The addition of three new schools means the Chagrin Valley Conference cross country championships will include a new division in 2023.
Last fall, Perry’s girls’ team won the Chagrin Division while Kirtland took home the Valley Division championship.
Only 20 of the 108 runners who competed last season graduated, so competition will be fierce this fall, even with the addition of a third division.
Perry won’t defend its Chagrin Division title this season as the Pirates moved to the newly formed Lake Division, which also includes Edgewood, Geneva, Lakeside, and West Geauga, as well as new CVC members Conneaut, Jefferson, and Madison.
LAKE DIVISION
Perry’s Grace McKoon claimed the top individual spot in the Chagrin Division last fall, but her graduation opened the door for another runner to break the tape this season.
Among the top returning runners in the newly formed Lake Division are Edgewood’s Tammy Liplin and Maddie Crooks, who were within 17 seconds of McKoon’s winning time of 19:36. Liplin finished second last fall in 19:45 while Crooks was third in 19:53.
Both Crooks and Liplin competed at the state cross country championships last season.
Hawken’s Brielle Collins placed fourth in 19:53, but she and the Hawks remained in the Chagrin Division.
West Geauga’s Taylor Deets placed fifth in the Chagrin Division last season with a time of 19:55 and should have the opportunity to push the pack in the Lake Division this fall.
Geneva’s Mya Evangelista (20:06) and Grace Dubsky (20:43), Perry’s Holly Vis (20:11) and Molly Farrell (20:58) each placed among the top 10 runners last season and return—albeit in the Lake Division—this year.
Evangelista also competed at the state meet, along with Perry’s entire squad.
Jefferson’s Mara Gilman placed third at the Division II regional meet last season while Conneaut’s Kyndall Spring placed 93rd. Madison’s lone regional qualifier graduated.
CHAGRIN DIVISION
With the addition of the Lake Division, the Chagrin Division will have a bit of a different look this fall.
The new Chagrin Division includes Beachwood, Chagrin Falls, Crestwood, Harvey, Hawken, Lutheran West, Orange, and Wickliffe.
Leading the pack of returning runners are Hawken’s Brielle Collins and Chagrin Falls’ Mila Gresh, a pair of returning state qualifiers.
Collins finished fourth in the Chagrin Division last fall with a time of 19:53 while Gresh did not compete.
Hawken’s Delicia Liao also returns after a top-10 finish last season at the CVC meet with a time of 21:08.
The division shakeup also moved Wickliffe state qualifier Markalla Tumbry into the Chagrin Division this season after she placed second in the Valley Division last year with a time of 20:17.
Crestwood’s Erin Hallis (8th, 21:40) and Abby Guyette (10th, 21:48) also finished among the top 10 in the Valley Division and should be in the front of the pack in the Chagrin Division this fall.
The Hawks also return three other runners who finished among the top 21 including Elena Padley (12th, 21:44), Camilla Mari (15th, 22:09), and Lily Morley (21st, 22:34).
VALLEY DIVISION
The 2023 Valley Division includes Berkshire, Cardinal, Cuyahoga Heights, Grand Valley, Independence, Kirtland, Richmond Heights, and Trinity.
Kirtland is the defending Valley Division champion and returns five runners who finished among the top 20 at the CVC championships last fall.
Ainsley Borthwick was second in 20:28, Sylvia Vosicky was third in 21:03, Izzie Copeland placed fifth in 21:15, Stephanie Drazetic ran to a 17th-place finish with a time of 22:56, and Jessy Jackson was 19th in 23:20.
Grand Valley state qualifier Anna Steimle was the Valley Division’s top runner last fall. She won the meet with a time of 20:04 and will look to add back-to-back titles this season.
Upstart Cardinal returns five runners who placed among the top 21 at the 2022 CVC championships.
That group includes Lily Ayer (5th, 21:17), Eve Kaminski (12th, 22:05), Riley Homa (15th, 22:41), Aubreigh Kitzmiller (16th, 22:51), and Brynley Kitzmiller (21, 23:30).
Other top 20 runners who return this season are Independence’s Alana Nowak (9th, 21:43) and Berkshire’s Grace Toth (18th, 23:18).
