February 01, 2025
Shaw Local
NewsSubscribePrep SportsFriday Night DriveObituarieseNewspaperStarved Rock CountryLocal EventsGames and Puzzles

Cross Country State Finals: Fieldcrest’s Mason Stoeger All-State; Sandwich’s Wyatt Miller, Seneca’s Evelyn O’Connor score top-50 finishes

By Jeff DeGraw

November 6, 2021 - Peoria, Illinois - Fieldcrest's Mason Stoeger eyes the finish line ahead of him while running in the Class 1A Cross Country State Finals on Saturday. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks) (Clark Brooks )

PEORIA - Mason Stoeger saved his best for when it mattered most.

The Fieldcrest senior distance ace placed seventh in the Class 1A IHSA State Cross Country Finals on Saturday at Detweiler Park with a time of 14 minutes, 58 seconds over the three-mile course.

Stoeger received All-State honors as a top-25 finisher.

“This is incredible,” Stoeger said. “I felt so good during the race, and I can’t believe how hard and fast it was at the start, and it just kept going. I really made a move on the downhill sections, because I knew everyone would be hurting coming up the final hill to the finish.

“I’m so proud, especially to do this in my last high school race. To finish in the top 10 is big, really big for me.”

Also in the 1A boys event, Sandwich’s Wyatt Miller (37th, 15:50), Max Cryer (61st, 16:11), Dayton Beatty (134th, 16:48) and Josefh Hernandez (175th, 17:08) ran in the top 200, as did Seneca’s Austin Aldridge (119th, 16:42). Sandwich was 21st of 30 boys teams in 1A.

In the girls’ 1A race, Seneca placed 23rd of 30 teams, led by a 44th-place finish from Evelyn O’Connor in 18:55.

“It was a tough race and it went so fast,” O’Connor said. “But it was well worth it, and it’s great experience for the future.”

Seneca's Evelyn O’Connor competes in the during the Class 1A IHSA Girls State Cross Country Finals. November 6, 2021- Peoria, IL - Seneca's Evelyn O’Connor competes during the Class 1A IHSA Girls Cross Country State Finals. [Photo: Douglas Cottle/PhotoNews] (Douglas Cottle)

Ashley Alsvig (129th, 19:57), Audrey Jenkins (178th, 20:38), Gracie Steffes (190th, 20:56) and Natalie Misener (201st, 21:19) were also in the top 201 for the Fighting Irish.

Marquette freshman state qualifier Maggie Jewett came in 121st with her run of 19:49.

In Class 2A, Streator’s Kody Danko came in 112th with his 16:16, just ahead of La Salle-Peru finishers Matt Beard (122nd, 16:20) and Ryan Hartman (128th, 16:22).

As for the 2A girls event, Ottawa’s Grace Carroll — the Pirates’ first state qualifier in 25 years — placed 146th out of 236 competitors with her run of 19:44.