Last Saturday, October 22, 2022, the Okawville Cross Country teams competed in the Carterville 1A Regional Meet held at Carterville High School. Both teams competed in a meet on this course about a month prior to the Regional competition. The Rocket runners dealt with harsh winds and a change in weather, as the temperature rose to 80 degrees Farenheight, the highest of the week. This obstacle did not get in the way of the Rocket and Lady Rocket runners as they pushed through the weather conditions. Both teams had been working hard all season for the postseason. The top 7 teams and the top 5 individual runners not on an advancing team advance to Sectionals.

The girls’ race started at 10 am. The Lady Rockets finished with a team score of 112 to finish in 5th place. Caroline Tepe led the Lady Rockets finishing third overall with a time of 18:56. Lydia Luechtefeld came across the finish line in 19th (21:34), Lauren Haacke in 24th (21:54), Megan Rennegarbe 35th (23:33), Sidney Charles 38th (23:44), Sarah Cook 42nd (24:04), and Kylie Buehler rounding out the team in 54th (25:26). They were a total of 73 female runners.

The boys’ race followed at 11 am. The Rockets placed 4th, setting a new school record for the highest placement in a Regional for Boys Cross Country. The boys’ team missed 3rd place by two points to Carterville 107-109. Grant Schleifer was the Regional Runner-up and led the Rockets with a time of 16:33. Ryker Obermeier finished 19th (18:35), Nolan Frantz in 23rd (18:57), Zander Hasheider in 40th (19:50), Oliver Gaubatz in 46th (20:10), Joseph Jansen in 47th (20:11), and Jared Juenger in 53rd (20:20). There were a total of 85 male runners.

For the third time in school history, both the boys’ and girls’ teams are advancing to Sectionals. The Sectional will be held on Saturday, October 28, 2022, at Benton Community Park. The top 6 teams and top 10 individual runners not on an advancing team will qualify for the State Meet the following Saturday in Peoria. The girls’ race will begin at 9 am, and the boys’ race will begin at 10 am. Good luck to the Okawville Cross Country teams!