Cross Country – SWC Athletics

Olmsted Falls’ Clute Named SWC Girls Runner of the Week

by dmay on October 17, 2022 440 views

The Southwestern Conference released its Girls Cross Country Athlete of the Week for October 10-15 this afternoon. Below is this week’s honoree:

Girls Cross Country Athlete of the Week
Katie Clute
Olmsted Falls
Senior
Katie won her fourth-straight Southwestern Conference Cross Country Championship on Saturday. Clute cross the line in a SWC-record 18:16.80, breaking the mark of 18:28.5 set by Olmsted Falls’ Michelle Kalikin in 1983. Katie is the first SWC athlete to win four cross country titles.

Other Notable Performances

Aurora Wilson (Senior), Amherst Steele
Aurora finished fourth in the SWC Championship on Saturday, running her career best-time on the LCCC course. She is now a four-time All-SWC performer in cross country

Avon’s Reed named SWC Girls Runner of the Week

by dmay on September 6, 2022 441 views

The Southwestern Conference released its Boys and Girls Runner of the Week for August 29 to September 3 this afternoon. Below is this week’s honoree:

Girls Cross Country Runner of the Week
Caroline Reed
Avon
Sophomore
Carolina finished 18th out of 188 runners at the Mentor Cardinal Classic, helping her team place third among the 23 teams. The Sophomore finished with a time of 20:04.18

Boys Cross Country Runner of the Week
No Nominees

Southwestern Conference Scholar and Sportsmanship Athletes of September

by dmay on September 5, 2022 846 views

SWC Scholar & Sportsmanship Athletes September

Each month, the Southwestern Conference will recognize student-athletes who are excelling in the classroom as well as those who have demonstrated the highest levels of integrity and sportsmanship. For September, the SWC recognizes the following student athletes:

Scholar Athletes of the Month

Ruby Mitchell
Senior
North Ridgeville High School
Cross Country

Ruby Mitchell currently holds a 4.844 cumulative grade point average and has earned the district’s ARC Award, Honor Roll and High Honor Roll. The senior is currently enrolled in AP Calculus, AP World History and AP Chemistry. Mitchell is also a member of the track and field team at North Ridgeville.

Anthony DiFranco
Senior
Midview High School
Football

Anthony DiFranco enters the 2022-23 school year ranked ninth in the graduating class with a 4.235 cumulative grade point average. The National Honor Society member is currently enrolled in Physics and AP Literature and Composition. DiFranco, who also runs track and played three years of basketball, is an active member of Link Crew and Helping Hands at Midview.

Sportsmanship Athletes of the Month

Brooke Bechtel
Senior
Berea-Midpark High School
Cross Country

An impressive varsity athlete for Berea-Midpark since her freshman year, Brooke Bechtel’s success never overshadowed her love of serving others. She has tremendous ability to balance her school work, her athletic development and supporting both her teammates and fellow students at Berea-Midpark High School.

Brooke has been selected as a Student Visionary of the Year (candidate) for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society for the 2022-2023 school year. Student Visionaries of the Year is a philanthropic leadership development program in which high-school leaders embark on a journey of professional growth, fostering professional skills such as entrepreneurship, marketing, and project management – all while raising as much funding and awareness as possible to impact LLS’s lifesaving mission.

Outside of being a four-year varsity member of Cross Country, Indoor/Outdoor Track, Brooke is an active member of the BMHS school community. She is a member of the Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council and District Design Team, working directly with the superintendent on school policies, curriculum ideas, school culture, and providing overall feedback. She is a member of the BMHS Student Athlete Leadership Team (SALT) and the SWC Student Summit, a member of the District’s Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion committee, Corresponding Secretary of National Honor Society, a member of Spanish Honor Society, Speech & Debate Team, Student Council, LINK Leader, and Realizing Your Potential (RYP).

Jaden McCall
Senior
Elyria High School
Boys Soccer

Jaden McCall is a senior captain of the Elyria Boys Soccer team and leads by example while mentoring the younger players in the program. He always works hard and gives 100%. Outside of soccer, McCall races cars as a hobby.

