Red Devils Conclude Strong Year at SLIAC Outdoor Championships

GREENVILLE, Ill. – The Eureka cross country and distance team's 2024 spring season came to an end with a series of impressive accomplishments at the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Outdoor Championship on Saturday.

On the men's side, sophomore Bailey Webster (East Peoria, Ill./East Peoria) and senior Tony DeLira (Chicago, Ill./Alcott/Lincoln) led the way.

After storms postponed the running of the 10,0000 from Friday night until Saturday morning, Webster and DeLira placed second and third with times of 34:21 and 36:12, respectively, and earned all-conference honors.

Then, 30 minutes later, the duo turned around and completed the daunting 10,000/5,000 back-to-back double. Webster ended up placing fourth in 17:08.78 and DeLira placed sixth in 18:57.60. It was DeLira's last race as a Red Devil.

Jose Amador (Kempton, Ill./Tri-Point) placed third in the Steeplechase with a personal record-setting time of 11:09.14 to round out Eureka's scorers on the men's side. The Eureka men finished in seventh place overall with 28 points.

Eureka's most inspiring performance of the day came from Hayden Skaggs (Mansfield, Texas/Mansfield). The junior made his official return to competition after sustaining significant injuries in a horrific car accident last May. Less than a year removed from his accident, he competed in the 400-meter dash, drawing cheers and awe from the audience.

"He was given nice recognition by the announcer at the meet and was congratulated by several athletes," EC coach Chris Robinson said. "Some of his friends made the trip to cheer him on and brought signs for his teammates to hold and cheer. It was an amazing moment – so proud of him!"

Webster also came in 13th in the 800 in 2:13.78. He was followed by Tucker Williamson (Monticello, Ill./Monticello), who took 17th in 2:25.20, and Michael Beaumont (Greenup, Ill./Cumberland), who was 18th in 2:29.05.

Amador finished 13th in the 1,500 in 4:35.36, while Williamson and Beaumont came in 14th in 4:46.78 and 17th in a personal-best 5:00, respectively.

On the women's side, Emily Baker (Washington, Ill./Washington) placed fifth in the 10,000 in 49:35 to notch the women's team's first scoring finish of the day.

Senior Sarah Kimbro (Peoria, Ill./Metamora) and sophomore Rachel Fisher (Metamora, Ill./Metamora) both scored fourth-place finishes in their solo races.

Kimbro finished her EC career with a fourth-place finish in the Steeplechase in 16:19.62, making a sizable splash in the final water barrier.

"It was a fitting end for our women's captain," Robinson said. "She did a great job throughout her time of keeping the team together, having fun, and still working hard. We will miss her."

Isabella Carbajal (Chicago, Ill./Shepard), Jaden Randall  (Secor, Ill./Roanoke-Benson), Baker and Fisher wrapped up the day with a seventh-place finish in the 4x400-meter relay in 4:56.75.

Carbajal and Randall took 13th in 1:11.82 and 14th in 1:11.33, respectively, and Odessa Grove (Lewistown, Ill./Lewistown) came in 11th in the 1,500 in 7:03.19. The women's team finished ninth overall with 16 points.

Despite injuries and weather challenges, the Red Devils made the most of their opportunities on Saturday.

"Coach Ian (Cummings), Coach Zach (Sancken), and I were thrilled with the efforts this weekend," Robinson said at the end of his third full year of coaching the Red Devils from the fall through the spring. "The team had a great time together this weekend and did a great job cheering each other on to great finishes. It was gratifying to see the hard work they have put in all year culminate in strong performances. In spite of strong winds throughout and some heavy rain during the Steeple and 4x4, they all ran great efforts.

"As always, this was a great group to be around all year. Looking forward to seeing them all continue to grow. Let's run it back next year."