Hart goes after third straight 3A state title

 

By Michael Newman

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Photo: Katelynne Hart with former state champion Judy Pendergast at last year’s NXN Championships (Mike Newman Photo)

 

What else can we say about Glenbard West’s Katelynne Hart heading into her junior season?

Hart had redefined Girls distance running in this state. Only after two seasons of running in High School, she already holds distance records in the state on the track for 1600-meters and the 1-Mule Run along with records at 3200-meters and the 2-Mile Run.

That’s only as a sophomore. As I have said previously, by the time she graduates from Glenbard West, she will be the best prep runner that this state has ever produced regardless of gender.

KK is a student of her own running figuring out what went wrong in a race and fixing that strategy. That showed after her freshman season where she faded in both the Cross-Country and Track seasons. She redefined her racing strategy saving energy, working on different tactics in every race to prepare her for the end of the year. It paid off with a state title at Detweiller Park for the second year in a row. She followed that with great races at the Nike Cross Nationals and then the Foot Locker Championships.

What will Hart be working on this fall to complete her season and to better what she did last season? Only time and the races will tell every time she steps to the line.

Is there a runner that could challenge the Glenbard West junior this season/ Last year, it was Enyaeva Michelin that pushed Hart in the final two state races of the year in cross-country and then on the track in the spring. This year, it could be a freshman that leads them all. Katrina Schlenker (not mentioned in the below preview) will be attending Batavia High School after setting records at Rotolo Middle School. She ran 10:57.7 to win the IESA 3A title at Maxwell Park in the fall. She set meet records last spring at the IESA State Meet where she ran 2:16.24 for 800-meters and then 4:59.57 to win at 1600-meters. It is hard to see how this will translate to the high school scene. We did get an idea at Detweiller at Dark in July when she ran 17:19 to finish fifth.

The two runners will face each other once before the state meet and that will be at the Naperville Twilight Invitational in October.

The individual field in 3A is just as powerful as the team competition will be over the next few months. Naperville North’s Alex Morris and Campbell Petersen could have a say in the front. It could be Wheaton-Warrenville South Samantha Poglitsch who has showed major improvement over the past year when she finished 11^th as a freshman. It could be Abby Lopez of Argo who still could be the unknown in this classification after finishing sixth a year ago.

Here is a look at some of the top runners that you can expect to see in the front this fall. It will be a fun one.

 

1 – Katelynne Hart

JR – Glen Ellyn Glenbard West

Notes – Where to start on this talented junior? KK is coming off a track season where she ran under 10-minutes twice for 3200-meters/2-mile setting a new Illinois State best running 9:52.02 in April. She ran an all-time state best for 1600-meters/1 Mile at the beginning of June at Magis Miles crossing 1600-meters in 4:43.07 and 4:44.63 for the full mile. Hart defended her state titles in the 3200 Meter Run and 1600 Meter Run in Charleston last May completing the Illinois distance triple crown (XC, 16, 32) for the second straight year. During the indoor season, Hart came from four seconds behind in the final lap to win the New Balance Indoor Nationals 1-Mile Championship.

When we go back to last fall, Hart went undefeated again during the regular season winning the 3A state title for the second year in a row. She improved on the national scene finishing fourth at the Nike Cross Nationals and then second the following week at the Foot Locker Nationals. Not bad for a sophomore.

She learns from every race. Hart picked and chose which race she was going to go after last fall pacing herself for the national meets in November and December. It was something that she did not do her freshman year. Hart may not set a meet record in every race she is in. She has the big picture pretty much in her sights.

“Katelynne Hart has had a very productive summer of running and training,” said her coach Paul Hass. “After IHSA track she competed in the Magis Mile, Brooks PR, and Junior Nationals in Indiana and, subsequently, participated in our summer camp through early July.  We gathered a glimpse of her conditioning when she ran the hilly Freedom Four (mile) run in Glen Ellyn on a hot and muggy 4th of July morning; KK finished 5th overall (#1 for women) in a time of 22:34 (5:38/mile avg.), thirty seconds faster than her time last year on the same course.  Katelynne then took some time off before she traveled to Colorado, acclimated to the altitude for several days, and then trained in altitude with her crew in a running camp in Colorado, after which she was flown from Colorado to Oregon for the Nike Elite camp.  Needless to say, she is in amazing shape and primed for an incredible year in cross country.  In addition, as an incoming junior, Katelynne has assumed a leadership role on our team and has served as a positive mentor to the underclassmen.  KK remains humble despite all of her success and is very excited to help her teammates achieve their greatest success both as individuals and as a team.  I am sure that Katelynne can’t wait to get the season started.”

