A winning tradition runs deep in Minerva, and the Lady Lions cross country team has no plans of slowing down. Coming off a dominant 2024 campaign that saw them crowned OHSAA Division II state champions for the third time in four years, the program enters the 2025 season with championship expectations — and the talent to back them up.
Last fall, the Lady Lions captured their seventh consecutive Eastern Buckeye Conference title, added East District and Stark County championships, and finished as Region 7 runner-up before capping the season with a first-place finish at the OHSAA State Meet. It was the program’s third state title since 2021, with additional championships in 2023 and 2021.
Head coach Olivia Scott, who will once again lead a deep and experienced squad, said the bar for 2025 is set just as high.
“Championship expectations, proud tradition, and leadership are the expectations for the 2025 Minerva High School Cross Country Program,” Scott said. “We are the defending Eastern Buckeye Conference Champions, Stark County Champions, and OHSAA East District Champions — and, of course, the defending OHSAA Division II State Champions.”
The Lady Lions return several key runners from last year’s title-winning lineup. Gabby Lupshu and Makenzie Beavers, both All-Ohio performers in 2024, placed 13th and 23rd at last year’s state meet. Beavers and Tateum Richard also earned First Team EBC honors and are already showing strong leadership in preseason workouts.
Scott said the team’s younger runners are also stepping up.
“Freshman Charlie Galley and sophomore Addison Keyser have stepped in as our fourth and fifth scoring runners after a strong showing at our time trial,” she said. “Providing depth, Taylor McGeorge, Callie Yeagley and Chloe Carson are all running as a pack for our final seven runners.”
The program also welcomed a familiar face to its coaching staff this summer. Mackenzie Scott, a former Lady Lions standout and Olivia Scott’s daughter, has returned to her hometown team after serving two years as the head coach at Northwest.
“I am very excited to have Coach Scott back at home in Minerva,” Olivia Scott said. “She has really helped that front pack of girls and can do workouts with them. She is going to help push them to new heights.”
The 2025 team includes returning letter winners Beavers, Lupshu, Makenna Jones, Keyser and Richard. Scott is assisted this season by Arin Rettig, Mackenzie Scott, Laura Bauman, Megan Keyser, Dick Rutledge, Hannah Wayts and Erin Roach.
The program’s consistency is unmatched in the region. Minerva has qualified for the state meet in each of the last 10 seasons, earning state titles in 2021, 2023 and 2024, and has made 16 state appearances overall.
If early season indicators hold true, the Lady Lions may be well on their way to extending their streak — and perhaps adding more hardware to an already storied program.
