Fourteen forty-nine. As a sophomore.
Brice Fuller of Fairless ran 14:49.06 last season, a time that would headline Division I, let alone Division III, and he did it a full year before most of the state even starts paying attention to him. Podium Watch ranked the top 10 returning juniors in every division, four divisions, boys and girls, eighty names in all, and Fuller's time isn't just the fastest junior in Division III. It's the fastest junior in the entire state, any classification.
He's not running alone at the top, either. On the girls' side, Gwen Huddle of Napoleon just missed sneaking under 17:54, and she also plays in Division III. Two athletes, two different genders, same division, both sitting on top of the entire state's junior class. If you were expecting Division I to run away with this the way it usually does, this year has other plans.
The fast facts
- Fastest junior in the state, boys: Brice Fuller, Fairless, 14:49.06, Division III
- Fastest junior in the state, girls: Gwen Huddle, Napoleon, 17:53.80, Division III
- Closest race anywhere on this list: Austin Benedict vs. Ian Patrick, Boys Division I, 2.33 seconds
- Most dominant #1, boys: Fuller, 42.44 seconds clear of second place, the single biggest gap in this entire preview
- Most dominant #1, girls: Huddle, 39.38 seconds clear, the second-biggest gap of anyone
- Deepest program in the state: Bishop Watterson, Girls Division II, with three runners in the top 10
- Tightest division top to bottom: Boys Division IV, 36.04 seconds
- Widest division top to bottom: Girls Division IV, 87.00 seconds
Superlatives
Most Dominant Performance — Brice Fuller, Fairless. A 14:49 from a rising junior is a time most seniors never see. The 42-second gap he's opened over second place isn't a ranking, it's a different race entirely.
Runner-Up to History — Gwen Huddle, Napoleon. Nobody in the girls' class is within 39 seconds of her. The only reason she isn't the outright headline of this preview is that Fuller ran three seconds faster than she did, statewide, gender aside.
Closest Race — Austin Benedict vs. Ian Patrick, Boys D1. 2.33 seconds. Tightest margin anywhere in this entire eighty-athlete field, and it's happening in the state's most competitive division.
Deepest Program — Bishop Watterson, Girls D2. First place. Sixth place. Tenth place. Three different Eagles across this one list. That's not a good year. That's a program.
Sneaky Depth — Woodridge (Boys D3) and Ottawa Hills (Girls D4). Two runners apiece, back-to-back or close to it. Neither program is making headlines yet. Both should be on your radar by next season.
Boys Division I
The tightest top two in the entire preview.
| Rank | Athlete | School | 5K Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Austin Benedict | New Albany | 15:19.41 |
| 2 | Ian Patrick | Little Miami | 15:21.74 |
| 3 | Owen Huff | Oak Hills | 15:23.90 |
| 4 | Jacob Newman | St. Edward | 15:36.20 |
| 5 | Joshua Linde | Springboro | 15:39.21 |
| 6 | Samuel Weiss | Sycamore | 15:44.30 |
| 7 | Dominic Mercurio | Pickerington North | 15:54.56 |
| 8 | Logan Mix | Mason | 15:56.62 |
| 9 | Benedikt Mellion | St. Ignatius | 15:59.30 |
| 10 | Mayson Talley | Central Crossing | 15:59.60 |
Austin Benedict and Ian Patrick are separated by 2.33 seconds, the closest margin anywhere in this entire preview, boys or girls. Owen Huff isn't far behind either, just 4.49 seconds off the lead. Three different schools, three legitimate contenders, and a full season left to settle it before the postseason does it for them.
Boys Division II
Steady, deep, and building toward something.
| Rank | Athlete | School | 5K Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Donevan Noah | Tallmadge | 15:24.25 |
| 2 | Anderson Seredick | Nordonia | 15:32.02 |
| 3 | Caleb Nieset | Chardon | 15:37.30 |
| 4 | Logan Miller | Granville | 15:49.77 |
| 5 | Owen Comes | Bexley | 15:50.87 |
| 6 | Brennan Higgins | Toledo St. Francis | 15:52.00 |
| 7 | Zac Andamasaris | CVCA | 15:54.04 |
| 8 | Jacob Turek | Boardman | 15:54.80 |
| 9 | Carson Spencer | Turpin | 15:55.70 |
| 10 | Adam Proulx | Bowling Green | 16:06.00 |
Donevan Noah leads for Tallmadge, and the rest of the division is packed in behind him without a single dramatic gap anywhere in the list. Ten different schools, ten legitimate juniors, nobody separated by more than 41.75 seconds top to bottom. This is a division that's going to be decided by who has the best month of racing left, not who's already run away with it.
