Ohio's women's side finished second over the weekend.
For weeks, the Bobcats' coaching staff has been working their runners hard, telling them that it will pay off in the long run.
Ohio may have gotten its first glimpse of the potential payoff over the weekend in Blacksburg, Virginia.
The women’s team finished second at the Virginia Tech Alumni Invite, beating out host Virginia Tech and finishing just three seconds behind Florida State. The men’s side finished sixth, but considering that three of Ohio’s top runners (Matt Evans, Michael McKean, Kyle Bussard, all to ensure they could run in later meets) sixth out of 11 teams isn't a realistic indictor of where the men's side is at.
Coach Clay Calkins said he was pleased with both teams, saying the fact the girls can hang with “powerhouses” such as Virginia Tech and Florida State is not only a great confidence builder, but also a huge motivational tool to prove to the girls that their work is paying off already.
Junior Ellen Isaac led the way for the Bobcats, finishing third overall in the women’s 6K race and clocking a time of 21:22.54. She was followed by sophomore Christine Seas in seventh at 21:58.46. Senior Krista Roehlig came in about six-seconds later at 22:04.75.
The top finisher for the men’s side, for the second meet in a row, was junior Alex Wind a time of 25:07.25. Senior Jake Gentile finished next for the Bobcats in 24th place at 25:15.21, followed by sophomore Brad Miller in 33rd place (25:29.68) and senior Jarrod Genther (25:37.81).
Calkins sang the praises of women’s team front runner, Isaac, but also mentioned he was proud of Seas' performance.
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“Christine really stepped it up this weekend,” Calkins said.
As for the men, Calkins said he knew the team was going to struggle to compete while holding out three of their top runners.
But, he was pleased with Wind, who he called, “one of those key guys.”
The Bobcats will be going to the All-Ohio Championship on Oct. 2 with their heads held high. But, until then, it’s more work.
After a promising showing at Virginia Tech, Calkins gave his team one day off and then on Sunday they were back at it.
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