Cross Country Opens 2024 Season at the Rock River Invite
ROCKFORD, IL. – The Eureka Cross Country team opened the 2024 season on Friday evening at the Rock River Invite.
On the men's side, the Red Devils placed three runners in the top seven. Bailey Webster (East Peoria, Ill./East Peoria) led the way for the Red Devils with a 5k personal record (PR) of 17:59.1 on his way to a 4th place finish. Senior Tony DeLira (Chicago, Ill./Alcott) finished in 5th place, just behind Webster, with a time of 18:21.7, while Junior Jose Amador (Kempton, Ill./Tri-Point) came in 7th place with a 5k PR of 18:51.5. Michael Beaumont (Greenup, Ill./Cumberland) took 20th place for the Red Devils with a PR of 21:41.5, while newcomer Kristoffer Collins-Brown (Decatur, Ill./Unity Christian) came in 24th place with a time of 25:07.3 in his first race for the Red Devils. The moment of the night, however, came when Senior Hayden Skaggs (Mansfield, Tex./Mansfield) crossed the finish line with a 5k PR of 28:15.8. This was Skaggs' first cross country meet since a serious car accident had forced him into a wheelchair.
The Red Devil men finished third overall with a score of 53.
Senior Emily Baker (Washington, Ill./Washington) led the way on the women's side, coming in 9th place with a time of 24:21.1 in the 5k. Fellow senior Isabella Carbajal (Chicago, Ill./Shepard) finished in 13th place with a time of 29:18.6 in her return to cross country. Another senior, Odessa Grove (Lewistown, Ill./Lewistown), rounded out the field for the Red Devils on the women's side with a 15th place finish and a time of 31:04.0.
MEN'S RESULTS (5k)
Bailey Webster – 17:59.1 – PR
Tony DeLira – 18:21.7
Jose Amador – 18:51.5 – PR
Michael Beaumont – 21:41.5 – PR
Kristoffer Collins-Brown – 25 :07.3 – PR
Hayden Skaggs – 28:15.8 – PR
WOMEN'S RESULTS (5k)
Emily Baker – 24:21.1
Isabella Carbajal – 29:18.6
Odessa Grove – 31:04.0
UP NEXT
The Red Devils head to Springfield, Ill. For the UIS Prairie Stars Invitational on Friday, Sep. 6 at 5:30 p.m.