Red Devils Finish Season Strong at SLIAC Championships
GREENVILLE – The Eureka cross country and distance team closed the season strong at the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships on Saturday.
On a windy day when the rain managed to stay away, the Red Devils saw their efforts pay off on the track.
Sophomore Riley Reuter (Henry, Ill./Henry-Senachwine) led the way for the maroon and gold on the women's side, placing sixth overall with a time of 6:34.83, scoring the team's first points of the day.
Teammates Sophia Simonis (West Frankfurt, Ill./Frankfurt), Odessa Grove (Lewistown, Ill./Lewistown) and Nikki Tye (Kewanee, Ill./Wethersfield) followed, coming in seventh in 6:54.00, eighth in 6:55.48 and ninth in 7:56.57, respectively.
Reuter led the way for this group all season, and the other three saw a lot of progress over the course of the spring, too. Reuter, Simonis and Grove will all be back in the fall, but it was Tye's last day competing as a Red Devil.
"Nikki finished her running career at Eureka College today," EC cross country coach Chris Robinson said. "It was a bittersweet day for her and her teammates. She pushed herself all season to make the most of her time as a member of the XC & Distance team. We are all really proud of her, and will miss her greatly."
Sarah Kimbro (Peoria, Ill./Metamora) rounded out the scoring for the women's team by running her third ever 3000-meter steeplechase and placing fifth in 16:31.5. Despite significant winds, she finished just a second off her PR.
On the men's side, Javy Garcia (Plainfield, Ill./Central Plainfield) and Hayden Skaggs (Mansfield, Texas/Mansfield) took on a competitive field in the 1,500. Garcia, a junior, finished ninth overall with a time of 5:04.14. Skaggs, a freshman, came in 11th in 7:22.66.
"Javy continues to be the standard for the men's team," Robinson said. "His leadership, smile, work ethic, and support makes everyone better. Hayden brought a can-do attitude to practice and meets every time. He supports and cheers for his teammates, and is a wonderful presence on the team."
On the women's side, the Red Devils were without first-year talents Isabella Carbajal (Chicago, Ill./Shepard) and Karissa Heffernan (Metamora, Ill./Metamora) due to illness or injury. The former quietly made strides this spring, while the latter saw her outdoor season cut short due to injury after a promising indoor season. Still, Robinson noted, Heffernan made her presence felt this spring with her "enthusiasm and energy in support of her teammates."
"Overall, the Red Devil XC and Distance team had a strong season," Robinson said. "They learned about themselves as people, runners, and built strong bonds. Coach Ian (Cummings) and I are looking forward to continuing to build on a strong foundation. There is a lot of untapped talent just waiting to come out."