Cougar girls cross-country team big state winner
From our weekly issue dated November 12, 2008
The Illinois Valley girls cross country team was not ranked all season until the only ranking that matters, as the Cougar squad placed 7th in an extremely competitive state high school cross country meet in Eugene on Saturday, Nov. 1.
All five Cougar girls ran tremendously:
- Casey Robertson, (9th in 20:12).
- Brianna Loucks, (34th in 21:38).
- Sierra Chiverton (42nd in 21:48).
- McKenzie Yeoman (74th in 22:48).
- Erin Byrne, (89th in 23:48).
At Lane Community College for the meet, there were 16 teams with nearly 140 runners. It rained prior to the starting gun, but during the 5K (3-mile) contest, the sky was only cloudy.
Illinois Valley is one of the smallest schools in the 4-A classification. Most high schools including Phoenix and Hidden Valley have twice as many students. Most teams consist of seven varsity runners, five of whom score; the other two are for back-up.
However, I.V. only had five girls total running in the state meet, putting extra pressure on all of them to do well, not be injured, and most importantly, to finish.
Head coach Bill Yeoman and assistant coach Janie Pope could not be prouder of this team’s accomplishments and efforts on and off the field this fall season. Yeoman does not work at the school and cannot coach on Mondays and Tuesdays due to his work schedule so Pope steps in to guide the team on those days. Teamwork seems to be one of their strengths, both for the team and the coaches.
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McKenzie Yeoman and Sierra Chiverton are seniors, and will be missed next year. Casey, Brianna, and Erin will return next year, along with some new recruits to also be successful next year, said the head coach.
The I.V. team finished only 20 points behind Hidden Valley, which took 3rd.
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