Runners set for McDonald race

Staff report

McDONALD

The ninth annual Billy Goat Challenge Invitational will kick off the crosscountry season on Saturday at Woodland Park.

The meet is sponsored by the McDonald CC Boosters and is hosted by the village at the park at the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and Sixth Street.

This year’s meet will play host to nearly 800 athletes from across northeast Ohio, including teams from Austintown, Bristol, Canfield, Crestwood, CVCA, Garfield, Girard, Jackson Milton, Jefferson, JFK, LaBrae, Lordstown, Niles, Struthers, Streetsboro, Woodridge and McDonald.

Races begin with the junior high boys at 10 a.m., followed by junior high girls at 10:30 a.m., varsity boys at 11 a.m. and varsity girls at 11:30 a.m.

An awards ceremony will take place at the park gazebo at 12:20 p.m.

For five straight years, the Billy Goat men’s team race has been dominated by eventual state champion Woodridge. The five-time state champions should battle again for the title challenged by McDonald led by All-Ohio runners Kyle Joynes and Pat Kunkel.

The meet and course record is held by Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy’s Kyle Sullinger (2008) at 16:18.

In the varsity girls race, CVCA, Crestwood, Canfield, Woodridge and McDonald are expected to challenge for first.

Top returning individuals will include Carissa Jenkins of Austintown, Karlie Lieberth of Crestwood, Mallory Myers of CVCA and Sarah Jones of McDonald

The meet and course record were set in 2005 by Crestwood’s Bridget Franek at 18:47.