2003 CHL Cross Country Championship

October 9   Joyce Park

  Wyoming hosted the 2003 championships at Joyce Park in Hamilton. Taylor's girls came in as the top ranked team in
the state and defending league champs. They dominated from the start and for a while they held the top 5 spots in the
race. Lauren Justice from Madeira and Wyoming's Sarah Amburgy took 5th and 6th to break up Taylor's bid for a
perfect score. The YellowJackets retained the team title with an excellent 17 points and sophomore Emily Thompson
repeated as individual champ.
  On the boys side, Wyoming came to Joyce Park as the number 2 ranked team in Ohio. They had beaten Taylor the
second week of the season at Lakota but the two rivals had not faced off since. Taylor came in as the two time defending
league champs, but knew they would have a huge task going for the "three-peat". A pack of five runners quickly broke out
to lead the race. Harold Jones and Lucas Nebert of Wyoming along with Mark Miller, Joe McArthur and Paul Sullivan
from Taylor waged an all out war for the entire race. They battled to the end with Nebert holding off Miller for the
individual championship, followed by Jones, McArthur and Ian Smith for first team All-CHL honors. After six runners
were in, Wyoming led the team race by a score of 9 to 12 over Taylor. The championship would be decided by each
team's fourth and fifth runners. In the end, Taylor freshman Zach Tripplett and junior Matt O'Brien came in 8th and 9th
to seal the victory over the Cowboys by a score of 29 to 33.


                                                                       
     Emily Thompson runs towards her second individual title.            Harold Jones out in front of the lead pack.


                                            
Mark Miller & Joe McArthur drive for the team title.                         Boys varsity action.


                                                                                                                       
Paul Sullivan & Harold Jones leave it all on the course.                      Lucas Nebert battles for the individual title.


Girls varsity action.                                                                                           photos by Jaimee Branson.