12 Illinois XC Conference Meets to Watch This Weekend

Photo: Prospect Girls look to defend their MSL title Saturday at Deer Grove East (Kevin Dorsey Photo)

By Michael Newman [email protected]

This weekend for some teams is for bragging rights. For some runners, it is their last race of their high school career or the season. For some runners, it is a time to tune-up getting ready for the state series.

There are a ton of conference meets that have already been completed. You can read about those meets in this HIGHLIGHT ARTICLE.

We chose 12 of the most compelling meets that have interesting storylines. You can read about those meets below.

Roland Hopkins, owner of Illinois XC Speed Ratings, has started to do projections for some of the meets on Friday and Saturday. You can read those projections on ilxcspeedratings.com.

West Suburban Conference Silver at Katherine Legge Memorial Park, Hinsdale

The toughest conference meet in Illinois and perhaps in the country. Six of the seven Girls teams in this division are ranked among the top 30 in Class 3A led by defending 3A state champion York. The top ranked Dukes are the big favorite in this meet and could score under 25 points. Bria Bennis should be the individual favorite with teammates Katherine Klimek, Brooke Berger, and Michaela Quinn possibly finishing in the top 5. #6 Lyons Township and #7 Downers Grove North were close last week at Naperville Twilight. The two teams will battle for the second-place spot. Catherine Sommerfeld is almost at 100% after missing the first half of the season due to an injury. She will challenge for a top five finish. Lyons has a nice pack behind stay within 25 seconds of each other to secure the runner-up spot to York. Downers Grove North’s top runner, Lily Eddington, lost her shoe halfway through last week’s race. She stopped to put it back on and dropped her behind teammate Claire Pyne. The two runners could be in the top 10 in this race. The Trojans need all 5 runners in the top 18 to surpass Lyons Township. #14 Oak Park-River Forest could be a surprise in the top three led by Katie Stabb. Moving their pack behind Stabb up could move the Huskies up a place. #13 Glenbard West is coming off a great race last week in Naperville and could be among the top four teams with Maggie Hibbard and Carlin Hass leading them. #22 Hinsdale Central is led by Sarah Fischer who could finish also in the top five. The Red Devilettes have not run with Catie McCabe finishing a race due to injuries. She could race on Saturday. The team will challenge for a top three finish if Fischer and McCabe finish in the top 10.

The Boys race is loaded with talent as four of the top seven teams in Class 3A are in this field. #2 Hinsdale Central has three runners that could finish in the top eight led by Dan Watcke, Aden Bandukwala, and Michael Skora. Their split from that trio to their fourth and fifth runners was 54 seconds in their last race in Indiana. That gap needs to close if this team wants to repeat as conference champions or even finish in the top three. #3 Downers Grove North edged #4 Oak Park-River Forest by 11 points last week at Naperville Twilight. The Trojans made a charge in the final mile to claim the championship. Topher Ferris, Caden Weber, and Asa Gasper all could finish in the top 10. North needs a top five split near 30 seconds and 5 runners in the top 15 to claim the conference title. Oak Park had the lead on Downers Grove North entering the final mile at Twilight. One of their top five runners Daniel Johnson was forced to drop out for the second race in a row due to a minor injury. Liam Newhart is running strong this fall and will challenge Daniel Watcke for the individual title. Michael Michelotti, Nick Parrell, and Johnson all need to be in the top 18 with a split under 46 seconds to claim the team championship. #7 Lyons Township could be a surprise in the front in this race with Nicholas Strayer challenging for the individual title and Cillian Henning in the top 10. #21 York will pack it up in this race and need to be swallowed up in the lead group to challenge for a top finish led by Aidan Hill and Daniel O’Shaughnessy. Only as many as 49 runners will be in this race. A tight pack will up front will be evident in the front for at least the first loop of the Legge course.

