Yaros sets season-best, Ince debuts strong at IHSA 3A State XC Championships

Inkspot Staff

Nov 12, 2024

Yaros and Ince qualified for the IHSA 3A State Championships as individuals, finishing 20th and 21st at the Normal Sectional on Nov. 2. That Sectional competition was tough, as the Iron raced against Plainfield North and South, the state’s second and third-place finishing teams. Photo Courtesy of: Community Athletic Department.

Joey Yaros closed out his Ironmen cross country career at the 2024 IHSA Class 3A State XC Championships at Peoria’s Detweiller Park on Nov. 9, posting his best performance of the season with a 14:59.40 finish, taking 64th in the 236 competitor field.

This performance marked a season highlight for Yaros, as the two-time state competitor posted his first sub-15 minute finish of the year, a few seconds shy of his all-time best–a 14:55.31 finish in the 2023 sectional race, a school record.

In last year’s state competition, Yaros finished in 15:36:21, taking 130th.

Competing alongside Yaros was AJ Ince in his state debut; the junior clocked a 15:29.90 finish, crossing the finish line in 141st.

Downers Grove North, a familiar name for Ironmen fans in recent years, took home the Class 3A team honors (83), with Plainfield North (154) and Plainfield South (248) finishing second and third, respectively.

New Trier senior Ben Crane was the race’s overall winner, completing the 3-mile course in a blistering 14:03.40 time.

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