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Illinois Valley

Princeton to host Gary Coates Invitational on Saturday

Princeton's Ruby Acker, runs during the Ottawa Nautical Mile Relay on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025 at Catlin Park in Ottawa.

Ruby Acker and the Princeton runners will take on 14 schools for Saturday's Gary Coates Invitational (Scott Anderson)

By Kevin Hieronymus

Princeton will welcome 14 schools to run in Saturday’s Gary Coates Cross Country Invitational at Zearing Park on the south side of Princeton.

Joining the Tigers will be Amboy, Dixon, Fieldcrest, Hall, Kewanee, LaSalle-Peru, Lowpoint-Washburn/Roanoke-Benson, Mendota, Mercer County, Monmouth United, Morris, Newman, Orion and Rockridge.

The first race of the day will be for the F/S boys at 9 a.m. running 1.94 miles.

The varsity girls will run at 9:25 a.m. followed by the varsity boys at 10 a.m. on a 3.0-mile course.

There will be an open boys and girls race at 10:30 a.m., running 1.94 miles.

The invitational is named after the former longtime Princeton coach, who passed away at 74 in 2016.

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Kevin Hieronymus

Kevin Hieronymus

Kevin has been sports editor of the BCR since 1986 and is Sports Editor of Putnam County Record. Was previously sports editor of the St. Louis Daily News and a regular contributor for the St. Louis Cardinals Magazine. He is a member of the IBCA and Illinois Valley Hall of Fames. He is one of 4 sportswriters from his tiny hometown Atlanta, IL