Southwest Prairie Conference at Channahon Community Park, Channahon (Friday)

Class 3A top rated and national #6 Plainfield South enters the Boys race as the big team favorite. Camyn Viger has run 14:22 at Detweiller Park this season and will be the favorite in the individual favorite in this race. The individual field is talented with Parker Nold of Oswego East, Zachary Balzer of Minooka, and Oliver Burns of Plainfield North among the favorites with Viger. Marcellus Mines of Joliet West is not entered and possibly could not race. Plainfield South’s strength behind Viger is a tight pack of Dylan Maloney, Ethan Reynoso, BJ Sorg, and either Gavin Borger or Owen O’Shea staying close together. Their two through five pack at Nike Twilight was only six seconds. #8 Plainfield North will be the closest team to the Cougars led by Burns and Ryan Tracey finishing in the top 10. #22 Oswego East will be led by Nold in the front. The Wolves will need to keep a 25 second pack on their four scorers and keep that pack within 45 seconds of Nold. #23 Yorkville had a great race last week in Naperville and will look to build off that led by Jake Younger and Ben Whaley. Minooka, led by Balzer in the top five, will look to hold off Oswego and West Aurora for the fifth spot. Oswego could have Brady Nelson finish in the top 10.

Audra Soderlind of Oswego had some minor ankle problems but should be ready to go for Friday’s race. She could also be the individual race favorite. If Soderlind is the not in the race, expect Kelly Wong of Oswego, Minooka’s Gabriella McCollum and Gabrielle Kics, and Morgan Dick of Oswego East up front challenging for the win. #10 Minooka and #20 Yorkville will challenge along with #15 Oswego East and #16 Oswego to challenge for the conference team win. Minooka has a good first three with McCollom, Kics, and Maya Ledesma all possibilities to finish among the top six runners. Their top five split has averaged near 70 seconds during the season. Their top five runners in the top 15 will be something to watch for from this team in this race. Yorkville relies on solid pack running led by Sophia Keeler and Ava Galloway who could be possible top 10 finishers. The Lady Foxes could have anywhere from a 25 to 35 second split on their top five. Their top five crossing the line before Minooka’s does could tighten up the score. Oswego East could have Morgan Dick and Monica Lopez in the top 10. Oswego will have the power up front but will need their pack to get within 60 seconds of Wong in this race to finish in the top three teams.

DuPage Valley Conference at Waubonsie Valley High School, Aurora

The Girls race will come down to #3 Naperville North and #4 Naperville Central for the conference title. The two teams faced last at Naperville Twilight a week ago with North having the edge by 17 points. The two teams are similar strong packs in the front. Julie Piot leads North and will be one of the individual favorites in this race. The Huskies placed 4 runners in the top 14 at Twilight with Piot, Shania Tandon, and Logan Brennan in the top 10 with Rianna Tandon close behind. This is only a six team conference so the closer the pack can be for Naperville North, the better. Naperville Central has a strong trio in the front led by Kate Tueting who will challenge for the individual win. Liv Phillips and Ava Hendren finishing in the top 5 will be a huge plus for the Redhawks. Naperville North will need four runners in before Naperville Central’s third runner crosses the line. For Naperville Central to win, 5 runners in the top with their sixth runner in before North’s fifth runner could clinch a win. Metea Valley, led by Maya Hall, looks to be the top team of the remaining four in this race.

#14 Neuqua Valley did not have one of their top five runners, Robert Glenn, in their past two races. A healthy Wildcat team could get Coach Paul Vandersteen the conference title in Vandersteen’s final conference meet. Zac Close leads the Wildcats and will challenge for the individual title against Riley Newport of DeKalb. Both runners have run under 14:40 at Detweiller Park. Newport’s only loss this season came on that course early in the year at First to the Finish. Neuqua will need 5 runners in the top 13 to secure the conference title with Close, Ryan Palmer, and Glenn finishing in the top 10. #9 Naperville Central is coming off a strong race finishing fourth at Naperville Twilight last week ahead of Neuqua Valley. Luke Noren and Samuel Barnard lead the Redhawks and could finish among the top five placers. Central will need to win the individual battles with Neuqua Valley in order to win the team race. #28 DeKalb is getting stronger with every race and should be among the top three teams in this meet. Newport should be the front runner in this race. Sophomore Jacob Barraza has a good chance to finish in the top five in this race.

