Cross Country

 The boys were the first race of the day at the Boardman Regionals with 12 teams squaring off, with the top four qualifying for state. Coming off championships the previous two weekends, belief was high in the Gilmour squad. Over the entire 5K, the boys battled hard, and as the last runners crossed the line, Gilmour finished a close third with 78 points. East Canton took home first with 55 and McDonald second with 64. A mere 22 points separated the top three teams, with Cortland Maplewood grabbing the last spot with 114 points, 36 behind Gilmour. The senior triumvirate of Tyler Clark '19 (fifth), Connor Gerspacher '19 (seventh) and Tim Diemer '19 (eighth) led the way for the Lancers. Cole Durdella '20 and Bryson Simpson '20 finished 24^th and 37^th, respectively. Carter DiVincenzo '19 (74^th) and Garret Tomasek '20 (76^th) rounded out the team effort. The boys team qualified for the state meet for the third time in four years and Diemer became the first boy in school history to qualify to the state meet all four years (he was individual qualifier in 2016).

 

The girls took to the course later in the afternoon looking to secure their spots on the bus to Columbus. Though 11 girls teams were on the starting line, the meet looked to be a duel between the two powers - McDonald and Gilmour. At the end, the Lancers triumphed, taking home their first regional crown in five years while earning their 13^th state championship bid in the past 14 seasons. Gilmour scored 62 points to McDonald's 81, while Mineral Ridge also qualified with a score of 106. Katie Engle '19 finished fourth overall, while Caitrina Barton '21 and Alannah Barton '19 crossed 9^th and 10^th. Gilmour's victory was sealed when Mary Lombardo '22 and Sophia Garofalo '21 finished in 17^th and 22^nd, respectively. Jorja Hlifka '20  (38^th) and Mia Polisena '22 (57^th) both finished with strong kicks to assure that Gilmour would take top honors.

 

Weekend Plans: The Lancers were headed to Hebron to compete in the Division III State Championship Meet, but in a strange turn of events, the venue closed down due to flooding issues, causing the races to be postponed for a week. Now the Lancers will compete on Saturday, November  10, with the boys race at 11 a.m. and the girls race at 1:30 p.m.