Tipp’s remarkable cross country season came to an emotional end on Saturday, November 1st in Columbus at the DII state cross country championships. The boys team just missed winning the school’s first ever state championship, losing by only 3 points to the reigning two-time defending champions, Peninsula Woodridge. The runner-up finish is the third time a Tippecanoe boys cross country team has finished 2nd in school history. Both Tipp and Woodridge were ranked tied for first in the final state polls heading into Saturday and definitely lived up to the hype by making it the second closest margin in DII history. Although obviously disappointed, the boys team held their heads up high and smiled as they hoisted up their runner-up trophy on the podium in front of the highly populated grandstand at Scioto Downs.
The encouraging thing about their 2nd place finish is that almost everyone ran better than the previous meet at the Troy Regional. Jason Salyer capped off his senior season by finishing as the first team qualifier and was 3rd overall with a time of 15:45, the best individual state place in Tippecanoe cross country history. Kevin Fink also earned All-Ohio and podium honors by finishing 12th overall with a time of 16:08, making the tandem of Salyer and Fink the best 1-2 punch in the state. Jason Bruns also capped off a great senior season by finishing in 33rd overall with a time of 16:34. Tyler Feitshans finished right behind him in 35th with a time of 16:36. Matt Zuzolo capped off his senior year by emerging as the team’s fifth runner and was the only one to run a personal best time, finishing in 94th with a time of 17:25. Luke Zerkle finished 109th with a time of 17:41, and Andrew Wharton finished 113rd with a time of 18:15. Through four runners (top 5 runners count in the team scoring), Tipp was ahead of Woodridge by 20 points, but Woodridge’s 5th runner made the difference by running under 17 minutes. 150 runners competed in the race.
Despite the heartbreaking loss, the Tippecanoe boys cross country program has a lot to be proud of. The program has come a long way in just the past four years. Four years ago, during the senior’s freshman year, the team finished 15th at regionals out of 16 teams. Through hard work, dedication, and the desire to achieve their maximum potential, they finished 8th at state the following year under coach Dave Larson. Unfortunately for the team, Dave had the opportunity to become a principal in Russia, Ohio and had no other choice but to take the job.
Dave was a huge part in the development of the program and made sure to find a worthy replacement. And find one he did in Ron Rohrer from Springboro. Ron had many years of experience under his belt and provided the team, along with assistant coach Nick Culver, everything he could to develop the team into better runners. The team continued to stay focused and work hard under his wing, which resulted in a lot of hardware including a 5th place and 2nd place state finish the next two years.
Though the memory of finishing so close to their drams, but falling just short will stick in their minds, the team’s memories of all the great times they have had together will overshadow any other thought. One of the main reasons why the team has been so successful over the past few years is because of the bonds and friendships they have made with each other. They will all look back on these times in the years to come and will remember all of the funny and great experiences they shared with each other.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
Tipp Boys win Troy Regional
The running conditions were ruthless to say the least at the Troy Regional on Saturday, October 25th. Runners had to battle through fierce winds of up to 20 MPH on their quest to a state tournament birth. Tippecanoe’s boys team took care of business and did not let anything effect them en route to their second straight regional title and third straight state tournament appearance. The boys team scored only 49 points, beating 2nd place Carroll by 34, 3rd place Hamilton Badin by 63, and 4th place McNicholas by 111 in the 16 team field.
Jason Salyer won the individual title with a time of 16:12, edging out last year’s regional champ Andrew Trick from Carroll in the final 100 meters after having run stride for stride with each other for a majority of the race. Kevin Fink finished strong in 4th place with a time of 16:34 after finishing 35th last year. Tyler Fietshans finished 9th with a time of 16:47, and Jason Bruns finished 16th with a time of 16:57. Tipp’s top 4 runners would have qualified individually if their entire team had not placed in the top 4. Andrew Wharton rounded out Tipp’s score by placing as the team’s 5th man for the second time this season after battling through injuries all year. He finished in 37th overall with a time of 17:34. Luke Zerkle finished 59th with a time of 17:57, and Matt Zuzolo finished 66th with a time of 18:09. 130 runners competed in the race.
