County cross country teams and individuals, plus Madison, are working towards success in the 2026 season.
The War on the Shore at Lake Shore Park is scheduled for Aug. 24.
Ashtabula County teams will head to Conneaut for the all-county meet Oct. 10. The Chagrin Valley Conference meet is slated for Oct. 17 at Hawken High School.
The Northeastern Athletic Conference tournament is scheduled for Oct. 24 at Lordstown.
Here’s a look at the county teams and Madison for this season.
Conneaut
The Spartans girls team returns senior Anna Ring and junior Meadow Wood — both Division III regional qualifiers.
Last season, Ring earned first-team CVC and first-team all-county honors. She ran a personal record 20:11.
Wood captured second-team all-conference and second-team all-county accolades in the 2025 season with a PR of 22:18.
Junior Vivianna Cellini is back at Conneaut after spending a year at SPIRE Academy. She has a PR of 19:29.
Freshman Layla Beseda is a newcomer to the team.
“Numbers are low, so we are focused on individual accomplishments,” second-year coach Luke Stecki said. “Cellini returning from a year away at SPIRE has given the girls a boost.
“Ring has been healthier this summer and has been looking good in workouts so we expect big things this year. Wood is running stronger and has been working hard.”
Stecki said a goal is for Conneaut to be competitive locally and for two, if not three of the girls, to run at Fortress Obetz in the state tournament in November.
“Hopeful for success to lead to more interest to grow the program,” Stecki said.
On the boys side, senior Gunnar Maenpaa and juniors Ethan Van Norman, Ashton Sanden and Corey Taylor are back.
Van Norman claimed first-team all-county honors last season, running a PR 18:11. Maenpaa, Sanden and Taylor ran PRs of 19:53, 19:58 and 21:18, respectively.
Freshmen Roman Cellini, Ryker Lentz and Ivan Boroski are the top newcomers.
Last season, the Spartans reached the regional tournament for the first time in more than a decade.
“We will be relying on our freshmen to contribute right away, but we have a solid group,” Stecki said. “The team has been working hard all summer and anticipate significant jumps.
“Van Norman has progressed dramatically and is coming off a great postseason in track. He should be one of the top runners in the area if he remains healthy, and should see a school record fall and hopefully first boys state qualifier in over 30 years.
Stecki said currently, two to four runners are pretty close and should push each other to quicker times this season.
“A lot will depend on how much our guys want it,” he said. “I think we will be competitive and possibly advance to a regional spot.”
Edgewood
The Warriors boys team advanced to the D-III state tournament for the first time in 22 years last season.
Coach Steve Hill returns Reese Kovach and Chase Cardona and sophomores Carter Cline and Marcus Lebzelter. PRs for the quartet last season were Cline with a 17:14, Kovach 17:42, Lebzelter 18:33 and Cardona 18:40.
Sophomore Ben Lebzelter and freshmen Christian Bliffin, Aiden Cleveland and Max Tackett are Edgewood’s top newcomers.
Last season, the Warriors won the all-county tournament and finished second in the CVC and Division III district.
“With our four returners and four up-and-comers, we believe as a team we can accomplish all the goals we accomplished last year with the yearning to win CVC and District and place better at state,” 33rd year coach Steve Hill said.
For the Edgewood girls team, senior Azaria Diaz, with a PR of 28:15 and juniors Jenna Scarniench, 26:15 and Sophia Tobie, 28:45, are back.
The top newcomers are senior Kaydence Artman; juniors Audrey Fertig and Serenity Sears; sophomore Dianne Ianni and freshmen Rylee Hall and Katie Hanger.
“We saw improvement and were able to compete as a team later in the season,” Hill, who is in his 20th year coaching the Warriors girls team, said. “With a young and inexperienced group our goal will be to improve every week.”
Geneva
The Eagles girls team returns six regional qualifiers from the 2025 season, while the Geneva boys team has two coming back.
