By JOHN ROARK
john.roark@register-news.com
PEORIA HEIGHTS — For the Mt. Vernon Township High School girls cross-country team, it was an outstanding day that kept coming up just a spot short.
Defending Class 2A state champion Margo Richardson put forth a career-best race that earned her a second-place finish, junior teammate Stephanie Modert ran brilliantly, her 26th-place effort missing the top 25 and All-State honors, and Connie Harre-Blair’s Lady Rams finished 11th, one spot short of a top-10 finish Saturday at Detweiler Park.
Richardson, last year’s race winner in 2A, wound up dueling eventual champion Woodstock junior Kayla Beattie, a class-dropping 3A competitor from last season.
It was Richardson who fired the bold opening salvo — setting the pace in a first-mile split announced at 5 minutes, 30 seconds — before Beattie collared her at the top of the hill midway through the course.
“I think I might have made a mistake of leading the first mile,” Richardson said. “I ran a (fast) first mile with the wind and everything that was a little bit fast.
“I probably sucked in quite a bit of air in the first mile.
“I felt good, and I wanted to be away from the pack, so there wouldn’t be a race at the very end,” said Richardson of the early mind games.
The duo matched strides through most of the second mile — turning the championship into a match-race — before Beattie slipped in front.
“I wanted her to take the lead for a little bit,” Richardson said, “because I knew she could block the wind for me a little bit.”
All of which didn’t bother Richardson that much. In fact, the MVTHS senior didn’t even know who the race leader was.
“I didn’t even know it was Kayla,” Richardson said. “I knew she was ranked ahead of me. I thought she was behind me for some reason.”
Richardson was content to track the leader, using the wind to her advantage.
“So I was thinking ‘I’ll just wind off this girl,’” Richardson explained. “So I winded off her, and I thought I’ll just pass her at the end. She just kept getting farther away, and the farther away she got, the more tired I got.”
But Beattie, who clipped Richardson at last month’s Woodruff Invite at Detweiler — gave no quarter, and slowly edged away late to cover the 3-mile course in 17 minutes, 14 seconds.
Richardson (17:20) was six seconds behind, but bettered her previous Detweiler time by four seconds and smashed her 2008 winning time of 17:41.
Harre-Blair said it was a goal for Richardson to run better, and to let the chips fall where they may.
“We discussed it — that it’s great to win,” Harre-Blair said, “but she said ‘If I can get a better time ... and she had a good time today — (got) second, good time — and she’s had an outstanding four years and there’s been such consistency in her in everything she has done.”
Harre-Blair shouted words of encouragement to her four-time state qualifier from the sidelines.
“My legs were so heavy and they were so tired,” Richardson said. “When coach Harre was yelling ‘Sprint! You can catch her!’ I was trying so hard.
“I was thinking. ‘OK, I got this, I got this’ and I tried and I tried. I moved my arms as hard as I could, and it just wasn’t getting me anywhere.
“I was just so tired at the end,” Richardson added.
Meanwhile, Modert managed to put together another splendid race in her first tip to the state finals.
A steady No. 2 runner behind Richardson this season, Modert hung tough up front and was outkicked at the finish by Chicago University senior Sherry Fu.
Modert finished 26th in 18:42, with Fu placing 25th and earning the final All-State spot by one second.
“I told (Modert) that was just a number,” Harre-Blair said. “She had a good time, a good race, and she got in there and got a lot out of the race. The finish is where she has to be able to turn it over, but Stephanie gets in there and grinds.”
The balance of the Lady Rams — sophomore Jenna Wilemon (56th, 19:37), senior Toni Huff (101st, 20:29), junior Davianne Kirk (120th, 21:31), freshman Rachel Rexing (130th, 22:07) and sophomore Jessica Cooper (141st, 23:15) — scored 256 points to finish behind Crystal Lake Central for the 10th-place spot.
“This is our best finish, according to the standings at state,” Harre-Blair said. “This is the type of the team that knew what they had to do, and they did it.”
Naturally, Harre-Blair’s eyes welled up when talking about Richardson, who has become the most-decorated female athlete in school history.
“It’s been a lot of run,” she said. “Like today, we had three former runners come up and watch. It’s been fun times to see these kids come back and root everybody on.
“We never really think last (times), because we always hope people come back. But it’s been a very positive time.
“I had one college coach talking to me during the race ... it was something to say ‘No, she’s true to form, easy to coach and likes to work,’ and wants to get better. She’s really consistent,” the coach added.
—
In Class 1A, the Bluford brother-sister combo of Josh and Mallory Bergbower, ran 51st (16:24) and 77th (20:12), respectively, in their races.
Mallory, a freshman, ran a steady pace, and Trojans coach Roger Yates said the race proved to be a huge learning experience.
“She got to see how this course unfolds once you get on it,” Yates said.
Josh, a junior, went out and set a strong pace.
“Josh went out in 5:05 for the first mile,” Yates said, “so he knew he was going to drop back. He ran a great race. And, I am sure that down the road, as a senior, he’ll be back shooting for a top 25 finish.”
