ALAH Girls Take LPC Cross Country Title for Third Straight Year

By Editor | October 14, 2025 |

The ALAH high school cross country team competed in the annual Lincoln Prairie Conference meet at Lake Land College on Tuesday, October 7. The Knights were the host team for the meet. Front row Gwen Herring, Embrey Reardon, Ruby Burton, Kimberly Krutsinger, Sophia Johnson, and Esmeralda Diaz. Back row: Keely Simpson, Colton Snyder, Beau Green, Tristan Keagle, and Ella Oye.

By SALLY McCARTHY

For the third consecutive year the Arthur Lovington Atwood Hammond high school girls cross country team won the annual Lincoln Prairie Conference meet championship. They scored 25 points to capture the title over runner up Sullivan who had 30.

Seniors Ruby Burton and Kimberly Krutsinger finished third at 19:37.24 and seventh at 20:03.84 respectively and earned medals and all conference honors by placing in the top eight led the way in the scoring. The other scorers for the Knights were freshman Gwen Herring, ninth, in 21:38.28; junior Embrey Reardon, tenth, in 21:51.86; and Sophia Johnson, twelfth, in 22:04.94. Other Knight runners in the girls’ race were sophomore Ella Oye, 27:33.17; sophomore Keely Simpson, 31:00.45, (PR); and junior Esmeralda Diaz, 31:43.69.

Ruby, Kimberly, Embrey, and Esmeralda were members of all three conference championship teams. Ella and Sophia were a part of last year’s and Keely and Gwen joined in on the 3-peat this season. With Ruby and Kimberly the only seniors on the team, there will be a good core coming back to see if they can continue the streak.

ALAH freshman Beau Green ran with the top three runners, Sullivan senior Johnathan Iacobazzi, meet champion the past two seasons; Cerro Gordo Bement senior Will Fuson, runner up this year and last; and Heritage junior Clark Roland who was fifth last year and third at this meet. Beau’s time of 15:55.25 was his second best of the season and good for fourth place and All Lincoln Prairie Conference honors for the 2025 season.

Senior Tristan Keagle in his first season as a cross country runner along with playing football, finished twenty-first and ran a PR time of 19:54.0.

The Knights had the past weekend off before heading to the Patriot Invite on October 18. That meet is being held at Peoria’s Detweiler Pare and is the site of the IHSA State Cross Country finals.

ALAH will enter the post season on October 25 at the IHSA Regional Cross Country meet that will be held in Forest Park in Shelbyville. The girls’ race will start at 10 a.m. with the boys’ race to follow at 10:45.

Congratulations to the girls on their LPC Championships and good luck to all in the post season.