(11-7-26) Celina sophomore Elle Miesse is the Division II state runner-up.
Miesse finished second in the girls race at the OHSAA Cross Country State Championships on Saturday at Fortress Obetz, running 17:44.5 for 5,000 meters. The finish earns her First Team All-Ohio honors. She arrived at Obetz as the Tiffin regional champion, having won that race in 17:32.0, and as the district champion at Owens Community College.
The only runner ahead of her was the same one she beat a week ago. Sylvania Southview sophomore Julia Bocik won the state title in 17:37.7, 6.8 seconds in front of Miesse. At the Tiffin regional on Oct. 31, it was Miesse who came out on top, winning in 17:32.0 with Bocik 1.3 seconds behind her. On Saturday, Bocik flipped the result.
Miesse was 1.1 seconds ahead of third-place finisher Maya Gonzalez of Bay (17:45.6). Aurora sophomore Audrey Miller was fourth in 17:49.5, and Green senior Lucia Sveda took fifth in 17:52.8. The top four finishers in the race were all sophomores.
It is a big jump from a year ago. As a freshman, Miesse finished 39th at the state meet. As a sophomore, she leaves Obetz with a silver medal and two more seasons ahead of her.
Celina’s other state runners
Celina did not qualify a team for the state meet in either race, so its three qualifiers all ran as individuals.
Junior Sophie Gudorf, who qualified alongside Miesse out of the Tiffin regional, finished 105th in the girls race in 19:59.8.
In the boys race, Celina senior Kaleb Dameron finished 63rd in 16:23.4.
The rest of Division II
Aurora won the girls team title with 80 points, edging defending champion Bishop Watterson (99). Big Walnut was third at 192, followed by Avon (202) and Fremont Ross (234).
In the boys race, West Geauga senior Ian Res won the individual title in 15:22.8, ahead of Tallmadge’s Donevan Noah (15:24.7) and Nordonia’s Anderson Seredick (15:27.8). The team title came down to a single point: Bowling Green 181, Lexington 182.
Sources: Official results, AthleticLIVE/SEO Timing (2026 OHSAA Cross Country State Championships, Nov. 7, 2026, Fortress Obetz).
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