OBETZ — Loudonville’s Tess Shultz outdid herself.
A senior, Shultz placed fifth in the Division III girls race at the state cross country meet on a sun-soaked Saturday at Fortress Obetz.
Making her third state appearance, Shultz finished in 18 minutes, 18.65 seconds. It was her third podium finish after placing 19th as a sophomore and 10th as a junior.
“I’m so happy. The Lord has blessed me,” Shultz said. “This season has gone better than I expected it to. I’ve had the best senior season I possibly could have and I’ve had so much support and it’s all I could have hoped for.
“If you work hard, you can achieve anything you want.”
Shultz got out quickly Saturday. She ran near the front of the field for most of the race.
“I think I went out too fast, but I settled in,” Shultz said. “I moved into fifth and was able to chase the lead pack.”
Legacy Christian’s Caroline Hamilton won the individual title in 17:43.25. Minster won the team title with a score of 135.
Crestview finished seventh in the team standings with a score of 220. The Cougars were led by Leyna Gerich, was was 28th overall in 18:59.41. Alina Durbin was 44th in 19:17.50, while Emmie Kemp was 98th in 20:27.31 and Laynie Kemp was 102nd in 20:30.34. Audrey Wolford (20:55.25) was 119th, followed by Mia Humrichouser (21:31.07) in 141st and Georgie McFarland (21:52.51) in 153rd.
Crestview’s Cooper Brockway placed 49th in the Division III boys race. The senior finished in 16:25.87.