2025 Clutch Sports Media All-Area Boys Cross Country Team: 37 Central Illinois runners earn honors

Figuratively and literally, state success in boys cross country runs through Peoria and Central Illinois. 

One wouldn’t have to look far to find talented runners as there were several top-tier athletes at every level, including the Mid-Illini, Big 12, Heart of Illinois Conference and beyond. The Peoria and Bloomington/Normal area produced more than a handful of all-state honorees and several of the state’s best teams, including Class 1A state champion Eureka, Morton, Peoria Notre Dame, Elmwood/Brimfield and others. 

Runners from the 39 schools in the Clutch Sports Media coverage area surrounding Peoria and Bloomington/Normal were eligible to be nominated for the All-Area teams, which feature a total of 36 honorees.

Clutch Sports Media will also have a Coach of the Year and a Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year, which will both be announced shortly. All of the All-Area nominees below are listed by team, then in alphabetical order. Check out CSM’s Girls Cross Country All-Area teams here.

Clutch Sports Media All-Area First Team

Zach Born, junior, Metamora

After a spring track season that culminated in him being a Class 2A state finalist, Born earned all-state honors on the cross country circuit. The Metamora junior didn’t pick up a win, but racked up eight top-five finishes and finished in the top 25 in each race he ran. He was the runner-up at the Dunlap Invitational, PND Irish Earlybird Meet and Mid-Illini Pre-Conference Meet and ended up taking fourth at the conference meet to earn first-team all-Mid Illini honors. Born took third at the Class 2A Metamora Regional (14:54.4), 10th at the Class 2A Geneseo Sectional (15:54.6) and set a new personal best of 14:39.2 at state to finish 12th. 

Ben Gorsage, junior, Washington 

Gorsage’s strong junior season featured a Mid-Illini Conference title and all-state finish at the Class 2A State Finals. The Washington junior ran a personal-best 14:33.4 to take 10th at state and lead a Panthers squad that finished 17th as a team. He won the Mid-Illini Pre-Conference Meet and ran a 14:49.2 to capture the conference title several weeks later. Gorsage was a top-10 finisher in all 11 meets that he ran in, including the Class 2A Limestone Regional (15:23.0, second) and Class 2A Geneseo Sectional (15:20.7).

Corie Green, junior, Delavan

The reigning Class 1A state champion in the 800 meters, Green was a dominant small-school runner who put up several top-tier times en route to four victories and Class 1A all-state honors. The Delavan junior finished eighth or better in every race he competed in during the fall and won the Class 1A Petersburg PORTA Regional, Class 1A Elmwood Sectional, Western Illinois Invitational and Elmwood Invitational. He set a personal-best time of 14:50.6 in regionals and cracked the 15-minute mark three times during the season. Green capped off his year with an eighth-place showing at the Class 1A State Finals in 14:52.2. 

Maxwell Kirby, junior, Peoria Notre Dame

Kirby accumulated plenty of accolades in his junior year, including winning the Big 12 Conference title, Class 2A Limestone Regional title, and earning first-team all-state honors at the Class 2A State Finals. Kirby was the highest-placing Central Illinois runner in any class at state by finishing sixth in a personal record 14:20.6. The Irish junior ran six sub-15 minute times during the fall and took runner-up honors at Metamora’s Gene Jones Runnin’ Red Invite and the Class 2A Geneseo Sectional. His efforts helped PND win the Big 12 title, Class 2A Limestone Regional and take fifth as a team at state.

Abe Martin, sophomore, Morton 

Morton led a strong Morton contingent that won the Mid-Illini Conference championship and finished fourth at the Class 2A State Finals. Despite running a limited schedule, Martin grabbed four top-10 finishes and won the Galesburg Silver Streak Invitational. The sophomore led the conference champion Potters by placing second at the Mid-Illini Conference Meet (15:05.7) and earning first-team all-conference honors. Martin came in ninth at the Class 2A Geneseo Sectional to help the Potters win the sectional crown and finished his year with a personal-best 14:42.5 to finish 17th at the Class 2A State Finals. 

Gavin Stalter, senior, Eureka 

Stalter was the top runner for Class 1A state champion Eureka, helping the Hornets to their sixth state title and first since 2003. The senior came in 23rd at the Class 1A State Finals in 15:13.8, two weeks after winning the Class 1A Farmington Regional with a personal record clocking of 14:52.3. Stalter’s other sub-15 minute effort came at the Heart of Illinois Conference Meet, which he and the Hornets won. He racked up eight top-10 finishes during the season. 

