DECATUR — Competing in what might have been the toughest sectional in Class 1A, the Illineks on Saturday qualified for the IHSA state finals for the second consecutive year.

With 121 points, Uni finished third out of 20 teams at the Decatur St. Teresa sectional meet. Beecher, ranked No. 1 in Class 1A, won the title handily with 44 points, followed by runner-up Monticello (112).

The other state qualifiers from the Decatur meet were fourth-place Robinson (123) and fifth-place St. Joseph Ogden (130). The finals will be held Saturday at Peoria's Detweiller Park, with the 1A boys racing at 10 a.m.

Last year, with then-senior Malcolm Taylor leading the way, the boys won their sectional meet. Although the championship eluded them this year, they can take heart by their showing on a difficult course against top-notch competition.

Held at Hickory Point Golf Course, the sectional featured five of the state's top 15 Class 1A teams as ranked by DyeStatIl; all five of those ranked teams lived up to their billing and advanced to state.

Nathan Smith (440) and Iain Konigsberg (438) run the Hickory Point Golf Course during Saturday's Class 1A Decatur St. Teresa sectional; teammate Langston Allston-Yeagle (435) is behind them. Gargoyle photo by David Porreca (click to enlarge)

"I think the team did OK overall," said junior Albert Anastasio. "[Our finish] wasn't quite as high as last year, and it wasn't quite as high as we were hoping.

"But Beecher is an extremely good team; they'll probably win state. And Monticello has also improved a lot since last year, [so] we're not too disappointed that we didn't win."

Only two Illineks finished the soggy three-mile course in the top 20, but all five scoring members of the team placed in the top 35. A total of 156 boys participated in the meet.

Anastasio continued his role as the team's No. 1 runner by coming in 19th place with a time of 17 minutes, 2.35 seconds.

He was challenged throughout the race by classmate Buck Walsh, who ran the course in 17:03.75 to finish 20th.

"Individually, I was very disappointed with myself," Anastasio said. "That was one of my slowest races in the whole year. I placed 19th when I was gunning for top five or at least top 10. But I learned a lot from the race, and I learned what it takes to race in basically mud the whole way."

Rounding out the scoring for Uni were sophomore Iain Konigsberg (32nd, 17:17.95), senior Nathan Smith (34th, 17:21.30), and senior Langston Allston-Yeagle (35th, 17:22.50).

Also competing for the Illineks were junior Ziran Shang (58th, 17:47.40) and senior Eric Fritzsche (84th, 18:13.20).

Beecher's Grant and Griffin Nykaza took the top two spots. Grant, a freshman, won the race in 15:50.55, edging his older brother, a junior, by six-tenths of a second (15.51.15).

More Photos: Class 1A Decatur St. Teresa Sectional Boys Meet

Junior Buck Walsh (442) ran the three-mile Decatur sectional course in 17 minutes, 3.75 seconds, just 1.4 seconds behind teammate Albert Anastasio. Gargoyle photos by David Porreca (click any photo to enlarge and to create your own slideshow)

After missing the Oct. 24 St. Joseph regional due to illness, senior Nathan Smith (440) was back Saturday as determined as ever. He came in 34th with a time of 17:21.3.

Sophomore Iain Konigsberg (438) ran a 17:17.95 to place 32nd out of 156 competitors.

Senior Langston Allston-Yeagle (435) crossed the finish line just 1.2 seconds behind Smith.

Junior Ziran Shang (439) was sixth among the Illineks with a finish of 58th overall.

Senior Eric Fritzsche (437) ran the muddy course in 18:13.2.

Junior Albert Anastasio (orange-and-blue uniform) fell short of his personal goal of a top five finish, but his 19th-place time of 17:02.35 ranked him first among the Illineks.

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

Team Results (top five qualified for state finals)

1. Beecher 44
2. Monticello 112
3. UNI HIGH 121
4. Robinson 123
5. St. Joseph-Ogden 130
6. Stanford Olympia 192
7. Heyworth 211
8. Bloomington Central Catholic 225
9. Sullivan 245
10. Tolono Unity 258
11. Georgetown-Ridge Farm/Chrisman 279
12. Kankakee Bishop McNamara 287
13. Paxton-Buckley-Loda 292
14. Clifton Central 293
15. Champaign St. Thomas More 296
16. Shelbyville 302
17. Decatur St. Teresa 317
18. Effingham St. Anthony 405
19. Bismarck-Henning 456
20. Teutopolis 462

Top 10 Runners Overall (three-mile course, muddy conditions)

1. Grant Nykaza, Beecher, 15:50.55
2. Griffin Nykaza, Beecher, 15:51.15
3. Austin Dart, Robinson, 16:10.80
4. Steve Schroeder, Monticello, 16:16.60
5. Brady Harp, Robinson, 16:19.30
6. Zach Quinn, Heyworth, 16:21.30
7. Jordan Joaquin, Beecher, 16:22.90
8. Tom Pacey, PBL, 16:37.20
9. Blake Hale, Robinson, 16:38.65
10. Sean Larsen, Bloomington Cornerstone, 16:39.30

Uni Individual Results (156 runners overall)

19. Albert Anastasio (jr) 17:02.35
20. Buck Walsh (jr) 17:03.75
32. Iain Konigsberg (so) 17:17.95
34. Nathan Smith (sr) 17:21.30
35. Langston Allston-Yeagle (sr) 17:22.50
58. Ziran Shang (jr) 17:47.40
64. Eric Fritzsche (sr) 18:13.20