Junior Emma Coverdill (564) gets ready to pass a Hume Shiloh runner en route to a 20th-place finish at Saturday's Class 1A St. Joseph regional. Gargoyle photo by Will Fernandez (click to enlarge)

KICKAPOO STATE PARK — Senior Elizabeth Russell and three other Illineks finished in the top 25 at Saturday's IHSA Class 1A St. Joseph regional meet as Uni clinched a berth in the upcoming Decatur St. Teresa sectional.

Russell ran the three-mile course in 20 minutes, 57 seconds to finish 10th individually, leading the Illineks to fourth place overall (94 points).

St. Joseph-Ogden won the eight-team meet with 57 points, followed by runner-up St. Thomas More (67) and third-place Tuscola (82).

Hume Shiloh earned the fifth and final sectional-qualifying spot, edging Oakwood by a single point (131-132). Oakwood's Ciara Pierce, a sophomore, ran the fastest time of the meet (19:54) and qualified for sectionals as an individual runner. Under IHSA rules, the top five teams and top five individuals from nonadvancing teams at each regional qualify for sectionals.

The Illineks' depth allowed them to improve on last year's regional performance, when they placed fifth with 101 points and had only two runners in the top 25 — Russell, who was second (19:52), and then-senior Elaine Gu, who was seventh (21:08).

This year, Russell was joined in the top 25 by freshman Sarah Vaughen (16th, 21:30), junior Emma Coverdill (20th, 21:55), and sophomore Christina Harden (22nd, 21:58).

Sophomore Tanya Denisova rounded out the Illinek scoring by coming in 36th (23:32). Uni's sixth and seventh finishers were senior Brittany Scheid (39th, 24:02) and freshman Brianna Hajek (45th, 24:59).

Next up for the girls will be Saturday's sectional in Decatur. The race will begin 9 a.m. at the Hickory Point Golf Course, followed by the boys meet at 10.

For the Illineks to advance to the Nov. 7 state finals in Peoria, they will have to finish among the top five in the 20-team meet. Individual runners can advance if they are among the top seven finishers not on a qualifying team.

Last year the Illineks placed 13th out of 19 teams at the Paxton sectional. Gu and Russell came in 25th and 27th, respectively, out of 146 runners — 11th and 12th among runners not on qualifying teams.

Class 1A St. Joseph Regional Girls Meet at a Glance

GIRLS RACE

Team Results

1. St. Joseph-Ogden 57
2. Champaign St. Thomas More 67
3. Tuscola 82
4. UNI HIGH 94
5. Hume Shiloh 131
6. Fithian Oakwood 132
7. Villa Grove 144
8. Champaign Judah Christian 168

Top Five Runners Overall

1. Ciara Pierce (so) Fithian Oakwood 19:54
2. Sidney Long (jr) St. Joseph-Ogden 20:04
3. Theresa Welle (fr) Champaign St. Thomas More 20:18
4. Lauren Cessna (sr) St. Joseph-Ogden 20:33
5. Laura Knight (sr) Tuscola 20:34

Uni Individual Results

10. Elizabeth Russell (sr) 20:57
16. Sarah Vaughen (fr) 21:30
20. Emma Coverdill (jr) 21:55
22. Christina Harden (so) 21:58
36. Tanya Denisova (so) 23:32
39. Brittany Scheid (sr) 24:02
45. Brianna Hajek (fr) 24:59

Class 1A Decatur St. Teresa Sectional Girls Meet at a Glance

The following 20 teams will compete Saturday at Decatur's Hickory Point Golf Course, 727 Weaver Road (click here for directions). The top five teams will advance to the Nov. 7 state finals in Peoria, as will the top seven individuals not on a qualifying team. The girls race will begin at 9 a.m., followed by the boys race at 10.

From the Beecher Regional:

1. Kankakee Bishop McNamara 24
2. Beecher 52
3. Herscher 84
4. Hoopeston 95
5. Bismarck-Henning 111

From the Monticello Regional:

1. Decatur St. Teresa 30
2. Bloomington Central Catholic 65
3. Downs Tri-Valley 91
4. Monticello 97
5. Stanford Olympia 135

From the Robinson Regional:

1. Altamont 51
2. Shelbyville 60
3. Neoga 94
4. Teutopolis 96
5. Effingham St. Anthony 103

From the St. Joseph Regional:

1. St. Joseph-Ogden 57
2. Champaign St. Thomas More 67
3. Tuscola 82
4. UNI HIGH 94
5. Hume Shiloh 131