Mid-Suburban League at Deer Grove East Forest Preserve, Palatine

Class 3A #2 and #8 nationally Prospect is the big team favorite in the Girls’ race. The individual race should be one of the best in the state this weekend as Anna Harden of Hersey, Hailey Erickson of Prospect, and Scout Storms of Barrington will all challenge for the individual title. Harden has run strong this season finishing second at Richard Spring and then winning at Palatine and Wheaton North with times in her wins under 17-minutes. Erickson is the leader of the pack and was within five seconds of Harden in the Peoria race. Storms did not finish at Palatine but has rebounded strongly finishing second at Naperville Twilight and then setting a course record in her win last week at Wheeling. Prospect could put their top 7 in the first 12 places led by top five finishes from Erickson and Lily Ginsberg and if sophomore Veronica Znajda and Meg Peterson run up on the varsity level. #12 Barrington looks to be the closest team to Prospect with Storms finishing in the top five and having 5 runners in the first 22. #21 Palatine will challenge Barrington for second with Abigail Jordan possibly in the top five and keep their next four runners within 10 seconds of each other and in the top 20. #19 Hersey could challenge for a top three finish led by Harden.

Mario Torres of Buffalo Grove is having a great senior season and should be the favorite in this meet having run 14:40 at Detweiller Park this fall. There are a number of runners that could be close to Torres including Mason Krieg of Palatine, Rory Gann of Fremd, Liam Naughton of Hersey, and Joe Bregenzer of Barrington. Three teams have good shots of winning the Boys team title. The three squads possibly could be separated by 14 points or less. #16 Palatine on their home course could have the slight edge led by Krieg finishing in the top five and their next four runners staying within 25 seconds of each other and within 30 seconds of Krieg. #17 Barrington has come on strong with six of their top seven underclass runners. Bregenzer should be in the top 5 but the Broncos need all top 5 of their team runners in the first 20. #11 Hersey should not be forgotten in this team race. Naughton, Zach Frayder, and Rob Geissenberger all have possibilities of finishing among the top 10 finishers. Their fourth and fifth runners need to be in the top 20 for the Huskies to win. #26 Conant and #28 Fremd also should finish in the top five in this race.

DuKane Conference at Lake Park High School East Campus, Roselle

Grace Schager of Glenbard North comes in as the BIG favorite in this race. Does she go after a fast time in this race? I don’t think it is necessary considering she has state series, state, and NXR regional races to run over the next month. Schager does have the course record running 16:00 at the Harvey Braus Invitational in September. She has run five races this fall all under 16:31. She is the fastest in this conference by close to 90 seconds. #8 Wheaton-Warrenville South is improving with every race including last week when they finished fourth at the Naperville Twilight Invitational. Nicole Poglitsch is the top “non-Schager” runner in this conference and could lead four Tiger runners in the top 10 including Frida Martinez, Jenna Bachara, and Payton Fleming. If they run like they have been, South could win their first conference title since 2018. #17 Batavia and #30 St. Charles East are the ranked teams that could challenge Wheaton-Warrenville South. Lilianna Bednarek leads Batavia and could finish in the top five individuals. Brooke Silbernagel leads the pack that needs to stay within 20 seconds of each other and within 25 seconds of Bednarek. Marley Andelman, Brooklyn Walker, and Morgan Sandlund lead the Saints and could be among the top 12 placers. Their fourth and fifth runners need to move closer to the first three to challenge for the conference win. #24 Wheaton and Geneva are teams that could crack into the top half of the conference standings.

#13 Wheaton-Warrenville South has a strong pack and the ingredients to make it a sweep of conference championships for their school on Saturday. The Tigers have a solid pack led by Nathan Virginelli and Josiah Narayanan that could place all five scorers in the top 10. Their top five split is projected to be near 30 seconds. It will be tough for the other seven teams to match that in this meet. #25 St. Charles East, #29 Batavia, and Wheaton North are the teams that will challenge for the second-place spot and could be within 11 points of each other. Wheaton North could have Caleb Youngstedt and Aidan Murphy finish in the top 10 with their next two runners in the top 15. The Falcons has to have their fifth runner between 22 to 24 to secure a second-place race. Mitch Garcia leads St. Charles East and will be among the top 5 finishers in this race. The Saints will have a tight pack behind Garcia but will need their fifth runner in before 19 place to finish ahead of Wheaton North. Batavia Could sneak ahead of the two above teams mentioned above to second. Quintin Lowe will be one of the individual race favorites along with Garcia and Virginelli. The Bulldogs need their second runner in the top 10 and their top five all in the top 20 to get into second-place.