Avon Lake Boys Win 2019 Southwestern Conference Preview Meet

by SWC SID on August 24, 2019 1.83K views

High School Boys Results

The Avon Lake boys cross country program won the Southwestern Conference Preview Meet Saturday morning with 50 points on the campus of Lorain County Community College.

Lakewood senior Cormac Peppard-Kramer won the individual title with a time of 16.57.0. Avon Lake senior Ryan Keller finished in second place with a time of 17:18.4 and teammate Matt Henry placed third, crossing the finish line in 17:19.0.

Lakewood finished in second in team standings with 74 points with Peppard-Kramer’s first place finish and Patrick McCallum placing seventh crossing the line at 17:34.8. Amherst finished third with 76 points, led by Matthew Kirsch (17:37.9) and Cael Walker (18:07.8).

Team Results:

1. Avon Lake – 50
2. Lakewood – 74
3. Amherst – 76
4. Avon – 87
5. Westlake – 100
6. North Olmsted – 139
7. North Ridgeville – 183
8. Olmsted Falls – 228
9. Berea-Midpark – 268
10. Midview – 306

Avon Girls Win 2019 Southwestern Conference Preview Meet

by SWC SID on August 24, 2019 1.89K views

High School Girls Results

The Avon girls cross country program won the Southwestern Conference Preview Meet Saturday morning with 49 points on the campus of Lorain County Community College.

Olmsted Falls freshman Katie Clute won the individual title with a time of 20:13.9. Avon sophomore Jane Roach finished in second place with a time of 20:31.6 and Westlake’s Sydney Peer placed third, crossing the finish line in 20:35.4.

Avon was paced by Roach and Meadow Smith who was fourth with her time of 20:52.2. Amherst finished second in the team standings with 81 team points, with Catherine Turner’s sixth place finish (21:07.6) and Marissa Del Valle placing ninth crossing the finish line at 21:10.9. Olmsted Falls finished in third place with 102 points, led by Clute and Lillie Katsaras (21:27.0).

Team Results:

1. Avon – 49
2. Amherst – 81
3. Olmsted Falls – 102
4. Lakewood – 115
5. Westlake – 136
6. Avon Lake – 143
7. Berea-Midpark – 146
8. Midview – 168
9. North Olmsted – 219
10. North Ridgeville – 270

2019 Southwestern Conference Fall Preview – Girls Cross Country

by SWC SID on August 14, 2019 1.53K views

With the fall athletic season just around the corner, the Southwestern Conference is excited to launch its Southwestern Conference Fall Preview. The preview will be a tradition for faithful Southwestern Conference followers and will signal the beginning of the much anticipated 2019 fall athletic seasons and the first step on the pathway to this year’s Southwestern Conference Champions.

Follow along this week as we preview each of the Fall sports as they begin their 2019 campaigns:

Monday Aug 12th – Football
Tuesday Aug 13th – Boys & Girls Golf / Girls Tennis
Wednesday Aug 14th – Boys & Girls Cross Country
Thursday Aug 15th – Volleyball
Friday Aug 16th – Boys & Girls Soccer

Amherst Steele

Head Coach: Terry Kemp

Years at school: 30

Last Year’s Overall Record (Conference Record): 3rd in SWC

Number of Returning Starters: 4

Athletes to Watch: Victoria Bailey (Sr), Marissa Del Valle (So), Leah Gerke (So), Kaylee Haff (Jr)

2019 Season Outlook: The Comets return four girls with Regional Meet experience, plus several gifted newcomers. If the 2019 squad can get the mix of veteran athletes and young talent to develop, Amherst Steele hopes to add to their streak of qualifying a team to the Regional meet 29 of the last 30 years.

