When it comes to running, Julianna Determan loves to lead the pack.
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She once again led the strong Edwardsville girls contingency in the Southwestern Conference Cross County championships on Friday afternoon at Belleville West, placing third overall in an excellent time of 18:40.28 for three miles.
Determan, a junior, said after the meet that she is feeling like she once did again after battling some injuries over the last year.
“So far this was my best race,” she said. “Today I did feel like my old self running. This is a tough course; the second mile is really tough. I felt like I had much of my speed back today.”
Asked about her desire to run out front, she said with a big smile, “I don’t like to run behind people.”
Determan said she is hopeful that every person on the varsity cross country team will be able to have their best meet at the same time in the post season with regional, sectional and state coming up.
“We have not had a meet were we have all done amazing, but it would be beautiful when we do,” she said.
Edwardsville won the girls race with 30 points, followed by O'Fallon with 31 points, Belleville East with 89 points, Belleville West with 115 points, Collinsville with 130 points and Granite City with 148 points. Alton had only three finishers in the meet, so did not score.
Edwardsville cross country coach George Patryrlak said, “One thing I am sad about as great a race as both O’Fallon and us ran, we didn’t get to run the top teams we wanted. On our side we had five girls out that would have been running. The other girls stepped up and ran incredibly well today.”
“Lauren Meyer wound up being our no. 5 runner on Friday,” Patryrlak said. “Lori Cashdollar was a race day decision, so Meyers didn’t know she would race until 50 minutes before the race. She was our fifth scorer and had the one point we needed to win the meet.”
Edwardsville’s Maddie Miller had a time of 18:45.31 for fourth place overall.
Rachel Schoenecker was sixth (18;53.07); Kiara Delgado was seventh (18:53.12); Meyer cracked the top 10 with a time of 19:00.94 for 10th, key points for the Tigers. Melissa Spencer was 13th with a time of 19:24.33. Kennison Adams was 16th in 19:56.54.
Alton’s Tayton Kuebeli was 33rd in a time of 22:40.33; the Redbirds’ Savanna Durr was 36th (23:15.92).
O’Fallon’s Brooke Witzel was the overall winner of the 3-mile race in a time of 18:27.16.
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