Ever since finishing 5th as a team at the state meet last year, the goal has been to win the state title. All of their hard work and dedication has been geared towards this year’s state meet. Tipp has been ranked #1 or #2 all year in the state polls and will have their hands full against the two-time defending champions in Peninsula Woodridge. Statistically, the teams look like mirror images of each other. The deciding factor is going to be the performance of each team’s fifth runner, who caps off the team scoring. Tipp has had Andrew Wharton, Luke Zerkle, and Matt Zuzolo interchange as the team’s fifth runner all year. Although most of the emphasis lies on them, Tipp’s whole squad is going have to lay it all on the line in order to accomplish their goal..
Jason Salyer won the individual title with a time of 16:12, edging out last year’s regional champ Andrew Trick from Carroll in the final 100 meters after having run stride for stride with each other for a majority of the race. Kevin Fink finished strong in 4th place with a time of 16:34 after finishing 35th last year. Tyler Fietshans finished 9th with a time of 16:47, and Jason Bruns finished 16th with a time of 16:57. Tipp’s top 4 runners would have qualified individually if their entire team had not placed in the top 4. Andrew Wharton rounded out Tipp’s score by placing as the team’s 5th man for the second time this season after battling through injuries all year. He finished in 37th overall with a time of 17:34. Luke Zerkle finished 59th with a time of 17:57, and Matt Zuzolo finished 66th with a time of 18:09. 130 runners competed in the race.
Ever since finishing 5th as a team at the state meet last year, the goal has been to win the state title. All of their hard work and dedication has been geared towards this year’s state meet. Tipp has been ranked #1 or #2 all year in the state polls and will have their hands full against the two-time defending champions in Peninsula Woodridge. Statistically, the teams look like mirror images of each other. The deciding factor is going to be the performance of each team’s fifth runner, who caps off the team scoring. Tipp has had Andrew Wharton, Luke Zerkle, and Matt Zuzolo interchange as the team’s fifth runner all year. Although most of the emphasis lies on them, Tipp’s whole squad is going have to lay it all on the line in order to accomplish their goal..
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Tipp Boys XC Team Advances to Regionals
There were no real surprises at the District race at the Miami Valley Career Technology Center on Saturday, October 18th. The boys finished where everyone thought they would, in first place, and scored just about as many points as the previous weekend against similar competition. They won the race with 33 points, 46 points ahead of 2nd place Kenton Ridge and 57 points ahead of 3rd place Bellefontaine. Their top 5 average time of 16:36, although 6 seconds slower than last weekend, was the 2nd fastest average out of all the 6 boys races for all divisions run on that course, trailing only to Centerville.
Jason Salyer and Kevin Fink repeated their CBC performance by finishing 1st and 2nd once again. They took the lead a half mile into the race and led a pack of about 8 runners, including Tyler Feitshans and Jason Bruns, through the mile mark in 5 minutes flat. They gradually put some distance between them and the rest of the field on the second mile and ran through the 2 mile at 10:11 and 10:14. Kevin’s 2 mile split was actually faster than his 2 mile personal record in track. Jason finished with a time of 15:58 and Kevin finished with a time of 16:13, 4 seconds ahead of 3rd place finisher Gareth Graver from Greenon. Jason’s win defended his district title from last year, and Kevin’s 2nd place finish was a huge improvement on his 16th place finish last year.
Tyler Feitshans and Jason Bruns earned 1st Team All-District honors along with Jason and Kevin by placing 6th and 7th respectively. Tyler just missed edging out Bellefontaine’s Micah Hatcher, who barely out kicked Bruns the previous weekend, and finished only half a second behind him with a time of 16:37. Bruns finished right behind Tyler in 7th with a time of 16:45. Matt Zuzolo stepped up as the team’s 5th runner and just missed qualifying to regionals individually, finishing in 17th (top 16 qualify individually) with a time of 17:26. Had he been in the other D2 district, he would have finished 13th. Luke Zerkle finished right behind Matt in 18th with a time of 17:32. Andrew Wharton finished 24th with a time of 17:47 after not practicing the last two weeks due to a nagging hip injury. 82 runners competed in the race.
The boys team enters the Troy Regional with the goal of winning by a large margin to capture their second straight regional title. Individually, the boys will try to qualify their top 4 runners to the state meet by placing in the top 16. Jason Salyer and Tyler Fietshans accomplished that feat last year, and Kevin Fink and Jason Bruns hope to accomplish that as well. Salyer will also be looking to win the race individually after placing 2nd last year, but he will have his hands full with teammate Kevin Fink, Oakwood’s Peter Hix, and Carroll’s Andrew Trick. Andrew Trick is the defending champion and ran a 16:16 on the same district course to qualify. Peter Hix was the 1600 meter champion in track and ran 0.5 seconds faster than Salyer on the same district course to qualify. Fink has the 3rd fastest qualifying time and will be in the mix as well. It should be a very close race and a very exciting one to watch.
