Three Former St. Peter Runners Compete at IHSA State Meet

It wasn’t easy being a middle school cross country athlete for St. Peter. However those lessons learned paid big dividends for three former St. Peter runners this year at the 2014 IHSA Class 2A State Cross Country Championship meet. CeCi Crown, Toriana Turk and Therese Hein were part of Aurora Central Catholic’s (ACC) 14th place team at state this season. The meet was held at Detweiller Park in Peoria on November 11.

Senior CeCi Crown ran cross country for four years at St. Peter followed by four years at Aurora Central Catholic. At St. Peter Crown competed in the IESA State Meet as a sixth grader and an eighth grader. She gained valuable experience last season competing for ACC at the state meet and was the third runner to cross the finish for ACC at this year’s meet. As the only senior on the team she was a valuable team leader and a big contributor to the girl’s success this season.

Even though Toriana Turk was a freshman, she stayed right with Crown the entire race and finished only one place behind her finishing fourth for the team. Turk only ran one season of cross country with St. Peter as an eighth grader. It was a season to remember as the team placed 2nd at the IESA State Meet, riding on the huge contribution of newcomer Turk who helped the team nearly take the top spot at state. Her experience running on a championship team was just what the freshman needed in helping her high school team qualify for state and nearly finish in the top half of the standings.

Therese Hein, also a freshman was a multi-talented athlete at St. Peter. She was a member of the legendary second place team in 2013 along with teammate Toriana Turk. Hein also is a high level sprinter, finishing on the medal podium in the 400 meter dash at the 2014 IESA State Track Meet with a seventh place finish. Hein’s mix of speed and endurance was just what ACC needed to round out their 2014 girls cross country team.

The future of girls cross country at Aurora Central Catholic looks bright as they will be graduating only once senior (CeCi Crown). Look for them to build on their impressive 14th place finish as the young team grows and learns to compete as a team at a high level.