Fox Valley Conference at Veteran Acres Park, Crystal Lake

This conference is underrated compared to some of the top conference teams in the state. A combination of strong 2A and 3A schools plus a cool Saturday morning at Veteran Acres Park makes this meet the place to be if you are in the Crystal Lake area. The Girls individual race is great led by Rachel Soukup of Prairie Ridge, Hadley Ferrero of Crystal Lake Central, Breanna Burak of Huntley, and Danielle Jensen of McHenry. #5 Huntley is the slight favorite in this meet with Breanna & Brittney Burak and Molly Allen all probabilities of finishing in the top 10. 2A #1 Crystal Lake South will challenge for the win with Isabella Gonzalez and Abby Machesky finishing in the top 10. #18 Jacobs could challenge for a third-place finish if Bailey Schwartz and Natalia Maciorowski can finish in the top 10. 2A #3 Prairie Ridge and 2A #6 Crystal Lake Central, and McHenry have the talent in the front to challenge for third-place.

The Boys race could be just as close. #18 Huntley and #20 Jacobs could finish within five points of each other in winning the conference title. Huntley has individual race favorite leading them. The Red Raiders will need 5 runners in the top 16 to capture the win. Jacobs will rely on a tight front pack with Alec Melendez, Aidan DeMuth, and Andrew Beyer all possibilities of finishing in the top five. The Golden Eagles need to have their fifth runner in before Huntley’s fifth to take the conference crown. 2A #8 Prairie Ridge led by Will Gelon and Gerrit Dam, 2A #10 Crystal Lake Central led by Karson Hollander, and Hampshire all have the talent to be among the top three teams.

Mid-Illini Conference at Detweiller Park, Peoria (Friday)

The first of three meets to be held at Detweiller Park between Friday and Saturday. The Girls race should highlight this meet with 2A #2 Dunlap, 2A #8 Washington, and 2A #16 Morton leading the field. Any of four runners could lead Dunlap in this race with Kate Robertson and Saniya Mathew most likely leading the Eagles. 5 runners in the top 13 secures the conference win for Dunlap. Washington has 3 freshmen in their top 7 and could be close for the win. Olivia Nordhielm, Sophia Ramirez, and Jayne Hermann could all finish in the top 10. Morton is a team also to watch for led by Sophie Krueger and Taygen Beyer possibilities finishing in the top five. Kerrigan Vandel could be among the top 10 finishers. The Potters putting their top five in the first 15 gets them closer to Dunlap.

2A #5 Morton is the big favorite in the Boys race that could score under 27 points in this race. You could see a top three sweep from Josh Weeks, Yonas Wuthrich, and Chase Sauder as well as five runners in the top 10. 2A #24 Dunlap should be next led by possible top 10 finishes from Aiden Mohr and Reece Dusek. Metamora could challenge Dunlap for second with Carson Cowling and Trae Helwig also possible top 10 finishers.

Central Suburban League at Glenbrook North HS, Northbrook

#5 New Trier and #6 Maine South should be separated by less than 10 points in the Boys race. New Trier has a chance to have three runners in the top five with Oscar Dueno-Alda, Ben Crane, and Atticus Miller all running under 15-minutes on October 3 at Detweiller Park. The Trevians placing four runners across the line before Maine South’s third finishes could be a key to watch for. Maine South also has a good pack that will need to keep their split under 40 seconds with 5 runners in the top 10 to win. Luca Arcuri and Joey Karlesky should finish in the top five. Alex Willie finishing sixth gets the Hawks just ahead of New Trier. There is a big gap between these two teams and the rest of the field. Highland Park, led by Nate Wehner, 2A #30 Deerfield, and host Glenbrook North appear to be the teams that will challenge for third place.

