Serving Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wood Counties
Oak Harbor’s fourth-year head coach Tracie Branum enters her 12th season overall with the cross country program.
The girls team is led by three-year letter winner Olivia Cherry, who returns after posting a personal best time of 20:08 at the regional meet, where she finished 12th overall. The senior is also coming off one of the best track seasons in the state, which was highlighted by a runner-up finish in the 800-meter race with a time of 2:09.25. In fact, it was the second-best time in the event across all divisions — it just so happened she ran against the one person who bested her. She also competed in three relay teams that qualified for state.
Rounding out the roster are freshmen Reese Whitman and Leah Fleckner — both of whom competed in middle school cross country, along with Amelia Reinbolt, who Branum said is new to the sport and eager to make an impact.
The Rockets will have to overcome the departure of Elsie Kreager, who isn’t returning this year. She finished last year’s regional meet with a personal-best time of 22:37.
“We feature a small roster, but the group possesses plenty of talent, determination and potential,” Branum said. “With experienced leadership at the front and promising young runners developing behind them, we look to be a competitive team throughout the 2026 season.”
On the boys side, Oak Harbor graduated regional qualifier Trace German, but they will add a transfer from Whitmer High School, Declan Sloan, who qualified for regionals last year.
