Freshman Rome McDonald had a tremendous first year as a varsity cross country runner, and it culminated in an appearance in Ohio’s 2025 Cross Country State Championships. Rome is the first SBEP cross country runner to qualify for the state meet in about 20 years, and he did so by setting a personal best time of 16:55.72 at the regional meet in Troy, Ohio. He became only the fourth person in school history to eclipse the 17-minute mark in a 5k race. Rome completed the state championships with a time of 17:07.84, finishing in 85th place out of over 215 runners.
Rome is part of an exciting and talented team that is full of young runners. The Titans leaned heavily on a group that included six freshman, a sophomore, and two juniors in 2025. This team, talented enough to qualify for regionals as a group, will look to build on their success as they continue to grow.