#9 Maine South appears to have the big advantage in the Girls race and could win scoring under 40 points. Juliet Frum of Glenbrook North ran 17:04 at Detweiller Park at the beginning of October and will be the individual favorite in this race. I would not worry about top five splits from Maine South in this meet. Sofia Arcuri and Olivia DeLuca lead the pack that could have three more runners finish in the top 15. 2A #24 Vernon Hills have the edge for the second spot led by possible top five finisher Anna Todd. #30 New Trier, led by Hannah Falk, Glenbrook South, led by possible top 10 finishers Maggie Jortberg and Kaitlyn Burns, and Deerfield all are within reach of a second-place finish.

Central State Eight Conference at Lincoln Park, Springfield

Two groups of two teams will be ahead of the rest of the field in the Girls race. 2A #7 Chatham-Glenwood has a slight edge ahead of 2A #12 Normal University in this race. U-High has Natalie Bierbaum and Zoe Carter in front of the field. The freshman and sophomore should capture the top 2 places. Lana Alcorn is a possibility to finish in the top 10 for the Pioneers. They just need to get their next two runners in the top 21 to get close to the Titans. Chatham-Glenwood will need to get three runners in the top 10 with Rachel Behrens, Ashlyn Chopra, and Ava Gorrie to stay close to U-High. Getting their top seven in before University’s fourth runner secures the win for Glenwood. 2A #5 Rochester ran a strong race last week at Metamora and could come away with the win especially if Colleen and Ashley Zeibert along with Natalie Nichols are among the top 10 runners. Their fourth and fifth runners will need to move up for the Rockets to win the conference title. 2A #23 Springfield could be a surprise led by Phoebe Barnes and Madeline Kim.

1A #1 Normal University and 2A #13 Chatham-Glenwood will be the teams to watch in the Boys race. U-High’s success this fall has come from a tight four runner pack in the front led by Mason Hart, Mitchell Hayes, Brandt Anderson, and Landen Alcorn that could all finish in the top five. Hart could be the individual favorite in this race. Five runners in the top ten could get the Pioneers near or under 26 points. Glenwood also has a solid pack led by Eli Morsch who could finish in the top five. The Titans could have their pack behind Morsch and led by Lleyton Turk finish among the top 12 placers. A good race like that still may not be enough to catch U-High. Glenwood scoring under 40 points could give them great momentum heading into the state series. There will be a gap before Springfield and then Rochester who could finish third and fourth.

Big 12 Conference at Detweiller Park, Peoria

The first of two Saturday races at Detweiller Park. The Girls race could be close with 2A #10 Normal West, Normal Community, and 2A #19 Peoria Notre Dame all within 20 points. The key for Normal West all year has been the front running from Julie Bach. She could be one of the individual favorites in this race. Renee Warren and Ashleigh Horton could finish in the top five for the Wildcats. Five runners in the top 15 secures a conference title for West. Normal Community has a solid first three with another race favorite Ali Ince joined by Lily Cavanaugh and Abigail Ziemer in the top six. Their pack is just a touch behind that of West. The Ironmen winning those individual race battles could result in a conference win. Notre Dame is a young and talented team that could surprise both the Normal schools in this meet. Julia Mingus and Grace Yontz should finish in the top 10. It would be a big plus if one or both of the Irish runners breakup the potential top six stranglehold the two Normal schools could have. Notre Dame has run tight packs in the past meets. A split near 30 seconds gets them maybe as one of the two top teams.

2A #7 Champaign Central is the big favorite in the Boys race. Their strength in the front along with their depth will prevail in this race. Freshman Caleb Mathias has stepped up as the top runner for the Maroons and could lead 5 Central runners in the top 12. A score under 40 points in this race could make this team untouchable. The next four teams are close together and could be separated by 20 points. Normal Community could have the edge for the second spot especially if Joey Yaros and Jack Thomas finish in the top 10. 2A #17 Peoria Notre Dame could get second with a top 6 finish from Joe Ehrhardt. 2A #23 Normal West could be a surprise especially if Sky Riddle and Aiden Swanlund finish in the top five. Urbana will need top 10 finishes from Julia Angrave and Austin Coady to be in reach of a top three finish. Look for Mathias, Riddle, and Aaron Hendron of Champaign Centennial to be the runners to contend for the individual title.

