Here are the top 15 cross country runners in the Springfield area

Glenwood’s Samson Dessalines brings home the victory on the final lap of the 4x800m relay at the boys Central State Eight Track & Field Meet at Memorial Stadium in Springfield, Ill., Thursday, June 3, 2021.
Bill Welt
State Journal-Register

Here are The State Journal-Register's top cross country runners for this fall. 

The list is primarily based on last year's performances and many top runners are expected to return on the girls' side. That includes Rochester's Colleen Zeibert and Lincoln's Becca Heitzig at the top of the list.

Capital Region High School Sports Awards:12 honorees for girls cross country

Here's a breakdown of the area's top runners starting with the boys.

Boys

Isaac Crumrine, Riverton

The Sangamo Conference’s individual champion as a freshman, he won seven of the eight Sangamo triangular meets. He finished eighth overall (15:50.8) on the 2.9-mile Class 1A Petersburg PORTA Regional course and was 48th in the Elmwood Sectional (17:18). 

Samson Dessalines, Chatham Glenwood

The senior helped the Titans pick up second place as a team in the Class 2A Olney Richland County Sectional with a 21st-place finish in 16:39.42. He was fourth in the 2.9-mile Jacksonville Regional at 15:24.75. 

Haven Gronewald, Petersburg PORTA

The sophomore opened the fall season by winning the Petersburg PORTA Early Bird Invite. He paced the field in a two-mile time of 11:19. 

Capital Region High School Sports Awards: 12 honorees for boys cross country

Brenden Heitzig, Lincoln

The junior recently won a meet in Carlinville with a time of 16:53.6. He also took second place in Bartonville in 16:25.6. 

Jake Gutzman, South County 

The senior took 26th place with a time of 16:44.1 in the Class 1A Elmwood Sectional and placed seventh in the Liberty Regional with a time of 16:46.9. 

Auburn's Rylee Chelbian hugs a teammate after finishing second during the Sangamo Conference Cross Country meet in at the Auburn football field Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020.

Girls

Rylee Chelbian, Auburn 

The sophomore finished fifth in the Class 1A Petersburg PORTA Regional in 18:38.11. She was 17th in the 1A Elmwood Sectional in 19:51.07. 

More:Springfield Southeast cross country, track coach resigns after 15 seasons

Megan Derrick, Pleasant Plains

The junior took 13th at the 1A PORTA Regional in 19:41.29 then was 15th at the Elmwood Sectional in 19:48.07. 

Glenwood's Ava Gorrie his the finish line in fourth in the Girls Class 2A Jacksonville Regional cross country meet at Jacksonville Community Park, Saturday, October 24, 2020, in Jacksonville, Ill.

Ava Gorrie, Chatham Glenwood 

The sophomore ran fourth place at the Class 2A Jacksonville Regional with a time of 18:36.74 to help the Titans win the team title. She placed sixth in the 2A Olney Richland County Sectional in 19:18.14. 

Lincoln's Becca Heitzig ties to stay within reach of Rochester's Colleen Zeibert in the Girls Class 2A Jacksonville Regional cross country meet at Jacksonville Community Park, Saturday, October 24, 2020, in Jacksonville, Ill.

Becca Heitzig, Lincoln 

According to Athletic.net, the sophomore has the second-best time in the state in Class 2A after winning a meet in Bartonville in 18:46.1. Last fall, she went twice runner-up in the postseason. She ran 18:00.70 in the Class 2A Jacksonville Regional and recorded 18:23.90 in the 2A Olney Richland County Sectional. 

Glenwood's Emma Leahy finishes fifth in the Girls Class 2A Jacksonville Regional cross country meet at Jacksonville Community Park, Saturday, October 24, 2020, in Jacksonville, Ill.

Emma Leahy, Chatham Glenwood  

At the Class 2A Jacksonville Regional, the senior finished fifth with a time of 18:39.70 then helped the Titans win the team championship in the 2A Olney Richland County Sectional with a seventh-place finish in 19:21.00. 

Sacred Heart-Griffin's Vivian Rahmel finishes third in the girls varsity race during a cross country meet at Lincoln Park, Saturday, September 12, 2020, in Springfield, Ill.

Vivian Rahmel, Sacred Heart-Griffin 

The junior ran a time of 18:09.53 in the Class 1A Petersburg PORTA Regional and finished third overall before taking seventh in the 1A Elmwood Sectional with a time 19:03.32, where the Cyclones took third. 

More:Auburn's Emma West: Small School Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year

Olivia Thoroman, North Mac 

The junior started the fall season by winning the Petersburg PORTA Early Bird Invite. She won the two-mile race with a time of 14:21. 

Williamsville's Katherine Walker helps Pleasant Plains Megan Derrick up after she collapsed on the track after edging her by .23 seconds during the Sangamo Conference Cross Country meet in at the Auburn football field Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020.

Katherine Walker, Williamsville 

The senior took fourth place in the 1A PORTA Regional at 18:33.31. At the Elmwood Sectional, she finished 13th in 19:38.15. 

More:Mike Garcia leaves lasting legacy with the Lanphier track and cross country programs

Abigail Wolters, Pleasant Plains 

The freshman recently earned third place in 19:31.56 in a meet in Clinton. That ranks 14th overall in the state in Class 1A, according to Atheltic.net. 

Rochester's Colleen Zeibert hits the finish line to win the Girls Class 2A Jacksonville Regional cross country meet at Jacksonville Community Park, Saturday, October 24, 2020, in Jacksonville, Ill.

Colleen Zeibert, Rochester 

The junior — twice defending large-school girls runner of the year — recently won a meet in Bethalto with a time of 19:16.2. She won all 11 races last year. In the 2A Jacksonville Regional, she won by nearly 26 seconds in a time of 17:34.82. In the 2A Olney Richland County Sectional meet, she won the title by nine seconds in 18:14.91. 

Contact Bill Welt: bill.welt@sj-r.com, Twitter.com/BillWelt