OBETZ — Not many high school cross country runners get to be the face of their program for four years.
Particularly in a place like Fredericktown, where running is religion and race day is a community revival, the celebration of blood, sweat and hundreds of miles with gold medals, championships and banners hung.
It is one of Ohio’s premier small-school distance programs. And Elsa Hoam has led the girls team from the moment she stepped foot on-campus.
“She’s the face of the franchise,” Fredericktown head coach Bob Geiger said with a grin.
Hoam has been Fredericktown’s lead runner since her freshman year. And on Saturday, in front of a bustling crowd at Fortress Obetz, the senior capped off her high school career in style.
Hoam finished 16th in the Division III state meet, earning all-Ohio honors for the second straight year.
“It feels really good,” Hoam said afterwards, an OHSAA medal dangling from her neck. “I’m really proud of how I’ve done this season, and I’m happy that my coaches could help me get to this point. I’m happy that I finished with a better placement this year than I did last year – that was my goal.”
Hoam finished 20th in the Division II state meet last year. She placed 92nd her sophomore year and 134th her freshman year.
This year, she was able to climb the ladder once more, gaining four spots to record her best state finish yet.
“To end with two all-Ohio finishes the last two years, it’s a great way to end your career. We have had very few multiple-time all-Ohioans in the history of our program,” said Geiger, in his 12th year as Fredericktown’s head coach and his 23rd with the program overall. “I’m really proud of her.”
Hoam ran her final high school race in 19:04 – just six seconds off her state time last year. She found herself in 12th place after the first mile (5:41) and 18th place after the second mile (12:01), ultimately using a vicious late-race kick to pass two runners from powerhouse Minster in the third and final mile.
“Getting out, my coach wanted me to get out fast. He said, ‘If you don’t go out fast enough, you’ll get caught in the back and it’ll be harder to get back up.’ So I got out fast and then went across the first mile at 5:41,” Hoam recalled.
“It felt fast; I could feel how fast it was. It was good. I came across the second mile and started getting a little hot, started feeling it, so I started pushing it a little bit. I came in around the (12-minute mark).
“And then from there on, with just a mile left, I just had to run it and just do whatever I could do to finish.”
Hoam won Knox-Morrow Athletic Conference and district titles this season before finishing second at regionals. She concluded her career Saturday as a two-time all-Ohioan and a four-time state qualifier.
And all she wanted to talk about afterwards was her team. She’d qualified twice for state before individually, but Hoam said the years the whole team made it were special.
This was one of those years.
“I feel like it’s a good note to end on – ending at the state meet on the podium, with my team here with me as well. I’m glad that they got to run my last meet with me,” the senior said. “It’s been a long journey, and I’m so glad that they were with me through the whole thing.”
Fredericktown’s girls team finished 14th on Saturday. Sophomore Ellie Kershner placed 95th with a time of 21:12, while junior Kelsey Scott finished 120th at 21:47. Sophomore Taylor Brown (128th, 22:04), freshman Angelina Overholt (132nd, 22:10), junior Kacie Rook (142nd, 22:27) and freshman Micah Phillips (164th, 23:07) rounded out the Freddies’ varsity seven.
Hoam, the lone senior on the state squad, said she was proud of the way her team performed. For many of her teammates, it was their first time running in the state meet.
She believes Saturday’s experience could serve as a catalyst for the program moving forward.
“I think that the fact that they got this experience their first year – they know what they’re coming back to,” Hoam said of the team’s returning runners. “They’ll have a goal set in-mind each season, because they know what they can do. And I’m proud that they made it this far, so that they can keep it going next season, and keep pushing the other girls to get to this point.”
Geiger agreed. Only Hoam and Rook had run at state before Saturday. The rest of the team – including two freshmen – had never set foot at Fortress Obetz.
“They can be a lot better. They really can. A lot of it was, (this was) the first time for some of our girls to be in this situation. Some of our girls hadn’t run in the state meet. …” Geiger said.
