Salem’s Maggie Hall (1850) and Maggie Hopple (1851) race in the pack at the Division II state cross country meet Saturday at Fortress Obetz. (Salem News/Ron Firth)

OBETZ — Salem senior Maggie Hall was glad to have a good run in her last cross country race as a Quaker.

“I’m grateful for my team,” she said. “Without them at regional, I wouldn’t be here at state.”

Hall finished 25th at the Division II state cross country meet Saturday, a week after placing 35th at the Boardman regional.

None of the Quakers would have been at state if the team hadn’t qualified.

“My team did their job and got me here today,” Hall said.

Hall and fellow senior Maggie Hopple helped the Quakers to a fourth straight state berth, a first for the Salem girls.

“That in itself is an accomplishment,” Hall said. “You get here and everyone is great.”

The Quakers finished 11th in the team standings with 279 points.

“We had season PRs for every kid,” Salem coach Ted Yuhaniak said. “That was the hope.”

Hall finished 25th for the second straight year, covering the 3.1-mile course at Fortress Obetz in 18 minutes, 48.18 seconds. It was her best time since running 18:26.0 at state as a freshman.

“I haven’t even broke 19 until today,” she said “Mentally it was so tough not PRing for three years.”

Hall finished sixth and Hopple ninth as freshmen in 2021 in leading the Quakers to a fourth-place showing, but the best finish since then has been 25th individually.

“Sometimes I look back,” Hall said. “I had a certain mentality as a freshman. The next couple of years were rough.”

Also for the Quakers, Hopple was 53rd (19:12.41), sophomore Cassidy Wallace 94th (20:14.82). senior Jill Pieren 124th (20:46.4), senior Klaire Jaquette 133rd (20:58.26), freshman Liliana Pimentel Alexander 141st (21:09.12) and junior Paige Menough 165th (22:17.47).

“The Maggies, you don’t often see two of them like like that come along at the same time,” Yuhaniak said. “No one works harder. Them and all the seniors are vocal leaders and leaders by example.”

The times were career bests for Pieren, Jaquette and Pimentel Alexander.

“We’re losing four senior girls who ran here and five total,” Yuhaniak said. “We’re just enjoying it today.”

The Minerva girls captured third second straight state title and third in four years.

“They have put it together,” Hall said. “They were able to bring a lot of girls to the EBC banquet, that’s great for them.”

Minerva — featuring five girls under 19:25 — totaled 100 points, followed by Hathaway Brown with 110 and Athens 142. Athens beat Minerva by three points for the regional title the week before.

Junior Gabby Lupshu paced the Lions by placing 13th (18:31.13). She was 78th as a sophomore and 133rd as a freshman.

Also for the Lions, sophomore Makenzie Beavers was 23rd (18:47.35), freshman Tateum Richard 42nd (19:08.51), senior Katie Ison 50th (19:10.98), senior Hannah Ison 60th (19:24.74), senior Kayla Crissman 68th (19:36.11) and senior Annabelle Crissman 111th (20:28.56).

“They’ll be back. She’s (coach Olivia Scott) has got it rolling,” Yuhaniak said. “They’ll lose five seniors, but they will bring others in.”

Minerva had six runners in Saturday before Salem’s third.

Salem has been chasing Minerva in the Eastern Buckeye Conference.

“Being able to race against them, you know they’re going to have a good day and you have to go out and and compete with them,” Hall said.

The Minerva girls have won seven straight league titles and have been to the state meet 10 years in a row.

“We keep preaching if you win the EBC, you have a shot at the state title,” Yuhaniak said.

Salem has a lot of work to do if the Quakers want to make a run at a fifth straight state appearance.

“It’s always going to be hard in that region,” Yuhaniak said. “We’ve got the right leaders and the right group of girls.”

Meet notes

• West Branch senior Clarice Martin was 74th in Division II (19:53.49). She was 49th last year.

• Four teams from the Boardman regional finished in the top seven in the Division III girls.

Hathaway Brown was second (110 points), Woodridge fourth (182), Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary sixth (200) and CVCA seventh (216).

All six teams from the Boardman regional finished in the top 12 with Salem in 11th (279) and Tallmadge 12th (305).