The cross country season has come to a close, and we’re excited to share our thoughts on the 2025 OHSAA Division II Boys State Championship. Before the meet, we predicted the top five finishers would be Landon Kimmel, Latrell Hughes, Will Wells, Crew McDaniel, and Jacob Proctor, with Lexington, Hudson, and Bowling Green projected as the top three teams. While we correctly anticipated strong performances from Kimmel and Proctor, perfect weather conditions and new athletes in the division made this race full of surprises. We hope you enjoy this in-depth recap of an exciting Division II championship!

Top Individual: Landon Kimmel (Tippecanoe)

Top Team: Lexington Minutemen

Top Central Ohio Individual: Grant Hamilton (Canal Winchester)

Top Central Ohio Team: Bishop Watterson Eagles

To no one’s surprise, this year’s Division II champion was none other than senior Landon Kimmel of Tippecanoe. After winning the Division I race as a junior and setting a course record of 14:33 at Fortress Obetz, Kimmel entered as the clear favorite following his switch to D2. The Tulsa commit brought home the win in 15:12, 16 seconds ahead of second place. While he didn’t quite reach our pre-race prediction of a sub-14:40 effort, his transition to D2 and recovery from injury likely limited his full potential. Interestingly, Kimmel revealed that he ran a blazing four-mile workout just two days before the meet, saying he “felt like [he] was running on dead legs” at Obetz. Even so, he claimed his second state title and cemented his legacy as one of Ohio’s all-time greats.

Following Kimmel’s dominant showing, another standout from our predictions was Jacob Proctor of Anthony Wayne. Like Kimmel, he moved down to D2 after the statewide realignment. Proctor ran 15:28, nearly identical to his 15:29 from last year, but that performance was good enough for second place this time around. His teammate Benjamin Gasiorski also shined, placing fifth in 15:36. Though we didn’t have him in our top five, he improved nicely from last year’s 15:50 at Obetz. The Proctor–Gasiorski duo powered Anthony Wayne to a strong fourth-place team finish with 197 points.

We also correctly predicted Lexington to take home the team title, even with Latrell Hughes not having his best day. Hughes started out aggressively, sitting just behind Kimmel through two miles before fading to ninth in the final stretch. The future Ohio 800m record holder couldn’t quite hang on, but Lexington’s depth carried the day, with Lincoln Rice and Will Hooper coming through clutch to secure the Minutemen’s championship. Bowling Green followed in second, boasting an impressive 16:34 team average and a tight 23-second spread across their top five.

Now for the pleasant surprises, and a bit of humble pie on our end. We admittedly overlooked two Central Ohio stars who rose to the occasion. Seniors Grant Hamilton (Canal Winchester) and Michael Kinzer (Dublin Scioto) placed third and fourth, respectively, battling all the way to the finish line in a thrilling sprint. The two also finished one-two at the regional meet, capping off consistent and standout seasons. For Kinzer and Scioto, this marked a milestone, only the program’s second state appearance in the past four years. After placing 16:57 in the Division I state race two seasons ago, Kinzer’s jump to 15:31 this year represents massive improvement.

Keep an eye on Scioto freshman Jake Meier, whose 17:07 PR suggests big things ahead if his development continues. Other notable Central Ohio finishes include Lincoln Wilson of Jonathan Alder (17th, 16:03) and Jayden Beverly of Chillicothe (27th, 16:14). Bishop Watterson also placed 11th as a team, with Luke Hollis and Brady Spears finishing close together to help offset Jack Hangen’s off day.

In summary, the Division II race delivered thrilling performances and a few major upsets, showcasing the bright future of Central Ohio distance running. Both individual standouts and strong team results leave us eager to see what’s next. Will Kimmel stay healthy and dominate on the track? Will Latrell Hughes set a new Ohio 800m record? What does the future hold for Ohio’s elite runners? Stay tuned as we shift our focus to national meets and indoor track season!