FIRST TO FINISH INVITE
By Randy Sharer
PEORIA — Most championship teams save every advantage for race day.
The Eureka girls cross country team left one behind, winning the 39th annual First to the
Finish Invitational Class 1A race on Saturday (Sept. 12, 2026) while wearing training
flats instead of racing spikes.
For the Class 1A boys, Cayden Bostic-led Clinton rode its trademark team chemistry to
victory over a 67-team field. Central Illinois highlights continued in the Class 2A boys
race as Normal University High, led by Andrew Aldeman in 12th, placed second among
51 teams.
All told, more than 5,000 runners participated in the meet’s eight races at Detweiller
Park. Many raced in lightweight spikes, but not the Eureka girls, who came in ranked
No. 1 by Illinoisrunningnews.com.
The Hornets hope that switching to spikes for important late-season meets will give
them a psychological boost.
“At the end of the season, we want something different,” said Eureka coach Olivia
Morris. “What is something new we can throw in that can boost confidence?”
While Morris doesn’t forbid her charges from spiking up this time of year, she
encourages racing in flats early in the season.
“Sometimes spikes … can cause unwanted soreness and that soreness sometimes can
turn into an injury,” Morris said.
Class 1A girls
Eureka scored 99 points to win by eight over runner-up Winnebago, which came in
ranked No. 2. No. 6 Anna-Jonesboro was third (187) among 53 teams.
In a race with 513 individual finishers, Eureka squeezed five into the top 37 led by
seniors Sierra Herrmann (10th, 18:44.4) and Ava Otto (11th, 18:45.6).
“We don’t get into spikes until conference,” Herrmann said. “Good times in flats also
give me confidence and it’s showing that I have more to give.”
The race confirmed to Otto that Eureka, third here each of the past two years, has a
promising season ahead.
“I’m just excited to see where we’ll go,” she said. “I don’t usually look at rankings, but I
try to just know that if I stick with my teammates, we’ll place well together.”
Other Eureka scorers were freshman Kinsey Stoller and seniors Sophia Watson and
Bre Lehman, who swept places 35 through 37 with times of 19:28.0, 19:30.3, and
19:31.8.
“What we try to get these kids to understand is that the more you run as a pack or with a
teammate, the easier it is,” Morris said. “It’s harder to drop off. You don’t want to let your
teammate down.”
Watson, who keyed Eureka’s Class 2A state runner-up 3,200-meter relay last spring,
said moving up to 3 miles isn’t easy.
“It’s mentally really hard,” she said. “Physically, I know I have it, but mentally, it’s
difficult.”
Among other area entrants, No. 5 El Paso-Gridley finished sixth (282) and No. 21 Tri-
Valley was 12th (442). Tremont took 17th (584), Clinton 19th (591), Olympia 23rd (676),
and Delavan 25th (701).
Effingham St. Anthony’s Aubrey Denning won in 17:39.7 followed by Toulon Stark
County’s Dusti Smith (17:55.3). Tremont’s Jessica Henderson managed 23rd in 19:12.5.
“I felt pretty good,” Henderson said. “It’s great to be out here at Detweiller, a famous
course, that is so fun to race at. I think I’ll get faster as we go on.”
Also cracking the top 30 were Olympia’s Mira Kistner (27th, 19:19.4), El Paso-Gridley’s
Haven Miller (28th, 19:21.6), and Clinton’s Mckenna Beck (30th, 19:22.8).
Class 1A boys
Clinton’s boys, who came in ranked third, scored 192 points while No. 2 East Dubuque
tallied 197 in second. Top-ranked Eureka held on for third with 229.
“The boys knew they could contend with anybody and it was really neat to see them
prove it today,” said Clinton coach Rachel Lyons.
The champions were led by Bostic, a junior, who tried to ignore high humidity and 80-
degree heat while finishing eighth (15:24.0). He covered the first mile in 4:52, but then
felt like he ran out of gas.
“I felt it from the very first turn,” he said. “The entire time I felt I just didn’t have anything.
I’m happy with how I pushed today, but it was definitely not the time I wanted. I was
looking around and I was seeing everybody else slowing down, so I was like, ‘keep
pushing, stay where you’re at, and try not to get passed.’”
Other Clinton scorers were Brockton Sumner (23rd, 15:46.9), Justin Droke (39th,
16:13.9), Brayden Dalton (65th, 16:38.0), and Joe Taylor (69th, 16:39.7).
“The boys really are brothers,” Lyons said. “They love each other. A great example is
that at our last race, our No. 5 runner, a senior, felt a freshman come up on him and he
said, ‘you gotta go, I can’t kick’ instead of not saying anything and trying to hold the
spot. He sent him. It’s that kind of culture.”
The individual title went to Toulon Stark County junior Evan Knobloch (14:57.8) ahead of
the Williamsville duo of Lucas Hollinshead (15:09.0) and Ryan Patrick (15:10.5).
Bostic was followed by Central Illinois standouts Holden Gerdes of Prairie Central (9th,
15:26.4) and Corie Green of the Delavan-Illini Central coop (10th, 15:35.3).
