Lady Yellow Jackets advance to state
The Chester High School Girls cross country team has done something that no other team has done in recent history.
The Lady Yellow Jackets qualified as a team for the Class 1A state cross country meet on Saturday at Peoria's Detweiller Park.
Chester advanced out of the Edwardsville Sectional, hosted at Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville, on October 29 with a fifth place finish out of 12 teams.
"It was a perfect day to run," said Chester coach Curt Gilpin. "The weather was great, the course was perfect, and the girls were ready to run."
"Going into the race, we figured we had a shot at that fifth place slot, battling three other teams. We coaches knew that if our girls ran the way we knew they could, we could pull it off."
Freeburg was the sectional champion at Edwardsville with a total of 52 points.
The Midgets were followed by Breese Mater Dei, which recorded 67 points. Nashville (143), Du Quoin (190) and Chester rounded out the top five.
All five teams will run the state race.
"All the girls showed up and ran their hearts out and fought for that fifth place," Gilpin said. "They definitely earned their place at the state meet.
"I am very proud of all of the girls and the hard work they put in."
Chester was led by junior Jessica Kattenbraker who finished 9th overall with her time of 21:06. Taylor Dunning, also a junior, finished 13th with her time of 21:18.
Both Kattenbraker and Dunning have taken turns all season long finishing first or second for the Lady Yellow Jackets. Dunning was the first Chester finisher last week at Lady Yellow Jackets' own regional meet.
Other finishers for Chester were freshman Avery Runge (53rd, 23:37), sophomore Shea Petrowske (68th, 24:33), freshman Adeline Blechle (69th, 24:35), senior Ellen Blechle (118th, 30:27) and sophomore Elizabeth Soellner.
The top seven individuals, after team runners were taken out of the mix, also advanced to the state meet.
That group consisted of Benton freshman Amelia McLain (19:48), Alton Marquette freshman Riley Vickrey (20:09), Carterville senior Megan Adams (20:41), Carmi-White County freshman Payton Dixon (20:44), Althoff Catholic sophomore Tiffani Siekmann (20:49), Belleville Governor French Academy senior Sarozjani Hunter (20:57) and Abby Riechmann, a sophomore from Okawville (21:11).
The last Chester team to advance to the state meet as a team was the 1989 Lady Yellow Jackets coached by Jack Herschbach.
That group finished second in the conference that year, fifth at sectionals and 20th at the state meet.
Members of that team included Deanna Dunker, Julie Hirte, Jenny Walter, Joanna (Baldwin) Tudor, Jenny (Baldwin) Stumpe, Vickie Rucker, and Jenny Wright.
"As we were on our tarp stretching and warming up today, I told the girls go for it," said Chester coach Paul Stallman. "I told them that if they fought hard and battled all the way, they could place in the top five and earn a place at the state meet.
"I told them to give me 110 percent and they did just that. They battled every step of the way and fought the fight of their lives. I am very proud of their effort and it paid off."
The state race will start at 9 a.m. Saturday.