HOT SPRINGS -- It was all about retribution for Tori Willis.

The Bentonville sophomore, who struggled at the 7A-West Conference meet last week, bounced back in a big way as she won the Class 7A state individual championship during Saturday's meet at Oaklawn Park.

Willis pulled away from Rogers High's Halle and Aubre Gilreath on the final stretch and crossed the finish line in 19 minutes, 2.5 seconds. Halle Gilreath finished second in 19:08.4, just two-10ths of a second ahead of her twin sister.

"It really motivated me more because I knew I had a bad race," Willis said of the conference race, when she finished eighth. "I wasn't sure if everybody else knew that. I wanted to push harder and prove I had a bad race.

"I wasn't worried about time because we were going at a good pace. I was in the same situation when I ran here at the Lake Hamilton Invitational. I was just going to use that strategy: go ahead and pass her at the straight stretch."

Willis' performance also helped Bentonville High capture its third consecutive state title. The Lady Tigers put two more runners among the top seven finishers and scored 36 points, while Fayetteville was second at 46 and Rogers High took third with 52 points.

Sophie Quandt, who also competed for Bentonville in the state dance competition earlier in the day, took fourth at 19:18.6, while Krista Herlin provided a key performance when she finished seventh at 19:39.3.

"When you get to a state meeting, you never know what is going to happen," Bentonville coach Randy Ramaker said. "When it's on the line, we tend to run well. It was on the line, and a lot of girls stepped up and ran well. I don't think anybody ran poorly."
