Tuscola’s Kate Foltz earns fifth place at state finals
PROTECTED CONTENT
If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.
Username and Password Help
Please enter your email and we will send you a password reset link.
By Daniel L. Chamness
Kate Foltz is the first ever female cross country all-state athlete to hail from Tuscola.
The now senior, who has been making news and collecting individual medals since her freshman year of high school started in the fall of 2022, closed the book on her highly successful and storied career on Saturday. The senior could have more races on the horizon nationally, but the high school season ended with a fifth place finish on Saturday.
“Everyone sees what Kate does on meet day,” said Drew Sterkel, the head girl’s cross country coach at Tuscola. “They see her then and the medals/plaques/trophies and any other accolades, but they do not get to see what it took to get there. I have had the pleasure of watching Kate work to be the best. She took pride in the little details, and did them, to be successful. That is something most people are unaware of. She understood that to be successful she had to be ok with being uncomfortable during workouts. Our motto has always been “Leaving A Legacy”. No doubt, Kate has done that.”
During her high school running career, she has earned three medals in the top five, including a state title one year ago. In 2022, she started her career with a 24th place finish. That was followed by third place as a sophomore, a state title as a junior and fifth as a senior. All of her finishes were at the Illinois High School Association Class 1A State Championships.
“I enjoy cross country a little more than track, because I can concentrate on one race only instead of multiple races on the track,” said Foltz, who has also helped the Lady Warriors put two track second place team trophies in the trophy case during high school. “It was tough to win the individual state title in 2024, but it was probably tougher to defend the title. There are so many great athletes running great times and I believe this year was tougher.”
Foltz finished the three mile course at Detweiller Park in Peoria in 16 minutes, 30.27 seconds. She was one of eight seniors in the top 10. The two other athletes were juniors. The winning time of 15:54.42 was run by Sandwich senior Saundara Weber, who competed at the Class 2A level a year ago.
“My goals on Saturday were to run the best I could,” said the senior. “You always want to be faster, but the important thing to do is take what you can and learn from it for the next time and be proud of your effort.”
The top nine athletes in the race broke the 17:00 barrier. The Class 1A team state title was won by Winnebago, a traditional powerhouse team outside of Rockford. Winnebago scored 150 points. Shelbyville took second with 210 points, while El Paso-Gridley was third with 211 points.
Foltz is one of five athletes in IHSA history to break 16:00 on the Detweiller Park Course, running a time of 15:59.4 in 2024. Her time is the second fastest three mile time ever recorded, second only to Weber. The other times were all run by Chicago Suburban athletes competing in the Class 3A race.