This past weekend, on Saturday, October 27, the IHSA 3A boys and girls cross country sectional took place. The race took place at Niles West High School, with the girls running at 10:30 and the boys running at 11:30. The first girl’s finisher, Katelynne Heart of Glenbard West, is predicted by many to win state and finished in an impressive time of 16:39. Cece Thyn ‘20 commented on the races saying, “All of the performances were super impressive a

nd fun to watch. It’s always crazy to watch someone like Katelynne run because she is so far ahead of everyone and such a strong runner.A few runners followed including Whitney Young’s Ella Behrens, who finished in 4th place with a time of 17:33. She was the first individual qualifier in the race, followed by 4 others. Ella Behrens ‘19 commented on the race, saying “I’m just really excited to get out there and compete. We’ve all worked really hard this season and I’m excited to represent Whitney Young at State!” The Whitney Young Boy’s team several successes as well- with Sam Rivera placing 5th with a time of 14:53 followed by teammate Charlie Nevins who finished 11th with a time of 15:09. These two boys qualified individually for the State Finals next week. Elena Nevins ‘21, a member of the girl’s cross country team and Charlie’s sister commented, “I’m so excited for Ella and the boys. The races were a ton of fun and I’m excited to see what they can do next week.” Unfortunately, neither of the teams as a whole qualified for state, with the boys coming in 6th and the girls in 10th (top 5 teams go on to make it state). The state finals are this upcoming Saturday, on November 3rd. They take place at Detweiller Park in Peoria, with 3A girls running at 1:00 pm and the boys running at 2:00 pm. Come out and support!!