The Illinois Elementary School Association State Cross Country Meet Saturday on the 3,200-meter course at Maxwell Park was more Normal than usual.

With three of the top seven individual finishers in the Class AA boys race, host Normal Parkside rolled to the team title with 62 points, finishing 34 points ahead of runner-up Oak Park Julian. And in the Class AA girls race, where five of the top 19 individuals were sixth graders, sixth grader Carly Pederson of Normal Chiddix blitzed the field in a winning time of 11 minutes, 44 seconds, becoming the first sixth grader in the 27-year history of IESA girls cross country to win the individual title.

In the Class AA boys race, Parkside was led by Drew Kerschieter, who finished second in 10:41. Parkside's Matt Barnet finished sixth in 10:58 and teammate Logan Abeling was seventh in 11:00. Parkside's Eric Gordon took 27th in 11:20, Logan Degroot 33rd in 11:28, Caleb Wiebenga 48th in 11:41, and Peyton Scheuermann 49th in 11:42.

Bloomington Junior High was fourth with 145 points, paced by James Clay in 10th (11:03). Ryan Mitsos of New Lenox Liberty was the winner in 10:27.

The Chiddix girls team placed sixth with 156 points. Shorewood Troy won with 78. Chiddix's Pederson won by 14 seconds over Monica Hahn of New Lenox Martino. Among the other sixth graders in the top 19 was Brooke Gordon of Parkside in ninth (12:21).

In the Class A girls race, Lexington's Mary Francis Leake (12:13) finished second behind seventh grader Kristin Rauh of Metamora (12:05). Emily Clay of Bloomington Cornerstone Academy was third in 12:16.

Springfield St. Agnes rolled to the title with 49 points, 60 ahead of runner-up Germantown Hills. Tremont was sixth (169) and Normal Epiphany placed 10th (305). Jamee Holmes topped Tremont in ninth (12:29) and Epiphany was led by Emily Beoletto in 43rd in 13:20.

In the boys Class A race, Colton Anderson of Bloomington Holy Trinity placed sixth to lead area finishers. Fox River Grove scored 165 points to edge defending Class A boys team champion Metamora by five points. Illini Central was 10th with 281.