It’s hard to believe another cross country season has come and gone so quickly. Please join us on November 7, 2019 at 6: 30 pm in the HS Cafeteria to celebrate the accomplishments of all our runners, middle school runners included 🙂 Dinner will be potluck style with paper products, drinks, and baked potato bar provided. Please bring the suggested item or your favorite dish to share. We can’t wait to see our cross country families and share the successes of our season. As always, if you have any questions, reach out to one of the coaches.
Year: 2019
2019 District Championship Info
District Championship Sat. 10/19 (High School only)
District Results:
Boys Division III
Girls Division III
Course maps: Findlay Owens 5K Course
Owens Community College – Findlay Campus
3200 Bright Road
Findlay, OH 45840
Meet Notes – This is it…the “win or go home” point of the season. It’s the date circled on our calendars that we work back from in terms of our training cycle. We look to peak these next two weeks as we seek to advance to the next level. This year, we face an uphill challenge due to changes in the District meets. Whereas the last two years have seen a draw based on seed voting by all of the coaches, with the Division III split into to districts, this year we return to a single race. Some familiar competitors are now running at Ottawa Glandorf, but the girls race in particular is stacked with talented teams this year. With the changes, the top five teams and any individuals in the top 20 overall advance to Regionals in Tiffin on 11/26.
Some great story lines to watch this year:
- Our girls team was very young last year with five freshmen, a sophomore and a senior. This year is similar with two freshmen, four sophomores and a junior…but five of the runners have District experience. As mentioned, the girls race is stacked with talent, so it’s going to take our very best to have any chance of advancing. Can the girls make it FOUR straight years?
- The boys also have an experience team, with only two making their first trip to Findlay. Moreover, they have been on a tear lately with their pack running and consistency, lead by school record holder Augie. We don’t have seeding to go by this year, but their team average puts them in contention. Can this become the first ever boys team to advance to Regionals?
- Fresh off a school record performance at leagues, Augie looks to repeat as an individual qualifier to Tiffin. Kennedy will look to join him with a Top 20 finish.
- This year’s league meet at Bryan was run on a very fast course under near perfect conditions. Findlay has seen some very fast times as well, including a school record for the girls in 2017.
- We have a couple senior boys who may be running their last cross country race of their high school career. This is the most bittersweet aspect of this time of year. Here’s hoping they get one more week!
Those are all exciting aspects of this race, but at the end of the day the ends of those stories have yet to be written. Average times and recent races don’t break records or qualify to move on…we have to execute. As we told the athletes this week, we can’t spend time worrying about what we can’t control…how many good teams there are, how those teams run, what the weather is like. We have to focus on what we can control: our preparation this week and our performance this Saturday.
The course is exactly the same as the past three years: it’s flat and pretty fast. It’s also fairly spectator friendly, allowing folks the chance to see the start, most of the first mile, and the finish with only a moderate amount of walking. There are a lot of straightaways, but there are also some sharp turns that keep it interesting.
This will be a long day…we leave at 8:15am and won’t get back until mid-afternoon, so rest is essential. We arrived with about the same amount of prep time last year and it was just about perfect, so we are looking to keep the same type of schedule this year. The runners will have plenty of time to walk and examine the course, and to get themselves mentally and physically prepared for their race. The atmosphere at this meet it usually pretty great, and we anticipate the same this year. We will be sticking around to wait on the official results to be posted for the boys before we pack up and get ready to leave (and there are always plenty of photo opportunities after).
2019 NWOAL Championship Info
NWOAL Championship Sat. 10/12 (High School & Middle School)
Results available at http://www.baumspage.com/cc/nwoal/2019/
Bryan Recreation Park
Horton Trail (drop-off location)
Bryan, OH 43506
10:40am – HS boys race
11:20am – MS girls race
11:50pm – MS boys race
12:30pm – Awards
1:45pm – Estimated return time
Bryan Course Map – High School
Bryan Course Map – Middle School
Meet Notes: The final stretch of another season is upon us. Each year a different district in the NWOAL has the opportunity to host the league championship meet, and this year the honor falls to Bryan. The great thing about the league meet is that everybody runs; there is no varsity race. For the middle school runners, this is the last meet of the season and their opportunity to finish out year competing against their league rivals. For the high school, it’s a great chance to see the training cycle start to peak as we get ready for Districts.
The Bryan course is in a nice park in Bryan (NOT at the high school) and is a very flat course. The weather is supposed to be exactly what we want: cool and cloudy. Spectators should dress for the weather, and athletes should “dress for the second mile” but be sure to bring warm ups to shed at the starting line. Note that spectator parking is in lots scattered around the outside of the park (see link above) so you may need to look a bit to find a spot and walk to the course area.
