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Girls cross country: Mehnert top runner at regional meet, Illineks finish second
Sophomore Elizabeth Russell (293) and senior Michelle Mehnert (290) pace themselves shortly after the start of Saturday's Class 1A St. Joseph regional meet. Gargoyle photo (click to enlarge)
Published: Sunday, October 21, 2007 - 3:00pm
[Note: An earlier version of this story was published on Saturday, Oct. 20.]
KICKAPOO STATE PARK — Senior Michelle Mehnert won first place at Saturday morning's Class 1A St. Joseph regional meet, but she and her teammates finished second overall to host school St. Joseph-Ogden.
Mehnert ran the 3-mile course in 19 minutes, 17.8 seconds. She was 22.6 seconds faster than second-place runner Hannah Hogan, a senior from SJO.
Three other Illineks placed in the top 10: sophomore Elizabeth Russell, fourth (19:51); junior Elaine Gu, eighth (20:50); and senior Shivani Khanna, ninth (21:05).
It was the second straight year that Mehnert won the regional race. She took first in 2006 with a time of 19:18.99 on the same course.
The Uni girls, ranked third in Class 1A at the start of this year, entered Saturday's meet ranked No. 7 by Illinois Prep Top Times. St. Joseph-Ogden was ranked No. 6, and the results bore out those standings. The top five Spartan runners outscored Uni's top five 28-34.
Last year Uni won the regional title en route to winning a sectional championship and placing fourth at state. In 2006 the Illineks claimed four of the top five spots at the regional meet.
The Illineks will now advance to Saturday's sectional showdown at Paxton-Buckley-Loda High School. The girls won the Stanford Olympia sectional title last year.
With the reorganization of IHSA cross country into three classes this year instead of two, the number of teams participating in the St. Joseph regional was down compared to 2006.
Only five scoring teams ran in the girls meet Saturday, and all five qualified for sectionals. (The top five teams automatically advance.) At least two schools that competed in last year's St. Joseph bracket — Paxton-Buckley-Loda and Bismarck-Henning — were assigned to another regional site.
CLASS 1A ST. JOSEPH REGIONAL MEET AT A GLANCE
TEAM RESULTS
- 1st: St. Joseph-Ogden, 28 pts
- 2nd: Uni High, 34 pts
- 3rd: St. Thomas More, 81 pts
- 4th: Oakwood/Armstrong-Potomac, 117 pts
- 5th: Judah Christian, 136 pts
TOP FIVE INDIVIDUALS
- 1st: Michelle Mehnert, senior, Uni High, 19:17.8
- 2nd: Hannah Hogan, senior, St. Joseph-Ogden, 19:40.4
- 3rd: Sidney Long, freshman, St. Joseph-Ogden, 19:42.9
- 4th: Elizabeth Russell, sophomore, Uni High, 19:51.1
- 5th: Cara Feeney, senior, St. Thomas More, 19:54.1
UNI HIGH RESULTS
- Michelle Mehnert, senior, 1st, 19:17
- Elizabeth Russell, sophomore, 4th, 19:51
- Elaine Gu, junior, 8th, 20:50
- Shivani Khanna, senior, 9th, 21:05
- Isaure Hostetter, sophomore, 12th, 21:40
- Katherine Allen, sophomore, 13th, 21:52
- Jennifer Roloff, senior, 18th, 23:11
MORE PHOTOS: CLASS 1A ST. JOSEPH REGIONAL MEET
Michelle Mehnert (290) rounds the corner early in the St. Joseph regional. Elizabeth Russell (obscured) is right behind her. Gargoyle photo (click to enlarge)
Senior Shivani Khanna (289) and junior Elaine Gu try to move past a St. Joseph-Ogden runner. Gargoyle photo (click to enlarge)
Sophomore Isaure Hostetter stays ahead of her Spartan counterpart. Gargoyle photo (click to enlarge)
Sophomore Katherine Allen ran the 3-mile course in 21 minutes, 52 seconds, placing 13th. Gargoyle photo (click to enlarge)
Senior Jennifer Roloff finished in 18th place with a time of 23:11. Gargoyle photo (click to enlarge)
Mehnert (290) gains on SJO's Hannah Hogan (276) and St. Thomas Moore's Cara Feeney. Gargoyle photo (click to enlarge)
Russell (left) keeps up with SJO's Sidney Long. Gargoyle photo (click to enlarge)
Gu would finish the race in the top 10. Gargoyle photo (click to enlarge)
Khanna leads two SJO runners. Gargoyle photo (click to enlarge)
Roloff and Allen begin their descent on one of Kickapoo State Park's many hills. Gargoyle photo (click to enlarge)
Mehnert won the St. Joseph regional for the second straight year. She ran the race in 19:17.8, more than 22 seconds faster than second-place Hogan of SJO. Gargoyle photo (click to enlarge)
Russell heads toward a fourth-place finish. She ran the race in 19:51. Gargoyle photo (click to enlarge)
Gu heads toward an eighth-place finish. She ran the race in 20:50. Gargoyle photo (click to enlarge)
Khanna heads toward a ninth-place finish. She ran the race in 21:05. Gargoyle photo (click to enlarge)
Hostetter heads toward a 12th-place finish. She ran the race in 21:40. Gargoyle photo (click to enlarge)
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