Senior Maddy Levin finished in 11th place, just one spot short of medaling. Gargoyle photos by David Porreca (click to enlarge)

Junior Katherine Allen placed 16th, same as last year, but she was 2 minutes, 11 seconds faster. (click to enlarge)

URBANA — With only four runners competing, the Uni High girls cross country team lost its title as Twin City champions.

The Twin City Championship Meet features all the schools in the Champaign-Urbana area regardless of class size. Competing against 2A schools such as Centennial and Urbana, the Illineks have shined in the past few years, winning four Twin City titles in a row.

However, on Tuesday, holding onto the title was impossible. With only four runners, the Illineks were ineligible to qualify for team scoring (a minimum of five runners is needed). Senior Elaine Gu was out due to an ankle injury, and freshman Shruti Vaidya did not run because of an illness.

Even though the girls knew they didn’t have a chance to hold onto their title, they still put in the effort and came away with good finishes.

Sophomore Elizabeth Russell ran the three-mile course in 20 minutes, 57 seconds — 18 seconds faster than what she ran last year at this meet. She finished in fifth, 11 seconds behind fourth-place Taylor Staab of St. Thomas More.

Senior Maddy Levin came in as the second Uni finisher, completing the course in 23:08. She took 11th place, one spot away from receiving a medal. She ran just seven seconds behind 10th-place Meredith Headtke of Urbana.

Junior Katherine Allen finished in 16th place (23:39), same as last year, but 2:11 faster. Classmate Brittany Scheid came in 20th place (24:36), three spots better and 2:39 faster than 2007.

Due to the cool weather and the high level of competition, the field as a whole was a lot faster than it was last year. Neli Crawford of Centennial won the meet with a time of 20:05, 22 seconds better than 2008 Uni graduate Michelle Mehnert’s winning time last year.

Centennial handily won the meet with 26 points. Urbana was second with 44, followed by St. Thomas More (61), Champaign Central (95), and Judah Christian (107).

The girls will compete Saturday at the Woodruff Invitational in Peoria.

MORE PHOTOS: Twin City Meet

Junior Brittany Scheid cut 2 minutes, 39 seconds off her time from last year.
Gargoyle photos by David Porreca (click to enlarge)

Elizabeth Russell reduced her time by 18 seconds from the 2007 race.

Katherine Allen ran the course in 25:40 last year, but she brought her time down to 23:29 on Tuesday.

Maddy Levin finished just seven seconds behind 10th-place Meredith Headtke of Urbana.

Twin City Meet at a glance

Girls Team Results

1. Centennial (Class 2A) – 26 points
2. Urbana (2A) – 44 points
3. St. Thomas More (1A) – 61 points
4. Central (2A) – 95 points
5. Judah Christian (1A) – 107 points

Uni Girls Varsity Individual Results

• 5. Elizabeth Russell – 20:57 (three-mile course)
• 11. Maddy Levin – 23:08
• 16. Katherine Allen – 23:29
• 20. Brittney Scheid – 24:36