 

2 – Alex Morris

SR – Naperville North

Notes – A pleasant surprise for Naperville North at the end of last season was the improvement of Alex Morris. The senior will step up as one of the leaders on the team after a strong junior season where she first finished seventh in the 3A state meet running 16:41. Her Nike Cross National race was strong as she earned All-American honors by finishing 12^th in that competition. Alex had some snags during track season including iron deficiency issues that slowed her down during the indoor campaign. She ran great outdoors including running 10:40 or better three times for 3200-meters. Morris ran a personal best of 10:33.40 to finish fourth in the 3A State Race. Now as she enters her senior campaign, Morris will be one of the runners that her teammates will follow as well as the rest of the state.

“Alex looks like she is running at a different level,” said her coach Dan Iverson. “I’m very impressed. She struggled with her iron levels in track, but she seems to be on the right track as of now. She is definitely emerging as a leader. I think people will be very impressed with where she is.”

 

3 – Abigail Lopez

JR – Summit Argo

Notes – The surprise of last fall was the emergence of Lopez. Injuries forced her to miss most of last cross-country season. She started out last fall running 17:19 to win at North Creek Meadow at the beginning of September. Lopez did not run again until her conference meet missing more than a month due to injury. Once she was back, she was strong. She was ahead of a good field in winning at both the Lyons Township Regional and the Hinsdale Central Sectional. Her win was by 21 seconds ahead of Grace McCabe. She was just as impressive the following week when she ran 16:39 at Detweiller Park to finish sixth in the 3A State race.

Last fall was her first year of cross country. She concentrated on basketball her freshman season. Lopez transition was up and down on the track. Abby qualified for the state meet in the 3200 Meter Run finishing 10^th overall. She did run a personal best 10:58.87 at Distance Night in Palatine in April. She had some injury struggles early in the summer but seems to be ready to go for the 2018 season. Her health will be a huge factor during this season. It will be interesting to see how she runs in her second full season of cross-country.

 

4 – Campbell Petersen

SO – Naperville North

Notes – If there was one runner that has more focus on her other than Katelynne Hart, it would be Campbell Petersen. The sophomore made some news off the track right after the track season when her family moved from Dunlap and transferred to Naperville North High School. The transition has been seamless as Petersen fit in immediately with her new team.

She had a great freshman season as one of the key runners on Dunlap’s team that won the 2A State Championship. Peterson was the team’s top runner in that race as she ran 17:14 to finish second overall. Her performances during the spring track season were just as impressive as she finished second in the 2A State 3200 Meter Run and then came back to run 5:05.97 for a come from behind win in the 2A 1600 Meter Run. She achieved personal bests of 2:18.23 for 800-meters, 4:59.52 for a full mile at Magis Miles, and 10:47.98 for 3200-meters at Distance Night in Palatine.

It’s a new atmosphere, new team, and new training for this sophomore. Will she be ready to step up onto a bigger stage this fall? I believe she will be able to.

“She is a fantastic person,” said Dan Iverson. “She has really made significant efforts to get to know her new teammates, and her character has been most impressive to me this summer. She is also a tremendously-hard worker. The training this summer was new to her and adjusting to a new coach and style is always difficult, but she has done so very well. She is very coachable. I am really impressed with how she has fit in with the team, how hard she has worked and what she can add to our team on a number of levels.”

 

5 – Katie Hohe

SR – Glen Ellyn Glenbard West

Notes – The one runner in this state that has faced adversity and overcome it. Hohe missed the end of her sophomore cross-country season after contracting mononucleosis. She started showing sides of her old self during last cross-country season but seemed to step to another level this past spring. Katie was Glenbard West’s third runner most of last season finishing 16^th in the 3A State Meet last November. She stepped up to the next level in the spring finishing 5^th in the 1600 Meter Run in the 3A State Meet. Hohe ran a personal best 2:19.03 for the open 800-meters this spring as well as 5:00.41 for 1600-meters and a season’s best of 10:54.23 for 3200-meters. Her personal best is 10:43 run in her freshman season. Hohe is a battler in races running her own pace but in position at the end. Her toughness and willingness to fight for her teammates showed her freshman season when she ran on Glenbard West’s 3200 Meter Relay that finished fourth in 2016. She came back to finish tenth less than an hour later in the 3200 Meter Run. Her unselfishness should pay off in her final high school cross-country campaign.

