Class 3
Angela Poindexter, St. Charles West
St. Charles West and head coach Angela Poindexter may have lost a state champion to graduation, but the 2022 Warriors improved on their 2021 Class 3 runner-up finish and claimed their second-ever state crown.
Lilian Jackson won the 2020 Class 4 state title and then led the Lady Warriors to the 2nd-place team trophy with an individual runner-up finish in 2021. Jackson is now at Omaha (University of Nebraska-Omaha). Her 2021 squad was 2nd to Tolton Catholic. Tolton's state title earned them a bump. The private school was "Championship Factor" ed up to Class 4 this year, where they won another state title.
Poindexter's West squad claimed their own title this year, in Class 3. The Lady Warriors ran away with the title, putting 3 in the top 30, scoring just 74 points, and winning by 63. Sophomore Genevieve Wacker earned a second-straight All-State Finish, taking 7th in 19:23. Fellow sophomore Claire Horstmann also earned All-State honors, finishing 16th. Freshman Emily Finley just missed Top-25 All-State honors, taking 28th.
St. Charles West should have a good shot at taking their state title streak to two and their state trophy streak to three as they return their top seven runners. West's state team featured four freshmen, two sophomores, and a junior.