Sectional time: Edwardsville girls cross country team blazes to regional title, now takes next step

The Illinois High School Association's 39^th Girls Cross Country Championship got under way Saturday with regional races throughout the state. Area teams ran in regionals at Belleville West (Class 3A), Highland and Jacksonville (Class 2A) and Effingham St. Anthony and Shelbyville (Class 1A).

Here is a look at the results of the girls regional meets Saturday:

CLASS 3A BELLEVILLE WEST REGIONAL

Edwardsville took its first steps to get to state on Saturday and dominated on the day in the Belleville West Class 3A Regional, taking five of the top 10 spots and seven of the top 15 to score 26 points in taking the team championship.

The Tigers advance to Saturday's Granite City Sectional; the top six teams, including Alton (in sixth place with 166 points) and top five individuals on non-qualifying teams moved on to the sectional.

O'Fallon (51), Quincy (89), Belleville East (91), Collinsville (196) and the Redbirds advanced to the sectional behind the Tigers; Granite City (171) and the host Maroons (212) failed to advance from the sectional. However, four Warriors did advance as individuals along with a runner from West.

Abby Korak took the individual title in a time of 17:39.63, with Abby Schrobilgen (third in 17:53.72), Melissa Spencer (fourth in 18:01.85), Emiley England (eighth in 18:31.68) and Elise Krone (10^th in 18:39.46) rounding out the scoring for EHS; Jaycie Hudson (11^th in 18:47.79) and Katelyn Singh (12^th in 18:53.57) also ran for the Tigers on the day.

Edwardsville head cross country coach George Patrylak said he felt a few athletes and teams were looking to make a statement in the regional meet after the Tigers’ domination of the Southwestern Conference Meet. He said because of the conference meet, some of the girls from others teams went out with a stronger approach.

Patrylak said he looks forward to this week’s Granite City and he is confident his girls will qualify for state as a team if all goes well. Overall, he said it was good to get his team through the regional and now eye this weekend's sectional meet.

Alton's scoring runners all finished close together, taking places 31-34 and 36^th on the day; Ainsley Redman (31^st in 21:24.98), Lily Crader (32^nd in 21:25.16), Jessie Markel (33^rd in 21:34.89), Kellie Mans (34^th in 21:37.74) and Morgan Rauscher (36^th in 21:57.70) scored for the Redbirds, with Emma Vounard taking 38^th in 22:15.01.

Four GCHS runners did advance to their own sectional with finishes in the top five among non-qualifying runners; they were Chessy Nikonowicz (26^th in 21:00.73), Alyssa Comer (28^th in 21:12.76), Claire Sykes (30^th in 21:17.19) and Emily Johnson (40^th in 22:26.56). The only non-Warrior to move into the sectional was the Maroons' Jennifer Arreola, who finished 29^th in 21:13.67.

The Warriors' sectional will be run at 10:30 a.m. Oct. 28 at the Wilson Park course in Granite City.

CLASS 2A JACKSONVILLE REGIONAL

Jersey advanced to next Saturday's Decatur MacArthur Sectional as a team with a sixth-place finish at the Jacksonville Regional at Community Park in Jacksonville; the Panthers scored 179 points to edge out Rochester, who had 183 points, for the final team spot. Springfield won the team crown with 40 points, three points better than Chatham Glenwood (43), with Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin (117), the host Crimsons (117), Springfield Southeast (147) and the Panthers all moving out of the regional. Trailing Rochester were Civic Memorial (184), Taylorville (227) and Springfield Lanphier (262).

Grace Sharich (28^th in 21:20.63) led the Panthers on the day, with Hannah Tonsor (33^rd in 21:33.63), Christine Wendell (36^th in 21:45.01), Morgan Cook (40^th in 22:12.58) and Sydney Merle (42^nd in 22:13.25) all had scoring runs for Jersey; Megan Fraley (57^th in 24:00.77) and Isabel Allen (58^th in 24:16.64) rounded out the Panther lineup for the day.

