High school cross country: Brunswick's Evan Jarold, Wadsworth's Clare Nicholas win at Wooster Invite

WOOSTER — Evan Jarold was dealing with a lot Saturday. From leg soreness that kept him out of the previous week's race at Mentor to some sinus congestion, Jarold wasn't sure how the Wooster Invitational was going to go. The result for the Brunswick senior was phenomenal, however, as he clocked a personal-record time to win the Division I race and highlight a strong day for Medina County runners. "I didn't know what to expect," Jarold said. "I had problems with my leg again last week and I got some sinus stuff going on, but I just wanted to come out here and run a fast time because I knew it was a fast course." Fast it was, as the All-Gazette selection finished in 15:16.1, which helped him win by more than 12 seconds. The time is the fastest 5K in the state, according to MileSplit. Jarold stormed to the lead after an impressive opening mile to create separation from Louisville's Bobby Ganser before turning on cruise control. "I came through the first mile, and I didn't feel like I was going that quick, but it was like a 4:39, and I knew that was fast," Jarold said. "I just needed to hang on and power through the rest. "Other than the mile mark, that's all the insight I had on how I was going to run. I'm really happy about it." Jarold was far from the only county runner smiling, as Wadsworth's Clare Nicholas also won. The senior clocked a personal-best 18:09.3 in her season debut and waited until after the first mile to take control over Massillon Jackson's Sofia Istnick en route to taking the race by 14 seconds. "I was just so excited to run. I think that really carried into it," said Nicholas, who missed the Grizzlies' first two meets due to club soccer commitments. "I was just holding my space. On that last mile, I was trying to create as much distance as possible and focus on my breathing." A pair of Wadsworth underclassmen provided support, as sophomore Kailyn Biecker was sixth in 18:54.1 and freshman Eliana Wilson followed in 19:46.8, good for 15th. Brunswick's girls were runners-up in the 16-team event with 85 points, just six shy of Massillon Jackson. Senior Morgan Roth had a day to remember, clocking 18:55.1 to place seventh and shatter her personal record of 19:33. Roth credited teammate Teo Iovi, who finished 11th (19:22.3), for helping her to a career day. "I'm usually more hesitant in the front, but this time I decided to follow my teammate Teo and try and stick with her the first mile," Roth said. "That helped me out a lot. It really motivated me to stay up there. "My goal was to aim for the 18s, and I wasn't quite sure if I was going to get there, but I just kept working and I got there, so I'm excited." Lindsay Wolf also had a top-20 finish for the Blue Devils, crossing 17th in 19:47.4. Alex Keller clocked a personal-record time for the third straight week, as he registered a fifth-place 15:36 to help the Blue Devils boys to fourth. "I knew it was fast, for sure, but I didn't know what pace I was going at," he said. "It's definitely nice to have a good coach and a good teammate like (Jarold). We all push each other." The Wadsworth boys were 15th, led by Connor Croley (17:38.4) in 79th. Both Cloverleaf teams earned runner-up trophies in the D-II/III races. The boys compiled 52 points to finish behind an impressive Marlington team, while the girls fell short of Waynedale by 15 points with a score of 54. Senior Luke Malena led a strong charge by the Colts, placing sixth in a career-best 16:35.8, while Brett Gucker (8th, 17:02.3), Andrew Hibler (10th, 17:29.3), Vova Herdman (13th, 17:50.5) and Nathan Naples (15th, 17:57.1) provided support in the top 15. "Our coaches were really trying to stick in our minds that you need to end with more kids than kids that pass you, so I made that my goal," Malena said. "The entire time, me and (Marlington's Cohen Boyce) fought and it was a great race." Speaking of personal-best performances, freshman Emma Hibler clocked 20:36.5 to place sixth — a full minute better than her previous low. Hibler and Brooke Gucker (8th, 20:54.4) spent the majority of the race running near each other before Hibler turned on the jets with less than a mile to go. "I didn't really go in thinking it was going to be a PR day, but it ended up being a good race," Hibler said. "It was pretty hard, but I had Brooke to stay up with and I stuck with her the whole time. "I had a talk with Coach (Garth Gucker before the race), and he said that he things I could step up a little bit and that I was holding back. I think it was a pretty good race to step it up." Vanessa Monhemius was 16th in 21:48.4, followed by sophomore Madison Snyder in 21:58.5. Contact Dan Brown at sports@medina-gazette.com. Results Boys Division I Standings (out of 18): 1. Massillon Jackson 77, 2. GlenOak 102, 3. Louisville 112, 4. Brunswick 151, 5. Hudson 165, 6. Thomas Worthington 171, 7. Wooster 177, 8. Boardman 179, 9. Green 200, 10. Riverside 212, 15. Wadsworth 392. Brunswick (151): 1. Jarold 15:16.1, 5. Keller 15:36, 31. Adam Hyde 16:50.7, 49. Colten Tackett 17:12.6, 69. Rami Hasan 17:29.2, 70. Santino Diligente 17:29.5, 91. Dystyn Defoor 18:09.5. Wadsworth (392): 79. Connor Croley 17:38.4, 80. Charles Gale 17:45.5, 83. Alex Braunlich 17:51, 88. Eliot Desjardins 17:59.5, 100. Benny Miller 18:16.3, 116. Beckham Love 18:44.7, 117. Gavin Zeiner 18:49.1. Division II/III Standings (out of 14 teams): 1. Marlington 20, 2. Cloverleaf 52, 3. Smithville 126, 4. Chippewa 156, 5, Fairless 181, 6. Padua 185, 7. Central Christian 188, 8. Waynedale 216, 9. Elyria Catholic 216, 10. Orrville 277. Cloverleaf: 6. Malena 16:35.8, 8. Gucker 17:02.3, 10. Hibler 17:29.3, 13. Vova Herdman 17:50.5, 15. Nathan Naples 17:57.1, 41. Ethan Vaughn 19:22.2, 50. Hunter Stallings 19:41.7. Girls Division I Standings (out of 16): 1. Massillon Jackson 79, 2. Brunswick 85, 3. St. Joseph Academy 107, 4. Wadsworth 110, 5. Strongsville 152, 6. Hudson 156, 7. Green 195, 8. Thomas Worthington 234, 9. Lake 240, 10. Wooster 286. Brunswick (85): 7. M. Roth 18:55.1, 11. Teodora Iovi 19:22.3, 17. Lindsay Wolf 19:47.4, 22. Emma Bradbury 20:04.1, 28. Abby Bardwell 20:09.2, 33. Amber Kemmann 20:16.8, 36. Samantha Roth 20:22.1. Wadsworth (110): 1. Nicholas 18:09.3, 6. Biecker 18:54.1, 15. Eliana Wilson 19:46.8, 37. Rachel Murphy 20:22.4, 52. Rowan King 20:59.1, 67. Karlee Adams 21:34.2, 86. Amelia Swires 22:03.4. Division II/III Team standings: 1. Waynedale 39, 2. Cloverleaf 54, 3. Marlington 106, 4. Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin 112, 5. Elyria Catholic 146, 6. Clear Fork 164, 7. Orrville 167, 8. Padua 178, 9. Chippewa 186, 10. Manchester 255. Cloverleaf (54): 6. Hibler 20:36.5, 8. Gucker 20:54.4, 16. Vanessa Monhemius 21:48.4, 17. Madison Snyder 21:58.5, 22. Paige McMaster 22:46.8, 34. Hailey Strasser 24:04, 50. Holly Milbrandt 25:35.8.