Cross country: Lady Bulldogs run to XC sectional title

Rushville was the host of cross country Sectional 18 Saturday for both boys and girls. The top five placing teams and the top 15 individuals from non-advancing teams move on to the regional this coming Saturday. The top 20 finishers earned All-Sectional honors.For the girls, Batesville claimed the team title with 21 points. The Lady Bulldogs had all seven runners in the top 25 finishing positions. East Central was second with 76 followed by Rushville 99, Centerville 123 and Hagerstown 125.For the boys, Richmond had the top three finishers and won the team title with 30 points. Union County was second with 92 followed by East Central 108, New Castle 115 and Batesville 121. Rushville was 11th with 273.The regional will be held at CERALand Park in Columbus. The girls’ regional race is set for 10:30 a.m. with the boys following at 11:15 a.m.BatesvilleThe cooler, windy conditions did not slow the Lady Bulldogs en route to the sectional championship.Jayla Bedel led the way for the Lady Bulldogs with a runner-up finish (19:32). She was followed by Francesca Myers in sixth (20:07), Caitlin Raver in seventh (20:37), Sydney Gilland in ninth (20:56) and Paige Allgeier in 11th (21:06). Finishing out the Varsity 7 were Audrey Dieckmann at 23rd and Aubrey Weberding in 25th.The Bulldogs were led by Ryan Benz with an 11th place finish (17:32). Levi Essick was close behind in 20th (17:52) with Cael Luhman just behind in 21st (17:53). The fouirth Bulldog to cross the line and posted the only personal best for Batesville was Brody Gibson, placing 36th (18:32). Duncan Fish was just 10 spots behind him at 46th (19:11). Finishing out the Varsity 7 were Timothy Quillin in 57th and Luke Raver in 62nd.RushvilleThe third-place finish by the Lady Lions extend their season to the upcoming regional.Rushville’s Josie Corn (21:43.14), Kendra Jacobs (21:43.96, PB) and Melaney Mahan (21:53) continued to exhibit their consistency and leadership by placing 16th, 17th and 18th overall by racing to lifetime bests. Lexi Grayson (24:17, PB), Elise Cain (24:32, PB), Josie Newhouse (25:07) and Olive Shuppert (28:01, PB) ran at or more than a minute lifetime bests Saturday.“These seven girls have worked so hard the past four months and they deserve this accomplishment. They have continued to get faster and faster each week and our gap 1-5 has decreased drastically. To reach this end season goal is a testament to their hard work and dedication,” Coach Amy Tush noted.For the Lions, Mike Schlechtweg (19:21, PB) and Ian Branson (19:27, PB) led the way. Hudson Schutz (19:34, season best), Nathaniel Ditman (20:55), Noah Van Fossen (20:59), Drake Vierra (23:23, PB) and Cotton Whittaker (23:27, PB) all had season best times.