IESA Headlines

Three Schools Win First IESA Cross-Country Titles

Three schools won team titles for the first time ever in some of the closest competition for team and individual honors in the history of the Illinois Elementary School Association (IESA) State Cross-Country Meet Saturday at Maxwell Park in Normal.

Winning team titles for the first time were Metamora Grade School in record fashion in Class A Boys, Buffalo Grove Cooper in Class AA Girls and Mt. Prospect Lincoln in Class AA Boys. Elmwood repeated as team champion in the Class A Girls.

In the IESA State Final Meet all races are 3200 meters. The top four finishing teams receive trophies. The top 25 individuals receive medallions.

Elmwood scored 91 points to win the Class A girls title this year after winning in 2004 with 156 points. The Trojans were led by eighth grader Taylor Neiders who finished eighth individually in a time of 12:15. Tremont was second with 128 points, Springfield St. Agnes third at 137 and Metamora Germantown Hills fourth at 160.

Aylla Lashaway-Mueller, an eighth grader from Palatine Quest won the Class A girls individual race in a blistering 11:41, just one second off the Class AA record of 11:40 set by Gada Qafisheh of Prospect Hts. MacArthur in 2000. She won by 10 seconds over runner-up Erin Kelly of Downs Tri-Valley. Kelly Curran of Bloomington Holy Trinity took third in 11:58.

Metamora Grade School blasted the field in the Class A Boys race with 29 points, a record for Class A and the third lowest team total in IESA boys cross country history. Prospect Hts. MacArthur set the record of 16 team points in the very first boys race in 1980 and came back the next year with a score of 21 points.

Metamora Grade School's 29 points came of team finishes of 2-3-7-8-9 from its top five runners. Ryan VanFossen, who finished third overall in 10:47, was followed by teammate Ryan Donnelly in 10:57. Stephan Rauh was tenth overall at 11:05, Nate Wilson was 12th at 11:15 and teammate Kevin Kamm was 12th in 11:17. Toledo Cumberland was second in team points with 118, with Elmwood third at 153 and Mt. Prospect St. Emily fourth at 190.

Tom Pacey of Paxton-Buckley-Loda was the Class A boys individual champion as he won in 10:41. Jeremy Reel of Stewardson-Strasburg took second in 10:46. The top five finishers bettered 11 minutes.

In Class AA girls, Buffalo Grove Cooper nipped Oak Park Julian for the team title. Cooper has 70 points and Julian 75. Chatham Glenwood took third with 151 and New Lenox Martino was fourth at 160. Eighth grader Erin Cleary led Buffalo Grove Cooper with a fifth place finish in the individual race in 12:06. Teammate Olivia Jones, a sixth grader, was right behind in sixth place individually at 12:09.

Oak Park Julian produced its second straight individual champion as Katherine Rack nipped Amy Trick of Lemont Old Quarry at the finish. Rack won in a time of 11:57 and Trick finished in 11:59. Olivia Bird won the 2004 title for Oak Park Julian in 11:45.

Buffalo Grove Cooper had the first, third and eighth place individuals in the Class AA Boys race, but lost the team title by seven points. Mark Giannis won the race in 10:34. Teammate Tim Marr was third in 10:48 and Mike Galla was eighth in 11:04.

Mt. Prospect Lincoln took the Class AA Boys team title with 44 points to Buffalo Grove Cooper's 51. Oak Park Julian was third at 185 and Arlington Heights South fourth with 187. Albert Ciolek led Mt. Prospect Lincoln runners with a second place finish in 10:45. Teammate Kellan Strobel was fifth in 10:59 and Pat Ford was tenth in 11:10. Chris Spudic was No. 15 for Mt. Prospect Lincoln in 11:19 and fifth runner Sam Pederson finished No.19 in 11:20.