Avon

Head Coach: Matt Nortz

Years at school: 8

Last Year’s Overall Record (Conference Record): 1st in SWC

Number of Returning Starters: 3

Athletes to Watch: Maddy Coppolino (Sr), Amanda Gothier (Sr), Jane Roach (So), Emma Smith (Jr), Meadow Smith (Jr), Liz White (So)

2019 Season Outlook: With several underclassmen on the 2019 team, Avon hopes to repeat as SWC champions.

Avon Lake

Head Coach:

Years at school:

Last Year’s Overall Record (Conference Record):

Number of Returning Starters:

Athletes to Watch:

2019 Season Outlook: Not submitted in time for release.

Berea-Midpark

Head Coach: Tim Barnes

Years at school: 5

Last Year’s Overall Record (Conference Record):

Number of Returning Starters:

Athletes to Watch: Shura Ermakov (Sr), Megan Thai (Sr)

2019 Season Outlook: The Titans cross country team is led by a strong senior class. The two front-runners Shura Ermakov and Megan Thai are supported by a solid junior and sophomore group. The Titans are looking forward to the exciting new talent that their freshmen will bring to the team.

Lakewood

Head Coach: Danielle Hammond

Years at school: 4

Last Year’s Overall Record (Conference Record): 7th in SWC

Number of Returning Starters: 6

Athletes to Watch: Teeghan McGann, Abby Sacha, Nasia Shields

2019 Season Outlook: Coach Hammond is happy with the growth of her program. The Rangers will be adding a few runners from their spring track and field team and a handful of freshmen to round out a successful top 7.

Midview

Head Coach: Kathy Manning

Years at school: 2

Last Year’s Overall Record (Conference Record): 7th in SWC

Number of Returning Starters: 4

Athletes to Watch: Riley Folley, Lydia Henely, Isabel Mraz, Sophia Palazzi, Grace Patchin, Audrey Sanzone

2019 Season Outlook: A roster deep with seniors in 2019, Midview looking forward to their leadership and their love for running to lead the team.

North Olmsted

Head Coach: Marlene Bloomfield

Years at school: 4

Last Year’s Overall Record (Conference Record): 6th place in SWC

Number of Returning Starters: 2

Athletes to Watch: Emma Popik (Fr), Alexis Sarantos (Sr), Kayla Simon (So)

2019 Season Outlook: Coach Bloomfield always encourages her girls to strive for more than they did last year. The Eagles graduated eight seniors and have a small freshman group of runners in 2019. Bloomfield is relying on the veteran runners to step up and improve North Olmsted’s placement in the conference. The team’s goal is to place better in the conference each year.

North Ridgeville

Head Coach: Andy Dohanos

Years at school: 6

Last Year’s Overall Record (Conference Record): 9th in SWC

Number of Returning Starters: 4

Athletes to Watch: Kylie Cope (S0), Alexandra Reed (Jr), Christina Scialabba (Sr), Maddy Wilm (Sr)

2019 Season Outlook: An influx of competitive new recruits, the steady leadership of their senior girls, dedicated training during the summer, and momentum from a strong track season provides the foundation for a big step forward for the Rangers girls cross country program.

Olmsted Falls

Head Coach: Rae Alexander

Years at school: 21

Last Year’s Overall Record (Conference Record): 10th in SWC

Number of Returning Starters: 5

Athletes to Watch: Danielle Andrews (Jr), Mikayla Ellis (Jr), Lillie Katsaras (So), Madi Sobieski (Sr)

2019 Season Outlook: The Bulldogs are looking forward to improving results at every meet. Coach Alexander is guiding the team on instilling a positive attitude with goals for continuous progress in performance, confidence, and racing skill development. She has the team hopeful and anticipating a successful season.

Westlake

Head Coach: Travis Haselswerdt

Years at school: 17

Last Year’s Overall Record (Conference Record): 5th in SWC

Number of Returning Starters: 6

Athletes to Watch: Ashley Boyd (Jr), Grace Holmes (So), Olivia Irwin (Sr), Sydney Peer (Fr), Teagan Walsh (Sr)

2019 Season Outlook: With six returning members from last year’s roster, the Demons have the potential to repeat another top half finish in the always tough SWC while competing for a Regional qualifying spot at the District meet. Replacing star runner Erica Francesconi will be difficult, but Senior Teagan Walsh, one of the top runners in the area, looks poised to qualify as an All-SWC finisher and Regional qualifier for a fourth straight time. Meanwhile, Olivia Irwin and Ashley Boyd look to lead the core of the team while freshman standout Sidney Peer could be the dark-horse the team needs to make a real run as the year enters the post-season.

