Fairfield 4 November 2017

Ciara Colwell finishes 29th at Division III State Cross-Country Championships

By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com

HEBRON — Fairfield sophomore Ciara Colwell made her Division III state debut on Saturday morning at the OHSAA State Cross-Country Championships, becoming just the second Lady Lions runner in program history to run at the state level.

Colwell finished in 29th place, with a time of 19:45.3 at National Trail Raceway in the state race, as the sophomore exceeded her own expectations of finishing in the Top 40, as she finished in the Top 30, just a few spots from earning All-Ohio.

With the state finish, Colwell finished by setting her own PR and breaking the school girls cross-country record as well, racing the best time of her career. This season, Colwell qualified for the state championships by finishing in eighth place at regionals with a time of 20:05.94.

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Also this season, at the district race — where the Lady Lions were district runners-up for the second consecutive year — Colwell had a time of 20:00.99 for a third-place finish.

“That’s the best experience I’ve ever had,” an excited Colwell told The Highland County Press following the state race. “I wanted a Top 40 finish, but I did better than that, and I’m so happy. This was absolutely amazing.”

Fairfield coach Kesia McCoy spoke about Colwell’s race, excited about the finish.

“We are very proud of her, and Ciara ran a great race,” McCoy said. “This is motivation for her to come back next year, and she exceeded her expectations. Again, we are proud of her and the way she ran her race.”

As for the race itself, Colwell said the race was what she expected it to be, which was very competitive, as this was the first time she raced in the event.

Following mile one, Colwell was 26th at 5:58.2, and at mile two she was in 29th at 12:39.0.

“For the most part, this was what I expected the race to be,” Colwell said. “I knew it was a race where everyone would draw back and race back and forth. It was very competitive, and it was exactly what I had hoped for.

“This whole experience was unbelievable, and it was the best race I’ve ever had.”

Winning the race was Emma Watcke of Minster with a time of 18:38.4. Minster also won the team championship with a score of 34 to earn the state team championship. The state runner-up was Mount Gilead with a score of 131.

FOr complete state results, click here. 

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