Metro-East Lutheran Takes 21st at State Cross Country
The Class 1A boys team finished 21st among 30 teams at the IHSA state meet held November 7 in Peoria.
Updated on Nov. 7, 2026 in Track & Field
Metro-East Lutheran placed 21st at the IHSA Class 1A boys cross country state meet at Detweiller Park in Peoria on November 7, scoring 474 points. Elmwood won the team title with 194 points, ahead of Monticello and Illinois Valley Central.
Why it matters
The finish is a step in the program's state-level results, which can be measured against its 16th-place showing at last season's state meet. Maryville Christian, making its first state appearance, finished 30th with 808 points.
Official IHSA results show Metro-East Lutheran scored 474 points to place 21st in a 30-team Class 1A field, compared with its 16th-place finish last season. Dean Hemmer led the team in 31st place with a time of 15:21.8, while Lucas Abbott finished 38th in 15:29.24.
The players
Metro-East Lutheran
Metro-East Lutheran is a Christian school in the Metro-East region of southwestern Illinois whose boys cross country team competes in IHSA Class 1A.
Maryville Christian
Maryville Christian is a private Christian school in Maryville, Illinois, whose boys cross country team made its first appearance at the IHSA state meet this year.
The details
The top 25 finishers earned medals at the meet held at Detweiller Park. Liam Hazelwonder's 234th-place finish completed the Metro-East Lutheran team score.
Timeline
November 7, 2026: IHSA Class 1A boys cross country state meet held at Detweiller Park in Peoria.
Season Trajectory
Metro-East Lutheran's 21st-place finish comes after a 16th-place showing at last season's state meet, a five-place drop in the program's recent state results. Maryville Christian's 30th-place debut illustrates how the field's depth shaped team placements this year.
Metro-East Lutheran's 474-point total determined its placement in the 30-team Class 1A field and is the figure to track for the team's standing. Individual finishers Dean Hemmer and Lucas Abbott were the team's top scorers at the meet.
The takeaway
State meet results are determined by the top five scorers on each team, so individual finishes such as Hemmer's 31st place directly shape team standing. Tracking these scores across seasons shows how a program's placement shifts over time.
Further reading
For more high school state meet coverage, see Track & Field in Illinois.
