PEORIA — Amid the hectic scene at the girls cross country state finals, Chicago Christian senior April Van Ryn quietly examined what she accomplished in her final race.

Van Ryn went from 28th in her first state meet last year to fifth place out of 214 runners Saturday to earn All-State status in Class 1A.

“I'm really grateful,” she said. “Last year I missed All-State by three places, so to be All-State this year is really good. I'm really happy. It's a good thing to finish with.”

Van Ryn clocked a personal best of 17 minutes, 30 seconds at Detweiller Park.

“I was mainly thinking, ‘Get out fast and get in a good position,' ” Van Ryn said. “It was definitely a help to have girls to try and catch and to run with them and not let them go. They were a good motivation for me. I felt really good and strong.”

Effingham St. Anthony's Anna Sophia Keller easily won the title (16:32) in the small-school race ahead of Pana's Claudia Magnussen (17:20).

Chicago Christian placed sixth among 25 teams, one spot ahead of last year. Jill Van Dyk (69th), Allie Boss (71st), Cassidy VandeKamp (110th) and Emily Damstra (130th) completed the Knights' top five.

“We were trying to trophy, but we all ran the best we could,” Van Ryn said. “We had some (personal records). It was a great race.”

Van Ryn plans to attend either Trinity Christian or Concordia University in Wisconsin after having cross country success in just two seasons.

“It shows how much hard work actually pays off,” she said.

Morgan Bollinger knows all about hard work and perseverance. The Lockport senior was All-State as a freshman and sophomore, missed as a junior after injuries, and regained All-State status Saturday.

Bollinger placed 20th in the Class 3A final in 17:15, which earned an embrace from former Lockport coach Evon Schlotter, who retired two seasons ago.

“It was a really tough race,” Bollinger said. “I'm glad I had my teammates right there. I tried to go out with the leaders. I was just trying to keep my spot throughout the race, trying to move up as much as I could.”

Teammate and fellow senior Karlee Stortz was No. 2 for Lockport in 56th place (17:52). The Porters finished 17th as a team.

“It's definitely a bittersweet moment, with the other seniors,” Bollinger said. “It's sad to think it's the last race we'd spend together. I'm just going to enjoy this day.”

Three Southland runners in Class 3A ended their high school cross country careers competing as individuals. Shepard's Kelli Callahan was 88th (18:16), Lincoln-Way West's Jenna Diers took 89th (18:16) and Marist's Maryclare Leonard placed 93rd (18:19).

Illiana Christian freshman Gillian Fiene has many high school races in her future, but her first state experience was a success. Fiene placed seventh in the Class 2A meet (17:28) to earn All-State recognition.

Her brother, Nick, a former Illiana Christian runner, was a help to his sister, she said.

“He kind of told me what I needed to do,” Fiene said. “The first mile everyone goes out crazy fast, and then the second mile I needed to start passing people.

“He said, ‘Don't be nervous. Just have fun, it's your freshman year.' ”

The next three years look promising for her.

“I'm just going to keep running, keep training and see where that takes me,” Fiene said.

Tim Tierney is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.