Regional cross country meets take place Saturday

Local cross country runners will attempt to qualify for state when they run at regionals on Saturday.

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Troy will again be the host site for this weekend’s races. The race course takes several laps along the bank of the Great Miami River before finishing next to Troy Memorial Stadium.

Competitors in Division I will run for the first time this weekend as that level no longer has a district competition. Seven boys teams and 14 individuals, along with six girls teams and 12 individuals will advance from the site.

D-II and D-II boys and girls will have five teams and in 10 individuals advance, and D-IV has five boys teams and 10 individuals along with four teams and eight individual spots available.

The Beavercreek boys team are ranked No. 2 in the OATCCC pre-district state poll and are the highest ranking team in the area. Jackson Davis and Aiden Allen of Beavercreek co-won the Greater Western Ohio Conference championship. Ella Smith of Springboro also enters the regional race as GWOC champion.

Oakwood is the state’s top-ranked girls team in D-III and had five of the top six placers at districts behind district champion Addy Abner of Valley View.

The regional meet begins with the D-IV girls race at 10 a.m. and the boys following at 10:40 a.m. D-III girls begin at 11:50 a.m., followed by the D-III boys race at 12:30 p.m. The D-II girls will run at 1:40 p.m. and the boys follow at 2:20 p.m. The D-I girls then start at 3:30 p.m. and the boys wrap up the day at 4:10 p.m.

All awards ceremonies will begin 30 minutes after the start of the boys race for each division.

The state meets are held at Fortress Obetz and Memorial Park in Obetz on Nov. 1.

Tickets must be purchased through www.ohsaa.org/tickets. Cash is not accepted at the entry gate.