UHIGH Invite
U High Girls Sweep Top 9, Boys Win Without Starters
By Randy Sharer
NORMAL – Typical of a mid-week high school cross country meet, the 59th University High Invitational had the pre-race vibes of a low-key, steppingstone sort of event on Tuesday (Sept. 9). But some high notes were nevertheless struck.
Girls Dominate with a Perfect Score
The U High girls swept the top nine places, scoring a perfect 15 points in near-perfect, windless weather to defend their title.
Ranked No. 14 in Class 2A by MileSplit.com, the Pioneers topped runner-up Pontiac by 43 points. Fairbury Prairie Central placed third (67), while Springfield Lanphier was fourth (102).
U High freshman Chloe Layman led the way, covering 3 miles at Maxwell Park in 19:33.63 for the individual win.
Top Finishers
1st – Chloe Layman, 19:33
2nd – Harper Funk, 19:59
3rd – Lana Alcorn, 20:03
4th – Nora Bloebaum, 20:26
5th – Eva Stalets, 21:02=
Also finishing in the top nine: Eva Barke (21:01), Tessa Ritter (21:05), Leya Alcorn (21:11), and Jocelyn Lewis (21:13).
Coach Jill Burroughs credited her team’s summer training:
“They put in the miles over the summer. They are a fun, hard-working, amazing group of girls.”
The first non-Pioneer finisher was Prairie Central’s Layne Schaffer in 10th (21:44).
Boys Win Despite Resting Starters
The U High boys defended their title with 17 points, even while resting their top seven runners, who are ranked No. 6 in Class 2A. That first string will debut at the First to the Finish Invitational in Peoria on Sept. 13.
Only two other full boys teams scored Tuesday: Pontiac (59) and Bloomington Cornerstone (61).
Boys Individual Champion
Prairie Central junior Holden Gerdes took the individual crown in 16:14.09, earning his fourth career victory. He finished 27 seconds ahead of U High runner-up Greyson Ince.
Gerdes, who logged about 400 miles over the summer, expects to chase his PR of 16:11 at Peoria’s Detweiller Park this weekend.
U High’s Boys Pack
Coach Lester Hampton, in his 38th year, praised his team’s depth as five Pioneers finished within 47 seconds:
2nd – Greyson Ince, 16:41
3rd – Spencer Boesdorfer, 16:51
4th – Austin Hartman, 16:52
6th – Max Vanallen, 17:27
7th – Kingston Navarez, 17:28
Also placing in the top 11 for U High: Peyton Beebe of Pontiac (5th, 17:16) and Cornerstone’s Connor Christopulos (8th, 17:30).
Hampton said the strategy of resting the varsity squad was intentional:
“If we didn’t run any early meets, we could just stick to our training plan. Hopefully, our legs will still be fresh when it matters.”
