Mary Blankemeier, a seventh grade student from Gwendolyn Brooks Middle School, took first place in the 2011 Girls AA Cross Country Champion state meet held by the Illinois Elementary School Association on Saturday October 15 in Normal, Illinois. Blankemeier, who finished the race in 11 minutes and 53 seconds, beat out 259 other competitors to capture the top spot. Other notable individual performances by District 97 students included a fifth place finish by Caroline Galo, a seventh grade student from Percy Julian Middle School, and a 13th place finish by Ainsley Tran, an eighth grade student from Brooks.

The girls team from Brooks earned fourth place overall in the meet. The full results from the competition can be accessed by visiting http://www.iesa.org/activities/cc/results_Individual.asp?Gender=Girls&year=2011&class=AA.