The Boys Cross Country team recently powered their way to winning the Federal League. This achievement marks the first time the team has done so since 2002.
This year’s team was the fastest cross country team in school history. The team was successful due to the impressive performance by top runners at the Federal League meet hosted here at the high school.
Runners Tommy Rice, Tesfaye Young, Corder Houk, Ethan Laughman, Matt Tschantz, Mitchell Amos and Brody Fravel all ran personal bests during the tournament, helping the team secure the win.
“The team motivates me to run. Knowing that if I run well I’ll help the team and if I don’t that the team will help me,” senior runner Ethan Laughman said. “GlenOak winning the Federal League was attributed to our top seven runners all running at our peak.”
Sophomore runner Tommy Rice continued his impressive season by placing second at the Federal League Tournament. This performance qualified him for the state tournament, where he placed 28th overall.
Rice secured an All-Ohio award due to his performance at states. This is the second year in a row Rice has won the award, cementing his place as a leader on the team.
Another stand out talent on the team is junior runner Corder Houk. Houk has been running since seventh grade and is a role model on the team according to coaches and teammates.
“Cross country is a great sport and one of the best sports out there where you can really find out how hard you can push yourself and become mentally stronger,” Houk said. “The depth of our top pack and how close we are to each other really made an impact on our success and showed our determination to win.”
Another key to the team’s success is coach Brian Krosse. Krosse was awarded Federal League Coach of the Year. Members of the team praised Krosse for his leadership on and off the track.
“[Coach Krosse] was a giant figure in our successful season,” Laughman said.
The team is also full of new talent. Many freshman runners are continuing to break records and impress peers.
“It was exciting to be a part of the team and have an opportunity to run on the varsity team,” freshman runner Jake Nieporte said.
Nieporte was the only freshman to make the varsity team, an accomplishment that he is very proud of.
“We are competing with great athletes and people at the highest level,” Nieporte said.
The cross country team was able to accomplish great things this season. There is a good amount of young talent that will be coming back next season, which makes coaches and students hopeful the team will accomplish more in the future.