2019 Hudson Invitational Info
Hudson Booster Invitational Sat. 10/5 (High School & Middle School)
Results available at https://www.athletic.net/CrossCountry/meet/161131/info
Course maps:
Hudson High School Course
Hudson Middle School Course
Hudson High School
746 N Maple Grove Ave
Hudson, MI 49247
11:30am – HS girls varsity race
NWOAL Championship Shirt Pre-Orders
The 2019 NWOAL hosts Bryan High School have sent information for pre-ordering shirts for this year’s NWOAL Championship meet. Shirts come in a variety of colors, both short sleeve and long sleeve, and there’s also a hooded sweatshirt option. Note that they will have very limited amounts of shirts at the meet, so if you want a shirt your best bet is to pre-order.
Orders can be placed online at https://nwoalxc2019.itemorder.com/
ORDER DEADLINE IS WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 2.
Also, when ordering please enter your school name (Evergreen) to make sure it gets to the correct coach/team.
Practice Schedule for September 23-28
Monday, September 23- Team Meeting @ 3 pm in Coach Cymbolin’s classroom. Long run to follow 3-5 pm
Tuesday, September 24- Practice @ EHS 3-4:30 pm..Â
Wednesday, September 25- Practice @ EHS 3-4:30 pm. Optional Team Bonding: Movie night @ Skye Cinema to watch Overcomer @ 7:30 pm. Possibly meet in Wauseon around 5:30 pm for food.Â
Thursday, September 26- Off-Site practice @ Heritage Park, Adrian. Bus leaves @ 3 pm and should arrive back to EHS around 6:30 pm. We are planning to stop at Aubree’s (pizza place in Adrian) on the way home. Athletes should bring money.Â
Friday, September 27- Practice @ EHS 3-4:30 pm
Saturday, September 28- Optional run at Lyons Park @ 11 am.Â
2019 LC Widewater Info
Liberty Center Widewater Invitational Sat. 9/21 (High School & Middle School)
Results available at http://www.baumspage.com/cc/libertycenter/2019/
Widewater Retreat Center
4050 Old US24
Liberty Center, OH 43532
*Parking Note – Do not go to the main park entrance. Parking is off of County Road 4 west of the park and should be marked.  There is a $5 charge for parking, and it’s a bit of a hike from the parking area to the starting line so plan accordingly.
Schedule:
Practice Schedule for September 16-21
Monday, September 16– Team Meeting @ 3 pm in Coach Cymbolin’s classroom. Long run to follow 3-5 pm
Tuesday, September 17– Practice @ EHS 3-4:30 pm.Â
Wednesday, September 18– Practice @ EHS 3-4:30 pm.Â
Thursday, September 19– Practice @ EHS 3-4:30 pm. The route will end at Coach Cymbolin’s with the option to swim. Athletes MUST have signed permission slips to swim. Permission slips will be passed out at practice on Monday.Â
Friday, September 20– Practice @ EHS 3-4 pm. Team meal at 4 pm.Â
Saturday, September 21– Liberty Center Widewater Invitational. Bus leaves at 8 am. (More info. to come)
Race Schedule:Â
10:30 am HS Girls
11:15 am HS Boys
11:45 am HS Awards
12:00 pm MS GirlsÂ
12:30 pm MS Boys
2019 Fayette Invitational Info
Fayette Eagle Invitational – Sat. 9/14 (High School and Middle School)
Harrison Lake State Park
26246 Harrison Lake Road
Fayette, OH 43521
Results online at http://www.baumspage.com/cc/fayette/2019/
7:15am – Leave from High School (est. arrival at Harrison Lake 8:00am)
9:00am – Girls middle school race
9:30am – Boys middle school race
10:00am – Girls high school race
10:45am – Boys high school race
1:00pm – Estimated return to Evergreen
Notes – One of the most beautiful courses we run with a few moderate hills and lots of wooded trails. This course has been pretty fast for middle school runners over the years, with many runners setting a personal record at the meet. It’s also a course that has changed nearly every year, making it somewhat unpredictable (one of the reasons the high school hasn’t participated the past three seasons).
From a spectator standpoint, the start and finish areas are usually fairly close together, with the finish being a long stretch great for cheering. As mentioned, the course has been modified several times over the years, so double check the start and finish locations on arrival in case they’ve been moved again.  Be sure to give yourself extra time to find a parking spot and walk to the start/finish area.
Practice Schedule for the week of September 9
Monday, September 9- Team Meeting in Coach Cymbolin at 3 pm. Long run 3:30- 5 pm at EHS
Tuesday, September 10- NWOAL Preview at Bryan. This is NOT a meet, but an opportunity for athletes to practice/preview the course prior to the NWOAL League Meet on October 12. The bus will leave at 3:15 pm and will return to EHS around 6:15 pm.Â
Wednesday, September 11- Practice @ 3pm at EHS
Thursday, September 12- Practice @ 3pm at EHS
Friday, September 13- Practice @ 3pm at EHS. Team Meal @ EHS around 4 pm.Â
Saturday, September 14- Fayette Eagle Invitational at Harrison State ParkÂ
   Bus leaves @ 7:15 am (More information to come)Â