Oak Park and River Forest’s Josephine Welin runs at the head of the pack early in the West Suburban Conference Silver Division Meet on Oct. 17. It wasn’t long before she broke away. (Photo by Paul Nickoley)

Battling brutal winds and the toughest conference in all of Illinois, the Oak Park and River Forest High School girls cross-country team placed second at the West Suburban Conference Silver Division Meet Oct. 17.

The outcome at Camera Park in Glendale Heights matched the team’s 2018 performance, which was the best in Huskie history, following several years of finishing in fifth or sixth place. Last year, the Huskies placed fourth at conference.

Staged in two heats to enhance distancing as a precaution amid the coronavirus pandemic, York High School finished first, with 38 points, while OPRF’s 69 points held off Downers Grove North, at 72 points for second.

“The team ran with so much grit,” said OPRF coach Ashley Raymond, who noted winds of around 35 mph made for challenging conditions. “The races went out faster than we are used to, and the packs split up a little earlier than usual. Each athlete continued to push themselves and fight for every point.”

Leading the way for the Huskies was junior Josephine Welin. In her latest dominant display, she became the second OPRF runner — the first was Kristen Barnes in 1995 — to win the conference individual title.

Building on her All-State showing last year, Welin sprinted away early from the pack. Her 16:49 time over the 2.88-mile course was the seventh-fastest girls time ever at Camera, and a whopping 21 seconds ahead of her closest pursuer, freshman Michaela Quinn of York.

Masked and on a mission: the OPRF Huskies girls cross-country team, before heading to the conference meet in Glendale Heights, (front row, from left) Katie Stabb, Lenny Sterritt, Avery Minnis, Josephine Welin, Samantha Duwe, (back row, from left) Samantha Welin, Anne Stine, Maja Metcalf, Parker Hulen, Maggie Rose Baron. (Photo by Ashley Raymond)

“Josephine has found her stride the last few meets,” Raymond noted. “She’s learning how to race all by herself and push when no one is around her. She continues to show she is one of the best athletes in school history and the state.”

Welin credited the team’s preparation during workouts, “when we learn how to push ourselves and work together.”

“In the next few weeks, I personally hope to run some fast times and place highly in the postseason races,” said Welin. “As a team, I hope we can do well at sectionals, when we are faced with some tougher competition.”

In addition to Welin, two other Huskies earned all-conference laurels for placing in the top 16: fast-rising freshman Lenny Sterritt (18:16, 13th) and junior Samantha Duwe (18:32, 16th).

Another OPRF runner, sophomore Avery Minnis, came within one-third of a second of all-conference recognition, finishing nearly stride-for-stride with Duwe in 17th place. Crucial to the Huskies’ second-place finish was the gutsy return of senior Parker Hulen, whose 18:50 time was good for 22nd place, a few spots ahead of the fifth Downers Grove North runner.

Sidelined by a foot strain since Sept. 25, Hulen had only had about three training runs coming off the injury before competing Saturday.

“It took courage and confidence to toe the line on Saturday and I’m so proud of her,” said Raymond. “She’s going to continue to improve each week from here.”

The team had run the Camera Park course on Oct. 1, defeating host Glenbard West, 40-20. On that day, Welin, Sterritt, Minnis, Duwe and senior Maggie Rose Baron were the top five Huskie runners.

On Saturday, to allow more social-distancing potential, the race was conducted in two stages — five runners from each of the seven WSC Silver teams ran in the first group at 2 p.m. and around 40 minutes later, the second group of six teams (all but Proviso West) set out.

Freshman Katie Stabb was the sixth OPRF runner (31st overall), at 19:13, a 24-second improvement over her prior Camera Park run, despite the heavy winds. Raymond called Stabb’s effort “huge” and said the strong crop of freshmen, including three in the top 10 — have a “quiet confidence” about them.

Three seconds after Stabb, senior Maja Metcalf was the seventh Huskie (32nd overall), while Baron was eighth (34th overall) a second later. Sophomore Anne Stine (45th overall) and freshman Samantha Welin (48th overall) rounded out the 10 Huskie competitors.

What makes the team’s success this season all the more impressive is that it has been with senior Nora Wollen recovering from a stress fracture to her fibula. One of the team’s captains and Josephine Welin’s sidekick in 2019, Wollen was an All-State runner last year, finishing 15th, ahead of Welin’s 16th place.

Wollen has her sights set on returning to competition at the sectional race on Oct. 31.

“I’m so impressed with Nora’s commitment to the team during a tough time for herself personally,” said Raymond. “She continues to be a great leader that her teammates can count on to inspire and encourage them. She’s also working incredibly hard on the bike and doing all the little things so that she has a chance to race again.”

The Huskies will compete in the Class 3A Regionals Oct. 24, at Washington Park in Chicago. They figure to advance to the sectional the following weekend, where the goal is to finish in the top three and qualify as a club for an independent state cross-country series the first weekend of November.

Matt Baron is the father of an OPRF girls cross-country runner.