The Tallmadge High School Girls Cross Country team executed another perfect performance Oct. 26 at the 2024 Regional meet at Boardman High School, placing sixth as a team and earning a spot at Columbus.
“The girls team has now accomplished something we have never done in school history by being back-to-back State qualifiers. The celebration, happy tears, screaming and relief after such a long wait for results was simply amazing,” assistant coach Karyn Loveless said in her meet write-up.
The coaches and runners went into the Regional meet with a continuation of last year’s goal: qualify for the State meet again. The girls goal was to qualify being in the top six teams to advance to the State meet.
“Our plan was to start strong and stick with the teams we know will push us,” senior captain Amelia Ross said.
One of the biggest factors in the girls team success for the second year in a row is the girls dedication to the program as well as the leadership provided by Ross and fellow senior Molly Conley. Conley has been a team captain for one year and a consistent varsity contributor. Ross has been a four-year varsity runner and a team captain for two years, with the dedication to always doing her best. She qualified with the team to the State meet last year. With the assistance of Conley, Ross was able to lead the team through their season, with her consistent performances and her positivity. The team qualified for the State meet for the second year in a row, with Ross and Conley’s leadership at the center of this effort.
“Finding out we qualified for State is the biggest accomplishment in cross country. Being a senior, I am so happy that we could all pull it together for my last season. I am so proud of every girl, and I can’t wait to see how we compete at State,” Ross said.
The 2024 girls cross country team has continued the successful legacy of the girls team of 2023, making coaches Jeremy Huth and Karyn Loveless proud. The State meet will be held Nov. 2, in Columbus at Fortress Obetz and Memorial Park (4175 Alum Creek Drive, Obetz, OH 43207). Any students, teachers, parents, or community members interested in going down to Columbus to support the girls cross country team can visit the OHSAA website for more information or to see live results on Saturday.
