Davis Advances To State Cross Country Finals

Only a handful of female distance runners have qualified for the Illinois High School Association state finals in both cross country and track and field in the past 40 years representing Evanston.

Add Stella Davis’ name to that exclusive list.

The ETHS junior utilized a strong finishing kick to secure an 11th place finish overall at the Class 3A Lake Park Sectional meet Saturday and claimed one of the top 10 individual qualifying spots for next Saturday’s state competition in Peoria.

Davis is the program’s first cross country qualifier since Hope Leman made it in 2019. She joins a list of state qualifiers at both distance state finals that also includes Abby Osterlund (2017-18), Enyaeva Michelin (2016-17), Stephanie Goodrich (1991-92) and Amy Simon (1980-81).

Davis, who advanced to the state preliminaries in track last spring in the 1600-meter race, probably expected to qualify first at the 3-mile cross country distance when she dreamed of running at State.

After all, she placed second in the Illinois Elementary Association state cross country finals as an 8th grader competing for Haven Middle School in a meet that was also held at Detweiller Park in Peoria.

After picking up the pace in the final mile Saturday, in a way she’s come full circle now.

In previous races, ETHS head coach Beth Arey certainly hadn’t seen the kind of finishing kick that Davis delivered Saturday, even though she’s finished in the top 10 at every major invitational test so far this fall.

She was timed in 18 minutes, 10.9 seconds over the 3.0 mile test. Nicole Poglitsch of Wheaton Warrenville South ruled the race in 17:20.3

“Her second mile was a little slow so she wasn’t in the position we were hoping for,” Arey said after yelling instructions for Davis to make a move. “But she really came on with a lot of heart and she had a really great finish. I’m just so excited for Stella!

“I never saw her run and compete like that before. After just missing out last year at the sectional, I know she really wanted it this year. So she went for it, and she made it happen. She knew she had to go all in, or she’d miss out.

“Lately she’s been going out hard in races and then just kinda hanging on. Today she looked like she was racing 800 meters, like she was running for her life! She ran with a lot of heart and, in that moment, I couldn’t have been more proud of her.”

Davis admitted that she never heard Arey’s urging from the sidelines --- “I usually tune everything out during a race just to stay focused” --- but she did recognize a familiar voice when the runners turned onto the high school track at Lake Park for the final portion of the race.

“I didn’t actually hear Coach Arey. But I knew I’d fallen back in that second mile, and I was nervous, because I knew I needed to finish in the top 20 to make it to State,” Davis said.

“When we got to the track I actually heard Coach Gunter (ETHS track coach Fenny Gunter) telling me to pick it up. So I was able to pass 3 or 4 girls on that last lap. I learned in track how to open up my stride at the end and push in the final part of the race, so it was pretty cool to be able to finish like that. It felt really good to have the strength to pass people like that at the end, because usually they’re passing me.”

Davis’ finish was definitely the highlight for the Wildkits, who placed 13th in the 18-team field. Evanston’s next best finisher was junior Sammy Schuneman, 47th in 19:04.4, followed by sophomore Rory Malia (55th in 19:15.9), sophomore Sam Caldwell (99th in 20:25.1) and junior Sophia Hinton (125th in 21:27.2).

Also competing for ETHS were senior Isabel Rosenberg, 130th in 21:43.8, and freshman Laney Harris-Stapleton, 136th in 22:03.7.

Malia, normally Evanston’s No. 2 runner, was on pace to be a state qualifier herself until she suffered a knee injury late in the regular season. She competed Saturday in a brace for the second week in a row and just couldn’t find a higher gear.

“I know Rory was devastated,” Arey sighed. “She was grimacing because of her knee throughout the race. She really showed up. She finished the race and she really hung in there. She worked really hard in the pool all week (rehabbing under the guidance of head boys track coach Don Michelin Sr.) and she didn’t waver about whether she was going to show up and race for a second.

“She has the heart of a lion.”

Davis ranks about 40th among the individual runners who will compete at Detweiller in Class 3A, but she’s aiming even higher.

“This will be the 3rd time I’ve raced in Peoria this year and I really like the course,” she said. “I know it’s going to be a really special experience. The energy will be so great down there and I’m really excited to see what I can do.

“I’m ranked about 40th and I’m hoping to move up into the 30s, and then next year I’ll see if maybe I can get a medal. Seeing my training play out the way it has is really rewarding.”