TROY, Ohio — Miami Valley Christian Academy cross country will look to continue its postseason success on Saturday, October 31, as both the boys and girls teams compete in the OHSAA Division IV Southwest Regional Championships at Troy Memorial Stadium in Troy, Ohio.
The Lions enter regionals following an impressive showing at last weekend's Southwest District Championships at Voice of America MetroPark. The boys captured their second consecutive district team championship, while the girls placed third behind another record-breaking performance from sophomore Olivia O'Hare.
All 14 MVCA runners advanced to the regional meet, where the top five teams and 10 additional individuals not on qualifying teams will earn spots in the OHSAA State Championships on November 7 at Fortress Obetz.
Saturday's girls race begins at 3:30 p.m., followed by the boys at 4:10 p.m.
Boys Look to Turn District Dominance Into State Berth
For the second straight year, the MVCA boys cross country team enters regionals as district champions.
The Lions delivered one of their strongest performances of the season at the October 24 district championships, finishing with just 36 team points to claim the title by an impressive 47-point margin over runner-up Dayton Christian.
Junior Jaxon League highlighted the championship performance, crossing the finish line in 16:21.7 to capture the individual district championship.
League's performance was part of a dominant showing at the front of the field, as teammate Ezekiel Robinson finished second in 17:19.1, giving the Lions the top two individual finishers.
MVCA placed four runners inside the top 10 and all five scoring runners among the top 15.
John Thompson finished eighth in 18:11.1, followed by Sam Parker in 10th at 18:21.2 and Ethan McCasland in 15th at 19:04.5. Parker Sintz and Levi Smiley rounded out the Lions' seven-runner lineup with 23rd and 30th-place finishes, respectively.
The district championship continued an impressive 2026 campaign for MVCA.
The Lions opened the season with back-to-back team victories at the Clark Invitational on August 25 and the Cincinnati Country Day Invitational on August 29.
League also enjoyed a standout individual regular season, winning the Cedarville Friendship Invitational on September 19 with a time of 16:41.0. He later recorded a personal-best 16:18.3 at the Ross Invitational on October 3, the fastest recorded 5K of his season entering regionals.
The Lions will also look to build on their recent regional experience. MVCA advanced as a team in 2025, with senior Will Sten qualifying individually for the Division IV State Championships, where he finished 77th in 17:00.04.
League, Robinson and Thompson all competed at last year's regional championships and return as key members of this season's district championship lineup.
Saturday's regional field will feature 19 qualifying boys teams, with just five earning the opportunity to advance to the state championships.
MVCA Boys Regional Qualifiers
Results from the October 24 Southwest District Championships
O'Hare Leads Girls Into Regionals Following Record-Breaking Performance
The MVCA girls will also compete as a full team on Saturday after earning third place at the Southwest District Championships with 93 points.
Sophomore Olivia O'Hare led the way with another historic performance, finishing third overall in 19:04.1 and breaking her own school record for the second time this month.
O'Hare entered the district meet having set a new MVCA 5K record of 19:35 at the Miami Valley Conference Championships on October 15. Just nine days later, she lowered that mark by nearly 31 seconds.
The performance continued a remarkable sophomore campaign for O'Hare, who is looking to qualify for the OHSAA State Championships for a second consecutive season.
As a freshman in 2025, O'Hare advanced to the Division IV State Championships, where she finished 33rd overall in 19:39.02. Now, one year later, she enters regionals having improved that state championship time by nearly 35 seconds.
Behind O'Hare, the Lady Lions relied on a strong team effort to secure their regional berth.
Evelyn Stuk finished 23rd in 23:07.8, with Neve Dockery following closely in 25th at 23:14.6. Karis Haddox crossed the line in 27th at 23:28.6, while Mackenzie Fuller placed 29th in 23:36.7.
Maddie Hillenmeyer and Caroline Kreyling completed the MVCA lineup, finishing 35th and 36th, respectively.
The girls have demonstrated consistent performances throughout the season, recording third-place team finishes at the Western Brown Invitational, Norwood Invitational and MVC Championships before matching that placement at districts.
Now, the Lady Lions will look to put together another strong team performance against the region's top competition, with an opportunity to advance their full lineup to state.
Like the boys, the girls will compete in a regional field of 19 qualifying teams, with five advancing to the state championships.
MVCA Girls Regional Qualifiers
Results from the October 24 Southwest District Championships
Building on a History of State Qualifiers
Saturday's regional championships offer MVCA an opportunity to continue a recent stretch of postseason success that has included individual state qualifiers in each of the past two seasons.
In 2024, senior Joey Sandul advanced to the Division III State Championships after finishing 10th at regionals in 16:55.6. Sandul went on to finish 84th at state in 16:55.30.
The Lions continued that success in 2025, sending two athletes to the Division IV State Championships.
Will Sten represented the boys program, placing 77th overall in 17:00.04, while Olivia O'Hare finished 33rd in the girls race during her freshman season.
MVCA's state championship history also includes Laura Vilardo, who won an individual district championship in 2015 before qualifying for the Division III State Championships, where she placed 94th.
With four individual state appearances across those three seasons, the Lions have established a history of advancing runners beyond regional competition.
This season, MVCA will look to build on that history, with both complete teams seeking state championship berths.
The Road to State
Saturday represents the final step before the OHSAA State Championships, with both MVCA programs looking to extend their seasons by another week.
The Southwest Regional will bring together the top Division IV teams and individual qualifiers from the district tournaments at Voice of America MetroPark and Cedarville University.
Five boys teams and five girls teams will advance from Troy, along with the next 10 qualifying individuals from each race who are not members of those advancing teams.
For the boys, the opportunity comes after another championship season that has featured multiple team victories, impressive individual performances and a second consecutive district title.
For the girls, the regional championship provides an opportunity to build on a season highlighted by consistent team finishes and O'Hare's record-setting performances.
With both teams competing and 14 runners representing MVCA, the Lions will look to turn their district success into another milestone for the program.
The OHSAA State Cross Country Championships are scheduled for Saturday, November 7, at Fortress Obetz in Obetz, Ohio.
Regional Championship Information
Event: OHSAA Division IV Southwest Regional Cross Country Championships
Date: Saturday, October 31, 2026
Location: Troy Memorial Stadium
Address: 151 W. Staunton Road, Troy, OH 45373
Race Schedule:
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3:30 p.m. — Division IV Girls 5K
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4:10 p.m. — Division IV Boys 5K
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4:40 p.m. — Division IV Awards
State Qualification: Top five teams and 10 additional individual qualifiers per race.
Tickets: $12 adults | $5 students
Tickets must be purchased online. No cash sales will be available at the gate.
Spectator Parking: Hobart Arena
Regional Championship Links