“Katie Hohe may have had her best summer of training to date,” said Paul Hass. “Last year she was motivated to return to her previous form after contracting mononucleosis during her sophomore campaign.  Her diligence paid off as Katie achieved all-state accolades in both cross country and track.  However, whereas some athletes might become complacent after success, Katie is even more driven to improve upon her 16th place finish in cross country and break the 17:00 barrier.  As a senior, Katie has developed into an important leader for the team both by her actions and her voice, and she is equally motivated by the team’s potential for achieving its goals.  I am extremely excited to see how Katie’s efforts, both on and off the course, will translate to well-deserved rewards for both Katie and the team in 2018.”

 

6 – Samantha Poglitsch

SO – Wheaton-Warrenville South

Notes – Poglitsch stepped on the state level at the end of last fall’s cross-country season and emerged even more in the spring. Samantha was Wheaton-Warrenville South’s top runner in last fall’s state meet finishing 11^th in the 3A race and running 17:01. That race was in the cards considering that she finished fourth the week before at the 3A Lake Park Sectional. Her improvement was evident during the track season. In her first 1600 Meter Run races indoors, she ran 5:18.86 in February. She concluded her track season earning all-state honors at 1600-meters finishing sixth in the 3A State Finals. Her personal best was run at Distance Night in Palatine where she lost her shoe with 150-meters to go in the race and still ran 5:00.05. Samantha could take it to the next level this fall. Her freshman season she was in club soccer as well as running. Now with her concentration fully on running, the sky could be the limit for this sophomore. The thing is that she does not run like one, more like an experienced senior.

“She's a very focused runner,” said her Coach Rob Harvey. “She’s made a great transition into a full-time runner and is ready to make the needed steps in her development to a great runner.” 

 

7 – Emily Eberhart

SR – Yorkville

Notes – Another runner that has looked adversity in the eye and conquered it. Eberhart is making steps to the next level. She proved that by running 17:07 at Detweiller at Dark in July winning that race. She has Type 1 Diabetes and has to manage that every day. ““It is definitely a challenge on a day to day basis,” Eberhart said after that race. “Diabetes is something that is never consistent. My parents help me through it a lot.  I don’t know if I would be able to it without them. My teammates are also supportive. I do not know if I would be able to do this without them.”

Eberhart took her running to another level last year running 17:12 to finish 22^nd in the 3A State Meet. Her experiences with her team at the Nike Cross Nationals will put a chip on her and her teammates shoulders for the 2018 cross country season. Emily qualified for state in the track season in the 1600 Meter Run. Her personal best at that distance during the season was 5:02.12. She should go under five-minutes next spring. She could also be one of the top runners this fall in Illinois.

 

8 – Brenna Cohoon

JR – Downers Grove South

Notes – One of the most underrated runners last year in 3A. Cohoon has showed tremendous improvement over the past year that will show in races this fall. Brenna was the top runner for the Mustangs last fall as she earned All-State honors in finishing 19^th in the 3A State Meet running 17:08. Her personal best dropped three times for 3200-meters during last spring. She entered the season with a 10:55 best. That dropped to 10:54.90 in her fourth-place finish at Distance Night in Palatine, then 10:54.34 when she qualified for state finishing third in her sectional race, and then 10:49.59 when she finished seventh in the 3A State Meet where she earned All-State honors in that race. She is just realizing how good she could become on the course. Being among the top five runners in the state is a possibility in November.

 

9 – Mia Gianfrancesco

JR – Batavia

Notes – Another underrated runner in this state ready to take the next step up. Gianfrancesco, along with freshman Katrina Schlenker give the Bulldogs a strong 1-2 in the front. Mia finished in the top ten six times that she raced last fall including a win in her conference meet. Gianfrancesco placed sixth in her sectional race followed by placing 13^th in the 3A State Meet. She does not run track during the spring as she is on Batavia’s soccer team.

“Mia Gianfrancesco has had another really good summer,” said her coach Chad Hillman. “She knows of the challenges to improve on what was a great season last year and is working very hard to see improvement. I am excited for her to get back at racing.”

 

10 – Kate Jortberg

JR – Glenview Glenbrook South

Notes – Another runner that could be a surprise on the state level in 2018. Jortberg’s sophomore season put her on the map. She started the season running 18:53 at Fenton. She finished it with all-state honors when she ran 17:09 to finish 20^th in the 3A State Meet. Kate did not qualify for the state meet in track, but her times continued to improve. She achieved personal bests running 5:06.76 for 1600-meters and 11:14.37 for 3200-meters.

