Hinsdale Central's girls cross country team won the IHSA Class 3A sectional championship Saturday, Oct. 31, in Western Springs.

The Red Devils placed four runners in the top 16 of the women's 5,000-meter varsity race at Lyons Township High School South Campus, according to results posted on Athletic.net. The victory sends the team to the state meet after a regional title the week before.

Senior Alexandra Furey led Hinsdale Central with a fifth-place finish in 18:10.1, a personal best. Senior Morgan Kohn was close behind in ninth at 18:16.8, also a personal best.

Freshman Rory Sullivan placed 13th in 18:32.4, and senior Lucy McCormick finished 16th in 18:34.5. Both set personal bests.

Junior Marin Backus (51st, 19:30.9), senior Ella Satre (68th, 19:59.8) and freshman Emma Schoenberger (71st, 20:01.6) rounded out the Red Devils' lineup. All seven Hinsdale Central runners qualified for the state meet.

The sectional title builds on a strong postseason run. The girls won the IHSA regional Oct. 24 with 37 points, according to The Hinsdalean. Head coach Mark McCabe, in his 26th season leading the program, returned five of his top six runners from a team that finished seventh at state last year, according to an August season preview in The Hinsdalean.

Kohn has emerged as one of the team's anchors. McCabe described her as "a self-made athlete" with "no background in her sports" entering high school, according to a Hinsdalean profile published in August. In that profile, Kohn said she got serious about running after joining varsity and began thinking strategically about races.

Boys finish second, advance to state

The Hinsdale Central boys also had a strong showing. The HCHS Athletic Department said on X that the "Boys also ran a great race and finished 2nd at the sectional, advancing to next weeks state finals."

Senior Johnny Krueger paced the boys with a seventh-place finish in 15:16.1, a personal best, according to Athletic.net results. Senior Henry Miller placed 14th (15:21.2) and senior Elliot Kotleba 16th (15:25.0). Senior Mark Dillenburg finished 20th in 15:31.7. All four set personal bests.

All seven girls and the boys squad head to the IHSA state meet, capping a postseason run under McCabe's 26th year at the helm.