Prairie Ridge girls win first cross country state title in school history

Prairie Ridge’s girls cross country team returned the majority of its speedy group from last year’s Class 2A state third-place finisher. The steadfast Wolves have only gotten quicker.On Saturday, Prairie Ridge made history by becoming the first cross country team – girls or boys – from the school to win a state championship.Prairie Ridge tied Glenwood for the team lead in points with 132 and won the title on a tiebreaker as the Wolves’ sixth runner finished higher in the 3-mile race at Detweiller Park in Peoria. Junior Anneke Dam set a personal-best time of 17:28.04 to finish a team-best seventh for the Wolves. St. Francis’ Elena Mamminga placed first with a time of 17:05.79.“It’s a big deal, and it means a lot to us,” said Dam, who has been limited in meets this season as she’s battled shin splints. “It’s something we’ve been working (toward) for a long time. We knew it would be hard, but we knew if we pushed our limits, it would all be possible.”Congratulations to our Girls Cross Cou