Jason Salyer and Kevin Fink repeated their CBC performance by finishing 1st and 2nd once again. They took the lead a half mile into the race and led a pack of about 8 runners, including Tyler Feitshans and Jason Bruns, through the mile mark in 5 minutes flat. They gradually put some distance between them and the rest of the field on the second mile and ran through the 2 mile at 10:11 and 10:14. Kevin’s 2 mile split was actually faster than his 2 mile personal record in track. Jason finished with a time of 15:58 and Kevin finished with a time of 16:13, 4 seconds ahead of 3rd place finisher Gareth Graver from Greenon. Jason’s win defended his district title from last year, and Kevin’s 2nd place finish was a huge improvement on his 16th place finish last year.
Tyler Feitshans and Jason Bruns earned 1st Team All-District honors along with Jason and Kevin by placing 6th and 7th respectively. Tyler just missed edging out Bellefontaine’s Micah Hatcher, who barely out kicked Bruns the previous weekend, and finished only half a second behind him with a time of 16:37. Bruns finished right behind Tyler in 7th with a time of 16:45. Matt Zuzolo stepped up as the team’s 5th runner and just missed qualifying to regionals individually, finishing in 17th (top 16 qualify individually) with a time of 17:26. Had he been in the other D2 district, he would have finished 13th. Luke Zerkle finished right behind Matt in 18th with a time of 17:32. Andrew Wharton finished 24th with a time of 17:47 after not practicing the last two weeks due to a nagging hip injury. 82 runners competed in the race.
The boys team enters the Troy Regional with the goal of winning by a large margin to capture their second straight regional title. Individually, the boys will try to qualify their top 4 runners to the state meet by placing in the top 16. Jason Salyer and Tyler Fietshans accomplished that feat last year, and Kevin Fink and Jason Bruns hope to accomplish that as well. Salyer will also be looking to win the race individually after placing 2nd last year, but he will have his hands full with teammate Kevin Fink, Oakwood’s Peter Hix, and Carroll’s Andrew Trick. Andrew Trick is the defending champion and ran a 16:16 on the same district course to qualify. Peter Hix was the 1600 meter champion in track and ran 0.5 seconds faster than Salyer on the same district course to qualify. Fink has the 3rd fastest qualifying time and will be in the mix as well. It should be a very close race and a very exciting one to watch.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Tippecanoe XC Boys Capture CBC Title
The Tippecanoe high school boys cross country team took care of business at the Central Buckeye Conference Championships on Saturday, October 11th, scoring only 36 points and beating 2nd place Bellefontaine by 48 points. After not racing the previous weekend and treating the Miami County Championships as a hard workout two weeks prior, the boys' team entered the meet hungry for success against the always competitive CBC field. The CBC routinely qualifies many individuals and teams to the state tournament in Columbus year after year. Within the conference there are many individual rivalries, and the top runners from each team all compete with the burning desire to finish in the top 7 to earn First-Team All-CBC honors. The great competition and weather lead to many personal best times despite the challenging course which included one large hill and many short, but steep, inclinations.
Overall, the boys' team performed better than they have all year which is a true testament to their great work ethic and great coaches Ron Rohrer and Nick Culver. 11 of Tipp's 12 runners ran personal best times. Tipp also had their best top 5 average team time of 16:29. The pack of Jason Salyer, Kevin Fink, Jason Bruns, and Tyler Fietshans ran relatively close to each other during the first mile, trailing only to Bellefontaine's top two runners. After the mile mark both Jason Salyer and Kevin Fink took control of the lead and never looked back, eventually finishing 1st and 2nd. Salyer won with a time of 15:57 and Fink 2nd finished with a time of 16:05. Jason Bruns also earned 1st Team All-CBC honors by finishing 6th with a time of 16:25. Tyler Fietshans just missed that honor, placing 8th with a time 16:32 and earning 2nd Team All-CBC honors. The tandem of Luke Zerkle and Matt Zuzolo rounded out the top 20. Luke finished 19th and Matt finished 20th, both finishing in a time of 17:25. Zach Wertz finished 25th overall with a time of 17:43. A total of 107 runners competed in the race.
