Railsplitters on the way to State
in Cross Country
[November 02, 2026]
The 2026 Railsplitters that make up the LCHS Boys Cross
Country team are doing what has not been done for a very long time:
they are state-bound. This is the first time since 1958 that a
Railsplitters TEAM is headed to state competition. It is also the
first time a team has advanced this far since the move to a
three-class system in 2008.
Lincoln's Taylor Short is pictured on the far left
and she is returning to the Cross Country Class 2A State Meet as a
sophomore. Photo courtesy of Kim King
In addition to the boys success, Lincoln sophomore Taylor Short is
returning to the Girls Cross Country state finals. Short has had a
tremendously successful season and she is just a sophomore at LCHS.
Lincoln coach Kim King is very excited for these athletes and she is
really looking forward to seeing what they can do at the state meet
on Saturday, November 7, 2026 at Detweiller Park in Peoria.
“I’m extremely proud of everyone,” said King. “It took awhile for
everyone to hit their stride. They struggled through some meets and
didn’t really race well in the first part of our season. But things
are clicking. They’re putting the pieces together and have started
racing like they practice. Everyone hit PR’s on Saturday, which is
exactly what they should be doing at this point. This week will be
all about fine-tuning a couple things and working on speed, then
they get to race one last time, together. If they all race like
they’re capable of, they could really shock some people and do
something special.”
“Taylor is also going for the second year in a row and she has a
really good chance of not just medaling, but I think she could be in
the top ten,” added King.
At the Metamora Sectional on Saturday, October 31, 2026, Short
finished in second place with a time of 17:51.2. King noted that
Short has not finished lower than sixth all season long. That is
remarkable for any athlete, let alone a sophomore competing with
upperclassmen.
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Congratulations to the state-bound Railsplitters Cross Country team.
Photo courtesy of Kim King
Senior Ryann Lile finished at Metamora with a time of 22:17.3.
For the boys team, it was Taylor’s older brother, Preston, leading
the way again.
Preston Short finished in 8th place with a time of 14:48.9.
Pierce King finished 18th with a time of 15:08.7.
Henry Stoltzenburg finished 32nd with a time of 15:27.5.
Owen Cyrulik had a time of 15:54.6.
Colin Crombie’s time was 16:04.9.
Kayden Bone ran the course in 20:10.8.
Jackson Ahart came in at 20:50.8.
As a team, the Lincoln boys finished in 7th place with 170 points,
finishing close behind was Dunlap with 172 points.
Congratulations and good luck at State!
[Teena Lowery]
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