Boys Division III
Brice Fuller isn't just leading this division. He's leading the state.
| Rank | Athlete | School | 5K Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brice Fuller | Fairless | 14:49.06 |
| 2 | Asher Cole | West Liberty Salem | 15:31.50 |
| 3 | Jamie Yuronich | Keystone | 15:59.01 |
| 4 | Cole Zang | Margaretta | 16:00.12 |
| 5 | Logan Howard | Canton South | 16:03.90 |
| 6 | Remington Griffiths | Woodridge | 16:04.69 |
| 7 | Eli White | Woodridge | 16:09.80 |
| 8 | Aaron Geswein | Valley View | 16:10.55 |
| 9 | James Marcin | Chagrin Falls | 16:11.97 |
| 10 | Tyson Fetty | Minerva | 16:13.71 |
Say it again: 14:49.06. Fuller's time isn't just the fastest in this division, it's the fastest returning junior mark in the entire state, and the 42.44-second gap he's put on Asher Cole in second is the largest of any division in this preview. Behind those top two, Woodridge quietly put two runners in this list, Remington Griffiths at sixth and Eli White at seventh, the kind of program depth that doesn't make noise in August but shows up in team scores by November.
Boys Division IV
The tightest division in the entire state, top to bottom.
| Rank | Athlete | School | 5K Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nigel Wenger | Smithville | 16:07.01 |
| 2 | Elliot Weston | Ridgedale | 16:09.71 |
| 3 | Derek Young | Crestview Convoy | 16:10.50 |
| 4 | Henry Bartlett | Mount Gilead | 16:11.14 |
| 5 | Tavion Huguely | Lynchburg Clay | 16:15.80 |
| 6 | Elijah Scales | Springfield ECA | 16:19.08 |
| 7 | Carter Hicks | New London | 16:23.94 |
| 8 | Jaxon League | MVCA | 16:38.60 |
| 9 | Wyatt Brubaker | Lakota | 16:41.54 |
| 10 | Alex Galvin | Pettisville | 16:43.05 |
Just 36.04 seconds separate first from tenth here, tighter than any other division in this entire preview, boys or girls. Nigel Wenger leads, but Elliot Weston, Derek Young, and Henry Bartlett are all within four seconds of him. Ten different schools, and realistically any of the top four could be sitting at number one by the time this season ends.
Girls Division I
Three schools, one photo finish waiting to happen.
| Rank | Athlete | School | 5K Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kate Michael | Watkins Memorial | 18:14.42 |
| 2 | Latorian Freeman | Gahanna Lincoln | 18:18.78 |
| 3 | Brooke Derringer | Lancaster | 18:21.75 |
| 4 | Kassadi Thompson | Cleveland Heights | 18:34.33 |
| 5 | Kyla Benedict | New Albany | 18:35.09 |
| 6 | Alexis Schultz | Perrysburg | 18:38.08 |
| 7 | Maren Barnett | Milford | 18:41.49 |
| 8 | Abby Parsons | Massillon Jackson | 18:55.00 |
| 9 | Eva Mathur | Mason | 18:57.90 |
| 10 | Lucy Schutte | Oak Hills | 18:58.00 |
Kate Michael, Latorian Freeman, and Brooke Derringer are separated by 7.33 seconds combined, three different schools bunched at the top of the state's toughest division. Michael leads for now, but with a full season of racing left and this little separation, leading in August means almost nothing by October.
