By FRED KRONER
fred@sjodaily.com
Talk about an incredible run.
St. Joseph-Ogden’s girls’ cross-country program continued on Saturday a tradition of success that began when the current seniors were in first grade.
For the 12th consecutive year, SJ-O garnered a top 10 team place in the Class 1A cross-country state meet.
Led by All-Stater Cassidy Bagby, the Spartans finished in the fifth position.
Bagby ran the 3-mile course at Peoria’s Detweiller Park in 18 minutes and 4 seconds.
Her All-State performance marked the fifth year in a row the SJ-O program has produced an All-Stater and the eighth time in the past 11 years for that feat.
“They performed well at the right moment,” fifth-year Spartan coach Jason Retz said. “We had high expectations.”
The Spartans’ streak among the state’s elite, Retz said, “says a lot about the consistency of our program.
“As the coach and an alum, it’s something to be proud of.”
Following Bagby were four scoring runners who completed the course within 26 seconds of one another.
Hope Rajlich was 62nd in 18:54, Jillian Plotner was 80th in 19:09, Ashlynn Lannert was 84th in 19:16 and Hannah Rajlich was 86th in 19:20.
The team’s next runner, Ally Monk, was 99th in 19:37 and provided SJ-O runners with six athletes who ran among the state’s top half.
“We ran three freshmen and two (Hope Rajlich and Lannert) had almost 40-second PRs,” Retz said.
The 1A field was a fast one. Retz said the times proved it.
One year ago, the Spartans’ Faith Houston placed seventh individually in 18:03.
On Saturday, Bagby was 21st in 18:04. She captured her spot, passing four other runners in the last 800 meters.
“Her time was the fastest 21st place in 1A since the state split into three classes (12 years ago),” Retz said.
“Cassidy ran her best time ever and was 20 seconds faster than she was three weeks ago,” Retz added. “I would never have guessed you’d need to run under 18:15 to be All-State.”
Bagby’s ascension at SJ-O is a testament to strong work ethic and determination.
“As a freshman, she did not run at state,” Retz said, “but she continued to grind and work and progress.”
Her best time as a ninth-grader was 20:45 and Babgy wasn’t able to break into the team’s top seven.
As recently as last year, she was running in the No. 3 position for the Spartans.
At state in 2017, she placed 34th. Moving up to be an All-State contender as a senior was a tough challenge.
“There were 22 returning All-Staters (out of 25),” Retz said. “We knew she had her work cut out for her.”
After Saturday, Babgy now has the third-fastest 3-mile time in school history.
“Pretty impressive,” Retz said. “Her being an All-Stater is about the work she has put in.”
In their history, the Spartans have had 23 All-Staters in girls’ cross-country and they have been divided among 12 different athletes.
SJ-O’s other state competitor on Saturday was Kailyn Ingram. She placed 135th in 20:12.
The previous two weeks, SJ-O captured runner-up team finishes in the regional and the sectional.
During the three weeks of postseason competition, 10 different squad members raced at least once, including freshmen Hope Rajlich, Lannert, Ingram and Ava Knapp.
Besides Bagby, the other senior who was active in the state series was Brianna Suits.
“We have 14 (squad members) and I could have put any 14 in and been confident with them,” Retz said. “We had great team chemistry and finished on a high note.
“With the freshmen, it gave them a lot of experience.”
SJ-O’s steep tradition goes well beyond the current 12-year run.
The Spartans have sent girls’ teams to state 24 times in the past 30 years and earned 19 top-10 team finishes, including state championships in 1990, 2014 and 2016.
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SJ-O had one representative in the boys’ state race.
Senior Isiah McCune was among the top 20 percent in the field of 217. McCune ended 44th in 15:50, averaging 5:17 per mile.
“He ran a course PR and was three seconds off his lifetime PR,” Retz said. “Isiah ran well.”
McCune’s previous best time at Detweiller was 15:58.
His success story parallels Bagby’s.
“He’s a four-year runner, but like Cassidy wasn’t top seven as a freshman,” Retz said.
Clifton Central’s boys won team honors in Class 1A, followed by Elmwood, Monticello, Olympia and Urbana Uni High.
