Lemont Girls' Cross Country Places Eighth at IHSA Class 2A State Finals

Head coach Tim Plotke’s Lemont High School’s girls’ cross country squad secured an eighth-place finish at the 2015 IHSA Class 2A State Finals, which were contested on November 7 at Detweiller Park in Peoria. The Indians posted their second-best team finish ever in IHSA State Finals competition.

Lemont was making its eighth team state finals appearance in girls’ cross country. After making its initial trip in 1991, it advanced to state finals competition five straight years from 2007-2011, and again in 2014, when it posted a program-best fourth-place finish.

Junior Bridget Kunkel was Lemont’s top finisher, just missing all-state honors after placing 28th in a time of 18:07. Senior Gabby Voltarel was next for the Indians, finishing 43rd in a time of 18:15. Seniors Claire Gagen (60th/18:30) and Taylor Campos (81st/18:44) and sophomore Jaycee Shickel (116th/19:09) also scored for Lemont. Sophomores Beata Drozda (126th/19:18) and Celine Ratulowski (160th/19:54) completed Lemont’s state finals contingent.

Yorkville won its fifth straight IHSA Class 2A State Championship, followed by Belvidere North and Vernon Hills.

Campos and Gagen, who each qualified for state finals competition as individuals earlier in their careers, made their third state finals appearances in 2015. Gagen finished 54th as a freshman in 2012, while Campos was 60th as a sophomore in 2013. In 2014, Gagen placed 59th, while Campos became Lemont’s top state finals finisher ever on a 3-mile course, earning all-state honors by crossing the line 23rd in a school-record time of 17:56. Nikole Hoster ‘98 placed 12th on a 2-mile course at the 1996 IHSA Class AA State Finals to mark the program’s best individual state finals finish.

Lemont reached the state finals after finishing third - behind Yorkville and Montini Catholic - at the IHSA Wheaton Academy Sectional, which was contested at Kress Creek Farms in West Chicago on October 31. Kunkel (18:54) was Lemont’s top finisher on the 3-mile course, placing 10th to earn all-sectional honors. Campos (19:09) and Voltarel (19:16) placed 13th and 15th, respectively, while Drozda (31st/19:58) and Ratulowski (36th/20:05) completed Lemont’s top five.

The Indians advanced to sectional competition after narrowly winning the IHSA Marist Regional, which was held at Midlothian Meadows on October 24. Four Lemont runners placed among the top 15 at the regional, including all-regional performers Campos (5th/18:32), Kunkel (7th/18:36) and Voltarel (9th/18:48). Gagen (15th/19:15) and Shickel (29th/19:56) rounded out Lemont’s top finishers. Lemont (65) edged Montini Catholic (67) for the program’s fifth IHSA Regional title; its previous regional crowns came in 1991, 2007, 2008 and 2014.

Lemont again won the South Suburban Conference-Blue Division cross country title this fall, posting a near-perfect team score of 16 while sweeping the top four places in the individual standings. Campos (18:18) won the race, while Voltarel (18:48), Gagen (18:59) and Kunkel (19:03) took the next three spots. Plotke was tabbed as the league’s Coach of the Year.

Girls’ cross country is the fourth Lemont High School sport to be represented in IHSA State Finals competition this year. The boys’ golf team qualified for the IHSA Class 2A Boys’ Golf State Finals; Maggie Micetich competed in the IHSA Class AA Girls’ Golf State Finals; and Grace Horky, Ashley Mathews and Gabby Rabianski all competed in the IHSA Girls’ Tennis State Finals.