PARKTON — Urbana's cross-country team has a group of runners who first qualified for the state tournament in 2023, but they had to wait to become serious contenders.

"I said, 'I don't know if we're gonna be ready for 2024, but I think 2025 is our year,'" said Hawks coach Jackie Suarez, recalling a conversation she had with Urbana girls coach CJ Ecalono two years ago after states. "And our boys knew that, too."

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