“Kate ran in Colorado over the summer and has a great training regime throughout the summer,” her coach Meaghan Fastert said. “She has a laser focus and truly has a mindset of an extremely runner.  She sets goals for herself and as a coach and never have to worry about her because I know she will get the job done.  She needs very little coaching and inspires the team around her to work harder and push themselves.  She amazes me with everything she does both in and outside of the season and I can't wait to see what she will do this season.”

 

11 – Helena Kleronomos

SO – Yorkville

Notes – Another runner to watch from Yorkville. Kleronomos stepped onto the center stage for the Foxes as soon as she started school. Helena was the team’s second runner in the 3A State Meet when she ran 17:05 to finish 17^th. She is close to that time already this fall when she ran 17:13 to finish second behind her teammate Emily Eberhart at Detweiller at Dark in July. She had a good freshman season on the track as she was on Yorkville’s 3200 Meter Relay team that qualified for the state meet. Helena achieved a personal best of 5:05.10 for 1600-meters. She has showed great improvement over the summer evidenced by her Peoria race. She could be one of the top sophomore runners in the state by November.

 

12 – Molly Fitzpatrick

SO – Barrington

Notes – Another sophomore to keep an eye on this fall. Molly had a breakout freshman season as one of the top runners for the Fillies. In the seven races before the state meet, she finished ninth or better. Fitzpatrick was the team’s second runner in the 3A State Meet running 17:10 to place 20^th. The following week at the Nike Cross Midwest Regionals, she earned all-region honors as she finished 20^th in the championship race.

Fitzpatrick was part of Barrington’s 3200 Meter Relay team that qualified for the 3A State Meet. She also qualified for the 3A state meet in the 1600 Meter Run where she made the finals. Her freshman season was great with personal bests of 2:7.81 for 800-meters, 4:59.53 for 1600-meters, and 10:53.31 for 3200-meters.

“Molly is a very talented young lady, she works hard, and she wants to do well,” said her coach Debbie Revolta. “That being said, she is able to keep things in perspective and not get intimidated by the competition. Molly just focuses on giving her best effort and because of that she will definitely improve as the season goes forward. She will make our team better as her drive and determination will make those around her better.”

 

13 – Isabelle Christiansen

SR – Oswego

Notes – Christiansen had a hiccup last fall when an injury slowed her down. Going into last cross-country season, she had only run 18 miles due to the injury. We will see how good she is this fall. She has been healthy for almost a year now and ready to race. She ended last season just missing an all-state place as she ran 17:31 to finish 27^th. Compare that to this past July when she ran 17:26 to finish second at Detweiller at Dark. Remember, she ran 17:01 to finish ninth in the 3A State Meet as a sophomore in 2016. She could surpass that in 2018 the way she is running. Isabelle was part of Oswego’s 3200 Meter Relay that finished sixth in the 3A State Meet finals. She also earned all-state honors by finishing seventh in the finals of the 1600 Meter Run. Her times dropped last spring running 4:58.01 for 1600-meters and 10:57.33 for 3200-meters. In her high school career, she has been a five-time All-State Runner in Cross Country and Track.

“Isabelle has been healthy for almost a year now,” Oswego Coach Eric Simon said. “She was out most of last summer with a stress reaction and finished summer having run just 18 miles.  Isabelle's training this summer has been very good as she is benefiting from a long period of good health.  She ran a 5:11 in her training shoes the day before Det @ Dark.  Isabelle is as focused as I have ever seen her.  She is on a mission and will have a great season.”

 

14 – Katherine Olsen

SR – DeKalb

Notes – Olsen had a breakout track season and that should show in her running this fall. Katherine ran 17:40 to finish 36^th in last year’s 3A State Meet. She earned all-state honors during the track season in the 3200 Meter Run. Olsen ran 10:42.48 to finish sixth in the 3A State finals. She also made the finals in the 1600 Meter Run where she finished 10^th overall. Katherine did achieve a personal best of 4:59.07 for 1600-meters. “We were very pleased with her performances at state in May (5:00 on Friday, 10:42 - 6th and 5:02 - 10th on Sat.)  and Katherine has used that as extra motivation in her training this summer,” said the DeKalb XC Coach Mike Wolf. “In track she often ran with the top group of girls in strong meets:  Top Times, Batavia Distance Madness, Palatine Distance Night and that is the perspective she will have this cc season - compete at the top level.”

