Race (6K):
The Cardinals placed 14th out of 20 teams with 302 points in the 6K, as host Cedarville captured the title with 20.

Freshman Kate Thormeier once again paced Otterbein, finishing 23rd in the field of 281 runners with a time of 22:57. Sophomore Brenna Lay followed in 23:28, while freshman Ella Degenhard (24:50) and junior Ava Stratmann (24:52) worked closely together. Sophomore Maggie Poor (24:56) and senior Rachel Ziel (24:58) added strong marks under 25 minutes.

Also in action were freshman Grace Blonde (25:02), sophomore Eliza McDonald (25:08), and sophomore Kennedy Helton (25:12). Junior Abby Kobs (26:03), freshman Lauren Kinney (26:16), freshman Ollie Smith (26:24), and sophomore Maggie Moon (26:47) rounded out the Cardinals' lineup.

Men's Race (8K):
Otterbein placed fourth as a team out of 20 programs, scoring 133 points. Cedarville won on the men's side as well, finishing with 65.

Senior Payne Ratliff led the Cardinals with a 25:11 clocking to place 12th in the field of 383. Junior Mitch Green (25:31), junior Brady Pugh (25:36), and junior Caleb Rafferty (25:46) all crossed inside the top 40 to help secure the strong team finish. Junior Corey Rafferty followed in 25:52, while senior David Hartman (26:29) and sophomore Tucker See (26:48) also contributed to the scoring effort.

Additional Otterbein competitors included seniors Gavin Kelly (27:09), Drew Osler (27:23), Alec Spangler (27:31), and Jonny Powers (30:39). Younger Cardinals also filled out the pack, with sophomore Aidan Castillo (27:09), sophomore Brannon Moser (27:32), sophomore Henry Barnes (27:49), sophomore Joshua Porter (28:59), and freshmen James Vasselo (28:35), Easton Miller (29:14), Brady Williams (29:18), and Spencer Grace (29:39) gaining valuable experience.