THS Cross Country Runners Kiefer Bell and Hannah Lippincott Advance to State Meet

The THS boys and girls cross country teams ran a great race at the Regional Meet on Saturday, October 31st, at Troy Memorial Park. The boys were represented by Kiefer Bell and Logan Murray. The girls were represented by Hannah Lippincott, Maddy Iden, Libby Farmer, Lilly Iden, Kylee Carver, Brooke Hubbard, and Bella Walter. 

The results are shown below: 

Boys Division 1 Race #5:

Athlete		Yr.	#	Team	Score	Time	Gap	Avg. Mile	Avg. KM
9	BELL, Kiefer	JR	591	Talawanda	–	16:04.2	39.8	5:10.0	3:12.8
55	MURRAY, Logan	JR	592	Talawanda	–	17:12.6	1:48.2	5:32.0	3:26.5

 

Girls Division 1 Race 6:

Athlete		Yr.	#	Team	Score	Time	Gap	Avg. Mile	Avg. KM
14	LIPPINCOTT, Hannah q	JR	246	Talawanda	13	19:09.1	58.0	6:09.5	3:49.8
37	IDEN, Maddy	SR	245	Talawanda	34	20:06.7	1:55.6	6:28.0	4:01.3
64	IDEN, Lily	SO	244	Talawanda	58	20:45.0	2:32.9	6:40.3	4:09.0
69	FARMER, Libby	SR	242	Talawanda	61	20:50.5	2:39.4	6:42.1	4:10.1
81	CARVER Kylee	SO	241	Talawanda	71	21:06.6	2:55.5	6:47.3	4:13.3
115	WALTER, Bella	JR	247	Talawanda	105	22:35.5	4:24.4	7:15.8	4:31.1
125	HUBBARD, Brooke	SR	243	Talawanda	115	23:30.5	5:19.4	7:33.5	4:42.1

Official results can be found here:

Boys – https://www.baumspage.com/cc/reg/troy/2020/b1.pdf 

Girls – https://www.baumspage.com/cc/reg/troy/2020/g1.pdf 

Kiefer and Hannah have both run very well over the course of the season. Both of these runners will be advancing to the State Meet on Saturday, November 7th at Fortress Obetz in Columbus, Ohio.

Coach Stiver said,  “Both Kiefer and Hannah have been committed to cross country since 7th grade.  They have consistently worked hard and have run hundreds of miles over the years to earn the honor of qualifying to the State Meet.  This will be Hannah’s first trip to State and Kiefer’s second time.  He will look to improve on his 43rd place finish from last year.  This marks the first time since 1985 that a Talawanda male and female cross country runner have qualified to the State Meet in the same year.  

They have both won the SWOC Meet the last two years and earned Runner of the Year Awards both times.  We look forward to seeing them run on Saturday and representing Talawanda High School.”

Q & A with State Qualifier Kiefer Bell

Kiefer Bell. Photo Credit:  Wes Cole

How did you get into running?  “I got into running after elementary school. In 6th grade my father helped with a running group for Miami faculty who were training for a local 5k. My friend and I started to go to these training sessions with my dad. After 6th grade I was able to join school sports, I joined the cross country and track team in 7th grade  and I have run with Talawanda for every cross country and track season after that.”

What is your running routine, or what do you do to prepare for races?  “My running routine or weekly schedule of running usually consists of a long run on Mondays. I ran anywhere from 8-11 miles this year while training for cross country.  On Tuesdays and Thursdays I will usually have recovery or normal runs which are usually 5-6 miles, and on Wednesday.  I have a workout where I get to run fast it is usually some sort of interval workout. On Fridays before a meet I usually only run 3 miles and make sure my legs are feeling good. On Friday nights I make sure to get to bed on time for the meet the next day.”

What is your best time for a 5k, and where/when did you get it?  “My best 5k time is 15:48. I ran this at the district meet at Cedarville University. This weekend at the state meet I am planning on running even faster!”

What were your goals for this season? Would you say that you accomplished these goals?  “My goals this season were to qualify for the state meet again and run in the 15:20s. I would say I feel pretty accomplished this year since I have not been able to race as much or against an extremely fast field of runners yet.”

What goals do you have for the future in terms of running?  “My goals for the future in terms of running are to have a great track season and set a couple more school records and qualify for the state track meet this upcoming spring.”

Q & A with State Qualifier Hannah Lippincott

Hannah Lippincott.  Photo Credit:  Wes Cole

How did you get into running?  “I think I first got introduced to running when I did Girls on the Run in 5th grade. I had always been sort of interested, and I had a really fun time. I joined the middle school cross country team in 7th grade and loved it. I made a lot of friends on the team that I still have today and actually started to commit to training. ”

What is your running routine, or what do you do to prepare for races?  “I always make sure that I get a good warm up before my races. I think the most important thing to do before a race is hard strides and I always make sure to do several of those. I always have my headphones with me to play music and help me get excited. I sometimes pray before my races as well.”

What is your best time for a 5k, and where/when did you get it?  “My best time is 18:25 and I got it at the Centerville Saturday Night Lights meet my sophomore year.”

What were your goals for this season? Would you say that you accomplished these goals?  “One of my main goals this year was to qualify for state and I achieved that goal. I also wanted to stay mentally strong in all of my races this year and I think I improved on that too. I still would like to get a personal record or at least break 18:30, but I will be happy with my season either way.”

What goals do you have for the future in terms of running?  “I am really excited for track season as I didn’t get to have one last year due to the pandemic. My favorite event is the 1600 and I would really like to break the school record and possibly break 5 minutes. When I am a senior next year, I want to be a good leader for the team, and hopefully I will be able to commit to a college for running. I also really want to make state again next year in cross country and also hopefully in track.”