 

15 – McKenna Revord

JR – Hinsdale Central

Notes – Revord quietly had a strong sophomore season that could translate to bigger things in 2018. She finished eighth or better in all eight regular races she was in including a win at the St. Charles North Invitational. McKenna earned all-state honors placing 24^th in the 3A State Meet. She was also all-state during the track season as she ran 10:53.09 to finish ninth in the 3200 Meter Run at the 3A State Meet.

“He’s fit and highly motivated,” said her coach Mark McCabe. “With two years of experience under her belt and with the success she’s had on the track, I see her as one of the top XC runners in the state this year. She’s a gamer, a competitor, and dreams big dreams.”

 

16 – Claire Hill

SR – Naperville North

Notes – Known more for her middle-distance prowess, Hill could show her strength on the course this fall. Hill was one of the top five runners for the Huskies that finished second at the Nike Cross Nationals. Claire finished 54^th last November in the 3A State Meet. She was part of Naperville North’s 3A State Track Team champions last spring. She earned all-state honors finishing ninth in the 800 Meter Run. Hill achieved a personal best running 2:14.86 for 800-meters during the indoor season.

“I thought Claire Hill looked really good,” said Dan Iverson. “She has been a really accomplished mid-distance runner, but she looked great at the more XC-specific prep work we did this summer. She has become a really good leader and has been working extremely hard as well. It’s clear from her actions all summer long that her senior year means a lot to her. I’m excited to see where she goes.”

 

17 – Vivian Van Eck

SR – Minooka

Notes – Should step out of the shadows of Shelton/Tutt/Callahan this fall becoming the top runner for the Indians. Van Eck was all-state her sophomore year in 2016 where she ran 17:20 to finish 23^rd. She just missed all-state last fall placing 26^th. Vivian was a part of Minooka’s state qualifying 3200 Meter Relay team. She achieved personal bests of 11:17.05 for 3200-meters and 5:14.86 for 1600-meters. “Vivian Van Eck and Kate Gall are a couple of seniors that have been in some big meets throughout their career, and they want to lead this team to a strong season and make sure the younger kids get to experience what they had an opportunity to do,” said Minooka coach Kevin Gummerson.

 

18 – Abby Korak

JR – Edwardsville

Notes – It was a strong sophomore season for Korak which could become better in the next couple of months. She ran a personal best of 17:30 at the end of September to win the 3A race at the Peoria Invitational. She was the top runner for Edwardsville at state running 17:35 to finish 30^th. Abby was part of Edwardsville’s 3200 Meter Relay team that qualified for the 3A State Meet. Korak achieved personal bests of 2:16.77 for 800-meters, 5:08.50 for 1600-meters, and 11:33.47 for 3200-meters. “We expect her to be our second All-State runner in school history for the girls,” said Edwardsville Coach George Patrylak. “She has really improved the quality and quantity of miles this summer.  Our biggest question mark is how will she get out and pace herself without Abby Schrobilgen?  Looking at her Mud Mountain time, Abby was only a few seconds off what Jenna Schwartz ran at the Edwardsville Invite last year.  She is in excellent shape and we look forward to her continued development this year.”

 

19 – Lauren Johnson

SO – Rockton Hononegah

Notes – The big surprise in last year’s state meet was the 25^th place finish by Johnston running 17:24. The week before at the Waubonsie Valley Sectional, she placed eighth overall. She achieved personal bests of 11:45.78 for 3200-meters and 5:33.40 for 1600-meters. “She had a huge state meet,” her coach Darryl Rohrer said.  “I would have been excited with a top 50 finish and a time around 17:45, so what she pulled off was absolutely amazing.  She moved up steadily throughout the race and was around 30-33rd place by the half way point, with 1000 meters to go she had moved into 25th and obviously held that position to the end.  Lauren is an endurance machine; she lacks a top gear but will steadily close on much faster girls over the course of three miles.  I am excited to see what she can do this year.”

 

20 – Juliana Stogsdill

SR – Plainfield North

Notes – Stogsdill could have a huge senior season and again should be the top runner for Plainfield North. She has run in the state cross-country meet three times finishing 52^nd as a freshman, 47^th as a sophomore in 2016, and running 17:40 to finish 35^th last November. A top 25 finish in November is in her future. Juliana ran under 11-minutes three times for 3200-meters last track season with 10:59.58 her best. She qualified for state in that event placing 14^th in the finals. She also ran a personal best of 5:09.43 for the 1-Mile Run. “Juliana is having a great summer running,” said her coach Tammy Gummerson.