Cor Jesu earned third place in the girls’ race with 81 points at the Class 4 Sectional 1 meet giving the Chargers their first state berth in 10 years
“We knew we had a tough battle against Marquette and Parkway West today, so that’s who we were gunning for, and we ended up beating both,” Cor Jesu coach Katie Helbig said. “They always make a coach a little nervous when they’re in good position going into the woods at that one-mile mark and then they have slipped a few places at the two-mile mark, but they all really, really battled over that last mile and the result was positive. We had all seven runners under 21 minutes, which is a huge thing for us, and we race four freshmen today.”
Senior Jill Whitman has been leading those freshmen all year. Helbig said the team’s victory at Southern Stampede helped Whitman become a little more vocal with her leadership and help shape this state-bound squad.
“I’m happy for Jill to have the team there,” Helbig said. “When they won at Southern Stampede, I think Jill really came out of her shell. She’s having success running and enjoying herself a ton, and it’s been great to see her so bubbly.
“Last year at this time had an injury. She’s been healthier and stronger and had the confidence of winning some races. When she starts training with people as fast as her, I think she still has room for improvement.”