This is the last one.
Every "top returning" ranking Podium Watch has run this preseason has come with a promise: there's still time, more seasons to close the gap, more chances to move up the list. Not this one. The eighty names below are entering their senior year, and for every single one of them, this is the last cross country season they will ever run in high school. No more "wait until next year." Next year doesn't exist.
Fittingly, the fastest names at the top of this list aren't waiting around either. Ryne Reynolds of Little Miami leads the boys at 14:51.30, and Elle Campbell of Milford leads the girls at 17:45.50, both of them in Division I, both of them the fastest returning senior in the entire state regardless of classification. Same as the sophomore class, different from the juniors, where Division III took over. Division I seniors are still the standard.
The fast facts
- Fastest senior in the state, boys: Ryne Reynolds, Little Miami, 14:51.30
- Fastest senior in the state, girls: Elle Campbell, Milford, 17:45.50
- Closest race anywhere on this list: Maggie Gerschutz vs. Juliette Turner, Girls Division II, 2.99 seconds
- Most dominant #1: Bennett Lehman, Boys Division IV, 30.89 seconds clear, the largest gap in this entire preview
- Tightest division top to bottom: Boys Division II, just 27.70 seconds from first to tenth
- Widest division top to bottom: Girls Division I, 67.20 seconds
Superlatives
Most Dominant Performance — Bennett Lehman, Ansonia. Nearly 31 seconds clear of the field in Division IV. Whatever's left to prove this season, it isn't who's fastest.
Closest Race — Maggie Gerschutz vs. Juliette Turner, Girls D2. 2.99 seconds. After three years of racing each other, it comes down to this senior season to settle it, one way or the other, for good.
Tightest Division — Boys Division II. 27.70 seconds covers the entire top ten, and the top three alone are separated by just 11.50 seconds. Nobody is safe at the top of this division, and nobody at the bottom is out of it either.
Sibling Watch — Nathaniel and Wyatt Gockerman, Cincinnati CHCA. Same last name, same school, first and fourth in Division III. Related or not, CHCA is closing out this era with two names in the state's top ten.
Deepest Programs — six teams landed two runners apiece: Mason (both boys and girls squads, separately), Cincinnati CHCA, Woodridge, Ashtabula St. John, and Rittman. Whatever happens individually this season, these programs are built to score as teams.
Boys Division I
The fastest senior in the state, and a fight for second that isn't settled yet.
| Rank | Athlete | School | 5K Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ryne Reynolds | Little Miami | 14:51.30 |
| 2 | Logan Behm | Hilliard Darby | 15:18.94 |
| 3 | Eligh Amshoff | Mason | 15:24.40 |
| 4 | Dominic Lopez | Northmont | 15:28.80 |
| 5 | Paras Yadav | Mason | 15:31.50 |
| 6 | Ben Canales | Dublin Coffman | 15:33.98 |
| 7 | Holden Gray | Westerville North | 15:34.89 |
| 8 | Vansh Sethi | Olentangy Berlin | 15:35.04 |
| 9 | Rishi Jha | Thomas Worthington | 15:36.35 |
| 10 | Cowen Allender | Olentangy Orange | 15:38.56 |
Ryne Reynolds is 27.64 seconds clear of the field, the fastest returning senior anywhere in Ohio. But this isn't a one-man division. Logan Behm, Eligh Amshoff, and Mason's own Paras Yadav are separated by just 12.56 seconds behind him, and Mason put two names in this top ten, Amshoff at third and Yadav at fifth. One season left for all of them to settle who finishes closest to Reynolds when it actually counts.
Boys Division II
No division in the state is more wide open than this one.
| Rank | Athlete | School | 5K Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luke Rettenberger | Warren | 15:25.30 |
| 2 | Ian Res | West Geauga | 15:33.53 |
| 3 | Steven Owen | Sylvania Southview | 15:36.80 |
| 4 | Ryan Stirm | Rocky River | 15:41.59 |
| 5 | Ian Trombley | Loveland | 15:44.00 |
| 6 | Caleb Anderson | Turpin | 15:47.80 |
| 7 | Aiden Flynn | Nordonia | 15:49.01 |
| 8 | Justus Detter | Massillon Perry | 15:49.30 |
| 9 | Will Hooper | Lexington | 15:50.60 |
| 10 | Sam Wiles | Bowling Green | 15:53.00 |
Just 27.70 seconds separates first from tenth, the tightest spread of any division in this entire preview, boys or girls. Luke Rettenberger leads, but Ian Res and Steven Owen are within 11.50 seconds of him, and honestly, so is everyone else on this list. Ten schools, one season, and a genuine chance for any of them to be the name people remember by November.
