Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
St. Joseph-Ogden's Jack Fisher runs in the main pack at the 2023 IHSA Cross Country State Finals. Fisher and the Spartans earned another trip to state after placing second at Saturday's sectional meet in Mattoon.
MATTOON - Notre Dame de La Salette captured the team title at the Illinois High School Association Class 1A Sectional Cross Country Meet on Saturday at Lake Land College, finishing with 97 points to secure the top spot. St. Joseph-Ogden and Urbana University placed second and third, respectively, each tallying 152 points, with Unity rounding out the top four teams at 194 points. Cumberland and Gillespie also qualified for the Class 1A state finals, finishing fifth and sixth. St. Joseph-Ogden's Jack Fisher led the way among area runners, finishing sixth with a time of 15:42.6. The senior recorded his best time of the season last month at the Patriot XC Invite, clocking in at 15:31.7. Urbana University’s Ross Kimme and Kai Schwartz also delivered strong performances, placing 13th and 22nd respectively. Kimme crossed the finish line at 15:59.6, while Schwartz posted a time of 16:21.6, both contributing to Urbana University’s third-place finish and a ticket to state. Unity’s top finishers included Camden Fairbanks and Eli Crowe, placing 16th and 21st. Fairbanks, a junior, completed the course in 16:03.0, just shy of his season-best of 15:33.1 set at the Illini Prairie Conference meet. Crowe, also a junior, recorded a time of 16:20.9 after setting a personal record of 15:19.7 at the Spartan Classic earlier this season. Their consistent efforts helped Unity secure the fourth-place position and continue their season at the state championship. The meet’s top three individual runners turned exceptional performances. Gillespie’s Chaz Oberkfell earned first place with an impressive 15:11.8, leading from the start. Evan Cook of St. Teresa secured second, clocking 15:20.6, while Will Fuson from Cerro Gordo-Bement took third at 15:22.0. These athletes set the tone for a competitive field and will enter the state meet with momentum. Additional area runners making notable appearances included Collin Graven, Ryan Akers, and Alex Mowrer from Unity, finishing 55th, 59th, and 74th, respectively. Urbana University’s Bruce Tang placed 37th with a time of 16:43.5, further bolstering the Illineks' third-place finish.
Keywords: IHSA Class 1A Cross Country, Lake Land College, St. Joseph-Ogden Spartans, Urbana University Illineks, Unity Rockets, Illinois high school sports
