Tavion Huguely returns to state with hard work and dedication

For a second consecutive season, Lynchburg-Clay cross-country runner Tavion Huguely will be running at the state championships as an individual, as his performance at regionals and throughout the 2026 season have placed him as one of the top runners in the state in Division IV. 

Huguely will be racing in the 2026 OHSAA State Cross-Country Championships on Saturday afternoon (Nov. 7) at Fortress Obetz & Memorial Park in Obetz. 

The LCHS junior qualified for the event with a strong race at regionals last weekend at Pickerington North High School, where he finished in 16th place out of a total of 187 runners, with a time of 16:58.50. In the district race, Huguely finished in second place overall — and as champion in one of the two parts of the district — with a time of 17:01.4 at Rio Grande. In the Southern Hills Athletic Conference Championships, Huguely had a first-place time of 16:57.1.

This will be the third consecutive year Huguely will be racing at state, with his first year being as a member of the Lynchburg-Clay boys team who qualified for state in 2024, followed by being an individual qualifier the past two years. 

“This season was definitely not what I was expecting, but I’ve met a lot of my goals, which included winning our SHAC tournament and qualifying for state again,” Huguely said. “Regionals was very motivating because you’re at a very competitive race surrounded by people that are going to challenge you to do the best you can. I was very excited because I made it to the final tournament for my third year in a row.”

What is exciting about Huguely’s path to state is he didn’t even start running cross-country competitively until his freshman year. 

“I started running competitively my freshman year because I wanted to do something that would physically challenge me,” he said. “Running is something that I’ve enjoyed my entire life, and it teaches you to be very disciplined.

“My favorite thing about running cross-country is being able to push myself to be better every day. To be prepared for a cross-country season, you need to have been running a high volume of miles before the season started. When preparing for a race, you have to balance your week so that you’ve trained hard enough, but you’re not too sore or tired.”

Lynchburg-Clay head coach Todd Faust has been Huguely’s coach for all three of his years as a varsity runner, and he spoke about the work ethic the junior brings each day to the sport. 

“Tavion has always had a calm, competitive work ethic about him. He doesn't get too high or low. The second half of the season has been his strongest,” Faust said. “Competing at the state meet three years in a row is quite an accomplishment. He was the SHAC Runner of the Year in 2026, which was a goal of his. He was also All-SE District and All-Region.”

Just as important for Huguely is his success in the classroom, as Coach Faust talked about how successful the junior is away from his exceptional running abilities. Huguely recently won a "Chemistry Challenge" hosted by Southern State Community College, where it stated, “the competition challenged students to demonstrate their chemistry knowledge, critical thinking and problem-solving skills.”

“Tavion not only is successful on the cross-country course but also in the classroom. Tavion is Academic All-Ohio 2026 for the second year in a row,” Faust said. 

So with the success in the classroom, there is still the big race ahead this Saturday, and Huguely said in getting to the final race of the year, the biggest difference this entire season compared to last year is he no longer had the older teammates, and he had to “step into that role” as one of only three upperclassmen on the roster. 

“The biggest difference this year was not having any older teammates to guide me. I had to step into that role and teach everyone else on the team,” he said. “I feel I improved a lot on just trusting myself to do what I need to do. One of my favorite moments this year was winning the league meet. I was also really excited when Owen Faust made All-District.

“Being able to run with my team at regionals is something I’m very grateful for, especially considering how most of them don’t have a lot of experience. Making it to regionals with them as a team is something I’m very proud of them for.”

Coach Faust also talked about Huguely stepping into the leadership role for the cross-country team.

“We have a very young team this year, and Tavion had to step into the leadership role, which he handled very well. The team looks up to Tavion and follows his lead,” Faust said. “Our team has battled injuries the second half of the season but showed a lot of toughness by qualifying for the regional meet. Tavion's teammates are his biggest fans, and they are excited for him as he competes at the state meet once again this year.” 

As for racing a third time at state this weekend, what is Huguely looking forward to this time around?

“I’m mostly looking forward to being able to run a competitive race and place as well as I can at the top level of my sport,” Huguely said. “I’m very grateful to all my teammates and coaches that have supported me, along with God, who gave me the strength to do it.

“Being able to compete at the state level is proof of hard work and dedication, which is something I’m very proud of. I wouldn’t have made it to where I am without the support and guidance of my current and past teammates, along with coaches and parents who care.”