OREGON — The Rochelle cross country team may be working through some injuries, but both the Hubs and the Lady Hubs turned in strong performances at the Oregon 7 Person Invitational at Oregon Park West on Wednesday.

Junior Katherine Bakken led the way for the Lady Hubs, finishing first overall with a time of 20:10.2 while senior Morgan Baker (22:04.2), senior Claire Plapp (22:17.4) and junior Anne Hickey (22:20.7) each finished in the top 15. Rochelle’s girls team nearly earned a trophy on Wednesday, with the Lady Hubs taking third with 23 points while IMSA (Illinois Math & Science Academy) placed second with 22 points.

“We have two top-5 kids who have been holding out because of injuries but we’ll probably be at full strength on Saturday, so it will be exciting to see how we do,” head coach John Dobbs said. “I like the way out top four runners are doing right now. They’re very close together in training and in meets.”

Senior Hannah Cruz and sophomore Britney Baez did not run on Wednesday, but Dobbs said he’s hoping both will be available when Rochelle competes in the First to the Finish Invitational at Peoria’s Detweiller Park this Saturday. While the Hubs didn’t place as a team in Oregon (Rochelle fielded five runners), sophomore Santi Cordoba continued his fast stretch with a team-best time of 18:49.6 to finish 16th individually.

Sophomores Uzziel Zarate landed in 20th with a time of 19:07.6, while sophomores Diego Escobar (24th at 19:54.3), Tucker Louis (32nd at 20:56.8) and Ben Hickey (37th at 22:56.2). Rochelle’s boys team may not have much varsity experience, but Dobbs said he’s pleased with the progress the Hubs have made thus far. The boys will also run at Detweiller Park on Saturday.

“They’re just sophomores and they’re running varsity races,” Dobbs said. “Uzziel and Diego each had PRs tonight and that’s what we expect to happen at every single meet. We’re just trying to get better a little bit at a time. They’re working hard and filling some big shoes.”