Girls Cross Country:  Warriors Qualify For Sectionals

The SHS Girls Cross Country team earned the fourth of five sectional qualifying spots at Saturday’s Galesburg 2A regional at Lake Storey Park.  The Golden Warriors now move on as a team to the East Peoria sectional on Saturday, Oct. 31.

Sterling ended up with 97 points.  Behind Geneseo (42), Dixon (57), Galesburg (63) and just ahead of Rock Island (108).

Individually for Sterling, senior Carissa Apperson led the way in a time of 21:26 (13th place) for the 3.04 mile course.

Other Sterling places/times:
Carrie McPherson(So., 15th - 21:30)
Hannah George (Fr., 21st - 21:54
Stephanie Echebarria (Jr., 22nd - 22:15)
Brittany Ellis (Jr. , 26th - 22:36)
Kaylen Palmer (Jr., 27th - 22:48)
Mary Rose Dukelow (Sr., 31st - 23:17)

Sterling coach Nancy Gehrke comments on her team’s performance:  “The best Sterling races of the day go to Carissa Apperson and Hannah George.   A senior, Carissa has been leading the team in workouts and motivation.  She loves to race and plans to run for SVCC next year. Carissa is putting out everything she can to race her best as she finishes her 7-year career of running for Sterling Schools. Over the years of racing, she has developed some great relationships with the Geneseo team and continues to push her limits to compete with them at meets. Carissa has been a varsity runner for SHS beginning with her first meet as a freshman and has never looked back. Her favorite part of the sport is the actual race. This will prove to be a strong point for her as she moves on to collegiate running. After she competes at SVCC, perhaps she can join her teammate of four years ago, who after running for SVCC is now a Cross Country runner for a division-one university - Jaclyn Sciacero at Northern Illinois University. (Jackie runs in the top 5 for NIU).

“Hannah George is a freshman and has gone from a fractured foot and no running the first weeks of practice, to earning the seventh spot on varsity to scoring in the top three on varsity in the regional race. This feat is pure guts and determination. It isn't often that an athlete comes into cross country with little or no training over the summer and can work up to a top spot on the team. This is especially difficult with all the other things Hannah has dealt with this year. One of her best friend’s lives ended unexpectedly midway through the season and Hannah has had some illnesses and other life changing events, but she was determined to take what she had and race for the team - leaving all of her worries and pain behind for that few minutes on Saturday morning. That is a true testament of her focus and dedication. Coaches always say, ‘I'd take a team full of athletes that are willing to run with guts,’ and this is Hannah. No one spoke of her as athlete coming into high school and yet she has stepped it up to place 21st in an IHSA Class 2A Regional Varsity Race and 3rd for her team that has moved onto the IHSA sectional meet.  These two athletes helped make a difference for a team with some flu and other illness this week."