A change in the district site for the Perrysburg High School cross country team did not change the finish line result for the program from the previous three seasons.
The Yellow Jackets used a pack of four harriers through much of the OHSAA Division I Northwest District 2 race to separate themselves from the rest of the field to win the program's fourth-straight district title with 21 points.
"They ran well as a pack, what else can I say," Perrysburg assistant coach Eddie Osborne said. "They stayed focused for the whole race without letting up."
Halfway through the race at Leaders Farms, this pack slowly started to break apart from each other.
Sophomore Sydney Daudelin, junior AnnaSophia Gower, freshman Natalie Sanders and sophomore Taylor Moody used ideal weather conditions as they raced toward a team championship and their own career-best times.
Daudelin (19 minutes 25 seconds) led the group of four with a fifth-place overall finish. Gower (19:32) finished sixth, Sanders (19:41) was seventh and Moody (20:00) crossed the finish line in eighth place.
"We have a really strong bond and we're running really well together," Moody said. "As a group, we're like a family so that helps when we're in races."
Junior captain Sophie Smith finished No. 15 overall with a time of 20:40.
These results on the clock come just one week after many in the team's top 20 raced about two minutes slower than normal at the 2021 Northern Lakes League Cross Country Championship. It was all due to standing water and deep mud on the league championship course at Whiteford Valley Golf Club as it resembled a swamp more than an everyday footgolf course.
"Most people have had a hard time (setting a personal record) this year but it was fun to have a fast course race," Daudelin said. "It was good to just be able to run and focus on running with teammates instead of (the other) competition just for (the district) race."
This pack of four were not the only Yellow Jackets to set lifetime personal records.
Senior captain Aubrey Duhaime finished first overall in a new Perrysburg High School Girls Cross Country record time of 18:19.09 for the 5-kilometer distance.
"I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders," Duhaime said. "But at the same time, I'm still not satisfied and I want to run faster."
However, Duhaime's reaction to the record-breaking moment was delayed because the battery in the finish line clock died during the race. She was not aware of her time until about five minutes after her finish when an event official came up to Duhaime in the finish line area to share the senior's winning time.
"It was one of the best feelings ever because I've been working toward this time since my freshman year and I never thought I'd achieve it," Duhaime said.
Kaitlyn Llewellyn, a 2011 Perrysburg High School graduate, held the previous record of 18:22 set in 2010.
Not far behind Duhaime in second place was Ava Beeks. The freshman crossed the chip mat in 18:29 as that time strengthened Beeks' standing with the No. 3 spot on the all-time school record list.
Beeks previously ran 18:37 on Oct. 2, 2021 at the Midwest Meet of Champions in Hilliard, Ohio. That time originally moved Beeks into No. 3 all-time at Perrysburg High School.
Duhaime, Beeks, Daudelin, Gower and Sanders all earned All-District First Team Honors. Moody received All-District Second Team Honors while Smith finished All-District Honorable Mention.
The 21 points scored by the Yellow Jackets at the 2021 District Championship equals the team's score at the 2020 District Championship. Both are the lowest team score for the program in a District Championship race since Jon Monheim became the head coach of the Perrysburg High School Girls Cross Country team in 2010.