2023 All-Area girls' cross-country: Meet the first team

Dec. 3—It's Year 20 for our All-Area Girls' Cross-Country first team:

Ava Boyd

Mahomet-Seymour senior

➜ Why she made the first team: The future Illini is one of only four area runners with a personal-best time under the 18-minute mark (17:43.2), which she ran at Detweiller Park. She was the Apollo Conference champion and finished fifth at the Class 2A Jacksonville Sectional. The only runners to beat her at sectionals all finished in the top 10 at state, also at Detweiller. Boyd fought through an illness at state and finished 81st, but her course time earlier in the season would have placed her 12th.

➜ She needs tickets to see ... the 2024 Paris Olympics so I can watch some of my favorite athletes, like Gabby Thomas and Sha'Carri Richardson, compete in one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

➜ Before she competes, she eats ... toast with peanut butter and bananas and a fruit snack.

➜ Her dream career is ... a successful hedge funder working in a big city.

➜ Her favorite school subject is ... AP economics.

➜ Her favorite athlete is ... Gabby Thomas.

➜ Her favorite movie is ... "Fast Five."

➜ If she could have dinner with any three people from any time period, he would pick ... Taylor Swift, Princess Diana and Martin Luther King, Jr.

➜ Three items on her bucket list are ... visiting Spain, drinking coffee under the Eiffel Tower and traveling to Dubai with her mom.

Emily Decker

Unity junior

➜ Why she made the first team: With a personal-best time of 18 minutes, 5 seconds, Decker is at the top of the list of girls' cross-country runners knocking on the sub-18-minute door that only four area runners passed this season. She placed in the top 10 nine times throughout the season and took 30th at the Class 1A state meet, playing a key role all season long in helping the Rockets win a third straight 1A team state championship.

➜ She needs tickets to see ... a Zach Bryan concert.

➜ Before she competes, she eats ... whole wheat bread with almond butter and a banana.

➜ Her dream career is ... a pediatric occupational therapist or a kindergarten teacher.

➜ Her favorite school subject is ... history.

➜ Her favorite athlete is ... Katelyn Tuohy.

➜ Her favorite TV show is ... "Friends."

➜ If she could have dinner with any three people from any time period, he would pick ... Jesus, Priscilla Presley and Zach Bryan.

➜ Three items on her bucket list are ... meeting Taylor Swift, going to Bora Bora and making dinner with Gordon Ramsey.

Kate Foltz

Tuscola sophomore

➜ Why she made the first team: Foltz's personal-best time of 16 minutes and 11 seconds is nearly a full minute faster than any other area girl runner. She placed third individually at the Class 1A state meet, just 19.5 seconds off the championship pace. Foltz won four different races this season, including the Central Illinois Conference meet, and finished second at the 1A Sullivan Regional and fourth at the 1A St. Teresa Sectional.

➜ She needs tickets to visit ... Japan.

➜ Before she competes, she ... makes sure she's hydrated.

➜ Her dream career is ... something to do with linguistics.

➜ Her favorite school subject is ... Spanish.

➜ Her favorite athlete is ... Armand Duplantis.

➜ Her favorite TV show is ... "Lost."

➜ If she could have dinner with any three people from any time period, he would pick ... Mother Teresa, Anne Frank and Margot Frank.

➜ Three items on her bucket list are ... bungee jumping, learning a foreign language and traveling as much as possible.

Aleigha Garrison

Champaign Central senior

➜ Why she made the first team: Garrison ran a personal-best time of 18 minutes, 13.5 seconds to place 35th at the Class 2A state meet at Detweiller Park in Peoria. She recorded five top-five finishes on the season, including fourth at the Big 12 Conference Championship and third at the 2A Richland County Regional.

➜ She needs tickets to see ... a Lauren Daigle concert.

➜ Before she competes, she eats ... a peanut butter sandwich or a Great Valley granola bar and gummies.

➜ Her dream career is ... a job in organizational leadership or social change to make a difference in her community.

➜ Her favorite school subject is ... physics.

➜ Her favorite athlete is ... Simone Biles.

➜ Her favorite TV show is ... "Girl Meets World."

➜ If she could have dinner with any three people from any time period, he would pick ... Jesus, her birth mother from Ethiopia and Alison Felix.

➜ Three items on her bucket list are ... visiting Ethiopia, riding in a hot air balloon and visiting many national parks.

Mackenzie Pound

Unity sophomore

➜ Why she made the first team: Pound finished 10th at the Class 1A state meet with a personal-best time of 17 minutes, 36.9 seconds to lead the Rockets to a third consecutive team state title. She was the Illini Prairie Conference champion, finished in the top five nine times during different races this season and placed outside the top 10 only once.

➜ She needs tickets to see ... a Taylor Swift concert.

➜ Before she competes, she eats ... dairy-free yogurt with strawberries, blueberries, a banana and gluten-free granola.

➜ Her dream career is ... a biologist.

➜ Her favorite school subjects are ... math and science.

➜ Her favorite athletes are ... all the female runners.

➜ Her favorite TV shows are ... "Friends," "Outer Banks" and, more recently, "The O.C."

➜ If she could have dinner with any three people from any time period, he would pick ... Jennifer Aniston, Queen Elizabeth and Taylor Swift.

➜ Three items on her bucket list are ... earning a Division I running scholarship, winning another high school cross-country state title and visiting Rome.

Brooklynn Sweikar

Centennial senior

➜ Why she made the first team ... In the words of Centennial coach Laura Koterba-Buss, "No one is better at racing than Brooklynn." Sweikar earned the Chargers' Most Accomplished Award after winning the Twin City meet and the Class 2A Richland County Regional. Those two wins preceded her running a personal-best time of 18 minutes, 21.5 seconds during the 2A state finals to place 44th at Detweiller Park in Peoria.

➜ She needs tickets to see ... a Morgan Wallen concert.

➜ Before she competes, she eats ... a toasted peanut butter bagel.

➜ Her dream career is ... a physical therapist.

➜ Her favorite school subject is ... anatomy.

➜ Her favorite athlete is ... Simone Biles.

➜ Her favorite movie is ... "The Notebook."

➜ If she could have dinner with any three people from any time period, he would pick ... Chris Hemsworth, Ryan Gosling and Ian Somerhalder.

➜ Three items on her bucket list are ... traveling to a different country, skydiving and owning a horse.

Erica Woodard

Unity senior

➜ Why she made the first team: Woodard's personal-best time of 17 minutes, 9.8 seconds set at the Spartan Classic in St. Joseph is faster than any area runner not named Kate Foltz accomplished this season. She finished 14th at the Class 1A state meet to help Unity win a third straight team state championship. Woodard was the Rockets' top senior all season, placing in the top 10 seven times and never finishing outside the top 15.

➜ She needs tickets to see ... the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

➜ Before she competes, she eats ... an Uncrustable and tortilla chips.

➜ Her dream career is ... sport psychology.

➜ Her favorite school subject is ... science.

➜ Her favorite athlete is ... Des Linden.

➜ Her favorite TV show is ... "The Chosen."

➜ If she could have dinner with any three people from any time period, he would pick ... Jesus, Des Linden and Jimmy Buffett.

➜ Three items on her bucket list are ... seeing the Northern Lights, traveling to Australia and running the Boston Marathon.