Hawken senior Ella Gilson ran her way to a win at the Boardman Spartan Invitational on Saturday.
Gilson finished in 18:52, 19 seconds ahead of second-place Bella Graham of Marlington.
“It was very satisfying to get in a great race,” Gilson said. “I was really looking forward to this meet for myself and my team. I am happy with how I ran today and I’m glad I had the chance to get a feel for the course before regionals.”
With her win, the Hawks finished in fifth place as a team.
Gilson, a two-time defending state champion and three-time state placer, was pushed in the race by several girls she’ll see in the postseason.
Six of the top 10 runners at Boardman placed at last year’s state meet.
Despite her first-place finish, Gilson knows she has some work to do if she hopes to earn a third state title.
“I was more focused on bringing in the win and staying strong and relaxed today,” she said. “I just started adding swimming back into my training. My time wasn’t what I was hoping for, but I was happy with how I felt in the race. I am super excited to go out and defend my state title. I think that my training has been going great so far in the season. I can’t wait for (the postseason). I want to give it my all one last time for my senior year.”
Hawken’s Juliana Metz placed 18th overall with a time of 20:46 and Elana Padley was 40th in 21:49.
Crestwood’s Johnny Peters was the Chagrin Valley Conference’s lone competitor in the boy’s race to finish among the top 50. He placed 47th in 18:06.