“That last week, I noticed just the excitement and all of that, and (they were taught) how to handle such a big race and such fast people. They’re learning, and we learned so much today. So what I told them was, ‘Today set the standard.’ Now, we’re gonna go forward. Next year, our goal will be (to place) better than 14th. Fourteenth is great, but now we’re moving forward.”
Saturday, however, was about Hoam.
In her final race in Fredericktown scarlet and gray, the senior pulled through, earning a spot on the podium once again.
Geiger said her legacy will extend far beyond her four years here.
“It’s going to be strange next year, not having her around. She’ll be running in college. She was in the play last night; we went and watched her in the play last night,” the coach said with a smile. “So she’s great. Her attitude is great. They love her; they all want to be her. She does what she’s supposed to do.
“I’m so proud of her … and I think she’s kind of set the tone, because the girls coming up behind her are all pretty new to this. And they may not be freshmen, but they’re new to being at the varsity level, and they all want to be Elsa. And so she really kind of set the tone.
“So next year, it will be sad not to have her here, but her impression (on the program) and all that she did for us will still be here, probably for a lot of years.”
Hoam was fast. And she got faster every year. But what set her apart, Geiger said, were two things: her competitiveness and her kindness.
“She’s not afraid of anything. She likes to race. She’s always positive. So not being afraid of anything and always being positive, every time there’s a race situation, she wants to be in it. She wants to be at the front of it. She wants to lead it. She wants to beat the boys. She wants to beat everybody. And yet, she’s the first girl to go congratulate somebody,” Geiger said.
“So she’s kind of the total package of competitiveness and sportsmanship, all together. That’s probably what makes her the best.”
Hoam, who plans to run in college, said Saturday she was grateful for the opportunity to represent Fredericktown for the last four years. She, too, hopes her legacy extends beyond her graduation next spring.
“It’s a really big honor for me, to be that person for everybody, and I’m glad that I get to represent my team in a positive, fun-loving manner,” Hoam said. “I just hope that the girls keep that going.”
OTHER AREA RUNNERS FINISH STRONG: Hoam and Fredericktown’s girls team weren’t the only Knox County runners to compete at last weekend’s state meet.
Fredericktown’s boys team finished 14th in the Division III boys race. The Freddies were led by senior Owen Krabill, who placed 52nd overall with a time of 17:05.
Senior Peyton Hogg finished 110th with a time of 17:49, while sophomore Aiden Mcmanis placed 111th at 17:50. Junior Kaleb Randall (114th, 17:52), sophomore Brandon Hogg (119th, 17:59), sophomore Noah Smith (143rd, 18:25) and senior Evan Hogg (171st, 19:08) rounded out the Freddies’ varsity seven.
“I was really pleased,” Geiger said of the boys’ performance. “I felt like our seniors ran really well, especially Owen. Owen had the best race, probably, of his season. He finished 50th and I thought he’d be around 70th, so that was great.
“I was really happy with the seniors and the leadership. And there are a lot of young guys who just can’t wait to step up into those spots, and they ended well. For some of them, it was their third state meet and it was their best state meet. So I was really happy with the boys.”
Fredericktown’s boys team qualified for state this season for the eighth time in nine years. Its girls team qualified for the sixth time in nine years.
Still, Geiger said, getting both teams to state in the same year is rare. He hopes the experience will help grow the program.
“It’s really neat. Because if you look, we have 14 kids here (running), but we had 30 kids on the bus,” Geiger said. “And so to do well in the state meet, you’ve gotta do well in the state meet – you’ve gotta feel the excitement. And when our young kids come – any time you bring a team, you bring so many more people. It’s so much different than an individual (running).
“The spirit, the work we’ve done all week and how excited we are – it’s so much different with a team. And success breeds success.”
Two other Knox County runners qualified for state individually.
Centerburg freshman Payton Tucker finished 94th in the Division III girls race with a time of 21:09.
She said afterwards that despite a few obstacles – namely the wind, the heat, the third-mile hill and the fact that she forgot to wear spikes – she felt proud of her performance. Both of her older sisters, Elise and Avery, qualified for state multiple times, and Payton said she felt proud to carry on the family tradition.
