CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OH — As rain dappled the school bus windshield on Saturday morning, the boys cross country team had only one thing on their minds: their hunger for a first-place team finish. Although they walked away from their first rainy meet in many years unsatiated, the team did not leave empty-handed. As they boarded the yellow school bus labeled "Precious Cargo," several top-place finishes and numerous effortful performances left the team with a lot to be proud of.
The Western Reserve Academy boys cross country team battled their way to a second-place finish overall at the McNulty Invitational on Saturday. Competing in the High School Division 3 & 4 race against a fierce regional field, the Pioneers posted a total team score of 67 points, finishing just behind meet champion Orange High School.
Senior captain James Johnston '27 sparked the team's stellar outing by taking 3rd place overall in 16:50.40. Most impressive was how Johnston spent the entire five kilometers not just running, but demonstrating gritty racing, as he vied for the top spot. Meanwhile, fellow senior captain Ian Fleming '27 secured a top-five finish of his own in 5th place with a time of 17:21.01. Fleming flew up the monstrous second-mile hill, putting up yet another impressive time this season despite the challenging terrain of the course. Brendan Bennett '28 supported the top runners with a 17:57.83 finish, placing him 13th overall and securing the team vital points.
The varsity race effort was complimented by an astounding first-year duo. Dominic Ilodi '30 (18:30.44) and Tripp Bellamy '30 (18:55.60) closed out WRA's top five, demonstrating composure on a challenging course. Bellamy—who chased down one last Orange runner at the finish—was just five seconds short of his personal record despite this being a course known for slowing runners down.
Coming in neck-and-neck, Tyson Edmunds '30 and Daniel Randazzo '27 finished less than one second apart with their 19:16.20 (PR) and 19:16.51 finishes. In their battle to the finish line, the pair preserved the team's narrow edge over Gilmour Academy for the second place team finish. This accomplishment was an especially impressive comeback for Randazzo, only 10 seconds short of his personal record after a recent injury sidelined him at the last two meets. Finally, Arav Mathur '28 rounded out the varsity effort with a bold 20:10.60 in his first race of the season.
In the Boys Open race, junior Ronan Flowers '28 led the charge with a blazing 20:01.60 performance to capture 37th place overall. First-year runners Garrett Shilling '30 (21:49.30) and Jack Harris '30 (22:03.20) worked closely together throughout the race, placing 72nd and 73rd respectively. Senior Wen Xiao '27, delighted by his first ever XC meet in the rain, crossed the line in 22:27.40, followed by sophomore Phineas Haskell '29 in 23:15.80. First-years Paul Yu '30 (23:48.90) and Mike Huang '30 (24:02.40) fought hard through the final chute to round out an impressive collective squad effort.
In their first races of the season, Micah Maze-Ingram '30 put forth a 25:46.07 finish with Peter Qin '29 (27:49.39), Nick Ross '29 (29:26.48), Henry Shelton '28 (32:18.67), and Kendel Barber '28 (35:20.33) not far behind. Finally, Aden Xiang '28 showed real determination, fighting solo to finish his first ever cross country race in 49:05.41.
Even without a first-place finish, the team departed Cleveland Heights leaving all of their energy, sweat, and devotion out on the course. With a bus full of precious cargo—21 exhausted competitors—the team departed having worked together, raced hard, and supported each other at the finish line. And a hope for more team victories remains: After losing to Gilmour at their invitational in 2026, WRA has proven with this second-place triumph over Gilmour that this year's team is not one to be messed with.
Full results here: https://oh.milesplit.com/meets/747778-mcnulty-formerly-mcdonough-invitational-2026/info
Note: Generative AI helped to draft this story. It was revised, reviewed and edited by the Boys' XC coaching staff.
