Red Devils Take on Top-Notch Competition in Peoria

PEORIA, Ill. – The Eureka cross country team took on the toughest competition it has seen this season and excelled at the Bradley Intercollegiate Championships at Detweiller Park on Friday.

Among the crowded field was four NCAA Division I schools in Bradley, DePaul, Western Illinois and Chicago State, two Division II two schools in Missouri-St. Louis and McKendree and two junior colleges, and Monmouth and Illinois College.

On the women's side, Eureka placed sixth out of nine teams with 177 points, beating Monmouth (184), Carl Sandburg College (209) and Chicago State (235).

Sophomore Karissa Heffernan (Metamora, Ill./Metamora) led the way with a top 25 finish, placing 22nd with a time of 20:00.5.

She was followed by Rachel Fisher (Metamora, Ill./Metamora) in 31st place with a 21:17.5, while Sarah Kimbro (Peoria, Ill./Metamora) rounded out the Metamora trio in 43rd place with a 22:56.9. Riley Reuter (Henry, Ill./Henry-Senachwine) took 50th with a time of 24:56 and Jaden Randall (Secor, Ill./Roanoke-Benson) came in 53rd in 25:51.4.

"They all ran extremely well tonight," EC cross country coach Chris Robinson said. "It was a big confidence boost for the team as they held their own against a strong field. Meets like this help build mental toughness that we will need to compete well come conference championship time."

On the men's side, Eureka's top four men finished with either a personal or season best.

Tony DeLira (Chicago, Ill./Alcott/Lincoln) paced the Red Devils with a 40th-place finish in a personal-best 27:16. Freshman Bailey Webster (East Peoria, Ill./East Peoria) came in with a new PR as well, finishing 58th with a time of 28:58.4.

After not finishing in his last race, Jose Amador (Kempton, Ill./Tri-Point) placed 66th in a personal-best 30:59, while Javy Garcia (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield Central) followed with a season-best time of 33:10.5 and a 75th-place finish.

Robinson said that the men's squad built a lot of confidence at the meet as well.

"Knowing you can run with and compete with D-I talent goes a long way," he said. "The hard work is paying off and there is more to come."

The Red Devils will next compete in the Warrior Cross Country Invitational in West Allis, Wisconsin, on Saturday, Oct. 1. The coaching staff can't wait to see them build off their success in Peoria.

"Coach Ian (Cummings), Coach Zach (Sancken), and I are thrilled with the effort tonight," Robinson added. "Seeing the excitement from the women on their individual and team finish was great. Each of the men were thrilled with their performances. We are looking forward to building on this momentum."