“It felt really good,” Tucker said. “It meant a lot because I’m following in my sisters’ footsteps and just doing what they did.”
Tucker used to watch her sisters race in the state cross country meet. This year, she got to compete in it herself. The freshman said she plans to learn from this experience and improve her placement in the years ahead.
“I now know I can run faster than I thought I could,” Tucker said. “So I think that’ll help me as I go on, just to push myself more.”
Mount Vernon senior Sophie Zoldak, meanwhile, capped off her high school cross country career Saturday with a strong finish in the Division I girls race.
Zoldak, who won districts and placed 14th at regionals, finished 41st at state with a time of 19:16. She finished 11 spots – or roughly 13 seconds – away from all-state recognition.
“This is the first year some of my team’s been here, even just to support me, (so) I’m really happy,” Zoldak said. “I got to run with a lot of girls that I’ve known from other races. So I think I could’ve pushed myself harder, but I really enjoyed that. And this is my last high school race, so I think I’m coming out to enjoy it.”
Zoldak finished 28th at state last year, narrowly making the all-Ohio cut. She said the difference this year came down to her second mile.
“The first mile, I actually felt good. Last week, I took it out way too fast. … So the first mile, that was what I wanted to do. I can’t take it out fast without dying, so the first mile, I was pretty happy with it. I knew I was with girls, but I wasn’t getting passed, and I was (staying) with people,” Zoldak said.
“The second mile, I was ready to kick, (but) I didn’t quite kick when I should have. As far as race strategy goes, the first mile was perfect, and then the second mile, I theoretically would have picked off a few more people, but I guess I fell into pace with some girls.
“And usually I’ve got Coach (Pat) Gray, he’s the guys’ coach, and he’s usually the one yelling at you like, ‘Don’t get comfortable!’ I think I could’ve used that today because I definitely, that second mile, I kind of cruised through it. That’s probably where I lost some placing today, I’m not gonna lie.”
Still, Zoldak continued to climb as the race progressed. She found herself in 86th place after the first mile, then 62nd after two miles, before eventually finishing 41st.
“The third mile, the hill was really helpful because I’m better on terrain than flat courses, so I was happy that I got to pass some girls. I took some up the hill, I took some down the hill. That’s really where I got in the racing mindset. But I guess just with the flat courses, I kind of zone out. Which, you shouldn’t be able to do that in a race, but I do,” Zoldak said.
“I definitely wish there would’ve been something to keep me in the game, because I kind of got distracted. But it was a fun race.”
Zoldak said that if “I (ran) my second mile differently, I think I could’ve probably gotten in the more solid 30s, maybe high-20s.” Still, the senior felt content with the final result.
She capped off her high school career as a three-time state qualifier, having placed 92nd her sophomore year, 28th her junior year and 41st her senior year.
“I think I’m really in the same spot as I was last year physically, just because I didn’t give myself as much mileage in the summer. I went off to summer camp and that was a whole thing. But I’m happy,” Zoldak said.
“I know it was at least 40 girls, just from the regions, who were running in the 18s. There were more than that, but I was counting and there were two regions that just had girls in the 18s, and then the other two slower regions, I think they pulled about 15 other girls. So that’s a bigger pool of girls in the 18s than we’ve had – at least in the past two years, because that’s the two years I’ve run (at state).
“If I had run my sophomore year time at regionals, I wouldn’t have even qualified. But it’s just, every year, I feel like the girls have gotten faster and faster and faster. So I had no idea where I was gonna (finish).”
Zoldak said she was aiming for a 60th-place finish coming into Saturday, and she ended up outperforming expectations.
“I told my coach, ‘I just want to be 60th with my time,’ because there were 60 girls running 18s and I could get there. I’ll blame the wind for not getting in the 18s today. I’ll just blame it on that. But I’m happy. I really enjoyed it,” said Zoldak, who plans to run in college.
“I’m really competitive, but if I didn’t have fun in cross country, I wouldn’t do it. So I’m really happy that I enjoyed it.”
Click here to see full results from last weekend’s OHSAA state cross country meet.