The title is Tipp's second straight CBC Championship and third straight Kenton Trail Division Championship. The win also finishes off Tipp's undefeated regular season against D2 competition. The boys' team now heads into the post-season schedule. They run next week at the Career Technology Center for their District race. The Regional meet in Troy follows that race, and the season comes to a close at the State Championships in Columbus. The team definitely has the right pieces for a state championship. If they continue to work hard and stay injury-free, anything is possible.
Overall, the boys' team performed better than they have all year which is a true testament to their great work ethic and great coaches Ron Rohrer and Nick Culver. 11 of Tipp's 12 runners ran personal best times. Tipp also had their best top 5 average team time of 16:29. The pack of Jason Salyer, Kevin Fink, Jason Bruns, and Tyler Fietshans ran relatively close to each other during the first mile, trailing only to Bellefontaine's top two runners. After the mile mark both Jason Salyer and Kevin Fink took control of the lead and never looked back, eventually finishing 1st and 2nd. Salyer won with a time of 15:57 and Fink 2nd finished with a time of 16:05. Jason Bruns also earned 1st Team All-CBC honors by finishing 6th with a time of 16:25. Tyler Fietshans just missed that honor, placing 8th with a time 16:32 and earning 2nd Team All-CBC honors. The tandem of Luke Zerkle and Matt Zuzolo rounded out the top 20. Luke finished 19th and Matt finished 20th, both finishing in a time of 17:25. Zach Wertz finished 25th overall with a time of 17:43. A total of 107 runners competed in the race.
The title is Tipp's second straight CBC Championship and third straight Kenton Trail Division Championship. The win also finishes off Tipp's undefeated regular season against D2 competition. The boys' team now heads into the post-season schedule. They run next week at the Career Technology Center for their District race. The Regional meet in Troy follows that race, and the season comes to a close at the State Championships in Columbus. The team definitely has the right pieces for a state championship. If they continue to work hard and stay injury-free, anything is possible.
Tipp Cross Country DOMIN8s at Miami County Championships
Year after year Tippecanoe’s cross country program continues to grow in numbers and improve on their success from the year before. Just ten years before Tipp struggled to even field a varsity team. Now the high school girls’ team has 24 runners and the boys 14 with similar numbers in the junior high. Not only is Tipp now able to field a varsity team, but they are now able to proclaim themselves as Miami County’s top cross country program. Both the high school and junior high boys won their races on Saturday, September 27th; the high school girls placed second, and the junior high girls placed third out of the nine county teams. By adding up their four places Tipp scored only seven points, four fewer than Troy (11) and six fewer than Covington (13). A majority of the runners ran much faster than when they ran the course earlier in the year at the Bob Schul Invitaitonal.
The high school boys’ goal heading into their race was to score fewer points than their junior high counterparts, but came up just short, winning with 25 points and beating second place Troy by 65 points. Jason Salyer and Kevin fink, arguably the best 1-2 punch in the state of Ohio for D2, finished 1st and 2nd respectively with times of 16:33 and 16:36. Jason Bruns finished in 5th with a time of 16:48, 23 seconds faster than Schul. Tyler Fietshans finished in 6th with a time of 17:18. Luke Zerkle finished as the team’s fifth man for the second time this season, finishing 13th overall with a time of 17:39, a minute and 15 seconds faster than Schul. Matt Zuzolo finished 13th with a time of 17:48, 54 seconds faster than Schul, and Zach Wertz finished 21st with a time of 18:24, 32 seconds faster than Schul. 89 runners competed in the race.
The high school boys’ goal heading into their race was to score fewer points than their junior high counterparts, but came up just short, winning with 25 points and beating second place Troy by 65 points. Jason Salyer and Kevin fink, arguably the best 1-2 punch in the state of Ohio for D2, finished 1st and 2nd respectively with times of 16:33 and 16:36. Jason Bruns finished in 5th with a time of 16:48, 23 seconds faster than Schul. Tyler Fietshans finished in 6th with a time of 17:18. Luke Zerkle finished as the team’s fifth man for the second time this season, finishing 13th overall with a time of 17:39, a minute and 15 seconds faster than Schul. Matt Zuzolo finished 13th with a time of 17:48, 54 seconds faster than Schul, and Zach Wertz finished 21st with a time of 18:24, 32 seconds faster than Schul. 89 runners competed in the race.
