MONDAY MORNING FINISH LINE

 

DECEMBER 25, 2023

 

2023 Illinois Distance Running Christmas Stories

 

Photo: Isabella Keller with her sister Anna Sophia and her father Chuck after winning the Girls 1A State XC Championship in November

 

By Michael Newman

 

For high school running in the state of Illinois in 2023, this past year was the gift that kept on giving. We have never seen a track season like this especially when we had five of the eight distance events finding new best performances ever. It depends on the season. We may see a runner getting close to an all-time best.

 

 It was not like that in 2023. It was a Christmas present that came early and kept repeating into the fall cross-country season. It was a gift all year for me. This is what I received under the tree this year.

 

A race that Tatum David was in this past spring was one of those gifts that kept on giving. She had a great fall cross-country season winning her second state title, then making it to both national meets finishing fifth at the Nike Cross Nationals. David came down with an illness and did not run at the Champs National Championships.

 

Her indoor season showed what would be ahead for the now University of Virginia athlete. David ran twice in Boston during the indoor season the second coming when she ran 4:38.80 to run the fastest mile indoors for an Illinois Girls runner to finish second at the New Balance Indoor Nationals.

 

David’s outdoor season was fantastic. She ran an Illinois all-time best of 9:48.93 winning by over 3 minutes at the Herrin Girls Invitational. We have to consider that she paced herself the entire race and lapped the entire field twice swerving from lane to lane to pass runners. It might have been faster if she ran been in the first lane throughout. She qualified in all three distance events at the Rantoul Sectional. The 800 win over 2A State Meet Record holder Becca Heitzig of Lincoln (2:05.29) made her the second faster Girl all-time in Illinois. She chose the two longer distance races for the following weekend in Charleston. David said after her Friday prelim race that she ran the 800 in the sectional race to see what she could do. She was satisfied in what she could accomplish at that distance.

 

She set the Class 2A State Meet record in the finals with a 9:53.98 time. She came back to repeat her title in the 1600 Meter Run. Her two final high school races were her most significant starting first at the HOKA Festival of Miles in St. Louis on June 2. David at the last minute decided to run in the Women’s Elite 1 Mile Run. She finished sixth in that race. Her time of 4:37.79 for the mile (4:36.14 for 1600-meters) became all-time Illinois bests for both distances. Two weeks later at the Brooks PR Invitational, she ran 4:35.87 to finish second in the 1 Mile Run and 4:34.30 for 1600-meters, both Illinois’ bests for these distance events.

 

This was the best season for a female distance runner ever. David graduated Olney Richland County with all-time state bests in the 1600-Meter Run, 1 Mile Run, and 3200 Meter Run. Her 800 performance is the ninth fastest time ever, with Ali Ince holding the eight fastest times making David the #2 best all-time in the 800 Meter Run.

 

Please don’t ask me who had the better high school career between David and Katelynne Hart. In my eyes it can’t be compared. Hart missed her senior track season due to COVID. David moved to Florida because of COVID but missed three semesters due to an injury. The only thing we should remember is David ran in six state final races including her two state xc races. She was undefeated in all six state races. A talented runner but her humble thoughts to her accomplishments should be remembered even more so. Can’t wait to see what she accomplishes at the University of Virginia. It does not matter to me. I was fortunate to see accomplish some many incredible things.

 

The one thing that can say about Allison Ince is how a team oriented runner she is for Normal Community. She tried running in three individual events her sophomore year but did not make it out of the prelims in the 1600 Meter Run. In the past track season in 2023, she repeated as state champion in the 400 and 800 along with anchoring her school to a win in the 4x400m Relay. She had started Championship Saturday to anchor the team’s 4x800m Relay. She received the baton in last place. Two laps around the track with a 2:08 split brought her from 12 to 7. I was asked why she went all out instead of saving for the three races yet to come. I asked her that. Ince’s reply was “I wanted my teammates how it felt to be on a state meet podium to receive a state medal.”

 

Ince has one more season to go. She enters this year as the defending 3-time champion in the 800 Meter Run and 2-time champion in the 400 Meter Dash. She has also won the 800 Meter Run at the PR Invitational three straight years. Ince now has 15 of the top 17 times ever for an Illinois Girls Runner at 800 Meter Run. To say that she is the best runner in the 800 Meter Run could be an understatement would be an understatement. I can’t wait to see what she runs in her senior season.

 

The first time that I saw Dan Watcke race was at Magis Miles in Chicago. He had just used a kick to win the middle school mile running a time of 4:37.14. In the interview that I did with him afterwards, I thought this kid is entering his freshman season at Hinsdale Central? He did not run like a middle school runner. I was lucky to get to watch him all four years of high school. By the time he ran his final high school race, he evolved into one of the top middle distance athletes in the United States.

