Red Devils Complete Season with Regionals Meet

WAVERLY, Iowa – The Eureka cross country and distance team's fall season came to a close on Saturday with the NCAA Division III Regional meet at Wartburg College.

It was a nearly perfect weather day at Max Cross Country Course, with temperatures sitting in the mid-40s, the skies overcast with some sun poking through and a light breeze blowing. There was an enthusiastic crowd and a field of competitors motivated to deliver.

Led by junior Karissa Heffernan (Metamora, Ill./Metamora/Lewis), the Eureka women finished 26th out of 31 scoring teams. After setting a personal record at the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship meet, Heffernan set another new PR on Saturday, coming in 69th overall with a time of 23:48.

Junior Emily Baker (Washington, Ill./Washington) finished her first season with the Red Devils with a 166th-place finish in 27:11.

Senior captain Sarah Kimbro (Peoria, Ill./Metamora) capped off her cross country career with a 192nd-place finish in 29:52. Sophomore Jaden Randall (Secor, Ill./Roanoke-Benson) took 198th and set a new PR of 30:48, while junior Odessa Grove (Lewistown, Ill./Lewistown) rounded out the scoring for the Red Devils with a 210th-place finish in 35:20.

In the men's race, senior Tony DeLira (Chicago, Ill./Alcott/Lincoln) led the way for the Red Devils one more time, fighting hard to the finish and placing 176th in 28:57. Sophomore Jose Amador (Kempton, Ill./Tri-Point) followed, taking 210th in 32:20. Freshman Michael Beaumont (Greenup, Ill./Cumberland) was the Red Devils' fourth finisher, coming in 215th in 33:16, while fellow freshman Gabriel Seeber (Champaign, Ill./Champaign Central) closed out his first-ever cross country season with a 228th-place finish in 39:19.

"It has been a great season overall and coach Ian (Cummings), Zach (Sancken) and I are really happy with how the teams ran," EC coach Chris Robinson said. "We peaked at the right time, set several PRs in our final two meets of the year, and continued to build a strong foundation."

This season, the men's team got an influx of talent and energy from dual-sport athletes, Khalil Alleyne (Diego Martin, Trinidad/Fatima College/Lincoln), Tucker Williams (Monticello, Ill./Monticello), Beaumont and Seeber, while the women's team continued to grow and compete well as a team.

"One of the best parts about working with these fantastic men and women is seeing how well they get along and enjoy each other," Robinson said. "We are looking forward to some rest before racing into indoor track season."