GRANITE CITY - Coolidge Junior High School and Granite City High School will host back-to-back cross country invitational meets this weekend in Illinois. The Coolidge Junior High Cross Country Invitational is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 5, at 4 p.m., followed by the 52nd Annual Robinson/Lang Cross Country Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 6, at Wilson Park in Granite City.
The Coolidge Invitational will feature 34 teams competing in four races, beginning with the Top 7 Girls race at 4 p.m. and concluding with the Boys Open race at 5:45 p.m. The following day, the Robinson/Lang Invitational will host 43 teams from Illinois and Missouri, with races starting at 8:30 a.m. and continuing through an Open race at 11 a.m.
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The Granite City meet, renamed in 2021 to honor former Granite City High School North head coaches Pete Robinson and Harry Lang, traces its origins back to 1974. Robinson and Lang organized the inaugural Granite City Cross Country Invitational that fall. Over the past five decades, the event has grown into one of Illinois’ premier cross country meets.
Last year’s Robinson/Lang Invitational saw Chatham Glenwood claim the girls team title, with three runners finishing in the top 10. Elena Ryback of Father McGivney, now a Notre Dame athlete, won the individual girls race with a time of 16:46.10. On the boys side, St. Louis University secured the team championship, placing three runners in the top 10. Zach Thoman of O’Fallon, now competing at Southeast Missouri State University, won the individual boys title in 14:20.50, narrowly edging Jackson Miller of St. Louis University High School.
Spectators attending the Granite City meet can park near the start/finish line at Niedringhaus School or in the Wilson Ice Rink parking lot. Wilson Park is located at 2901 State St., Granite City, Illinois. Directions from the north involve taking Interstate 55 south to Interstate 270 west toward St. Louis, exiting at exit 4 toward Granite City, then turning left on IL-203 South/Nameoki Road and driving approximately 3.5 miles. From the south, drivers can take Interstate 255 north to Horseshoe Lake Road west, then follow IL-162 and IL-203/Nameoki Road to reach Granite City High School, with Wilson Park directly behind.
Results will be available online at www.finallapracing.com.
