iltoptimes – News – Eureka Boys Keep Rolling to Win Dunlap Invitational

Eureka boys keep rolling

to win Dunlap Invitational

By Randy Sharer

For Ittspeedlab.com

DUNLAP – Tangling with other state-ranked teams didn’t cause the Eureka High School boys to run timid during the 13-team Dunlap Invitational cross country meet on Saturday (Sept. 20) at Dunlap Valley Middle School.

The Hornets, ranked No. 1 in Class 1A by IlMileSplit.com, held off No. 3-ranked Glasford Illini Bluffs as well as Class 2A’s No. 21-ranked Metamora. Eureka tallied 59 points to 86 for Illini Bluffs and 102 for Metamora.

Meanwhile, the Eureka girls, ranked No. 4, scored 84 points to trail only the 61 of Chatham Glenwood, which is ranked No. 1 in 2A. Placing third was Class 1A’s No. 7 Pleasant Plains (129) while fourth went to Normal West (130), ranked No. 13 in 2A.

Unit 5 schools swept the individual titles on the 3-mile course with Normal West’s Renee Warren running 17 minutes, 53.7 seconds while Normal Community’s AJ Ince clocked 15:18.6.

Boys

Pacing the Eureka boys was Gavin Stalter, who clocked 15:37.7 in fourth. Also figuring into the Hornets’ score were Davin Dingledine (8th, 15:57.0), Landon Wurmnest (11th, 16:13.8), Timothy Rogers (17th, 16:27.1), and Hudson Leman (24th, 16:35.5).

Eureka was missing No. 4 man Connell Roth, who injured an ankle in training and miss three weeks. Not to worry, Leman, a freshman, filled in admirably.

“We haven’t had that (depth) in recent years,” said Eureka coach Olivia Morris. “In terms of pack running, we would have liked to be more of a pack at the mile. The key is they keep their eyes on each other.”

Ince of NCHS finished 16 seconds ahead of runner-up Zach Born of Metamora, the defending champion, who sped 15:34.5 to finish one spot ahead of Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley’s Keegan Dewall (15:35.8).

“The goal of the race today was to hit the second mile hard,” said Ince, the brother of 10-time state track champion Ali Ince, now a sophomore at Oregon. “I think we accomplished that. Overall, it was a really good race.

“By the end of the year, I want to be running 14:30. I definitely think that’s within the range of possibility this year.”

Ince led the Ironmen to fifth (136) while sixth-place Lincoln (154) was paced by Preston Short in fifth (156:38.3).

Girls

Normal West’s Warren won by two seconds over Glenwood’s Sophie Rentmeister. The top-ranked Titans ran without all-stater Ali Londrigan, the defending champion.

“She really took advantage of surging out of the turns, running…