HILLSBORO, Ill. - It was a chilly, overcast day for the cross-country SLIAC Championships. Principia's men and women came prepared and focused for the race ahead. Each team competed with five others.
The gun went off at 10AM for the start of the women's race. With only six runners, they knew it would be a tight race. Principia junior,
Sarah Litwiller, took the lead in the first straightaway. Senior
Emily Osborne was close behind running with the next pack. Sophomores
Kyla Pelletier and
Shontee Pant ran third and fourth for Principia, pacing each other. Next in line was
Aubrey McMullin followed by
Madison Flannery.
The women ran through a series of loops on one side of a golf course before crossing the entire park to enter the final loop and straightaway.
Sarah Litwiller kept her lead and created a gap, coming in at 22 minutes flat, a personal record for the season.
Emily Osborne was next to finish, looking very strong in her last straightaway. She came in fifth with a time of 23:05, cutting 52 seconds from the year before.
Shontee Pant and
Kyla Pelletier came in 20
th and 21
st separated by less than one second with times of 24:43:45 and 24:43:96 respectively.
Aubrey McMullin came in fifth for the team putting on a surge for a strong finish. Freshman
Madison Flannery crossed the line next after giving it her all on the last straightaway. It was a great day for the women's team. Many cut considerable time from last year's conference meet. The women's team tied for third with Webster, an accomplishment to be very proud of.
Sarah Litwiller and
Emily Osborne both made SLIAC Conference First Team and
Emily Osborne received the sportsmanship award.
The men raced down the first straightaway as the gun went off at 11AM. Senior
Wylie Mangelsdorf also took the lead from the start with a pack forming behind him. Senior
Derrick Fleming was only seven or eight runners behind. Senior Kynan Witters Hicks packed up with freshmen
Shane Witters Hicks and
Nate Richards as Principia's third, fourth, and fifth runners. Senior
Garrett Fielding was close behind as was freshman
Gavin Goodsell and junior
Gabe Korinek.
As the men entered their final lap into the finish, the race looked very different than it had at the beginning. Wylie still had the lead, creating a huge gap for himself and finishing in 24:30.
Derrick Fleming moved into fourth rounding the final turn with another competitor. As they began the final straight, Derrick took off, coming in third overall finishing in 25:36.
Shane Witters Hicks finished third for the team, also outkicking a competitor on the final turn and straightaway. Kynan Witters Hicks was only 11 seconds behind, opening up on the last straight and finishing fourth for the team.
Nate Richards also had a strong finish, not letting anyone pass as he came through.
Garrett Fielding was not too far behind, looking determined as he rounded the corner and finishing strong, dropping over a minute from the year before.
Gavin Goodsell had a great race and charged up the last hill before entering the final stretch and putting on a surge.
Gabe Korinek was next to cross the line, cutting 24 seconds from the year before.
The men's hard work put them in first place, winning by 21 points. Kynan Witters Hicks made SLIAC Conference Second Team and also received the sportsmanship award.
Shane Witters Hicks also made second team.
Wylie Mangelsdorf and
Derrick Fleming made SLIAC First Team.
Chuck Wilcoxen received the Coach of the Year award for the men's team.
Congratulations to all. It was a successful day for Principia cross-country. Stayed tuned, Principia heads to Regionals in two weeks.
