Both the boys and girls Antioch cross country teams left Woodstock happy on Saturday, October 22, after competing in the IHSA Regional meet. The girls placed 7th overall, and Natalie Hill, Jessica Lamberty, Natalie Svarc, Tiana Fox and Rylie Mercer qualified individually. The boys team placed 3rd overall, qualifying the boys Varsity team for sectionals. Charlie Smith was the first to cross the finish line for Antioch, placing 6th overall.

Mercer is the only senior girl to make it to sectionals this season.

“It feels really good to be able to make it to sectionals,” Mercer said. “I thought I wasn’t going to make it, and hearing that I did made me so happy that all my hard work has payed off.”

Mercer said that Coach Christopher Bailey has helped her a lot this season, and over her high school career.

“(Coach Bailey) has helped me get to this point by giving us a good training program,” Mercer said. “We also have team meetings about what we can work on and improve.”

According to Mercer, the girls strategy for the race was to pass as many Grayslake North runners as possible; that’s all she could think about during the race.

On the boys side, their focus was also to pass Grayslake North.

“I was thinking the whole race that I needed to keep Grayslake North runners behind me,” senior, Varsity runner Kevin Vettese said. “We had to beat them.”

The boys team had not made it as a team to sectionals in two years. Vettese is looking forward to sectionals, since the team has not been in two years.

Vettese explained what his teams goal is for sectionals.

“The main focus for next race is to not just go and say we made it to sectionals,” Vettese said. “We can’t just try but instead make a statement at sectionals, and have people say ‘Antioch has gotten a lot better.”

The boys and girls sectional meet will be on October 29.