Baumgart helps ND girls cross country team to second place at Edwardsville meet

Notre Dame junior Alaina Baumgart was the second runner to cross the finish line to help lead the Bulldogs to a second-place team finish at the First-to-the-Finish Kickoff Classic in Edwardsville, Illinois, on Saturday.

Baumgart finished nearly three minutes behind St. Anthony senior Anna Sophia Keller (18:00.02), who won the race. Bulldogs sophomore Bailey Beussink finished eighth in 21:44.19 seconds to round out the top 10.

On the boys' side, Notre Dame's Benton Keran finished 10th with a time of 17:35.82.

BOYS

Team Scores -- 1. Freeburg (Ill.) 61; 2. Mascoutah (Ill.) 158; 3. Mt. Zion (Ill.) 162; 4. Mater Dei (Breese, Ill.) 216; 5. Herrin (Ill.) 233; 6. Steeleville (Ill.) 262; 7. Notre Dame 281; 8. Hamilton County (McLeansboro, Ill.) 295; 9. Columbia (Ill.) 313; 10. Nashville (Ill.) 319; 11. Red Bud (lll.) 321; 12. St. Teresa (Decatur, Ill.) 329; 13. Rochester (Ill.) 341; 14. Wesclin (Trenton, Ill.) 354; 15. Murphysboro (Ill.) 466

Local top five finishers

NOTRE DAME -- 10. Benton Keran (17:35.82); 51. Grant Grove (19:41.30); 71. Hogan Coad (20:04.37); 87. Evan Landewee (20:24.38); 101. Alex Dow (20:43.20)

SAXONY LUTHERAN -- 15. Caleb Cornelius (18:01.60); 79. Alex Mueller (20:14.35); 143. Nick Shaw (21:57.53); 222. Nathan Ruark (23:39.86); 230. Johnathan Mueller (23:53.62)

GIRLS

Team Scores -- 1. Freeburg (Ill.) 89; 2. Notre Dame 90; 3. St. Anthony (Effingham, Ill.) 126; 4. Mascoutah (Ill.) 148; 5. St. Teresa (Decatur, Ill.) 185; 6. Mater Dei (Breese, Ill.) 187; 7. Mt. Zion (Ill.) 218; 8. Rochester (Ill.) 229; 9. Okawville (Ill.) 304; 10. DuQuoin (Ill.) 306; 11. Neoga (Ill.) 347; 12. New Athens (Ill.) 348; 13. Althoff Catholic (Belleville, Ill.) 349; 14. Carterville (Ill.) 357; 15. Red Bud (Ill.) 405

Local top five finishers

CHAFFEE -- 51. Alyssa Lunsford (23:55.69); 113. Hannah Glueck (26:19.43); 117. Katie Glueck (26:36.24); 137. Sara Burch (27:07.03); 139. Kari Pepple (27:13.78)

NOTRE DAME -- 2. Alaina Baumgart (20:50.93); 8. Bailey Beussink (21:44.19); 18. Claire Morrill (22:12.76); 30. Megan Jansen (22:50.96); 42. Claire Fennewald (23:27.68)

SAXONY LUTHERAN -- 71. Courtney Bangert (24:51.06); 83. Katie Richmond (25:14.01); 126. Alexis Goodson (26:52.26); 287. Samantha Schnabe (35:48.24); 311. Megan Casasola (38:04.70)

-- From staff report