Troy High School senior Dinah Gigandet signs her letter of intent to run cross country and track at the Ohio State University. Shown with Gigandet are her parents Jim and Cindy Gigandet.
Mike Ullery | Miami Valley Today
Troy High School senior Josh Lovitt signs his letter of intent to run cross country and track for Indiana University East. In front with him are his mom and stepdad, Sherry and Sean Saddler. In back is his sister Ella.
Mike Ullery | Miami Valley Today
TROY — It was a celebration of running Thursday morning in the Trojan Activity Center.
Troy High School seniors Dinah Gigandet and Josh Lovitt made their college choices.
Gigandet, the daughter of Cindy and Jim Gigandet, will run cross country and track for Ohio State University.
Lovitt, the son of Mike Lovitt and Sherry and Sean Saddler, will do the same for Indiana University East.
Dinah Gigandet
The Gigandet name is well known in cross country and track.
Morgan Gigandet won a state titles at Troy and now runs for Iowa State.
Dinah has followed in her sister’s success and looks forward to the challenge of the next level.
She said the decision to run for Ohio State was an easy one.
“I really like the coaches, the academics and the campus,” she said. “It was really the whole thing all rolled into one.”
Gigandet was part of the Troy team that qualified for state in cross country her freshman year and made it to state her first three seasons, before missing this season with a stress fracture.
She improved every year, finishing 158th at state as a freshman, 41st as a sophomore and 16th as a junior, with a time 18:23.4.
She was also a regional qualifier in track and field.
“I started running in seventh grade,” she said. “I think my sister (Morgan) being so successful pushed me to be success as well.”
It has been a tough last year.
After having her junior season in track postponed for Covid-19, she missed this fall with a stress fracture.
“I am so ready to get back out on the track and compete,” Gigandet said. “I do have unfinished business (in track). I have some goals, but the main goal is to stay healthy.”
She looks forward to running at Ohio State.
“I do feel my best running is in front of me,” she said. “I look forward to it.”
Josh Lovitt
Lovitt has also had a career slowed by injuries at times.
He is a three-time regional qualifier in cross country and has also had success in track.
Lovitt said the choice of Indiana University East was an easy one.
“I wanted to stay close to home,” he said. “And I really liked the small-town feel and liked the coaches.”
Lovitt feels like he will be joining a team with a chance for much success.
“They were a pretty young team last year,” he said. “And they were missing a couple runners for Covid reasons. But, I think it is a place where I can go in and make an impact.”
Lovitt is also looking forward to the upcoming track and field season after having it postponed last year.
“The coaches and I have some goals in place and hopefully I will be able to achieve those goals,” Lovitt said. “The biggest thing is I think we have figured out a way to keep me healthy, so I am really looking forward to the track season.”
Lovitt feels like his best is still ahead.
“For sure, I am looking forward to running at the college level and seeing what I can do,” he said.
He admits those thoughts changed early in his high school career.
“I started in seventh grade,” he said. “I never expected to be running at the college level. It kind of turned for me when I was sophomore. That is when I took things to another level.”
Which made Thursday morning something to celebrate — for both families and Troy High School.
