FALL ATHLETES Vincent Mauri

Howland boys cross country runner Vincent Mauri capped his high school career with a trip to the state meet in November.

He finished fourth in the Division I boys cross country meet with a time of 15:57.8, but he wanted more. It was Mauri’s second trip state. He finished 18th last year as a junior.

He won the district race with a 14:54.80, the only runner to finish in less than 15 minutes. In the regional meet, Mauri took first with a 15:51.

“I didn’t do as well as I wanted to [at state], but I still upped my performance,” Mauri said.

Mauri’s time gave him All-Ohio recognition for the second consecutive season.

The Howland runner also participated in the Nike Cross Regionals Midwest on Nov. 6 at Lavern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Ind.

The race was composed of teams and individuals. The event also was separated based on grade.

He finished fourth with a 15:24 in the 5000-meter championship against 350 other runners from across Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Missouri.

After finishing in the top eight in the Nike Regionals, Mauri advanced to the Nike Cross Nationals at Glendoveer Golf Course in Portland, Ore., on Dec. 1.

Mauri came in 29th at the Nike Nationals with a time of 15:31.50. In total, 203 runners competed in the men’s race.

In order to qualify for nationals, Mauri needed to finish as one of the top five individuals.

The higher level of competition and new experience was exciting for Mauri.

“I means a lot to bring a lot of pride to my school,” Mauri said.

Mauri will run at Arizona State next season and will major in Biomedical Engineering.

“I run good workouts in the cold, but racing in the cold doesn’t go well with me because I’m pretty much all skin and bones,” Mauri said. “I actually think I run better in hot weather rather than everybody else that doesn’t.”

— Dan Hiner, The Vindicator