2019 Southwestern Conference Fall Preview – Boys Cross Country

by SWC SID on August 14, 2019 1.83K views

Follow along this week as we preview each of the Fall sports as they begin their 2019 campaigns:

Amherst Steele

Head Coach: Rob Glatz

Years at school: 5

Last Year’s Overall Record (Conference Record): 3rd in SWC

Number of Returning Starters: 6

Athletes to Watch: Ethan Barnes (Sr), Gabe DelValle (Sr), Matthew Kirsh (Sr), Jacob Raesler (Jr), Cael Walker (Jr)

2019 Season Outlook: Five of Amherst’s top seven runners from last year’s OHSAA District Championship team return for 2019. Strong leadership from their seniors has resulted in a solid summer of running while building discipline, injury prevention measures and brotherhood. The Comets are looking for their best season yet.

Avon

Head Coach: Matt Nortz

Years at school: 8

Last Year’s Overall Record (Conference Record): 2nd in SWC

Number of Returning Starters: 6

Athletes to Watch: Muhammad Abedeljaber (Sr), Cole Emerine (Jr), Evan Haemmerle (So), Ryan Hamerschmidt (Jr), Evan Holtzmeier (So), Joe Laforet (Sr), Jett Wieber (Jr), Brandon Wiedl (Jr)

2019 Season Outlook: Graduating only one starting Senior from the 2018 season, the Eagles will enjoy a deep squad with lots of returning starters. The team runs as a close unit and hopes to place high in several invitationals throughout the season. Although Avon lost by one point last year at SWC, they are aiming to advance to the State meet.

Avon Lake

Head Coach:

Years at school:

Last Year’s Overall Record (Conference Record):

Number of Returning Starters:

Athletes to Watch:

2019 Season Outlook: Not submitted in time for release.

Berea-Midpark

Head Coach: Tim Barnes

Years at school: 5

Last Year’s Overall Record (Conference Record):

Number of Returning Starters:

Athletes to Watch: Josh Carver (Sr), Nathan Demian (Jr)

2019 Season Outlook: This is the first year of Coach Barnes coaching the Boys team. With eight freshmen and five sophomores, the Titans have a young group with great potential. The Titans will rely on the leadership of senior captain Josh Carver and junior captain Nathan Demian in 2019.

Lakewood

Head Coach: Stephanie Toole

Years at school: 7

Last Year’s Overall Record (Conference Record): 1st in SWC

Number of Returning Starters: 5

Athletes to Watch: Cormac Peppard-Kramer

2019 Season Outlook: Graduating two of their top seven runners from a young team in 2018, Lakewood looks to come back and defend their conference title this season. With a large incoming freshman class, the young Rangers team is looking to improve and stay strong in the coming years.

Midview

Head Coach: Kathy Manning

Years at school: 2

Last Year’s Overall Record (Conference Record): 9th in SWC

Number of Returning Starters: 5

Athletes to Watch: Mark Allman, Robert Callaway, Ryan Carnahan

2019 Season Outlook: The Middies are a growing program. Coach Manning is excited for the upcoming season. She has a good mix of veteran and new runners in 2019 and is looking forward to seeing a lot of PRs this season.

North Olmsted

Head Coach: Michael D’Alessandro

Years at school: 15

Last Year’s Overall Record (Conference Record): 10th in SWC

Number of Returning Starters: 7

Athletes to Watch: Miles Ciulla (Fr), Owen Conway (Jr), Aidan Fox (Jr), Braden Martens (So), Albert Olesky (Sr), Bobby Perkins (So) Will Smith (Sr), Kyle Smith (So), Sean Whelan (Sr)

2019 Season Outlook: The Eagles have the talent to bounce back from their 2018 season. D’Alessandro feels with the proper mix of attitude, effort, and motivation, this can be a very successful team.

