Moeller Cross Country is Off and Running
The Moeller Crusaders cross country team is off and running in the 2018 season. The team started out the season by hosting the Moeller Primetime Invitational at Christ’s Church in Mason. The meet is one of the biggest meets in the area, it hosts 13 teams from Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, and Columbus. The Primetime Invitational allows all of the high school runners to compete under the lights, something they do not get to do very often. Moeller was led by senior Chase Widener, who finished the 5000 meter race in 18:31.30. Unfortunately, due to tough competition, the team came in 13th place.
Sophomore Cannon Spelman leading the way for the Crusaders
Photo by MoeCrossCountry Twitter
Moeller followed the Primetime Invitational with the Running Warrior Invitational on September 1st, hosted by Lebanon High School. There were 22 teams at this event, including GCL foes Elder and LaSalle. The Crusaders finished in the middle of the pack, placing 11th out of 22 teams. “We made a huge improvement,” says Head Coach David Prenger, “at Lebanon, we did very well there”. The team was led by sophomore Cannon Spelman, who finished with a time of 18:14.5.
On the 15th of September, the cross country team competed at the Milford Eagle Invitational. Moeller placed 14th, led by Cannon Spelman with an 18:15.4. This event put the Crusaders at the half way mark of the regular season. Moeller looks forward to competing in the Midwest Catholic Cross Country Championship, the Buck Creek Invitational, as well as the Ross Invitational.
In the GCL, St. Xavier is in the lead. In fact, they are one of the most dominant teams in the state of Ohio. The Elder Panthers are in second, and the LaSalle Lancers and the Moeller Crusaders are battling for third. Prenger believes that Moeller can beat LaSalle because they have already finished ahead of LaSalle at the Running Warrior Invitational earlier in the season. The GCL championship is on Saturday, October 13 at Christ’s Church. This is an event the entire team is looking forward to and the venue should give the Crusaders an advantage since their home meet is also hosted at Christ’s Church.
Overall, this season is a rebuilding year for the Moeller Cross Country team. The team has a lot of youth; there is almost more freshman and sophomores running on the varsity team than juniors and seniors. The Crusaders are led by senior team captain Joe Balint, a 4 year veteran of the team. Although the team is rebuilding, the Crusaders are eager to compete at the District Championship on Saturday, October 20 at Voice of America Park. Qualifying for the Regional Championship would be a big accomplishment for the team, and the team looks forward to the running against the tough competition.