Hawks sore; can still soar

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Lynea Axelson (left) and Jeneen Schier will lead Oregon’s pack at Saturday’s 1A State Meet. (Philip Marruffo/pmarruffo@svnmail.com)

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For all the success Lynea Axelson has had as a runner at Oregon High School, the state cross country meet has been somewhat elusive.

It’s no surprise that fate is making it hard on her as the Hawks are preparing to run as a team at the Class 1A girls meet on Saturday at Detweiller Park in Peoria.

On Tuesday, the Oregon senior had to stop running at practice with foot pain. It was still bothering her on Wednesday.

“It’s just frustrating,” Axelson said. “It’s been so hard to get down there.

“When I was a freshman, we missed going as a team by three points. Then last year, I was the first individual girl not to make it.”

Axelson was on the 2007 team that finished 16th at the state meet. She finished 62nd overall.

Axelson is one of two seniors to run in Oregon’s top 7 this season.

Ashley Nordman turned to cross country after a torn hamstring forced her away from volleyball.

“I played volleyball my freshman year and then I got injured and couldn’t do anything my sophomore year,” Nordman said. “I watched some of the cross country meets and started to get interested. Lynea also worked pretty hard to get me to come out.”

Nordman returned healthy her junior year and started running.

“It took me that whole year to really learn how to be a runner,” Nordman said. “I was a lot more comfortable when I came back this season.”

Nordman and Axelson have been in the top three with sophomore Jeneen Schier for much of this season.

Schier was the top finisher for Oregon at the Aurora Christian Sectional last Saturday where Oregon finished second to Winnebago. Schier finished in seventh place in 18 minutes, 58 seconds. Axelson was right behind her in eighth at 19:06, and Nordman was 10th at 19:14.

“This will give us some great experience,” Schier said. “We’ve had a really good team all season and this is great way to end it.”

The rest of the group is comprised of sophomores Briana Ahlgrim and Kate Groenhagen and freshmen Shelby Hunter and Jenn Rogers.

“We just don’t want to girls to hold back anything,” first-year coach Lynn Ahlgrim said. “It’s the state meet. I want them to have fun and enjoy what they have accomplished.”

IHSA State Cross Country

Where: Detweiller Park,

Peoria

1A girls

When: 9 a.m., Saturday

Local teams: Oregon

1A boys

When: 10 a.m., Saturday

Local teams: Bureau Valley, Newman

2A girls

When: 11 a.m., Saturday

Local individual: Haley

Thorpe, Dixon

2A boys

When: Noon, Saturday

Local individuals: Jacob

Landis, Sterling; Zach Payne, Dixon

• 3A girls start at 1 p.m.; 3A boys at 2 p.m.

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