1969 Bluffton High School cross country team, front row from left, Mike Hilty, Bill McKibben, Tim Boehr, James Pannabecker, Larry Diller, Ryan Hobley, Louis Burkholder.

Standing from left, Richard Corbett, coach, Bill Brauen, Charles Montgomery, Allan Birchnaugh, Ricky Lones, Carl Snare, Terry Huber, Larry Huber, Robert McCafferty and Robert Hilty, assistant coach.

Thanks for information from Mike Hilty, the Icon can update more of Bluffton High School’s cross country state meet history.

 Hilty was in fact Bluffton’s first athlete to qualify for the state meet. He qualified two years in a row in the Class A division (there were only two divisions at that time and the cross country course was 2 miles). 

Hilty's personal best time in the 2-mile was 9:45 in a dual meet in Michigan.

In state meets, in the fall of 1968 he finished 19th in a field of 82 runners. Then in 1969, Hilty finished fourth in the Class A division with a time of 10:32 (2-miles).

Putting together all-time 
BHS cross country to state list
The Icon continues to gather a list of all Bluffton High School cross country athletes who advanced to state meets. Our list is incomplete and we ask viewers to provide names, years, Division and times of athletes we’ve missed.

Here’s what we have:

Team
1971 – Bluffton High School boys
1982 – Bluffton High School boys, finished 4th in Class A 
1991 – Bluffton High School boys, 6th place
1993 – Bluffton High School boys, 6th place

Boys
1968 – Mike Hilty, 19th (Class A, 2-miles)
1969 – Mike Hilty, 4th, 10:32, (Class A, 2-miles)
1971 – Tim Boehr, 16th, 10:40 (Class A, 2-miles)
1982 – Paul Shelly
1983 – Paul Shelly
1984 – Paul Shelly
1990 – Josh Barhorst, 24th, 16:40
1992 – Brian Hilty, 35th
1993 – Brian Hilty, 14th, 16:24
1999 – Nick Kennedy
2010 – Matt Herron
2020 – Erik Nygaard

Girls
1991 or 1992 – Katie Chappell
1994 – Ann Stechschulte 
1995 – Ann Stechschulte 
1996 – Ann Stechschulte
2002 – Carrie Fett
2011 – Hannah Chappell-Dick, 44th of 150 runners