Carterville, IL — In a tightly contested race, the lady lions emerged victorious at this Saturday’s regional championships hosted by CHS. Personal bests by five out of seven runners led to a 1-point victory over south sectional rivals Mascoutah, and a 19-point thrashing of 2A state #15 Waterloo. Breakout performances by Claire Samples and Liesel Balmforth propelled the team to the upset victory and a meteoric rise in the sectional standings, as the lady lions advanced to this Saturday’s sectional championship at Mattoon. The boys turned in an equally impressive performance, with significant personal bests from Alex DeRuntz, Reece Scott, and Nick Wilhelm, as well as season bests from Mason Webb and Rowan Beyke. This stellar team race snagged a fourth place finish against multiple state-ranked teams, and secured a berth at next week’s Sectional championships at Mattoon. Both varsity teams will compete again this coming Saturday at the Mattoon Sectional for a chance to advance to the Illinois State Cross-Country Championships on November 8th.