Welin Shines as 1st Cross-Country State Champ in OPRF History

The Oak Park and River Forest girls’ cross-country team wrapped up another strong season at the State Championship on Saturday, November 6th, with Josephine Welin’s first-place finish providing the crowning touch.

The first state champ in Huskie cross-country history, Welin rehabbed her way through a stress fracture this past summer to prepare for the season—then delivered throughout the campaign.

In a post-championship interview, Welin expressed appreciation for the support that OPRF Coach Ashley Raymond, the coaching staff, and her teammates provided.

"Coach Raymond has done a really good job of supporting me throughout the years," said Welin. "I really love the training style we have--it feels very fun. As a freshman, I immediately saw how close everyone was--a very special atmosphere--and (in more recent years) I tried to set a good example for the girls."

Raymond hailed Welin's "courage under tremendous pressure" at the State Championship.

"She executed the race plan, and finished in the fastest time of her life,” Raymond said. “Josephine's leadership has made an impact on our team culture. Her work ethic drives the team, her teammates cherish her support, and she is a positive role model in all aspects of her life.”

Unlike most of her races the past two seasons, when Welin would routinely win by large margins, she was challenged on the course at Detweiller Park in Peoria. Initially, Welin burst into the lead and built an advantage of about 12 seconds midway into the 3-mile course. However, Aly Negovetich, a senior at Grant Community High School in Fox Lake, wouldn't let her pull away.

Negovetich closed in but the Huskie's closing kick enabled her to maintain a 2.73- second edge at the finish line. The next runner, junior Brooke Johnston of Lake Zurich, came in nine seconds behind Welin.

“I was really happy to finally get this state title after having such a different lead-up to it,” Welin said. “It feels really fulfilling."

The stellar results are familiar terrain for the program as a whole, and Welin individually--she is the state's reigning 3,200-meter track champion, having won the title as a junior in the spring. However, this year’s cross-country outcome was especially satisfying because it came amid a return to Illinois High School State Association normalcy.

A year ago, because the IHSA did not sanction events beyond Sectional competitions, the de facto “State” was an unofficial ShaZam invitational—and not every top school participated. Although OPRF’s fourth-place showing and Welin’s first-place finish in November 2020 represented historic Huskie achievements, those feats are not officially recognized by the IHSA.

This time around, with 388 points, the Huskies placed 15th of the 28 teams that advanced to the competition. The team with the lowest point total wins—as the placement of each squad’s top five runners are added to compute the team tally.

With its top five competitors among the top 27 overall, York dominated to halt Naperville North's four-year streak of team titles. York's 62 points easily outdistanced second-place Prospect (151) and third-place Hinsdale Central (197). Last year, York (which dubbed itself “Kroy”—that is, "York" backwards) fielded the top squad at the ShaZam championship.

For OPRF’s seven runners, here’s a rundown on how they fared in the 235-person field, including remarks by Coach Raymond:

Josephine Welin: 1st place. Time: 16 minutes, 26 seconds

“Josephine’s four-year progression is a thing of beauty. She went from 80th place as a freshman, all-state as a sophomore, ShaZam champion as junior, and now IHSA State Champion as a senior.

Josephine’s growth is due to her determination and pure love of the sport. She loves the process of training, long runs, and the feeling of running fast. She is focused on the day-to-day grind instead of the medals she wants to earn.

The daily grind looked different this summer. Josephine suffered a stress fracture back in June. For the rest of the summer, she spent countless monotonous hours on the stationary bike and in the pool. It was hard, tedious, and draining work, but she completed it and never complained.

It all paid off when she finished her first race of the season within 10 seconds of her PR. Josephine did not adjust her goals just because her training looked a little different.

The win is so much sweeter when you know everything that went into it. Her legacy will live on for a long time on this team.”

Katie Stabb (sophomore), 57th place. Time: 17 minutes, 51 seconds

“Katie put in a year of consistent training, and her times reflect that. Katie is calm, confident, and likes to really fly the last mile,” said Raymond. “She passed 21 people in the last mile at state.”

An alternate on last year’s ShaZam lineup for OPRF—essentially, she was the team’s No. 8 runner—Stabb’s strong finish to the season serves notice that she should continue to be a key cog in the team’s lineup over the coming two seasons.

Avery Minnis (junior), 93rd place. Time: 18 minutes, 14 seconds

Last year, Minnis finished second among OPRF runners at the ShaZam championship. This year, she turned in a strong third-place effort.

“Avery set several personal records this season, and she ran her fastest time at state,” the coach noted. “Avery’s smile and positive attitude were essential to our team culture this year.”

Natalie Quinn (junior), 156th place. Time: 18 minutes, 55 seconds

“I am so proud of Natalie’s growth this season. She had a big breakthrough at conference and ran with more confidence each week after that,” Raymond observed. “She broke 19 minutes for the first time this year, and I think she still has a ton of potential left to discover.”

Lenny Sterritt, (sophomore), 200th place. Time: 19 minutes, 28 seconds

The only freshman among OPRF’s top runners last year, Sterritt is another key returning member of the Huskie program.

“Lenny improved each race this season, improving her 3-mile time by almost two minutes,” said Raymond. “I am proud of her ability to stay focused on small improvements each week.”

Anne Stine, (junior), 220th place. Time: 19 minutes, 55 seconds

“Anne was suffering from shin splints the last few weeks of the season. She did a great job with rehab and getting herself to a spot where she could toe the line with confidence at state,” said Raymond.

Samantha Duwe (senior), 231st place. Time: 22 minutes, 8 seconds

“Samantha tore her labrum back in June. It was unclear if she would be able to run at all until a few weeks into the season. Toward the end of August, she was able to handle a few days of running per week, and it looked like she’d be able to race. Samantha came down with a cold the week of sectionals, but that wasn’t going to stop her from reaching her goals.

Despite feeling less than 100%, Samantha raced to help get the team down to state. I am so proud of Samantha’s performance, dedication to this sport, and ability to push through pain and suffering.

Samantha raced her heart out at state just like she did at sectionals, but unfortunately, she struggled the last 200 meters. She collapsed several times but never gave up. She got back up and finished the race. It was not the race she hoped for, but I am proud of her for pushing herself to her limits and never giving up.”

For complete individual and team IHSA Class 3A state girls' cross-country results, go here.