Batavia senior David Flandermeyer qualified for the Division II state cross country meet. Photo courtesy Kristin Wells.
Batavia’s boys cross country team at the Division II regional meet at Troy, from left: Jayden Haungs, Jaxson Hendricks, Aiden Stith, Trevor Ranly, David Flandermeyer and Oliver Dwertman-Phillips. Photo courtesy Kristin Wells.
On successful teams, leaders lead. In no sport is that more apropos than cross country. The top runners set the pace, teammates behind, pushing each other.
Batavia High School senior Trevor Ranly attended the 2022 Division II regional cross country meet at Troy, cheering on classmate and teammate David Flandermeyer, when he made a promise to return 12 months later – not as a spectator, but as a competitor. He told Athletic Director Mark Pearson, “I’m going to make it here next year and I’m bringing the whole team.”
Promise kept.
Flandermeyer, Ranly and the entire Bulldog team qualified to regional after placing sixth at the district meet at Voice of America Park in West Chester Township Oct. 21. While they missed state, finishing 10th at Troy, Flandermeyer made the trip as an individual, running 14th.
“Trevor and David led the team unbelievably well, but what I loved most was how they included everyone and let them know the important role they played, ninth-year head coach Kristin Wells said. “This was always a team first atmosphere and you really saw it at districts and regionals. Walking into that race felt different and I think that confidence created the momentum for David at regionals to run the race of his career and qualify for state, something that hasn’t been done at Batavia for over 50 years.”
Five strong runners (and a sixth, in case of tie) are needed for a team to advance in the postseason, and a quintet of Bulldogs were in the top 74 at district. Flandermeyer was 11th, Ranly 24th, sophomore Aiden Stith 27th, freshman Jaxson Hendricks 53rd and junior Jayden Haungs 74th. The other two runners were senior Daniel Dacey, 88th, and sophomore Preston Young, 99th.
Wells said each of the younger runners “brought some excitement” to the team.
“Freshman Jaxson Hendricks was a kid I had my eyes on while he was in junior high,” Wells said. “I watched him as an eighth-grader logging miles day after day on campus in the bitter cold and was really excited to see what he could do when the season started knowing the work ethic he had.
Haungs and Stith had played other fall sports in previous years, but decided to dedicate their time to cross country in 2023. Wells said their presence was a “game changer.”
“Jayden struggled with a minor injury and came back stronger than ever and Aiden ended up blowing us away, just barely missing qualifying for regionals as an individual,” she said.
Flandermeyer, though, was usually the first Bulldog across the finish line. He was third in the 2023 Southern Buckeye Athletic and Academic Conference meet, 11 spots better than 2022, dropping more than minutes in time, from 18 minutes, 28 seconds, to 16:25.
“David is an incredible runner, hard worker, and even better kid, so I knew he was going to be special. What I didn’t know was how special of a season this was going to be for him having the team with him,” Wells said.
“Having the team there with David brought a sense of confidence and relaxation in the starting box. We always knew the team was important, but it really showed this year.”
Flandermeyer placed 100th at the state meet Saturday at Fortress Obetz, south of Columbus. He ran the course in a time of 17:16.10.