Girls Division II
Bishop Watterson, and then everyone else.
| Rank | Athlete | School | 5K Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kaitlyn Van Zandt | Bishop Watterson | 18:03.01 |
| 2 | Elsa Tonnessen | Granville | 18:33.90 |
| 3 | Logan Romanini | CVCA | 18:41.70 |
| 4 | Lily Wineka | Hoover | 18:56.30 |
| 5 | Ella Dolgowicz | Wadsworth | 19:00.85 |
| 6 | Campbell Retzke | Bishop Watterson | 19:02.10 |
| 7 | Zoe Wayner | Athens | 19:04.31 |
| 8 | Jane McCann | Rocky River | 19:08.59 |
| 9 | Haley Bero | Boardman | 19:11.81 |
| 10 | Berkley LaCount | Bishop Watterson | 19:13.03 |
Kaitlyn Van Zandt is 30.89 seconds clear of the field, a gap matched by almost nobody else in this preview. But the real headline is Bishop Watterson itself. Van Zandt at first, Campbell Retzke at sixth, Berkley LaCount at tenth, three Eagles on one list. Individual talent gets you a ranking. Three deep gets you a team title.
Girls Division III
The second-fastest time in the entire state, and a full division racing to catch up.
| Rank | Athlete | School | 5K Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gwen Huddle | Napoleon | 17:53.80 |
| 2 | Caroline Valentino | Hathaway Brown | 18:33.18 |
| 3 | Tateum Richard | Minerva | 18:39.12 |
| 4 | Penny Francis | Bath | 18:42.70 |
| 5 | Iriel Mena | West Holmes | 18:47.50 |
| 6 | Savaya Woody | St. Vincent St. Mary | 18:57.20 |
| 7 | Gabby Byrne | Chagrin Falls | 18:58.55 |
| 8 | Josie Eick | Tuscarawas Valley | 18:59.68 |
| 9 | Symphony Schuerman | Van Wert | 19:01.00 |
| 10 | Lucy Folger | Madeira | 19:10.40 |
Gwen Huddle's 17:53.80 trails only Brice Fuller for the fastest time posted by any returning junior in Ohio, and her 39.38-second margin over Caroline Valentino is the second-largest gap in this entire preview. Division III produced the fastest junior on both the boys' and girls' side this year. That's not a coincidence worth ignoring, that's a division quietly outrunning its own reputation.
Girls Division IV
The widest gap in the state, and the most room for someone to make a move.
| Rank | Athlete | School | 5K Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Naomi Sheesley | McDonald | 18:08.40 |
| 2 | Natalie Nixon | Ottawa Hills | 18:20.17 |
| 3 | Michaela Flora | Newton Local | 18:40.13 |
| 4 | Anna Wiltshire | Summit Country Day | 18:47.20 |
| 5 | Mandy Mark | Cedarville | 18:54.80 |
| 6 | Hadley Hudson | Archbold | 18:56.66 |
| 7 | Kylee Molnar | Mineral Ridge | 19:09.44 |
| 8 | Emily Chen | Ottawa Hills | 19:18.33 |
| 9 | Joanna Topp | Minster | 19:28.10 |
| 10 | Kylie Sayle | Kirtland | 19:35.40 |
Naomi Sheesley leads, but this is the widest division in the entire preview, 87 seconds from first to tenth, more room between the top and bottom of this list than anywhere else in the state. Ottawa Hills is the program worth watching here, Natalie Nixon at second and Emily Chen at eighth, two runners bookending a wide-open field that still has plenty of season left to reshuffle.
What two seasons actually means
Every athlete on these eight lists is heading into their junior year right now. That means two seasons of high school racing left, this junior season, then one final year as a senior, not three, not one. This is the last ranking these athletes will ever see with "returning" in the title. Next year, they're not building toward something. They're finishing it.
That changes the stakes of everything above. Brice Fuller and Gwen Huddle aren't just fast for their age anymore, they have two seasons to turn that speed into state titles before their high school careers are over. Bishop Watterson's three-deep roster in Girls Division II has two more seasons to turn depth into a trophy. And every razor-thin margin on this list, Benedict and Patrick's 2.33 seconds, the three-way logjam atop Girls D1, gets settled for good within the next two years, not eventually.
Two seasons isn't a long runway. It's exactly enough time to become the name people remember.
Rankings based on 2025 5K times. These athletes were sophomores during the 2025 cross country season and will be juniors in 2026.