Seniors Taylor Noce and Sienna Gearhart-Johnston; junior Paytton Lemponen and sophomores Charlotte Hart, Gillian Kapela and Lissy Rosales all ran on the girls regional-qualifying team.
Lemponen registered a PR of 21:34, while Noce was at 21:46.
Freshman Adriana Belconis is a newcomer.
Junior John Cybulski and sophomore John D’Alessandro are returning regional qualifiers for the Eagles boys squad.
Cybulski recorded a PR of 18:27, while D’Alessandro’s was 18:55.
Other key runners are senior Ethan Schenk; junior Richard Balog and sophomores Jackson Dodd, Jackson Sanzo, Joseph Ortiz II and Drew Clutter.
Freshmen Conor Shontz, Nick Ginn, Evan Porter and Jasper Schenk round out the roster.
“I have a young team on both the boys and girls side,” 16th year coach Emily Long said. “We are hoping to get better each week. Our dream goal is to qualify as teams to the regional meet in October. Advancing teams or individuals even further is always a possibility.”
Grand Valley
Senior Sam Steimle leads the Mustangs boys team. He had a PR of 15:56, and placed 10th in the D-IV part of the state tournament last season.
Senior Sam Mazzei and junior Rhys Smoley are other returners with PRs of 18:55 and 19:23, respectively.
Freshman Cal Richardson is a newcomer.
Seniors Reese Nims and Jocelyn Cozad and sophomore Kamryn Nims pace the Mustangs girls team.
Kathryn Nims’ PR is 23:58, Cozad 24:47 and Reese Nims 24:48.
Freshman Sophia Johnston is a top newcomer.
Last season, both GV teams qualified to the regional.
“We return nearly everyone from those teams, with only one senior graduating from each squad,” first-year coach Clint Nims said. “We also have two girls who were members of last year’s team who have been limited by injuries, and have not yet been able to participate this season.
“The experience gained from last year’s regional qualification gives us something to build on as we enter this season.”
Nims is excited about the 2026 campaign.
“Returning nearly our entire roster from last season gives us a lot of experience, and having a group that has already competed at the regional level should help us as we move through the season,” he said. “Our goal is to continue improving throughout the season and put ourselves in position to compete at the highest level possible. We want to develop a team culture built around purpose, accountability, hard work and competing for one another.”
Jefferson
The Falcons boys team placed second in the county, advanced to the D-III regional tournament, and had two state qualifiers.
Junior Cody Weber, one of those two state qualifiers, is back. Senior Preston Hitchcock; junior Camden Dwyer and sophomores Kooper Newhart and Blake Dickey are other returners.
Weber posted a PR of 16:35 last season.
Junior Gavin Furman; sophomore Grayson Taylor and freshmen Brody Dixon and Saiden Stevens are newcomers.
“We are returning a lot of key runners,” 14th year coach TJ Furman said. “Hoping to return to regionals and have a chance to qualify for state. We’re having very solid numbers at the junior high, introducing them to team culture and maintaining Jefferson’s winning tradition.”
For the Jefferson girls squad, seniors Audrey Bellas and Aurora Bellas; junior Willow Wagner and sophomores Grace Dzura, Olivia Conway and Chloe Dwyer all return.
Dzura, who qualified for state last season, attained a PR of 19:22.
Freshmen Elena Fenton and McKenna Taylor are newcomers.
“Our goals are to qualify for regionals, improve on last year’s results and trying to build a winning culture,” Furman, who is in his fourth season coaching the Falcons girls team said. “We have a strong group of junior high runners and are introducing them to our program and winning traditions.”
Lakeside
Senior regional qualifier Annamae Walter and junior Olivia Knight will pace the Dragons girls team.
Walter ran a PR 23:22.83, while Knight checked in at 21:35.85 last season.
Lakeside’s boys team is led by senior Waikem Hunter, a 400-meter CVC champion in the 2026 track and field season. Hunter’s PR 5-K is 19:49.
