Lincoln-Way Central’s girls cross country team commenced the 2025 season with a decisive victory at the Southwest Suburban Conference Pre-Conference meet held on Tuesday at Lockport High School.
According to reports, the Knights demonstrated their dominance by placing six runners in the top eight positions, thereby securing the team title. Sophomore Keira Faxel led the charge, winning the individual crown with a time of 18 minutes and 41 seconds. This performance was significantly faster than her previous year’s time by one minute and sixteen seconds.
Faxel’s teammates closely followed her lead. Mia Forystek finished in second place, while Jillian Davies secured third place, having improved her time by more than two minutes compared to 2024. Brea Counihan took fifth place, Katie Petrosky placed seventh, and Macy Gallagher achieved a personal record of 19:42 to claim eighth position.
The depth of talent within the team was evident throughout the roster. Grace Mathis ran a personal best of 20:20, and Caitlyn Williams improved her previous mark by one minute and thirty-five seconds. In total, sixteen out of Lincoln-Way Central’s nineteen varsity runners recorded either a personal record, a season-best, or an improvement over last year’s Pre-Conference meet.
The Knights’ strong performance earned them a first-place team finish and set an optimistic tone for the rest of the season. They are scheduled to compete next at the Verona Invitational in Wisconsin, where they aim to maintain their momentum.