“It went worse than I was planning,” said Gerdes, who nevertheless ran eight places
and 11 seconds better than last year. “I was trying to get up there a little bit more.”
Green, a two-time state 800 champion, had hoped to better his third-place effort of
15:08.5 from last year, but wouldn’t blame the steamy conditions.
“I got out a little (too) quick,” he said. “I was wanting to go 14:40 today. I’m content with
(15:35), but not happy.”
Eureka, the reigning state champion, was paced by sophomore Adam Perry in 26th
(15:58.8). Other Hornet scorers were Hudson Leman (40th, 16:14.2), Davin Dingledine
(54th, 16:30.4), Tate Leman (59th, 16:35.3), and Landon Wurmnest (63rd, 16:37.7).
“I think some of us got out too hard and that threw our packs off,” said Morris, who
expects her top seven to fluctuate all year. “Our top training group is eight kids. There
are a couple guys from the next training group that we are going to have to bump up at
some point. I know it’s stressful for the guys, but it makes you better.”
Perry, who hopes to crack 15:00 and finish in the state’s top 10 this season, said the
Hornets try to ignore state rankings.
“It all comes down to what we do at state,” he said. “Rankings really don’t matter that
much.”
Also cracking the top 30 Saturday were EPG’s Weston Hodel (22nd, 15:45.6) and Alex
Lartz (29th, 16:03.4) and Bloomington Central Catholic’s Nicholas Jelinek (30th,
16:03.7).
Leading area teams were Delavan in seventh (348), EPG in eighth (349), BCC in 10th
(354), Prairie Central in 21st (603), and Tri-Valley in 24th (700).
Class 2A boys
Central Illinois’ fastest man Saturday was U High’s Aldeman, who clocked 15:17.7 in
12th.
“I’m disappointed,” said Aldeman, who was 27 seconds faster than last year in this
meet. “I would have liked to do better, but I was just off. I made the first stretch and
already felt the lactic acid in my legs.”
Whatever fatigue the Pioneers, ranked No. 8 in 2A, felt was relative because their 170
points beat everyone except first-place Crystal Lake Central, which tallied 164. No. 5
Morton took third (195).
Also among U High’s scorers were Keaton North (18th, 15:25.4), Greyson Ince (27th,
15:37.0), Aaden Richards (56th, 16:08.8), and Natan Moran (57th, 16:08.8).
“We had about half of our guys who hit it pretty good on a really tough day and another
half who struggled with the weather,” said U High coach Lester Hampton. “All in all, I
thought it was a pretty good day for us.”
The Pioneers will get another shot at Detweiller Park on Sept. 19 in the Richard Spring
Invitational.
“The crazy thing about this course is it doesn’t matter how many times you run it, it
seems like you learn something new every time,” Hampton said.
Individually, Morris senior Cuyler Swanson won in 14:33.4 while Belvidere North junior
Judah Binger was second in 14:39.0.
Class 2A girls
For the 2A girls, No. 13-ranked U High, 13th here a year ago, finished 14th among 39
teams with 430 points.
“I feel good,” said U High coach Jill Burroughs. “We’re still figuring out our pieces. We’re
always thinking about ‘how can we run this course better?’”
Junior Nora Bloebaum led U High for the first time, clocking 19:41.6 in 41st in a field of
342. Teammate Chloe Layman took 48th in 19:47.5.
No. 2-ranked Chatham Glenwood, led by runner-up Ali Londrigan (17:22.8), won with 89
points. No. 8 Peoria Notre Dame was second (129) and No. 9 Wheaton St. Francis third
(179). Individually, Crystal Lake Prairie Ridge junior Emaline Foster won in 17:04.3.
Class 3A girls
Barrington won the 3A girls title with 89 points as Angelica Hil (16:50.4), Mia Sirois
(17:05.5), and Victoria Tarara (17:17.2) swept the top three places. Plainfield North was
second with 133.
Class 3A boys
Plainfield South won the 3A boys crown with 75 points, while defending champion
Downers Grove North was second with 96. Santiago Chavez of Burbank Reavis edged
Palatine Fremd’s David Moore for the individual title, 14:31.8 to 14:33.8.
Sierra Herrmann (1707) finished 10th in 18:44.4 on the 3-mile course while teammate Ava Otto (1713) was 11th (18:45.6). (Photo by Randy Sharer)
The Maroons were led by eighth-placer Cayden Bostic (1093), who covered the 3-mile course in 15:24.0. Prairie Central's Holden Gerdes (1844) was ninth in 15:26.4. (Photo by Randy Sharer)
The Pioneers were led by Andrew Aldeman (3437), who finished 12th in 15:19.7 on the 3-mile course. (Photo by Randy Sharer)
Eureka's boys placed third among 67 teams in the Class 1A division of the First to the Finish Invitational cross country meet at Peoria on Saturday (Sept. 12, 2026). Among the top Hornets were Hudson Leman (1749), Adam Perry (1759), and Davin Dingledine (1734), who placed 40th, 26th, and 54th, respectively. (Photo by Randy Sharer)
