SunTimes

Hinsdale Central wins team title

October 29, 2006
BY RANDY WHALEN

The Hinsdale Central girls cross-country team gave coach Mark McCabe a good birthday present Saturday.
The Red Devils captured the Lockport Class AA sectional title at Dellwood Park with 88 points, qualifying for the state finals next weekend at Peoria's Detweiller Park.

''The best present I could have is a trip to the state meet,'' said McCabe, whose team sang ''Happy Birthday'' to him after the race. ''This is a very challenging course, and I felt we conquered it.''

Hinsdale Central hopes to improve on its fourth-place finish from last year. The Red Devils never have won a state cross-country trophy.

The sectional was the toughest in the state. It featured five of the top six finishers from last year's state finals.

Also qualifying as a team was two-time defending Class AA state champion Naperville North, which finished second.

Mother McAuley, paced by sophomore Annie Hurley in 10th place, was third, also earning a berth in the state finals.

The host Porters, state runners-up a year ago, finished fourth and were boosted by three individuals in the top six: junior Liz Phillips (second), sophomore Janna Mitsos (fourth) and junior Erin Lackie (sixth).

Benet was the fifth team qualifier. The Redwings missed the state finals in 2005 after finishing 10 points behind Lincoln-Way East.

Sandburg junior Kristin Sutherland won the individual title in 19 minutes, five seconds, edging Phillips by one second.

''I was running with the Lockport girls, and they know the course,'' Sutherland said. ''At the end, I just went ahead.''

Sutherland's goal was to get the Eagles to Peoria, but after finishing fifth at the state meet last year, Sandburg was seventh and did not qualify.

AT LISLE: Reed-Custer senior Ryan Eichelberger advanced to the state finals for the fourth time in her career after winning the Class A sectional at Community Park in 20:10.

Eichelberger, who finished third at the state meet in 2005, led for nearly all of the 3.1-mile race in blustery conditions.

''I expected to win and I was running for time, because I'm holding everything in for next weekend,'' Eichelberger said. ''The wind was pretty strong and it didn't feel good running at all. The finish and the start were the worst.''

Beecher won the sectional with 43 points ahead of Herscher with 98. Lisle and Luther North also advanced.

Tina Akouris

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