East Dundee cross country runners advance to national contest

Despite the rain and cold, lightning and mud, Immanuel East Dundee's cross country team posted an impressive finish at last week's LSA State Cross Country Meet.

Runners from Lutheran schools all over Illinois came together in Bloomington at Trinity Lutheran School for the Lutheran Sports Association State Cross Country Meet. Hundreds of runners and their families endured the challenging weather for the races.

Immanuel runners, under the direction of Coach Sue Domeier, finished strong.

Immanuel's Boys Team placed 12th in the team standings, the first team posting at the state level for Immanuel's cross country program. The team includes Nick Newberry, Teddy Lyon, Albert Navarro, Mark Lemke and Brenden Pachniak.

Two Immanuel individuals will advance to the LSA National Cross Country meet, held on Oct. 20 at Concordia University in Wisconsin.

Sixth-grader Meaghan Lemke will make her second appearance at nationals and is joined by eighth-grader Brenden Pachniak, making his debut at the national level.

Immanuel Lutheran School serves students in pre-kindergarten to eighth grade. Located in East Dundee, the school draws students from the Elgin, Dundee, Algonquin area and beyond and offers rigorous academics and outstanding extracurricular opportunities in sports, music and drama.

For more information, visit immanuelschool-ed.org.