Du Quoin's star sophomore, Gabrielle Alongi, finished the 2017 IHSA girls cross-country championships in 44th place Saturday in Peoria.
Meanwhile, Benton High School's sophomore phenom, Amelia McLain, finished ninth in the state.
Du Quoin and Pinckneyville high schools were well represented at the girls finals.
Du Quoin
The Du Quoin girls cross-country team, coached by Eric Kirkpatrick, finished 23rd, with Alongi, Andrea Lopez, Jacqueline Crain, Olivia Cravens, Lindsey Gossman, Maddie Robison and Chloe Hill.
Individually: Lopez, a senior, finished 133rd; Crain, a freshman, finished 165th; Cravens, a senior, finished 188th; freshmen Gossman and Robison finished 202nd and 203rd, respectively; and Hill, a junior, came in 205th.
Pinckneyville
The Pinckneyville girls cross-country team, coached by Ryan Bruns, finished 24th overall, with runners Kyla Epplin, Shania Opp, Dakota Krone, Olivia Buza, Hannah Porter, Aubrey Bruns and Gayle Winter.
Individually: Epplin, a junior, came in 111th; Opp, a senior, finished 129th; Krone, a sophomore, finished 153rd; Buza, a sophomore, finished 180th; Porter, a senior, came in 184th; Bruns, a sophomore, finished 194th; and Winter, a freshman, came in 199th.
