Boys take 2nd, Girls place 4th at Big 12 Cross Country Championship

Brayden Blackwell and Zachary Ziemer

Oct 25, 2024

Photo Courtesy of: Mr. Jeff Christopherson

The boys cross country team earned a second-place finish at the Big 12 Conference Championship meet at Peoria’s Detweiller Park on Oct. 19, finishing nine points behind Peoria Notre Dame.

In a tightly contested race, Community and Notre Dame were tied at eight points after each team’s first two runners crossed the finish line.

Junior A.J. Ince led Community with a time of 15:01.60, finishing third, while senior Joey Yaros followed close behind, placing fifth with a 14:58.40 finish. Peoria Notre Dame, however, countered with runners in second and sixth.

Notre Dame gained the upper hand by taking ninth and 10th places before Community’s Caden Nymen secured 11th.

Community’s final two scorers, Drew Patterson and Nate Witzig, finished in the top 20, placing 14th and 18th, respectively. Despite their efforts, Community was unable to defend last season’s conference title, which marked their first in nine years.

In the girls’ race, the Iron placed fourth with 115 points, trailing Normal West (37), Peoria Notre Dame (58) and Champaign Centennial (90).

Junior Lily Cavanaugh led the Iron girls, securing a 10th-place finish in 19:04. Avery Hardy also earned a top-25 spot, finishing 23rd with a time of 20:05.

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