Olentangy Liberty's boys 11/12 cross-country team won its division at the Celtic Clash night meet Sept. 19 at Dublin Jerome High School.

The Patriots competed in all six divisions, but the story of the evening was mud. Heavy rain that morning turned the course into a pit. Conditions worsened with each race, and by the varsity events runners were sliding across the trail. Some fell on a steep hill and bear-crawled to the top.

The mud's toll showed in the clock. Last year, the boys varsity race was won in 15:04. This year, the winning time was 17:49, nearly three minutes slower on the same course.

Liberty's boys varsity squad placed fifth out of 22 teams with 136 points, according to the school's athletics department. Aarush Talekar led the Patriots with an 11th-place individual finish. Caleb Legge placed in the top 25, followed by Tommy Strunck (32nd), Carter Dillman (35th), Eliot Tully (36th), Will Bushbaker (49th) and Ishaan Chandakkar (60th).

The girls varsity team finished seventh out of 23 teams, one spot behind Wadsworth. Dasha Gogoleva paced the group in 28th place. Quinn Cachat (34th), Leah Berger (36th), Farah Minoui (51st), Chloe Pope (78th) and Madison Tyler (113th) rounded out the scoring.

Beyond varsity, Liberty's girls 9/10 team took second and the girls 11/12 team placed fourth. The boys 9/10 squad finished eighth.

Runners described the conditions as brutal and memorable. Gabriella Salameh told the Patriot Press that a runner fell directly in front of her, sending Salameh tumbling on top of her. The hill during the 9/10 race was the hardest part, Salameh said. Jack Peters called it one of the most challenging races so far but said the difficulty made it exciting, especially on a course he considers a favorite.

"The mud was absolutely insane; it felt like I was running backwards at times, but it was so much fun, honestly," Olivia Bachmann told the Patriot Press.

The Celtic Clash runs through the woods at night, with neon light strips lining the trail and races stretching from 6:40 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Before the meet, Liberty sophomore Owen Frame described the atmosphere in a Sept. 19 Patriot Press preview, calling it the most energetic meet the team attends, with 30 teams and fans packed along the course.

Liberty returns to competition Saturday, Oct. 3, at Olentangy Berlin High School for the Bear Den Dash.