Tippecanoe Boys win Sidney Invitational
The Tippecanoe boys cross country team had their best collective team effort of the season at the Sidney Invitational on Saturday, September 20th. Tipp placed their top 5 runners in the top 12 in a field consisting of 172 runners. They scored 31 team points, beating 2nd place Kettering Fairmont by 27 points and 3rd place Wapokoneta by 77 points. The excellent weather and flat course resulted in many solid performances and fast times.
The re-emergence of Andrew Wharton as the team’s fifth man added even more depth to an already deep and talented roster. Tippecanoe had their fastest top 5 average time of the year with a 16:38 and had their shortest gap between their first and fifth runners for the season. Wharton’s ankle injury looks to be fully healed and his race certainly showed that. Andrew finished 12th overall with a time of 17:12, a minute and 22 seconds better than his race last weekend.
Tyler Fietshans broke the 17 minute mark for the first time this season after not even knowing whether he would race. He punctured his foot in practice on Wednesday when a stick somehow penetrated through his shoe and into his foot. Despite the pain, Tyler finished 7th overall with a time of 16:47.
Luke Zerkle finished sixth for the team with a time of 17:42. Matt Zuzolo finished seventh for the team with a time of 18:04, and Zach Wertz finished eighth for the team with a time of 19:19. All three runners provide Tipp with solid insurance should any of their top five have a sub-par race.
The always reliable Jason Bruns and Kevin Fink also had tremendous races. They finished 5th and 6th overall with Jason edging out Kevin in the last twenty meters to finish with a time of 16:37 to Kevin’s 16:38. Jason Salyer ended up winning the race with a time of 15:53, beating Sidney’s Aaron Dinzeo by five seconds. Both Jason’s and Kevin ran a fast 4:54 first mile, but still trailed Dinzeo by about twenty meters. Salyer gradually caught up to Sidney’s top runner and ran right behind him until the second mile marker. Jason took over the lead from there and slowly built up a lead he never relinquished.
The win for Tipp was definitely a huge confidence booster. Wharton’s return takes pressure off of their top four runners and Tyler’s sub 17 performance was the race he needed to assure himself of his great talent. The team’s hard work and dedication is definitely paying off and their future continues to look bright. Their bid for the state title is going to come down to them staying healthy along with the performance of their fifth runner at the state meet.
The cross country teams will be in action next weekend at the Miami County Championships in West Milton.
The re-emergence of Andrew Wharton as the team’s fifth man added even more depth to an already deep and talented roster. Tippecanoe had their fastest top 5 average time of the year with a 16:38 and had their shortest gap between their first and fifth runners for the season. Wharton’s ankle injury looks to be fully healed and his race certainly showed that. Andrew finished 12th overall with a time of 17:12, a minute and 22 seconds better than his race last weekend.
Tyler Fietshans broke the 17 minute mark for the first time this season after not even knowing whether he would race. He punctured his foot in practice on Wednesday when a stick somehow penetrated through his shoe and into his foot. Despite the pain, Tyler finished 7th overall with a time of 16:47.
Luke Zerkle finished sixth for the team with a time of 17:42. Matt Zuzolo finished seventh for the team with a time of 18:04, and Zach Wertz finished eighth for the team with a time of 19:19. All three runners provide Tipp with solid insurance should any of their top five have a sub-par race.
The always reliable Jason Bruns and Kevin Fink also had tremendous races. They finished 5th and 6th overall with Jason edging out Kevin in the last twenty meters to finish with a time of 16:37 to Kevin’s 16:38. Jason Salyer ended up winning the race with a time of 15:53, beating Sidney’s Aaron Dinzeo by five seconds. Both Jason’s and Kevin ran a fast 4:54 first mile, but still trailed Dinzeo by about twenty meters. Salyer gradually caught up to Sidney’s top runner and ran right behind him until the second mile marker. Jason took over the lead from there and slowly built up a lead he never relinquished.
The win for Tipp was definitely a huge confidence booster. Wharton’s return takes pressure off of their top four runners and Tyler’s sub 17 performance was the race he needed to assure himself of his great talent. The team’s hard work and dedication is definitely paying off and their future continues to look bright. Their bid for the state title is going to come down to them staying healthy along with the performance of their fifth runner at the state meet.
The cross country teams will be in action next weekend at the Miami County Championships in West Milton.
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