Boys Division III
A dominant leader, a sibling story, and a real gap after that.
| Rank | Athlete | School | 5K Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nathaniel Gockerman | Cincinnati CHCA | 14:53.10 |
| 2 | Jackson Spitzer | Versailles | 15:10.10 |
| 3 | Joel Smelcer | Perkins | 15:13.35 |
| 4 | Wyatt Gockerman | Cincinnati CHCA | 15:25.80 |
| 5 | Connor Runkle | Fairfield Union | 15:27.46 |
| 6 | Connor Bendo | Union Local | 15:34.25 |
| 7 | Luca Novakovic | CF Northwest | 15:41.80 |
| 8 | John Brock | Woodridge | 15:42.77 |
| 9 | Kelan Byrne | Chagrin Falls | 15:42.82 |
| 10 | Landen Perdue | Bellaire | 15:44.93 |
Nathaniel Gockerman's 14:53.10 is the second-fastest time posted by any senior boy in the state, trailing only Ryne Reynolds. And he's not the only Gockerman on this list. Wyatt Gockerman sits fourth, same last name, same program, closing out their senior seasons together at Cincinnati CHCA. Whatever their story is off the course, on it, they've built a 32.70-second head start over the rest of Division III.
Boys Division IV
The most dominant performance in this entire preview.
| Rank | Athlete | School | 5K Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bennett Lehman | Ansonia | 15:17.91 |
| 2 | Kolten Evans | Riverdale | 15:48.80 |
| 3 | Samuel Phlipot | Russia | 15:54.30 |
| 4 | Ethan Roberts | West Jefferson | 15:54.73 |
| 5 | Caiden Squillante | Columbus Grove | 15:55.45 |
| 6 | Sam Steimle | Grand Valley | 15:56.46 |
| 7 | Ethan Lee | Fayette | 16:04.74 |
| 8 | Titus Young | Anna | 16:11.27 |
| 9 | Connor Rhein | Black River | 16:16.84 |
| 10 | Ethan Nevinski | Maplewood | 16:17.53 |
Bennett Lehman's 30.89-second gap over second place is the largest margin anywhere in this entire preview, boys or girls, every division. That's not a close season opener, that's a senior who's already lapped the field mentally before the gun even goes off. Behind him, Kolten Evans, Samuel Phlipot, and Ethan Roberts are bunched within 5.93 seconds of each other, fighting for a distant second that's still very much undecided.
Girls Division I
The widest gap in the entire preview, and the fastest senior girl in the state.
| Rank | Athlete | School | 5K Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elle Campbell | Milford | 17:45.50 |
| 2 | Aleah Coster | Oak Hills | 17:55.80 |
| 3 | Josie Cox | Upper Arlington | 17:58.02 |
| 4 | Atalia Hawkins | Mason | 17:59.00 |
| 5 | Brionna Wright | Gahanna Lincoln | 18:04.60 |
| 6 | Mackenzie Kline | Hilliard Davidson | 18:19.88 |
| 7 | Reese Galinger | Teays Valley | 18:22.98 |
| 8 | Ella Smith | Springboro | 18:47.69 |
| 9 | Marissa Kromi | GlenOak | 18:51.50 |
| 10 | Emily Moran | Mason | 18:52.70 |
Elle Campbell's 17:45.50 is the fastest time posted by any senior in Ohio this year, boys' side included, and the 67.20-second spread from first to tenth is the widest of any division in this preview. Mason shows up twice here too, Atalia Hawkins at fourth and Emily Moran at tenth, bookending the state's most top-heavy division on the girls' side.
