For the second time in three seasons, the Rochelle varsity girls cross country team will be competing at the sectional level after qualifying out of regional competition.
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BELVIDERE — For the second time in three seasons, the Rochelle varsity girls cross country team will be competing at the sectional level after qualifying out of regional competition.
The Lady Hubs finished sixth out of nine schools with 164 points in the IHSA Class 2A Belvidere North Regional at Spencer Park on Saturday to grab the final sectional qualifying spot by two points over Belvidere (166 points). Senior Katherine Bakken led the way for Rochelle, placing fifth out of 58 girls individually to medal with a time of 18:54.6.
“I was really proud of the way we worked together,” Bakken said. “I feel confident that we can improve even more next week. It was windy at the beginning, but once we were into the woods I wasn’t as focused about the weather as I was about doing well and helping my team get to the sectional.”
Junior Britney Baez finished 27th with a time of 20:36.0 while senior Anne Hickey placed 42nd with a time of 21:33.5. Freshman Sara Johnson completed her race in 21:47.2 to take 45th and round out Rochelle’s top four girls in the regional competition. Despite high winds, the forestry at Spencer Park allowed runners to race at a relatively fast pace on Saturday.
“It’s great that our seniors get to race at sectionals one more time,” Baez said. “We tried really hard to get into sectionals as a team and I think everybody pulled through. Coach [John] Dobbs helped us train for the conditions so I don’t think the conditions bothered me or my teammates as much as the other girls.”
Rochelle’s varsity boys cross country team finished 10th overall in the regional with 298 points. Junior Santi Cordoba placed 49th with a time of 17:51.1 to lead the Hubs while junior Tucker Louis finished 54th in 17:58.9 and sophomore Aiden Seldal was 61st in 19:07.2. Senior Connor Lenkaitis clocked in at 21:36.0 to take 66th and round out Rochelle’s top four boys.
The IHSA Class 2A Woodstock North Sectional will take place at Emricson Park on Saturday, Oct. 27 at 10 a.m. for the Lady Hubs. Rochelle will field four varsity seniors at the sectional including Bakken, Hickey, Camryn Turner and Abby Wagner. The seniors are eager to keep their season going.
“It’s good that we’re improving and that we’re getting better each year,” Hickey said. “Racing at the regional gave us a lot of help because now we know where our competition is and we know we can push ourselves to see where we fit with the other groups.”
