A look at this season’s top girls cross country runners in the NewsTribune area.

Ruby Acker, jr., Princeton: The 2025 NewsTribune co-Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year was consistently near the top of races all season. She placed fifth at Princeton’s Gary Coates Invitational and third in the Panther Invite. Acker placed third at the Three Rivers Conference Meet and fourth at the Class 1A Seneca Regional. She ended her junior year with a season record of 19:52.4 at the Sherrard Sectional, narrowly missing a trip to state.

Jemma Finley, fr., St. Bede: Finley had a good start to her high school career. She finished third in the Lowpoint-Washburn/Roanoke-Benson Invite, fourth in the Tri-County Conference Meet and eighth in the Boiler Invite. Finley ran a PR of 20:06.2 at the Class 1A Seneca Regional to place fifth. At the Sherrard Sectional, she was 50th.

Payton Frueh, jr., Princeton: The 2025 NewsTribune co-Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year was the area’s lone state qualifier, punching her ticket to Detweiller Park with a 19th-place finish in a personal record 19:32.2 at the Class 1A Sherrard Sectional. She also finished seventh at the Seneca Regional, fourth at Princeton’s Gary Coates Invitational, fifth in the Three Rivers Conference Meet and Panther Invite and ninth in the Sterling Invite.

Gemma Moore, jr., Bureau Valley: Moore was the Storm’s leader this season. She placed second at the Forreston Invite, sixth at the Panther Invite in a 3-mile PR of 20:27.9, 13th in the Boiler Invite, 14th in the Lincoln Trail Conference Meet and 36th in BV’s Dale Donner Invite. She advanced to the Class 1A Sherrard Sectional, where she finished 43rd, with a 14th-place finish at the Seneca Regional.

Lumen Setchell, fr., Mendota: Setchell performed well in her first high school season. She placed second in the La Salle County Meet, sixth in Princeton’s Gary Coates Invitational, 17th in the Boiler Invite and 19th at the Three Rivers Conference Meet. Setchell ran a PR 20:10.3 to place sixth at the Class 1A Seneca Regional to advance to the Sherrard Sectional, where she finished 73rd.