Girls Division II
The closest race in the entire preview.
| Rank | Athlete | School | 5K Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maggie Gerschutz | Wadsworth | 18:02.09 |
| 2 | Juliette Turner | Sylvania Southview | 18:05.08 |
| 3 | Makayla Martuccio | Tallmadge | 18:12.68 |
| 4 | Kaylen Goss | Logan | 18:31.74 |
| 5 | Katherine Schuler | Medina Highland | 18:36.77 |
| 6 | Allison High | Bellbrook | 18:38.20 |
| 7 | Olivia Brady | Boardman | 18:45.47 |
| 8 | Lucia Sveda | Green | 18:47.30 |
| 9 | Grace Buskirk | Big Walnut | 18:48.28 |
| 10 | Ashlynn Kuklica | John Glenn | 18:49.62 |
Maggie Gerschutz and Juliette Turner are separated by 2.99 seconds, the tightest margin anywhere in this entire eighty-athlete field. Makayla Martuccio is right there too, just 10.59 seconds off the lead. Three schools, one season left, and a race at the front of this division that could genuinely go any of three ways by the time it matters most.
Girls Division III
A real gap at the top, and Woodridge showing up twice.
| Rank | Athlete | School | 5K Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Irelyn Johnson | Marlington | 18:10.89 |
| 2 | Kali Wallace | Claymont | 18:23.16 |
| 3 | Lola Mullen | Woodridge | 18:25.69 |
| 4 | Makenzie Beavers | Minerva | 18:27.17 |
| 5 | Grace Brown | Bellefontaine | 18:32.00 |
| 6 | Katrina Neal | Clear Fork | 18:33.54 |
| 7 | Rylie Towns | Huron | 18:33.81 |
| 8 | Lillian Singer | Woodridge | 18:52.55 |
| 9 | Ruby Clark | Greenon | 19:11.90 |
| 10 | Isa Dunlap | Oakwood | 19:13.30 |
Irelyn Johnson opens her senior season 12.27 seconds clear of the field, a real cushion in a division where everyone else is bunched closer together behind her. Woodridge is the program to know, Lola Mullen at third and Lillian Singer at eighth, both closing out their final year with real depth behind them.
Girls Division IV
Two programs, two sets of teammates, one final season to make it count.
| Rank | Athlete | School | 5K Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ida Estadt | Shenandoah | 18:30.20 |
| 2 | Claire Bohman | Minster | 18:39.04 |
| 3 | Marlee Beacom | Ashtabula St. John | 18:41.34 |
| 4 | Campbell Coyne | Seven Hills | 18:45.50 |
| 5 | Colbie Strayer | Liberty Center | 18:47.41 |
| 6 | Adyson Fosen | Rittman | 18:58.29 |
| 7 | Mackenzie Edgar | Maplewood | 19:02.10 |
| 8 | Emma Phillips | Ashtabula St. John | 19:02.20 |
| 9 | Julia Albright | Grandview Heights | 19:04.80 |
| 10 | Annabelle Snyder | Rittman | 19:06.89 |
Ida Estadt leads for Shenandoah, but this division belongs to its programs as much as its individuals. Ashtabula St. John lands two names, Marlee Beacom at third and Emma Phillips at eighth. Rittman does the same, Adyson Fosen at sixth and Annabelle Snyder at tenth. Two schools, four seniors, all of them racing out their final year together.
One season. That's all that's left.
Every athlete on these eight lists is walking into their senior year right now, and for all eighty of them, this is it. Not two more seasons. Not three. One. Whatever they've built over the last three years, whatever rivalry, whatever gap they're trying to close, whatever program depth they've spent years developing, this fall is the only chance left to turn it into something permanent.
Ryne Reynolds and Elle Campbell are the fastest seniors in the state, and neither of them gets another year to hold that title. Maggie Gerschutz and Juliette Turner have 2.99 seconds and one season to settle it between them for good. The Gockerman brothers at Cincinnati CHCA are finishing this out together. So is every other name on this list, whether they're at the top of their division or working to climb into it.
No more "watch this space." No more "next year." This is the last ranking that will ever say "returning" next to any of these names. What they do with this season is what people are going to remember.
Rankings based on 2025 5K times. These athletes were juniors during the 2025 cross country season and will be seniors in 2026, their final year of high school eligibility.