Clutch Sports Media All-Area Second Team

Andrew Aldeman, sophomore, Normal U-High

Aldeman was a consistently strong finisher for the Pioneers, highlighting his sophomore season by winning the Central State Eight Conference championship in 15:21.4 while leading the Pioneers to the conference title. The Normal U-High sophomore finished fourth at both the Class 2A Metamora Regional (14:59.8) and Class 2A Geneseo Sectional (15:20.8). He took 46th at the Class 2A State Finals with a PR of 15:11.5 as Normal U-High finished 18th as a team. Alderman was a key factor in the Pioneers winning the Bloomington/Normal Intercity title by finishing third at the meet. 

Keyston Beyer, junior, Morton 

Beyer was a key cog in Morton’s top nucleus and made a name for himself as one of the best runners in the Mid-Illini Conference and the state. The junior was a second-team all-state honoree by finishing 23rd at the Class 2A State Finals with a personal-best time of 14:46.9, breaking his previous record by over 30 seconds. Beyer posted five top-10 finishes, headlined by fifth-place showings at the Mid-Illini Conference Meet (15:20.2) and Class 2A Geneseo Sectional (15:26.0). 

Maxwell Carter, junior, Morton 

Carter was a top-10 machine for the Potters, finishing as such in six out of the seven races he ran in. The junior was Morton’s second-fastest runner at state, finishing 21st in a personal-best 14:45.8 to earn second team all-state honors and help power his team to fourth place in Class 2A. Carter took third at the Mid-Illini Conference Meet and sixth at the Class 2A Geneseo Sectional en route to a pair of Morton team wins. Additionally, he posted an impressive 14:58.1 time at the First to Finish Invitational to finish sixth. 

Drew Cooper, senior, El Paso-Gridley 

Cooper, a veteran for El Paso-Gridley, had his best season yet with seven top-10 showings and three top-5s, leading the Titans to fourth place at the Class 1A State Finals. His best performance of the year came at the Heart of Illinois Conference Meet, where he ran a PR of 15:08.2 to take third, a finish that he replicated at the Class 1A Farmington Regional. Cooper slotted in eighth at the Class 1A Elmwood Sectional and took 29th at state, crossing the line at Detweiller Park in 15:17.6. 

Aiden Faulkner, senior, Elmwood/Brimfield 

Faulkner was a top-10 finisher in all 12 races he competed in and was the top runner all season for the Class 1A state runner-up Elmwood/Brimfield. He finished sixth at state after posting a personal-best time of 14:50.8, capping a strong postseason where he finished in the top three at the Class 1A Farmington Regional and Class 1A Elmwood Sectional. Faulkner took home the Prairieland Conference Championship and nearly tasted victory on six other occasions with a half-dozen runner-up showings. 

AJ Ince, senior, Normal Community 

Ince was Central Illinois’ best Class 3A runner, winning two events during the year and finishing 60th at the Class 3A State Finals. The Ironmen senior won the Dunlap Invitational (15:18.6) and Normal Community Open (15:26.0) and added four more top-10 showings. One of those was the Bloomington/Normal Intercity Meet, where he was the runner-up and another was the Class 3A Belleville West Regional. There, Ince ran a 14:31.9, one of the fastest times by any area runner this season. Ince reached state as an individual after taking 19th at a Class 3A sectional on his home turf.

Clutch Sports Media All-Area Honorable Mention 

John Baker, junior, Peoria Notre Dame

Ty Basham, senior, Illini Bluffs

Corbin Christopulos, senior, Bloomington Cornerstone

Davin Dingledine, sophomore, Eureka

Dax Duffy, senior, Peoria Notre Dame

Aiden Duhs, junior, IVC

Luke Fady, sophomore, Peoria Notre Dame

Ryan Garneau, sophomore, Tri-Valley

Gabe Gross, senior, Richwoods

Eli Hartman, freshman, Bloomington

Isaiah Hartter, sophomore, Peoria Notre Dame

Taylor Hess, senior, Princeville

Weston Hodel, sophomore, El Paso-Gridley

Nicholas Jelinek, junior, Bloomington Central Catholic

Sean Kaeb, senior, Normal U-High

Jack Nester, senior, Dunlap

Eric Pincock, senior, Illini Bluffs

Owen Riesberg, freshman, Morton

Timothy Rogers, senior, Eureka

Danny Sharp, sophomore, Elmwood/Brimfield

Joshua Stedwill, junior, Peoria Notre Dame

Kam Stevenson, senior, Elmwood/Brimfield

Peter Stoltz, senior, Illini Bluffs

Dax Ulm, senior, Farmington

Landon Wurmnest, junior, Eureka