Girls cross country: Palatine grabs third in Peoria
The girls cross country race at the Peoria Notre Dame Richard Spring Invitational proved to be a nail-biter.
Wheaton Warrenville South and Glenbard West both finished with 128 points, but WW South was awarded the title on a sixth-runner tiebreaker.
Palatine (131 points) was nipping at their heels, finishing just 3 points behind in third place.
It was the first major invitational where Palatine ran its full squad and the results showed the Pirates will be a factor on the state level.
Freshman Anne Marie Jordan (18:06), junior Kate Lechowicz (18:10) and junior Liz Lechowicz (18:17) powered Palatine in 12th, 14th, and 17th place.
Senior Lauryn Simons (18:37) contributed a 28th-place finish in an impressive run by a Pirates squad that is ranked No. 12 in the Illinois Cross Country Coaches Poll.
"They ran great," said Palatine coach Joe Parks. "We're moving in the right direction and we still have work to do, but it definitely was an encouraging sign."
Glenbard West sophomore Katelyn Hart, the defending Class 3A state champion, ran away with the individual title crossing the line in 16:35. Next was her senior teammate Lindsay Payne (17:12).
Schaumburg senior Maddie Marasco (17:22) showed no rust in her first major invite of the year and earned a third-place finish.
"I was pretty anxious before the race," said Marasco, who set the tone by hitting it hard in the first mile on a hot day. "It gives me a big boost of confidence knowing I'm starting on the right foot and being able to run with some of the top girls."
Junior Teagan Beckley (18:30) set the tone for Hersey by taking 21st place and leading the Huskies to a 10th-place finish. Freshman Jane Stefaniak (19:09) added to the effort by taking 74th place.
- Michael Eaken