North Ridgeville

Head Coach: Andy Dohanos

Years at school: 6

Last Year’s Overall Record (Conference Record): 8th in SWC

Number of Returning Starters: 5

Athletes to Watch: Tobin Grendzynski (Sr), Eddie Laviano (Sr), Adam Menser (Jr), Eric Reynolds (Sr), Alex Serna (So)

2019 Season Outlook: After a solid summer of training, returning veteran leadership, and important additions led by Caden Blaylock (So) and Gustavo Imbacuan (Fr) the Rangers feel ready to compete in the conference.

Olmsted Falls

Head Coach: Hunter Heaton

Years at school: 1

Last Year’s Overall Record (Conference Record): 7th in SWC

Number of Returning Starters: 5

Athletes to Watch: Doug Kukura (Jr), Kyle Neckar (Jr), Andrew Schroth (Sr)

2019 Season Outlook: New at Olmsted Falls, Head Coach Hunter Heaton is eager to help his team grow. After finishing seventh last year, the Bulldogs have their eyes set on a top four finish in the conference in 2019.

Westlake

Head Coach: Kyle Romansky

Years at school: 5

Last Year’s Overall Record (Conference Record): 5th in SWC

Number of Returning Starters: 6

Athletes to Watch: Lance Clemons, Matthew Eadie, Colin Walsh

2019 Season Outlook: This year’s Westlake team is poised to capitalize on potential that has been building for a couple of years. Many runners in the senior, junior, and sophomore classes come in with a lot of varsity experience, and the incoming freshman have shown potential in the early parts of the season. The Demons have bought into a team first mentality, and are working together collectively toward individual and team goals. This season Westlake is hoping to win the SWC for the first time since 2000 and qualify to regionals as a team for the first time since 1999. Coach Romansky has strong front running in Colin Walsh, Lance Clemons, Matthew Eadie, and David Daniel. Ivan Tucholski, KJ Mueller, Eric Kronz, Vivek Aslot, Kris Regas, Jake Rintamaki, among others add depth that will allow Westlake to perform at the highest level.

2018 Cross Country All-Southwestern Conference Honors

by SWC SID on October 17, 2018 2.56K views

The Southwestern Conference on Wednesday announced the 2018 cross country individual award winners and All-Southwestern Conference teams, as selected by the Championship Meet results and conference coaches. Westlake’s Erica Francesconi and Amherst’s Josh Hill were named the Most Valuable Runners for the second straight year. Matt Nortz of Avon and Stephanie Toole of Lakewood were named this year’s Coaches of the Year.

2018 Girls Cross Country All-Southwestern Conference Honors

Most Valuable Runner
Erica Francesconi – Westlake

Coach of the Year
Matt Nortz – Avon

First Team All-Southwestern Conference
Erica Francesconi – Westlake
Jules Frombach – Avon
Maggie Jantz – Avon Lake
Kalyn Potyrala – Amherst
Riley Mullen – Avon Lake
Teagan Walsh – Westlake
Jane Roach – Avon
Morgan Jankowski – Berea-Midpark

Second Team All-Southwestern Conference
Meadow Smith – Avon
Shura Ermakov – Berea-Midpark
Emma Sherban – Avon Lake
Abby Sidlowski – Avon
Erin Boland – Avon Lake
Victoria Bailey – Amherst
Shanna Koehler – Avon
Isabella D’Alessandro – North Olmsted

Honorable Mention All-Southwestern Conference
Amherst
Kaylee Haff, Cassidy Hill
Avon
Maddy Coppolino, Liz White
Avon Lake
Olivia Crimaldi, Alli Starr
Berea-Midpark
Sam Agresta, Megan Thai
Lakewood
Abby Sacha, Sophie Sanders
Midview
Francesca Peters, Audrey Sanzone
North Olmsted
Kate Kennedy, Kayla Simon
North Ridgeville
Alexandra Reed, Katy Reed
Olmsted Falls
Danielle Andrews, Mikayla Ellis
Westlake
Ashley Boyd, Olivia Irwin

