Smithville's Kaitlyn Carr returns to state as one of the top Div. III runners
Kaitlyn Carr was just itching for a chance to get back on the cross-country course less than three weeks ago.
Now that the Smithville sophomore is fully back from an illness that sidelined her for almost a month, she’s ready to make more history.
Carr leads a large contingent of area runners in this weekend’s OHSAA State Championships at Fortress Obetz as Carr’s teammate, Maryn Erdman, along with fellow individuals Tess Shultz of Loudonville and Lillith Dreibelbis will be joined by qualifying teams from both Rittman and West Holmes.
And no matter what happens Saturday, she’s just happy to be back.
“I was so excited just to be able to get back out and run and do what I like to do,” Carr said, “It was pretty tough, but just knowing that I would have to train hard and just wait until I was able to run helped me. It also was the reason I had this opportunity to run.”
The All-Ohioan has made the most of that opportunity, too, as she has picked up impressive wins at both the Wayne County Athletic League and Lorain Division III District meets, as well as a gritty third-place showing at last week’s Boardman Regional to earn her second state bid.
To most, being sidelined for that long would be tough to overcome — both mentally and physically — but Smithies coach Greg DeRodes notes how the setback revealed everything him and his staff already knew about Carr.
“She showed a lot of character during that time,” he said. “She was able to overcome several challenges and took everything in stride.
“She’s worked very hard to get back to her end-of-season form, and each week she’s been happier with the way she’s race.”
This week’s race for Carr will look pretty similar to the regional race, in terms of competition, as Maplewood’s Caleigh Richards — a Youngstown State recruit who was third at state last season — is the projected state champ.
Rebecca Geiss of Heartland Christian, who Carr battled with at the regional before Geiss placing second, and Madeline Palmisciano of Grandview Heights are also expected to be in that lead pack battling for a state title.
Carr won’t be alone, however, as teammate Erdman put together the best race of her young career with a career-best 19:48.20 at Boardman. The freshman will look to add another line to her already-impressive resume this weekend among the state’s best.
“It’s never easy to quality for state but she it look easy, even though it wasn’t,” DeRodes said of Erdman. “She is very focused on her goals and works so hard in practice that I sometimes forget she’s only a freshman.”
While Carr will be battling with the lead pack, Shultz shouldn’t be too behind as the fellow all-state harrier comes in with the fifth-fastest time in the field.
And after making it on the podium last fall, the Loudonville standout is eager to make more memories this weekend.
“I proved to myself last year that I could do it and that it is possible,” Shultz said. “I just had to dig and look down in myself and say 'I can do more and I can do this.' That helped me get through this year.
“I really want to get on the podium again and honor my school ... but I really want to have fun this week and have a great time.”
Norwayne’s Lillith Dreibelbis is the other local that will take part in the D-III.
This is the sophomore’s second trip to state, but first as an individual, and the goal this time is a simple one.
“I'm looking forward to trying to make All-Ohio, now that I have a centralized goal,” Dreibelbis said. “I know what I could've done last year. I'm just going to see how the race plays out.”
A pair of teams — Rittman in D-III and West Holmes in D-II — also will look to finish the season with another goal checked off of their respective lists.
The Indians feature one of the youngest lineups in the field, but that hasn’t fazed coach Matt Snyder’s group, who comes in projected to finish fifth overall and could have a host of runners finish in the top 50 of individuals.
Freshman Annabelle Snyder and sophomore Brooke Bowlby have traded top finishes for the team over the past two postseason meets, while freshman Ryver Ramsier has also been as steady as they get in the closing month of the season.
Combine that with some strong depth, and the return of Merrick Gibson from injury, and Rittman will be a team to watch this weekend.
“We've been talking since last year, at NXR, about running together,” Snyder said. “I've always said that I don't care which girl places where, I just care what the front of the jersey says and I feel like they've really started to jell together and feel the same way. It's always been about team-first.”
That mentality has been the same mantra for the Knights, who are making their third straight state appearance.
The journey, however, for West Holmes has been a unique one as the team has battled some those high expectations of a return trip, along with some injuries.
Junior Zora Starner has returned from the injured list and played a key role in the team advancing out of the Pickerington Regional, while sophomore Katherine Kaster has split time between the course and soccer pitch this season. Lexy Starner also has worked her way back from injury.
Noelle Smith has led the Knights this season, while runners like Autumn Conner, Alexis Wagers and Alizah Sigler have made significant strides this fall to help the team overcome every obstacle along the way.
“This season has been different form the last two seasons,” West Holmes coach Kevin Beachy said. “We knew going into the season that weren’t going to be very competitive early, but if everything came together, we could be pretty good by the end of the season.”
The D-II girls field is loaded with talent as Woodridge, Lexington, Ottawa-Glandorf and Minerva all will be in the mix for the team title, while four runners in the field — Reese Reaman (Woodridge), Samantha Erbach (Waynesville), Sophia Szolosi (Athens), and Madelyn Begert (Northwest) — have broke 18 minutes this season.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Girls XC: Smithville's Carr leads Wayne/Holmes runners at state
