Welcome to the 2011 Season!

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Bill Stone
Nov 8, 2011

Hinsdale Central junior Jill Hardies had a challenging act to follow Saturday.

Hardies not only wanted to improve upon last year’s second-place performance at the Class 3A girls cross country state meet at Peoria’s Detweiller Park. She also was trying to do so after battling injuries most of the season.

Hardies responded with the second-best state showing in program history.

She placed fifth (16:59) on the 3.0-mile course and joined 2009 graduate Elaine Kuckertz as the only Red Devils to achieve a program-best three all-state honors for top-25 state finishes.

“I wanted to get top five. That was the goal going into the race. I always want to do better than that, but realistically, that was a good goal,” Hardies said.

“I knew going into it that winning was a stretch. It’s disappointing getting fifth, considering I got second last year, but in the big scheme of things, considering I was injured and how hard of a season I had, top five wasn’t that bad. I had the goal ... MORE