Verucchi runs 15:23.3 to secure state cross country berth

La Salle-Peru senior Gianni Verucchi ran a 3-mile time of 15:23.3 on Saturday to qualify for the Illinois High School Association state cross country meet. The result was a personal record for the senior and placed him 28th overall at the Class 2A Metamora Sectional.

Verucchi was not seeded to make the team. He entered the race seeded 42nd, while the top 10 individual runners earned state berths. He finished as the ninth individual to advance.

"It means everything to me," Verucchi said. "I really put in so many hours into this sport after all these years. It really does mean a lot to see something I’ve worked so hard for finally come to fruition."

The runner described his strategy as breaking his limits. He noted that he raced the first mile with his head, the second with his legs, and the third with his heart. He said he executed his plan better than he expected.

Verucchi will compete at Detweiller Park next weekend. He aims to lower his time further and reach the school record of 15:20. He missed the state meet by a narrow margin last year and views this qualification as a major honor.

In the girls race at the same venue, La Salle-Peru freshman Mina McFadden finished her season by placing 60th with a time of 20:15.

At the Class 1A Oregon Sectional, Putnam County freshman Anniston Judd placed sixth in 19:23.8 to earn an individual state berth. She had set a personal record of 18:08.5 at Detweiller Park on Oct. 17. Judd said she wanted to compete to the best of her ability against a tough field.

Princeton seniors Payton Frueh and Ruby Acker also advanced to the state meet. Frueh finished 10th in 19:40.4, marking her second consecutive year of state qualification. Acker placed 16th in 19:59.6, securing her first trip to the state championships.

Frueh said the colder weather helped her perform better than the previous weekend. She focused on finding her own spot in the race rather than comparing herself to other runners. Acker had finished fifth last fall, missing the cutoff by five places and 6.1 seconds.

In the boys race at Oregon, Amboy co-op senior Henry Nichols placed 15th in 16:37.4, and junior Tyler Mahar finished 25th in a personal record 16:58.2. Both runners earned state berths. Putnam County’s Carter Baxter finished 28th in 17:07.5, missing the state cutoff by three places.