Princeton’s Payton Frueh crossed the finish line in 139th place with a time of 19:57 at this year’s prestigious state cross country meet. Although it wasn’t her fastest showing of the season, Coach Pat Hodge praised her determination, highlighting the unique level of competition she faced. This year’s Class 1A girls’ race was notable for including a trio of former state champions. The event’s spotlight fell on Sundara “Sunny” Weber of Sandwich, who claimed victory with a remarkable 15:54. Weber’s time shattered the Class 1A record and narrowly missed the all-time girls’ meet record by just one second.
“It wasn’t Payton’s best race of the year, but she gave it a nice effort and just wasn’t quite as strong as last week at Sectional. She did get to be part of an historic event as the Class 1A girls’ race featured 3 girls who had each previously won a State Cross Country title. This year’s race was won by Sundara “Sunny” Weber of Sandwich who won the 2A title in 2024. Sunny’s time of 15:54 broke the Class 1A record and just missed the All-Time State meet record for girls of all the classes by just 1 second,” said Coach Pat Hodge.