New London's Landis finishes banner year fourth at XC state meet, three others go All-Ohio

OBETZ − Finishing fourth place at a state cross country meet − that also featured 188 runners in the field − would likely be satisfying for most, but not quite for New London's Reese Landis.

You see, Landis has been in a zone all throughout this cross country campaign, running away from the field meet after meet. She was unbeaten in 5k races. She won the Firelands Conference meet (set meet record), won the district title, captured the regional title and was consistently running in the 17-minute mark (17:59 on average per meet). To sum it up, winning a state title would be a feather in her cap.

That wasn't the case for Landis on Saturday morning at the Fortress Obetz and Memorial Park in Obetz, as the senior finished fourth (top 20 individual runners earn medals) to earn All-Ohio honors for a second straight year at the Division III girls state cross country meet, topping her 11th-place finish as a junior.

Heartland Christian's Rebecca Geiss won the state title with a time of 17:54.

Landis, who is usually a fast starter, got out quickly in front of the pack and was the leader after the first and second mile.

"I started out exactly the way I wanted to. I was comfortable the first two miles. I was running my pace," Landis said. "I was in the right spot and where I wanted to be. I don't think I could have done anything differently in the first two miles."

Coming into the state meet, Landis said she wanted to be pushed more than anything, given that large segments of her races she's been well ahead of her opposition. Landis acknowledged that she's "not used to racing against everybody," saying in a way she was challenged on the day.

"That's quite the transition from being 30 seconds ahead," Landis added.

However, it wasn't so much the competition that jumped ahead of her, it was more of her beating herself, Landis explained.

"I made a rookie mistake. I looked back, and I tripped," Landis said, getting a little emotional. "That's what took the lead away from me."

Landis then dived into her past state experiences as a cross country and track and field runner, where she didn't come up with the results for which she would have hoped.

"Track season [last year], I didn't finish the race [at state meet] because I passed out. Last cross country season, I was a little bit too stressed and didn't perform my best. This race I ran the slowest race of my season (18:23), but I believe this is happening for a reason," Landis said. "I know God has a plan for me, and that's not in his plan. I'm sure something great will come out of it in the future."

For Landis, it wasn't so much of the importance of winning a state title as it was performing up to the level of standards she set for herself.

"I'm just here to show people it can still be fun no matter how you do and that's pushing yourself to be the best version of yourself," Landis expressed, who was an All-Ohioan in track as a sophomore in 2022.

Landis did sum up her cross country season, which was pretty prodigious from start to finish, highlighting the many positives.

"I ran faster here than I did last year (18:47 in 2022). I had a fantastic season. Before this race I was averaging 17:59, and this made my average a little slower than that," said Landis with a smile, who will be running at NCAA Division II school University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) next season. "I really did have a terrific season."

Three Ashland County runners go All-Ohio

Loudonville's Tess Shultz, Mapleton's Isaik Schoch and Northwestern's Kade Tegtmeier all grabbed podium spots at the Division III state meet.

For Shultz, she placed 10th (18:49), which was a bump from last year's state meet in placing (19th) and in time (19:11) as a sophomore.

"It was pretty tough to get in there and get out," said Shultz, analyzing her race. "When I settled into the pack and started pushing in the last mile, it started to fall together."

Shultz, who finished third at the Division III district meet and fourth at the regional meet, said running on the Obetz course for a second time helped her, especially dealing with the hill towards the end of the race.

"Yeah, I know when to kick, when to push hard, where the good spots are and when I need to speed up," said the junior. "I'm more adjusted to the hills coming from Loudonville, which is a town with many hills and valleys. It's always better the second time around."

Shultz then touched on her thoughts of being a two-time All-Ohioan and what the possibilities could be for her next year as a senior.

"It was an amazing feeling," she said. "Getting up on that podium again. That was my only goal. I didn't even expect to get 10th. The girl that was on the top of the podium, hearing she was 10th last year, maybe that's a sign I'll get it next year."

Mapleton's Schoch made quite the improvement as well.

At the state meet as a sophomore and junior the last two years, Schoch missed getting on the podium (31st in 2022). In his last go-around as a senior, Schoch medaled, finishing 19th place (16:17).

"I have no regrets today. I'm super thankful for the season I've had and for my career. I'm especially thankful that I get to use my talents for Jesus. He is the reason why I run and why I do this," said Schoch.

Schoch, who was fourth at the Division III regional meet, said he was seeking a better time than his 16:17 on Saturday.

"I was really aiming for a school record," he said. "I was far from the record but wish I could have gotten a PR (personal record) today, but I can't complain with what I've done."

Then he described what finally becoming an All-Ohioan meant to him in his final season running cross country on the high school level.

"I'm very happy about it and a great way to end my senior year."

Other Ashland Country results

• New London's Jalen Randleman finished 45th at the Division III boys state cross country meet

• Crestview's Cooper Brockway finished 74th at the Division III boys state cross country meet

• Crestview's Leyna Gerich finished 84th at the Division III girls state cross country state meet

• Ashland's K'Tyo Hendershott finished 95th at the Division I boys state cross country meet

jsimpson@gannett.com

Twitter:@JamesSimpsonII

This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: New London's Landis, three Ashland runners medal at XC state meet