CM had two runners reach the sectional as individuals, with Zoey Lewis finishing 16^th in 19:57.39 and Ryan Allison taking 31^st in 21:29.78. Springfield's Gabby Wood was the individual champion in a time of 18:14.33.

CLASS 2A HIGHLAND REGIONAL

Triad had two of the top seven spots as the Knights finished second in the team competition with 60 points, behind only Waterloo, who took the team title with 47 points. Mascoutah (67 points), the host Bulldogs (78), Carbondale (105) and East St. Louis (205) all advanced to next week's Decatur MacArthur Sectional at Hickory Point Golf Course in Decatur as teams; Marion took seventh with 218 points, Centralia ninth with 220 points and Herrin 10^th with 221.

The Knights' Alyssa Kowalski took fourth in 19:37.12 and Maddie Keller seventh in 19:49.74. The other Triad scorers were Madi Waller (16^th in 20:34.31), Alyssa Postma (17^th in 20:39.99) and Sydney Hartoin (19^th in 20:50.76). Samantha Kilzer was 29^th in 21:22.46 and Allison Dempsey was 35^th in 21:58.88.

Waterloo's Jenna Schwartz took the individual title in a course record 17:41.21.

CLASS 1A EFFINGHAM ST. ANTHONY REGIONAL

Roxana had a top 10 finish from Michaela Tarpley as the Shells finished third to advance to next week's Carlinville Sectional at the Macoupin County Fairgrounds.

Lawrenceville took the team title with 49 points, followed by Teutopolis (56), the Shells (82), the host Bulldogs (90), Dieterich (116), Newton (117) and Metro East Lutheran (186) all advancing to the sectional as a team. St. Anthony's Sarah Carr won the individual title with a 19:28.22 time.

Tarpley turned in a time of 21:07.31, followed by Jennifer Palen (12^th in 22:10.15), Janelynn Wirth 17^th in 22:24.23), Victoria Tarpley (20^th in 22:39.12) and Delaney O'Donnell (25^th in 23:22.80); Bailey Isom (26^th in 23:58.20) and Jaidyn Peebles (29^th in 24:15.79) also ran for the Shells on the day.

MEL was led by Olivia Badalamenti (32^nd in 24:52.11), with TeAunta Neal (33^rd in 24:58.31), Angela Gaustmann (37^th in 25:47.55), Kate Weber (41^st in 26:38.62) and Brynne Wallace (43^rd in 26:48.80) rounding out the scoring; Mackenzie Jungeberg finished 44^th in 30:29.47.

Marquette Catholic's Riley Vickery was the fastest runner to advance among individuals from non-qualifying teams, finishing sixth in 20:18.87 on the day; she was joined by Kennedie Koetzie, who turned in a 27:16.26, while McGivney Catholic was represented by Mira McAtee (24:19.85) and Abby Podshadley (27:05.26). East Alton-Wood River’s Meagan Wallendorf finished 45^th in 25:47.29.

CLASS 1A SHELBYVILLE REGIONAL

Carrollton and Piasa Southwestern did not qualify anyone as an individual to the Carlinville Sectional, nor did the Piasa Birds advance out of the regional as a team, in the Shelbyville Regional at Dacey Trail in Shelbyville.

Southwestern finished as a team in eighth place, one spot out of the top seven (the top seven teams in Class 1A and top five individuals on non-qualifying teams advanced to the sectional); the Birds had 198 points, 30 points out of the final team qualification spot, which was taken by the host Rams with 168 points. Staunton won the team title with 52 points, with the Bulldogs' Lydia Roller taking the individual crown in 18:08.96.

Carrollton's Olivia Richey was the fastest Hawk on the day with a time of 21:26.93, while Isabelle Wolff was Southwestern's fastest runner on the day with a time of 21:42.99.Brent Feeney also contributed to this story.

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