2nd Annual Midwest Catholic Cross Country Championship Preview

Midwest Catholic Cross Country Championships to be held Saturday, September 24th


The 2nd Annual Midwest Catholic Cross Country Championships will draw the traditional Catholic schools from Ohio, as well as teams from Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky. The meet, formerly know as the All Ohio Catholic Cross Country Championships, will be held this Saturday, September 24th, at Indian Riffle Park in Kettering and is hosted by Dayton Carroll High School's Cross Country Program. The All Ohio Catholic Meet started in 1995. There is a pasta dinner for all of the teams held Friday evening, and is followed by six different races on Saturday. The meet features a "Gold" race for the title of Midwest Champion, as well as a smaller school "Silver" race. Here is the schedule of races: Women's Gold (10:00am), Men's Gold (10:45am), Women's Reserve (11:30am), Men's Reserve (12:15pm), Women's Silver (1:00pm), and Men's Silver (1:45pm). The 5k course is the same course used for the Mid East Cross Country Championships that are held in November and feature the top 10 seniors from Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky.
           

The meet features some of the top cross country teams in Ohio and surrounding states, as well as some of the regions best individual talent. The Men's Gold Race has a loaded field with the #1 ranked team in Ohio in Division 1 (Cleveland St. Ignatius) and Division 2 (Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary) going head to head. Additionally, the following teams are currently ranked in their respective state polls: St. Xavier (Ohio D1, #2), St. Edward (Ohio D1, #6) Toledo St. John's Jesuit (Ohio D1, #24). Out of state teams include Holy Cross (Kentucky) and Indianapolis Cathedral (Indiana). Individually, Jacob Thomson (junior) from Holy Cross looks to defend his Midwest Catholic title from 2010 (15:41).The other individuals to watch in this race include Jacob Mills (Toledo St. John's Jesuit), Patrick O'Brien (St. Vincent-St. Mary), and Mitch Baum (St. Ignatius). In the Men's Silver Race, Alter (Ohio D2, #20), Covington Catholic (2009 Kentucky Class AA State Runner-Up), Joliet (Illinois), and host Carroll look to battle for the team title. Individually, the Men's Silver Race will have Brayden Schlagbaum (Covington Catholic), Brent Jennewine (Carroll), and Eric Ledford (Alter) running for first place.
           

The Women's Gold Race is also loaded with top teams from Ohio and surrounding states: St. Ursula (Ohio D1, #10), Magnificat (Ohio D1, #13), Ursuline (Ohio D1, #27), St.Vincent-St.Mary (Ohio D2, #1), and Alter (Ohio D2, #3). The race also features the following out of state teams: Indianapolis Cathedral (Indiana), Sacred Heart Academy (Kentucky), and St. Ignatius Prep (Illinois and 2011 Private School Invite Champions). The top individuals to watch in this race include: Macey Walker and Abbie Marquard (Magnificat), Olivia Albers (Alter), Jennifer White (St. Ignatius College Prep), Maggie Allen (Sacred Heart Academy), and Sarah Mazzei (St. Ursula). St. Vincent-St. Mary is the defending Midwest Cahtolic champions. In the Women's Silver Race, Dayton Carroll will look to defend its title from the 2010 Midwest Championship meet. They will be challenged by Bishop Ready (Ohio D2, #12), Joliet (Illinois), and McNicholas. Taylor O'Neil (Carroll) and Rachel Sartoci (Joliet) should compete for the individual crown.