The Ohio Capital Conference (OCC) Central and Capital Divisions saw thrilling performances across both the girls' and boys' competitions. With standout individual and team efforts, these races delivered intense competition, upsets, and expected victories alike. The weekend's results provided a clear picture of the division’s top talent as teams and athletes alike fought for OCC supremacy. Let's dive into a recap of the key races and winners.

OCC Central Division (Girls)

Individual Champion: Elena Aldrink 

Team Champion: Hilliard Davidson Wildcats

In our predictions, we highlighted Olentangy Liberty’s Elena Aldrink and Olentangy Orange’s Brooke Chapman as the two individuals to watch for. Sure enough, the two Olentangy-based athletes were the class of the field, both running under 17:40 for 5000 meters, with Aldrink’s 17:32 triumphing over Chapman’s 17:37. 

On the team side of things, Hilliard Davidson’s victory was hardly a surprise, with the Wildcats putting a comfortable 25-point cushion between themselves and the next-best team, the Olentangy Liberty Patriots. When you take a look at Davidson’s scoring structure, it’s easy to see why they are the best team in the division (and quite possibly the state). Erica Kaulen was great up front for Davidson, and sneaking three other scorers into the top ten (Celia Schute, Ashley Asko, Anna Gagliano) was enough to seal the victory. 

OCC Central Division (Boys)

Individual Champion: Matthew Schroff 

Team Champion: Olentangy Orange Pioneers

It was hardly a surprise to see Olentangy Orange senior, Matthew Schroff cross the line first this Saturday morning. He did after, have the fastest personal best of all competitors heading into this weekend and had a staggering four performances faster than 15:30 on the season. The only other athlete to finish the 5k course in under 16 minutes was Dublin Coffman senior, Jacob Bolton who stopped the clock at a respectable 15:57. 

The team race was a tight battle between the two powerhouse programs in Olentangy, Liberty and Orange, with Orange prevailing by 12 points, 37-49. In addition to star low stick, Schroff, Orange had two more athletes finish inside the top ten, with Senior Brayden Allender taking third place honors and Cowen Allender crossing the line in tenth to finish as the top sophomore in this race. 

OCC Capital Division (Girls)

Individual Champion: Leigha Kay 

Team Champion: Big Walnut Eagles

Not to brag or anything, but I had these predictions spot on!

However, I did not expect these to be nearly as close as they were, especially in the girl's individual race, it really can’t get closer than a one-second margin of victory.  But that's what happened, with Big Walnut’s Leigh Kay taking down Delaware Hayes’s Cali Kent by one second, 19:15.88 to 19:16.88! 

In the team race, it was once again Big Walnut winning by a close margin over Delaware Hayes, with the final scores sitting at 32 points to 44 points. One reason that Delaware Hayes was able to keep the scores relatively close was a huge day by Addison Reed who had a clutch season’s best of 19:49, good enough for third place. However, in the end, Big Walnut’s depth was simply too much for anyone else to handle. 

OCC Capital Division (Boys)

Individual Champion: Jeffery Kerns

Team Champion: Westerville North Warriors 

Wow, that was an impressive day from Westerville North. 

Starting things off, Jeffery Kerns ran just about how we expected him to, winning the individual title as the only finisher under 16 minutes, stopping the clock in 15 minutes and 55 seconds. That’s where the surprises started, with two more Westerville North athletes coming in right behind Kerns, with Casey Carlos taking runner-up honors, and Gabriel Wise settling for third place. The top non-warrior athlete was Dublin Scioto senior Owen Kockentiet in fourth place, which was surprising given his teammate McKinley Norman usually finishes as the top runner for the Irish. 

In case you couldn’t tell by our individual recap, Westerville North dominated the team battle, triumphing by 46 points over runner-up Dublin Scioto. In addition to the Warrior’s previous top-three, their fourth and fifth scorers both finished inside the top 10, big props to fourth scorer Charlie Bosler, who chopped a whopping 22 seconds off his personal best to deliver a wonderful fifth place finish. The scariest part is that the performance included an unfortunate off day by typical top-three scorer, Jordan Mazak (who still finished in a respectable tenth place).

This weekend's races solidified the dominance of standout athletes and powerhouse teams in both the Central and Capital divisions. Whether it was Elena Aldrink's impressive victory or Westerville North's commanding team performance, the OCC championships showcased exceptional cross-country talent. As the season progresses, these results promise even more exciting matchups as teams and individuals continue to chase greatness on the road to the state championships.