CCL / GCAC Championships at Lewis University, Romeoville

This two league meet starts with the GCAC Varsity race. 2A #14 St. Ignatius Prep enters this race as the team favorite. Annika Swan has been running great in her freshman season and should be the favorite in this race. She ran 17:18 to win last week at Lakes and leads the Wolfpack that could place their first five runners in the top 15. #23 Loyola Academy could be the closest competition for St. Ignatius. Jane Lynch will challenge Swan for the individual title. The Ramblers should have three runners in the top 10. Their 4-5 pack needs to be within 22 seconds of their top three group. 1A #2 Rosary is coming off a strong win Monday at Amboy. Chiara Surtz should be in the top 10 and lead three other runners in the top 15. Their split averages 90 seconds between their pack and fifth runner. That split needs to come down in order for the Royals to get closer to St. Ignatius. 1A #14 DePaul Prep has a solid pack that could have five runners within 25 seconds of each other led by Grace Moller and Abigail Arseneau who should finish between 15 to 20. Trinity could get close to DePaul Prep and fourth place with top 15 finishes from Molly and Amanda McGreal.

#27 St. Ignatius Prep appears to be the team to beat in what should be a great Boys Varsity race. Fenwick’s Nathaniel McKillop has come on strong the last month and has positioned himself as the race favorite. Mac Kittrell of DePaul Prep, Matthew Conroy of St. Ignatius Prep, and Connor Carlson of Marmion Academy will be the runners to watch up front with McKillop. St. Ignatius Prep wins this race is if they get top 10 finishes from Conroy and Tommy Fitzpatrick with the Wolfpack places all seven runners in the top 21. Three teams will challenge for the second spot led by 1A #2 DePaul Prep. Kittrell will be one of the favorites in the race but will need to get their top five in the first 25 to get close to St. Ignatius Prep. 2A #11 Fenwick has gotten healthy at the right time and could be the surprise team in this race. The defending 2A state champions will have McKillop in the front with Dean O’Bryan and Grayden Rill in the top 10. Fenwick’s fourth and fifth runners ahead of DePaul’s fifth could get the Friars into second. 2A #12 Marmion Academy could be dangerous especially with Carlson and John Daffenberg finishing in the top 10 and their pack moving closer to the top 20.

Chicago Public League City Championships at Washington Park, Chicago

The top teams in the Chicago Public League gather at historic Washington Park in what should be two good Varsity races. 2A #6 Mather could be the surprise team to win the Boys race led by one of the individual favorites Muhiyadin Ali, Mohamed Abdullahi placing in the top 5, and their next three runners placing in the top 20. Jones Prep will be one of two teams that could challenge for the win. Sam Berlinghof and Sam Mortensen in the top 10 will help that. The Eagles need to keep their top 5 split under 50 seconds could secure a city title. Perennial city power Lane Tech could challenge for the win especially if Will Kozlowski and Anan Bauman finish in the top five. Whitney Young and 2A #14 Payton Prep should challenge for the fourth team spot.

The Girls team will be up for grabs with Lane Tech, Whitney Young, and Jones Prep all challenging for the City title. One certainty in this race is that Evelyn Hett of Jones Prep will be the favorite in this race. Hett missed last year’s meet as well as the state series. She is stronger than ever especially after finishing third last week at Naperville Twilight. She could win this race by at least 30 seconds. Whitney Young’s Nikki Chopra and Jade Lavallee could be Hett’s closest competition along with Hannah Tiete of Taft, Josephine Dziedzic of Payton, and Lucia Ton-That of Northside Prep. Whitney Young placing three in the top ten with Chopra, Lavallee, and Xochitl Lopez leading the way. The Dolphins need their fourth and fifth runners in the top 22 to secure a team win. Lane Tech has a tight top five pack that could all finish in the top 15. The Indians will need Olivia Ide and Sophie Mullins near the top six for a team win to happen. Jones Prep will have Hett in the lead. Their top five needs to be in the top 17 for this team to leave Washington Park with Championship hardware.