EC Women Record Program-Best Finish at SLIAC Indoor Championships

ELSAH, Ill. – The Eureka women's cross country and distance team recorded its best finish ever at the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Indoor Championships on Saturday.

The Red Devils, which had never scored at the meeting before, took sixth with 11 points.

Eureka freshman Karissa Heffernan (Metamora, Ill./Metamora) led the way again, placing fourth in the mile against tough competition with a time of 5:48.42. Six of the top seven runners in the race posted season-best times. For Heffernan, it was four seconds faster than her previous indoor personal record and equal to her outdoor PR. She was one place away from earning All-SLIAC honors.

She also placed sixth in the 800 with a time of 2:42.41.

"We set our expectations high for the day, hoping for an all-conference performance from freshman Karissa Heffernan in the mile, and possibly the 800 as well. We came up just shy of those lofty expectations, but had a great day," EC cross country and distance coach Chris Robinson said.

Also in the mile, junior Sarah Kimbro (Peoria, Ill./Metamora) cut two seconds off her previous best with a time of 6:57.11 to take seventh place, and sophomore Sophia Simonis (West Frankfurt, Ill./Frankfurt) recorded her third straight PR, taking eighth in 7:44.42.

In the 800, sophomore Riley Reuter (Henry, Ill./Henry-Senachwine) cut five seconds off her previous best to take 10th in 3:01.40, and Kimbro – fresh off her mile performance – finished 12th in 3:21.11.

Freshmen Isabella Carabajal (Chicago, Ill./Shepard) and Odessa Grove (Lewistown, Ill./Lewistown) both came close to reaching new PRs in the 400, taking 10th and 11th in 1:16.51 and 1:23.81, respectively.

Javy Garcia (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield Central) was the Red Devils' only competitor on the men's side, and he came in 12th place with a time of 5:14.23 in a very fast mile race.

"Coach Ian (Cummings) and I were extremely impressed by how well the team ran over the course of the indoor season," Robinson said. "Everyone either improved from meet to meet or ran very consistent times. There were no significant drop offs in times by any of our student-athletes. Staying this strong over a short season with meets essentially every week is no simple task. They are well positioned to have a strong outdoor season. We are looking forward to a strong month of training in March, and then having a great outdoor performance."