Big finish in Paris: SJO girls XC secures team crown at Acklin Meet with two top-10 runners.
PARIS - The St. Joseph-Ogden girls cross country team continued its strong fall campaign on Saturday, claiming the team title at the Acklin Cross Country Meet hosted by Paris High School. The Spartans outpaced a 19-school field with a team score of 38 points, placing two runners in the top 10 overall.
Sophomore Grace Bressner led the way for SJO with a third-place finish, clocking 19 minutes, 49.4 seconds. Freshman Charlene Barbee joined her in the top tier, crossing the line in seventh at 20:28.6.
Freshman Allie Bott added a 14th-place finish in 21:12.1, followed closely by junior Kyla Franckey in 15th at 21:24.7. Rounding out the Spartans’ scoring lineup were freshman Taylor Vaughn (25th, 23:03.4) and senior Sydney Steinbach (28th, 23:22.1).
Heritage sophomore Reaghan Stierwalt was the Hawks’ top finisher, placing 21st in 22:25.4.
Marshall senior Molly Farrell won the individual title in 18:54.07, edging teammate Madeleine Fox, who placed second in 19:33.40.
SJO’s balance carried the Spartans to the team crown, holding off Newton (62 points) and Effingham (78) to secure the top spot on the podium.
Top 10 Individual Finishers
1. Molly Farrell, Marshall (Sr.) — 18:54.072. Madeleine Fox, Marshall (Jr.) — 19:33.40
3. Grace Bressner, St. Joseph-Ogden (So.) — 19:49.44
4. Grace Thompson, Marshall (Fr.) — 20:08.41
5. Kayla Clark, Casey-Westfield (Sr.) — 20:14.01
6. Aleah Potter, Bismarck-Henning-Rossville-Alvin (Sr.) — 20:16.66
7. Charlene Barbee, St. Joseph-Ogden (Fr.) — 20:28.68
8. Layna Marshall, Newton (Sr.) — 20:34.81
9. Leah Phipps, Chrisman (Sr.) — 20:38.25
10. Heather Bergbower, Newton (Fr.) — 20:50.44
Final Team Standings
1. St. Joseph-Ogden — 382. Newton — 62
3. Effingham — 78
4. Bismarck-Henning-Rossville-Alvin — 127
5. Charleston — 143
6. Robinson — 152
7. Dieterich — 185
8. Hoopeston Area — 210
9. Tuscola — 215
10. Neoga — 221
11. Teutopolis — 268
Attention coaches: Want to see more coverage of your cross country program? Send meet results to sports@oursentinel.com.
