“I’ve actually had the pleasure to watch them since they were both in the seventh grade,” Stiver said by telephone on Wednesday. “They’re both extremely committed to running, year around.”
Lippincott and Bell, both seniors, will lead a contingent of area runners to the Ohio High School Athletic Association’s state cross country meet on Saturday at Fortress Obetz and Memorial Park in Obetz, southeast of Columbus on Saturday. The 93rd annual boys’ meet and 44th annual girls’ will begin at 9 a.m. with the Division III girls race.
No local teams qualified to compete for team championships, but several runners earned spots in the individual competitions. Among them are Lakota West freshman Evelyn Prodoehl, who was named the Greater Miami Conference girls cross country Athlete of the Year after winning the GMC championship by exactly a minute over Lakota East junior Jocelyn Willis, who also qualified for the state meet. Prodoehl posted the season’s best time among GMC runners with a 17:49.8 at a Dublin Jerome regular-season meet and won a Division I district championship at Voice of America Park before finishing third in the regional meet at Troy.
Willis finished ninth individually at Troy to qualify for the Division I state competition. Badin senior Dominic Seigel and freshman Abby Mathews both qualified in Division II, Seigel with a fourth-place finish among the boys and Mathews with a sixth-place finish in the girls race.
Bell was named the Southwest Ohio Conference Runner of the Year for the third straight season after winning the conference championship. He also earned a third straight trip to the state meet after finishing second at the Troy regional.
“Kiefer is just naturally gifted,” said Stiver, who’s coached cross country at Talawanda since 2014. “He has a tremendous amount of natural ability. He’s probably better in shorter events in track-and-field, but when you put him on a cross country course, his experience comes into play.”
Lippincott also was named SWOC Runner of the Year for the third straight time after winning her third straight conference championship. She finished 20th individually at the regional meet to earn a second straight trip to the state meet.
“Hannah never stops moving,” Stiver said. “She’s gritty. She’s a hard worker in the classroom and swims in the winter and summer. Her aerobic fitness makes her suited for cross country.”
This is the second year Fortress Obetz has hosted the state meet after it was moved from National Trail Raceway in Hebron.
“It’s relatively flat with one little hill,” Stiver said. “There are some narrow trails where it’s hard to pass the opposition, but overall, it’s a great venue for state meet runners and fans.”
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