Hartley cross country runners, girls volleyball team post memorable finishes
As he watched the results trickle in at the Division II regional boys cross country meet Oct. 29 at Pickerington North, Hartley sophomore Connor Caltrider was relieved to have finished considering he had battled through a cramp in his side late in the race.
The fatigue he was experiencing was offset by the excitement he felt when it became official that he had qualified for the state meet, as he became the program’s first boy to compete at state since the Hawks advanced as a team in 2005.
And while the girls cross country and girls volleyball teams both fell just short of some of their respective goals, they also produced their own set of memorable moments before the season ended for all three programs Nov. 5.
At the state boys cross country meet at Fortress Obetz, Caltrider finished in 16 minutes, 55.6 seconds to place 44th.
Hartley had no boys regional qualifiers from 2011-18 and had one individual at regional in both 2019 and 2020 before Caltrider broke through to finish 23rd (16:35.76) at regional as the top 24 individuals advanced to state.
“It was due to more training and more mental toughness,” Caltrider said. “I really don’t do much else outside of school and running. That’s my life.”
The girls cross country team had made two previous appearances at state (1989 and 2007) and hoped to qualify for the third time, but scored 209 points to finish seventh at regional — one point behind Jonathan Alder, which earned the final state-qualifying berth.
Individually, senior Anna Torrell finished 22nd (20:03.94) to qualify for state. The last time that happened was when Emily Franz made it in all four of her prep seasons from 2011-14.
At state, Torrell finished 83rd (20:38.5).
“Coming into this year, our whole team wanted to go to state, so I’m really glad I qualified and got to do this,” Torrell said. “Last year, a lot of my races were (run in about 21 minutes) and this year I was in the 20:30s and high 19s, so honestly it was more consistent running. I didn’t start consistently running until my junior year.”
Torrell was a junior varsity runner as a freshman before gradually becoming one of the Hawks’ top runners.
Torrell was followed at regional by freshman Cora Caltrider (38th, 20:41.39), junior Piper Minnich (57th, 21:15.92), seniors Jackie Radous (62nd, 21:21.18) and Gabby Reed (86th, 22:01.94), junior Katie Morrow (105th, 22:29.68) and sophomore Maleah Ogden (106th, 22:34.43).
Both Ogden and Minnich battled injuries or illness at times this fall.
Connor Caltrider was the boys team’s No. 1 runner last season, but did not compete in the postseason because of illness.
“(Torrell) just kept working,” coach Jim McKay said. “We just had a little too much to overcome (to qualify for state as a team).
“Connor last year didn’t run at district, and I think he had a shot (to go deep into the postseason) last year.”
Thegirls volleyball team was a state semifinalist last season and was aiming for an even better finish this fall, but lost 18-25, 25-21, 25-19, 25-18 to Gates Mills Gilmour Academy in a Division II regional final Nov. 5 at Galion.
Still, the Hawks set program records for wins as they went 26-2 and for consecutive victories with 14. They were on a 12-match winning streak when they lost in the tournament.
“They broke a lot of records,” coach Mike Rahe said. “It was just a good group of girls, really tight-knit. ... There was no drama.”
It was the final match for a seven-member senior class that was led by middle hitter Ella Brandewie, an Ohio State commit who was the district’s Player of the Year.
Senior outside hitter Jasmyn Crockett also was first-team all-district, and senior defensive specialist/libero Jocelyn Heuser was honorable mention all-district.
Junior Kaylee Musick, who was one of the team’s setters along with freshman Mallory Matheny, was second-team all-district.
Junior right-side hitter Jada Shade is another eligible to return.
“We had a j.v. team full of juniors that went 21-1, and both of my setters and a right-side are coming back,” Rahe said. “We’ve got eight juniors out of the bunch (who played j.v.), so it was another big senior class. Some of the young kids are going to have to step up and fill some roles, but they’re going to be hungry.”
julrey@thisweeknews.com
@UlreyThisWeek
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
•Record: 26-2 overall
•CCL standings: Hartley (5-1), Watterson (5-1), DeSales (2-4), Ready (0-6)
•Seniors lost: Ella Brandewie, Bella Chalfant, Jasmyn Crockett, Alex Etienne, Jocelyn Heuser, Kate McLane and Caitlin O’Malley
•Key returnees: Mallory Matheny, Kaylee Musick and Jada Shade
•Postseason: Def. Lakewood 25-9, 25-9, 25-18; def. KIPP Columbus 25-1, 25-2, 25-0; def. Hamilton Township 25-12, 25-12, 25-14; def. Bexley 25-9, 25-9, 25-18; def. Vermilion 23-25, 25-15, 25-20, 25-12; lost to Gates Mills Gilmour Academy 18-25, 25-21, 25-19, 25-18 in Division II regional final
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