“With having two regional qualifiers last season, I’m looking to build up what hopefully having a team qualify for regionals,” ninth-year coach Moses Smith said.
Mercer McDonald, the other Lakeside regional qualifier, moved to Florida.
Madison
Seniors Kade Tarr and Demetrius Compton, juniors Ben Kolhoff and Bobby Starkey and sophomore Kade Tarr all ran at the D-II regional tournament last season.
Kollhoff recorded a PR of 17:20.
Coach Jeremy Verdi, who is in his 24th year with the Madison program, is also high on freshmen Carter Solar, TJ Miller and Oliver Daling.
Owen Bottar led the Blue Streaks to a CVC title, large invitational wins and postseason success. He notched a PR of 16:06, and qualified for the state tournament.
Bottar has graduated, but Verdi is optimistic about the upcoming season.
“We don’t have a huge squad, but the top five will be ready to run hard after an eventful and dedicated summer,” the coach said. “We are trying to recreate our total time from last season, and we are pushing hard to do so.
“We hope to be back at the regional as a team and represent the Madison Blue Streaks in the postseason.”
The Blue Streaks girls team also qualified for the regional tournament in 2025.
Returners are seniors Brooke Rockwood, Lynn Lekan, Tessa Canfield, Charlotte Cicero, Abby Kovacs and Keira Maldonado; juniors Ellie Langtry and Elizabeth Carroll and sophomores Molly Canfield, Alyssa Cameron and Anna Kuholski.
Canfield had a PR of 21:50 and finished fifth in the CVC meet. Langtry and Lekan placed 10th and 12th, respectively, in the conference tournament. Langtry’s PR was 23:32, while Lekan checked in at 21:59.
Freshmen Abbi Mace and Rylan Wisniowski are new to the team.
“With a strong senior class, I am looking forward to good leadership and experience to help our team grow and find success,” fifth year coach Becky Barton said.
Pymatuning Valley
The Lakers return seniors Rian Jenkins and Sophia Marcin and junior Destiny Harrington from the girls squad and sophomore Aidan Smith on the boys squad.
Last season, Jenkins’ best time was 23:07; Marcin, 25:51; Harrington, 29:00 and Smith, 23:12.
Juniors Angie Dutton and Evie Dutton, for the girls team, and freshman Carter Hodge, boys squad, are newcomers.
“Looking forward to coaching this year, and learning the ropes,” first-year coach Austin Limestoll said. “We have our first meet coming up on [Aug.] 24th [the War by the Shore]. I am excited to work with the team throughout the season, compare times and work hard for those personal bests.”
Saint John
The Heralds girls team broke through for a D-IV state tournament appearance in the 2025 season.
Saint John won the all-county race, placed 15th at state and had two runners in the top 20.
Seniors Marlee Beacom, who was eighth at state, and Emma Phillips, 18th, are back to lead the way.
Last season, Beacom was selected the all-county girls runner of the year and earned first-team All-Ohio honors. She had a PR of 18:41.
Phillips also captured D-IV all-state honors with a PR of 18:57. She is a three-time state qualifier.
Senior Emma Call and junior Selena Park, with PRs of 20:52 and 22:15, respectively, also return.
Freshmen Lila Phillips, Veronica Wagner and Avielle McCurdy are new to the team.
“We return five of our top seven from last year,” 11th year coach Jeremy Dunn said. “We hope to duplicate our success from last year and return to state as a team. Marlee and Emma Phillips are looking to make the podium again.”
Seniors Daniel Phillips, with a PR of 18:08, and Ayden Kelley, 18:24, and sophomore Nicolai Wolff, 18:07, pace the regional-qualifying Heralds boys squad.
Junior Graham Nelson, sophomore London Hoch and freshman Macsen Peskar will look to make an impression as newcomers.
“We are returning a bulk of our regional qualifying team from last season,” Dunn said. “We should be competitive in the county and hopefully make it back to regionals.”
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