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ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL — During the fall sports season, the Thomas Middle School girls cross-country team did something unique — they won a state championship — something never done before by runners in Arlington Heights School District 25. For that, they were recognized at Monday’s Arlington Heights Village Board meeting.
Their coaches knew back in early August of last year they had a special group of runners, as the girls showed up for the first practice at 7 a.m. even though school wasn’t in session.
“From that moment on, they put in a lot of hard work. They worked through really hot days, rainy days, cold days as the season went on,” said Todd Slowinski, who coaches the team along with Rebecca Fahnoe and Joseph Kim. “Their confidence never wavered.”
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Slowinski said the girls were participants in five invitationals over the course of the season, winning four of them, and only losing the fifth because several of their key runners were absent.
At the Illinois Elementary School Association state championship, held on Oct. 14 in Normal’s Maxwell Park, the girls defeated 23 other teams in the 4A race. In the two-mile affair, eighth-grader Nora Eitz was the team’s top individual finisher with a time of 11 minutes, 54.50 seconds, good for fifth out of 222 runners. She was an all-state selection.
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“Halfway through the race, they were down 12 points and had one of the best second halves of the race that they could’ve had,” Slowinski said. “It’s been a fun ride. They’re a great group of girls. They should be really proud of themselves.”
Other runners from the team honored at the meeting included Anne Park (17th at state meet, all-state selection), Etta Fischer (26th), Madeline Serur (41st), Clara Vincent (42nd), Adelaide Galla (50th), Frances McDonnell (70th), McKenna Fox, Megan Fritzsche, Claire Lammersfeld and Lily Nelson.
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In addition, the Thomas Middle School boys cross-country team placed second at the state meet. The South Middle School boys and girls teams were ninth in their respective races.
“Congratulations to all the runners, both boys and girls, who did such a great job representing their teams, their schools, their families and our community,” Arlington Heights Mayor Thomas Hayes said.
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