Junior High Cross Country
West Lincoln Broadwell Wolverines headed to State in Cross Country

[October 14, 2022] 

The West Lincoln Broadwell Cross Country team had an amazing run at the Sectional Cross Country meet last weekend at Lincoln Park in Springfield and because of that success, four of the team members are advancing to the IESA State Cross Country meet this Saturday, October 15, 2022 at Parkside Junior High in Normal.

According to Coach Kim King, the 2A girl’s race starts at 12:30pm on Saturday and will include 6th grader, Taylor Short. Short placed 7th overall at last week’s Sectional and secured the 3rd individual State qualifier spot with a time of 13:00.52.

Coach King said the 2A boy’s race will follow at 1:15pm. This race will include 7th graders Henry Stoltzenburg and Pierce King, along with 8th grader, Preston Short. The WLB boys took 3 of the 5 individual State qualifier spots at last week’s Sectional. King was the top finisher, taking 3rd place overall and the 1st individual State qualifier spot with a time of 11:27.35. Short finished 5th overall and claimed the 2nd individual State qualifier spot with a time of 11:46.20, and Stoltzenburg finished 7th overall, claiming the 4th individual State qualifier spot with a time of 11:55.83
 

Coach King explained that the top 3 teams (5-7 runners) advance to State, and the WLB runners were 4th. The boys team missed qualifying by 13 points to Williamsville, she said.

Also on the WLB boys team is 7th grader Griffin Jenness, who finished 39th with a time of 13:37.69 and 8th grader Zack Eckhardt, who finished 44th with a time of 14:01.54.

The competition was fierce at the Sectional meet, with the runners from WLB holding their own against a larger field of participants.

As Coach King explained, “There were 90 runners in the boy’s race from 16 teams, so for our little team of five boys to place so high and to be so close to qualifying as a team was super exciting, and a huge accomplishment for them. They have all been working really hard this season and have been focused on the end goal which has always been to run in the last race of the season.”

Left to right: Taylor Short, Pierce King, Henry Stoltzenburg and Preston Short. Picture courtesy of Kim King

“On the girl’s side, there were 76 runners, so I was thrilled to see Taylor in the Top 10,” said Coach King. “Taylor is the only one with any previous State XC experience, so I’m really excited for her and hopeful that they’ll all be able to bring home some hardware.” Yes, if you’re doing the math in your head, Taylor Short went to State last year as a 5th grader. That’s an amazing accomplishment!

The WLB Cross Country team is a co-op with Chester East Lincoln and Carroll Catholic.

Here is a list of the State qualifiers and their respective schools:

Taylor Short - WLB
Pierce King - CCS
Henry Stoltzenburg- WLB
Preston Short - WLB

Other WLB team members include:

Griffin Jenness - CCS
Zack Eckhardt - CEL

Congratulations to all of these runners, who King described as fun, competitive and hard-working kids. King says she has really enjoyed coaching them and watching them grow this season.

Best of luck to Taylor, Pierce, Henry and Preston as they look to bring home some hardware in Cross Country!

[Teena Lowery]