Minooka girls win Class 3A championship

PEORIA – Saturday was a historic day for the area at the 37th girls state cross country meet at Detweiller Park.

The Minooka Indians became the first local team to win a girls state cross country title.

Minooka placed three runners in the top 20 to outdistance Naperville North, 132-148, for the third team state championship in school history, with the others coming in wrestling and softball.

“Incredible,” Indians coach Kevin Gummerson said. “They wanted it and went out and got it. This is beautiful.”

Ashley Tutt led the way for the Indians with a fourth-place finish in 16:46 to earn her second All-State honor.

The fourth-place finish was the highest area finish in the large class since 2006, when Lockport’s Janna Mitsos placed third. The race winner was Naperville North’s Judy Pendergast, who set a state record winning time of 15:54.

“I’m excited, this means so much for this team,” said Tutt, a junior. “I knew every place counted for team points.”

Emily Shelton, a sophomore, placed 19th (16:59) and Mackenzie Callahan, a junior, was 20th (17:03), both earning All-State status. It was the second honor for Callahan.

“This feels pretty good, tears of joy,” Shelton said. “I went out with Ashley and then I died a little, but I knew I had to finish strong. We have all worked so hard for this, this is special.”

Morgan Crouch, the lone senior among the top seven, placed 60th (17:47).

“I’m so happy,” Crouch said. “Every since my freshman year, all I wanted for this team was to win a trophy (top three). Now we have the best one. Everyone on this team cares so much about everyone else. We were so zoned in today. This is an absolute dream come true.”

Freshman Vivian Van Eck placed 66th (17:51) to round out the Indians top five and secure the win.

“I started a little slower than I should have, and I was just trying to pass as many people as I could because I knew every place counted,” Van Eck said. “This is crazy.”

Minooka’s starting seven also featured Emily Ellis and Katelyn Gall.

“This is a culmination of so many,” Gummerson said. “All share in this title, from the girls who ran here eight years ago, to every team member who has been a part of this program. Words cannot describe the feelings I have right now.

“It takes someone to start the process of getting the mindset of accomplishing something like this and Morgan Crouch started all of this. She has wanted this since she was a freshman, she laid a lot of the groundwork with her attitude and inspiration.”

Also earning All-State honors was Plainfield North senior Rachael Lau, who finished 12th in 16:54.

“I’m so happy,” Lau said. “I learned from my mistakes in the past and ran well today. This is a really special feeling to know what I accomplished.”

Lockport placed 17th as a team and was led by the 35th-place finish (17:31) of junior Morgan Bollinger. Next for the Porters were Karlee Stortz (55th, 17:44), Aubrey Friedrich (102nd, 18:12), Alicia Ary (126th, 18:26) and Jorie Beaumont (144th, 18:36).

Lincoln-Way Central finished 24th and Lincoln-Way East was 26th. The Knights were led by Madison Smith (100th, 18:11), Jenna Diers (123rd, 18:23) and Kelly Robbins (140th, 18:34), while the Griffins were paced by Jenna Couwenhoven (106th, 18:16).

Other top finishers in Class 3A were Plainfield North’s Juliana Stogsdill (52nd, 17:42), Joliet West’s Maddie Blaauw (74th, 17:57), Plainfield South’s Alexis Grigg (109th, 18:17), Plainfield North’s Megan Patton (116th, 18:20), Plainfield South’s Greta Carlberg (129th, 18:27) and Joliet West’s Kiersten Perry (150th, 18:39).

In the 1A race, junior Daly Galloway of Gardner-South Wilmington placed second for the second consecutive season. Galloway ran 16:50, a personal best and the fourth fastest 1A time at the state meet.

“I’m very proud of my success,” Galloway said. “I never even thought I would be a runner. I really thought softball would be my sport. I have learned a lot this season.”

“Daly trained a lot harder this year,” Panthers coach Lawrence Lane said. “Not in terms of mileage, but intensity. She has really matured as a person and a runner. I’m very proud of her accomplishments.”

In finishing second, Galloway lost to Anna Sophia Keller, also a junior, of Effingham St. Anthony, who won her third consecutive title. Galloway also placed third as a freshman.

Seneca placed ninth as a team, with 284 points, for the second year in a row. The Lady Irish were led by the All-State performance of junior Eva Bruno. She placed 16th with a time of 18:08. Sarah Virgo (57th, 19:11) and Carina Collet (59th, 19:12) were next for the Irish.

In 2A, Lemont placed eighth as a team with 252 points. Bridget Kunkel lead the way for Lemont with a 28th-place finish in 18:07. Gabby Voltarel (43rd, 18:15) and Claire Gagen (60th, 18:30) and Taylor Campos (81st, 18:44) were next best for the Indians.

“I’m happy with today,” Lemont coach Tim Plotke said. “We got out great and ran the first part of the race fantastic. If you want to be successful you have to take some risks here. The team did that, they left it out there on the course. I’m proud of this team, and we will miss our three seniors. We want to make it a habit of being here and doing well.”

Lincoln-Way West junior Teagan Lyke placed 90th in 18:50.