By Charley Duggan ‘24

On Saturday, Sept. 30, the Brother Rice cross country team competed in the Peoria High School Invite. The race was at the state course at Detweiller Park in Peoria.

The top runners consisted of Gavin O’Connor, Andrew Straley, Danny Macis, Brian Sheehan, Brian Biondo, Dylan Cody, and Aiden Leary. The team placed 19th overall.

Junior Gavin O’Connor had a great performance. O’Connor placed ninth overall and set a personal best by 25 seconds. Gavin also ranks on the Top 10 fastest juniors with a 15:13.

O’Connor said, “It was a great experience being able to go to Peoria again. The race itself got out fast, but I managed to stay in a big pack and work my way up, especially through the second mile. It was amazing to finally get a big PR and be a top junior in BR history.”

Another great performance came from sophomore Andrew Straley, who ran 15:53 seconds away from a personal best.

Straley said, “It was a unique experience that happens once a year and gives us a chance to race at a competitive level. I personally didn’t break my record but this pushes me to want it even more. I look forward to what the season brings.”

Senior Dan Macis had a competitive race as well.

Macis said, “The Peoria meet was a great race to see where the team will stand in the sectional to qualify for state.”

The Crusaders continue to improve each week and still have time to get better every day. The next race for the Crusaders will be for Conference at Loyola High School.