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BNHS cross-country runner competes in Mid-East Cross Country Meet
By Kathryn Menue
Editor
BELVIDERE – Senior Eryk Yunk, of Belvidere North High School, was chosen to represent Illinois on the Senior All Star team in the Mid-East Cross Country Meet.
According to the Team Illinois Mid-East Cross Country Meet of Champions website, runners were selected based upon the athlete’s performance time and placement at the IHSA State Meet. With yet another impressive time and placement from Yunk, he was selected shortly after the state meet to join the Senior All Star team for the Mid-East Cross Country Meet.
The Mid-East Cross Country Meet began “in 1987 when a group of individuals from our neighboring states decided to have a race to see who had the best distance runners in the region. The race has featured various states throughout the years, but the states of Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio have been there since the beginning,” the Illinois team’s website states.
Apparently Illinois has done well in the past with two women winning the race, one in 2009 and one in 2011. Many of the runners move on to do well in running in college with some even moving on to the Olympic level.
“The event provides an excellent regional forum that supports the athlete and college coaches looking for new talent,” the Mid-East Championship website states. “It is sponsored by the members of the Greater Dayton Track and Cross Country Officials Association and the Ohio Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches.”
On Friday, Nov. 21, Yunk traveled to Kettering, Ohio in the all expenses paid trip with the Illinois team where they practiced to ready themselves for the meet. On Saturday morning, the Illinois team competed with somewhat disappointing results, even though all of the girls and boys did their best in the bitter cold race.
The runners competed by traveling across Indian Riffle Park, which consists of a terrain that “is mostly flat with one rather steep, short hill that is crossed twice,” the Mid-East Championship website states. “The course does go through a wooded area. There are occasional exposed roots in this section.”
The Illinois runners had their work cut out for them while traveling on the foreign terrain and while competing against the other states.
The Illinois women’s team competed at 10:30 a.m. and came in third out of the four states.
The Illinois men’s team came in fourth place, with Yunk, #1260, placing 46th with an overall time of 17:45.3 at a pace of 5:44 per mile.
After the race ended, the Illinois team joined the other teams for a banquet and awards ceremony to honor all of the runners who qualified and competed in the Mid-East Cross Country Meet.