2018 Boys Cross Country All-Southwestern Conference Honors

Most Valuable Runner
Josh Hill – Amherst

Coach of the Year
Stephanie Toole – Lakewood

First Team All-Southwestern Conference
Josh Hill – Amherst
Joe Backus – Olmsted Falls
Cormac Peppard-Kramer – Lakewood
Ryan Keller – Avon Lake
Ethan Bradt – Berea-Midpark
Jett Wieber – Avon
Jacob Nasr – Avon Lake
Luke Gardner – Avon

Second Team All-Southwestern Conference
Robert Callaway – Midview
Muhammad Adedeljaber – Avon
Joseph Toole – Lakewood
Patrick McCallum – Lakewood
Matthew Eadie – Westlake
Devin Baumgartner – Amherst
Colin Walsh – Westlake
Tyler Hannah – Lakewood

Honorable Mention All-Southwestern Conference
Amherst
Ethan Barnes, Matthew Kirsch
Avon
Cole Emerine, Ryan Hammerschmidt
Avon Lake
Matt Henry, Michael Kuban
Berea-Midpark
Eric Poole, Jacob Rusnak
Lakewood
Joe Kelly, James O’Donnell
Midview
Mark Allman, Hayden Meek
North Olmsted
Aidan Fix, Braden Martens
North Ridgeville
Eric Reynolds, Alex Serna
Olmsted Falls
Collin Cook, Ryan Kolesar
Westlake
Lance Clemons, Alex Dzwrec

Lakewood Wins 2018 SWC Boys Cross Country Championship Meet

by SWC SID on October 13, 2018 1.87K views

2018 SWC Boys Championship Results

The Lakewood boys cross country program won the Southwestern Conference Championship Meet on Saturday with 74 points at the Lorain County Community College course.

Amherst senior Josh Hill won the race for the second year in a row with a time of 16:45.5. Olmsted Falls senior Joe Backus finished in second place with his time of 17:18.1 and Lakewood’s Cormac Peppard-Kramer placed third, crossing the finish line in 17:26.6.

Lakewood was paced by Peppard-Kramer and Joseph Toole, who was 11th with a time of 18:02.4. Avon finished in second in team standings with 75 points, with Jett Wieber’s sixth place finish (17:33.0) and Luke Gardner placing eighth crossing the line at 17:46.2. Amherst finished third with 79 points, led by Hill and Devin Baumgartner’s 14th place finish (18:05.7).

Avon Lake finished in fourth place (79), led by Ryan Keller’s time of 17:30.7, good for a fourth-place individual finish. Weslake rounded out the top-five with 109 team points, including 13th place individual finish by Matthew Eadie (18:05.2).

Avon Wins 2018 SWC Girls Cross Country Championship Meet

by SWC SID on October 13, 2018 1.52K views

2018 SWC Girls Championship Results

The Avon Eagles won their third conference title this week, as the Avon girls cross country team won the 2018 Southwestern Conference Championship Meet on Saturday at the Lorain County Community College course with 45 team points.

Westlake senior Erica Francesconi won the race for the second year in a row with a time of 20:03.2. Avon senior Jules Frombach finished in second place with her time of 20:34.8 and Avon Lake’s Maggie Jantz placed third, crossing the finish line in 20:16.8.

Avon Lake finished second in team standings with 54 points, with Jant’s third-place finish and Riley Mullen placing fifth crossing the line at 21:09.3. Amherst finished third with 92 points, led by Kayln Potyrala (20:57.6) and Victoria Bailey (21:52.9).

Berea-Midpark finished in fourth place (92), led by Morgan Jankowski’s time of 21:19.2, good for a eighth-place individual finish. Westlake rounded out the top-five with 107 team points, including a sixth-place individual finish by Teagan Walsh (21:12.6).