ALTON - Sophia Helfrich had a break-out cross country season this year for the Alton girls' squad qualifying from the regional as an individual and also improving her time at the sectional.
Helfrich is an Auto Butler Female Athlete of the Month for Alton High School.
Another freshman Monica Klockemper also stood out for the Redbirds, so the future looks bright in girls' cross country for the Redbirds.
Helfrich finished in 21:30 in the regional for three miles and lowered her time to 21:10.73 at the Normal Sectional for 104th position.
The Redbirds Head Girls Cross Country Coach Tammy Talbert said Sophia had never been in a 5K race until this season and didn’t know what to expect, but kept improving as the season endured.
“She has a heart for competition and has a bright future,” her coach said. “She has already set goals for the future and I think she can attain them.”
