Chagrin Falls cross country: Mila Gresh excited to continue trek up podium, see Tigers grow as a team

Aug. 12—Two years ago, Mila Gresh had no clue that she earned All-Ohio honors.

She found out when then teammate Rose Hoelzel told her after she saw it on the scoreboard at Fortress Obetz. Last year, the Chagrin Falls runner left no doubt as she placed ninth and earned her spot on the podium.

Now entering her senior year, Gresh isn't just aiming for a third All-Ohio finish but aiming to continue her push up the podium. She can't wait to fight for positions up front at top-level meets.

"It's a little intimidating because there are a lot of talented runners in the state of Ohio." Gresh said. "It feels really good to have my name be up there as well, though, as it gives me the confidence to compete against them. They may have some faster times than I do. I am excited to get the chance to compete against them on those courses."

Gresh has also been working on becoming a leader for an eager group of Tigers runners. Last season, the Tigers advanced to the regional meet with no senior among the seven runners.

With the added pressure of leading a group of runners, it's taken some time for Gresh to adjust during the summer. But she has grown accustomed to it and has seen some of her teammates challenging her at practice.

"I love being a leader for this group and seeing all the new runners come into the team," Gresh said. "We're always talking about pacing, how to plan a meet. You can run with someone that is going faster to push yourself and that's one of the things that I've adjusted to do as a senior leader that I hadn't done in the past. It's been fun to adjust to that part of the team."

Those challenges in practice have Gresh excited about the season because she knows it won't be just her contesting for places at the front of the pack.

After the Tigers missed out on team advancement to the state meet, Gresh is excited to see the early strides the team is making. They share the goal of trying to continue to push the times lower as the season progresses and continue to grow.

"It's been great," Gresh said. "With cross country, I always try to push myself to get the best time or best place for myself. I listen to my coaches and follow their plans for the meets. It's always been about getting things in the right direction for every meet."

With the team coming together, Gresh knows that's one weight off of her shoulders. The other weight however, is one that is going to be a bigger challenge.

She comes into the season with the expectations of continuing her improved placement not just at the state meet but the season as a whole. Last year, Gresh had one finish outside of the top 10 and the third-fastest time in the coverage area.

While she has that in the back of her mind this season, she knows that it's something that she is going to have to get used to as attention at every meet. But she isn't concerned with that, rather she aims to continue her focus on just her own time and placement in meets.

"It's definitely harder knowing that everything is leading up to the state meet." Gresh said. "Every meet and practice leads up to that and I know that it's coming up closer and closer. While it's intimidating, it's also something that makes me happy knowing that I have something to put the training towards. While I'm nervous for the season itself, I am also excited to see where it's going to lead to."

Gresh and Chagrin Falls get their season under way at the Kenston Frank Gibas Invitational on Aug. 26.