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VanDeGrift's successful run ends at state

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By Scott Hayes, Staff Writer 11:20 AM Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Grace VanDeGrift didn’t have her best day at the Division I state cross country championship, but it was still an experience she’ll never forget.

The Lebanon High junior finished 93rd out of 143 runners at the 3.1 mile Scioto Downs course on Saturday Nov. 7, ending with a time of 20 minutes, 31.58 seconds.

“The course was great, I was just super-tired today. It wasn’t my best race,” VanDeGrift said. “I wanted to get out front early, but the wind was so tough and there everyone in the field was a strong runner, which is what you expect at state.”

It was VanDeGrift’s third straight appearance at a state meet. The previous two were in Florida, where VanDeGrift ran for Durant High before moving to Lebanon before the start of this school year.

“It’s always great to run at state, no matter where it is,” VanDeGrift said. “All the people in the grandstand and the great support I received from my teammates and friends — it was a really fun week and a great season.”

VanDeGrift’s state appearance was the cap of a tremendous season for the Lebanon High cross country teams which won one league championship (boys) and saw both teams qualify for the regionals.

“Having someone make it to state is always an honor for us,” Lebanon cross country coach Tom Hoeffel said. “We had a very competitive season. The team set some very high goals this year and it was a lot of fun trying to obtain them.”

Three Warren County girls teams competed at state with Springboro finishing as Division I runners-up.

Mason placed eighth as a team and Kings placed 13th. Rocky River Magnificat won the Division I state championship with a team total of 28 points, placing five runners in the top 10.

Contact this reporter at (513) 696-4526 or shayes@coxohio.com.

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