A Loveland Cross Country Overview

Cross country, a sport based on running, has largely gone unnoticed in our school despite recent successes. Both boys' and girls' teams have been conference champions for the past five years, except last year, in which both teams took runner-up. Alongside this, there hasn’t been a year yet that hasn’t seen at least one Loveland runner go to the state meet, and the girls’ team was second in the state in 2021. The Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) recently switched from three to four divisions, so our cross country teams moved down to Division II due to the smaller team sizes. Now, despite being in a lower division, the teams have maintained their levels of competition.

The first step to maintaining fitness is conditioning, a process that starts in late June. Meeting every morning at 7:30, the teams run and build a sense of community. New runners are welcomed into the fold, and pacing groups are defined. Coach Scott Sears says that "this part of the season is crucial for wins in the championships." Once official practices start in August, the team will be mostly meet-ready. This year was a little different than those past; the first meet was a week later than normal, "giving everyone another week to prep before competitions really pick up," according to Sears. 

Skipping the annual pre-season meet, the cross country teams instead raced at the Buckeye Running Sunrise Invitational. Placing third, the boys' team realized the very real possibility of a conference championship again. The girls' team struggled into seventh place, but has since recovered and is on the same track as the boys. The season has progressed relatively consistently, with some of the season's biggest highlights so far including a sweeping win at Talawanda's invitational for the girls and a close win against Little Miami at their home course for the boys. As the season progresses, the postseason is looking up for both teams.

While based wholly on speculation, the championship races in the near future are less competitive than they have been in the past. Now in D2, the cross country teams aren't fighting for a spot with the likes of Mason, a school four times larger than Loveland, with a team to reflect in depth. Now, the biggest competition at districts and regionals is Turpin and Tippecanoe. Given that Loveland makes it through these two races, November 1st marks the DII state meet. A few similarly skilled teams will be present, and an exceptional performance will be required of the teams, but this is the first legitimate opportunity that either team has had of winning a state title since 2021.

With some good luck and very hard work, the teams could be the best they've been in years. With some of the best runners in the history of the school, they are guaranteed a season to be proud of. And now, with a fairly clear path set out ahead, the Loveland Tigers keep running toward a trophy at state.