DANE FUELLING
WZBD.com
The local girls cross country season got off to a brutally hot start Saturday at the Bob Dahl Classic on the campus of Norwell Middle and High School, with the Leo Lions beating out the hosts by just a single point for the team title.
Blackhawk Christian senior Hannah Suvar won the individual race, finishing 23 seconds ahead of Leo’s Rowyn Norris, who was a top 30 finisher at last year’s State Finals for the Lions.
Locally, it was a difficult start for the Adams County runners, with none able to crack the Top 25. Bellmont sophomore Sydney Angel was the top local runner, taking 29th place overall with a time of 25:29.8.
Lilly Franz was perhaps the biggest highlight for coach Carl Risch’s Bellmont Braves. The junior’s first 5K of 2025 was 79 seconds faster than what she ran last year as a sophomore. Her younger sister, freshman Haylee Franz, had a successful debut, finishing in the scoring for the Braves and breaking the 30-minute mark in her debut.
Adams Central also had a significant debut, with freshman Lexi Linder making a big contribution in her first high school race. Linder was in the top 40 in under 27 minutes.
The Braves will travel upstream to the mouth of the St. Marys to run in the Celina Invite this coming Saturday, while Adams Central will run at Taylor with South Adams.
Team Scores: 1st-Leo 49, 2nd-Norwell 50, 3rd-Hart 57, 4th-Bluffton 102, 5th-Garrett 151, 6th-Lakewood Park Christian 170, 7th-Adams Central 190, 8th-Bellmont 208, 9th-Southern Wells 217
Top 10 Finishers
1. Hannah Suvar-Blackhawk Christian 19:40.6
2. Rowyn Norris-Leo 20:03.3
3. Natalie Rosema-Hart 21:34.2
4. Ava Beaty-Leo 21:49.9
5. Cora Kunkel-Bluffton 21:58.6
6. Emma Miller-Hart 22:06.2
7. Ashley Waldman-Norwell 22:08.5
8. Hanna Barchak-Blackhawk Christian 22:30.7
9. Ava Dowd-Lakewood Park Christian 22:38.3
10. Ashley Tucker-Norwell 22:40.8
Adams Central Times & Finishes:
32nd-Alyssa Fruechte 26:31.5; 33rd-Hailey Brune 26:35.3; 38th-Lexi Linder 26:54.4; 41st-Macy Isch 27:29.2; 46th-Ella Bluhm 28:24.9
Bellmont Times & Finishes:
23rd-Sydney Angel 25:29.8; 40th-Lilly Franz 27:17.1; 44th-Bridget Juengel 28:19.1; 50th-Allison Allmon 29:35.9; 51st-Haylee Franz 29:40.1; 52nd-Isabelle Buuck 29:59.2; 54th-Isabella Suarez 30:47.9
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