 

Looking back at those four years of high school, he will be defined as the ultimate team runner for his school taking the Red Devils to higher levels. His final state meet last May is a testament of what he accomplished. Hinsdale Central was interfered with in the prelims of the 4x400m Relay still Watcke tried to get his team into the finals but fell short of that goal. In the relays that I saw Watcke run in, he was the ultimate anchor runner, the victory cigar when the baton entered into his hands. Hinsdale Central would be in the hunt for a title after his teammates got him to that point. That state meet last May had Watcke right with the lead for his final two laps after Michael Skora, Grant Miller, and Kyle Doorhy got him to that point. He anchored the quartet to a state title with a 7:38.59 time.

 

Watcke anchored that Hinsdale Central team to three national championships. The eye opening relay was in 2022 was when Colby Revord, Aden Bandukwala, and Skora joined Watcke as he anchored the team to a 7:32.14 time breaking a 22 year-old state record held by the York team led by Donald Sage in winning the Nike Outdoor Nationals. Hinsdale Central brought home the New Balance Indoor National title in a 7:43.82 time as Watcke also ran in the open 800 finishing third. The statement race was for Watcke was when he anchored the team to defending their title at Nike Outdoor Nationals running the second fastest time ever (7:29.20) by a high school quartet.

 

He stated after his win at the IHSA State Meet that he wanted to go after the state record set by Sandburg’s Sean Torpy set in 2017. Five days later at the HOKA Festival of Miles, Watcke defended his meet title running 1:48.59 holding off promising Illinois 800 runner Patrick Hilby who was also under 1:49. He dove at the finish line at the Brooks PR Invitational running 1:48.24 to finish second. He was then just a quarter of a second behind Torpy’s record. 10 days later at the Rose City Mile in Portland OR, he finished 10 overall in one of the many 800 Meter Run races. His time of 1:47.70 earned him the Illinoi all-time state best.

 

Watcke’s running career in the past four years has taken the level another level up as he moves onto Villanova University. It will be great to see him race taking his times even lower. He showed what he could do during high school. Watcke should show us what we learned about him in Illinois. His inner strength will take himself to a higher level.

 

I was standing by the finish line on the floor of O’Brien Field waiting for the start of the IHSA 3A State Meet 1600 Meter Run. I was keeping an eye on Aden Bandukwala of Hinsdale Central. He finished third earlier in the day in the 3200 Meter Run. He looked exhausted as he found his spot on the starting line. I have seen a number of athletes that had tried doubling in those two events. It is excruciating for some that have nothing left in their body to challenge for the win. I was in the stands in 1985 when York’s Jim White tried the distance triple in this meet in temperatures in the mid-90’s. He finished second in the 3200 Meter Run, then made a short return to surprisingly win the 800 Meter Run. He had nothing left in that 1600 and finished 12 out of 12 runners. I have not seen before or since a runner get a standing ovation that loud for the kind of effort for his team. “Whitey” deserved that moment.

 

Would Bandukwala race go the other way in a kind of amazement. Jack Keelan of St. Ignatius College Prep was the runner to beat in both distance races in the 2013 Class 3A State Meet. His race at Detweiller Park in the November of his senior year was spectacular running 14:05 to win the state title. The roadblock for Keelan was the schedule was sped up by the IHSA as they suspected that “storms” would hit the meet area. In that case, the closest storm to the Charleston area was in Wichita, Kansas. Nevertheless, Keelan came back after running 8:57.61 in the 3200 Meter Run with a shorter than normal rest to run 4:12.11 to complete the double.

 

Here was Bandukwala who snuggled to the back of the pack in the first lap of the 1600 Meter Run. He did not look like he was in this race. He had not run in the 3200 Meter Run this season until May when he doubled in two of the three races. The third was on this Saturday where he moved at the end of the race to run 9:10 and finish third. He looked like he did not have it on this day it seemed as he came towards the finish line In last place. Bandukwala’s teammates were yelling at him as he approached the finish line.

 

An IHSA official was standing next to me as Bandukwala started his final lap. He was seven seconds behind Marcellus Mines who had a strangle hold on this race. The official told me “Well, that’s too bad.” As I was watching Bunny’s face as he passed me, I told the official “just wait.”

 

We all know what happened after that. Bandukwala took the lead with 100-meters left and found a faster gear than he was using to win the state title with Camyn Viger and Mines finishing second and third. A week later, Viger made a great move with 200 meters left and looked like he had the race won. On came Bandukwala to challenge the Plainfield South runner. Bandukwala caught Viger in the last meter to win the race.

 

Bandukwala has evolved as a runner not having to use his kick to take home wins. The end of September he finished 14th at Peoria and 15th at Palatine and had people wondering what was going on with him. His response was winning four of his final five races including repeating his state title at Detweiller Park. Instead of sitting and kicking in Peoria, he started making moves after the mile scared that either Viger or Ben Crane would run him down. “I did not see those guys as I was leading the mile,” Bandukwala said after the race. “I knew I had to make those moves early to take the kick away from them.”

 

Bandukwala enters this spring returning with some the top times in Class 3A from 400-meters all the way until 3200-meters. It will be fun to watch him evolve during the final six month of his high school career.

 

I was by the finish line on the Friday before last November’s IHSA State Meet asked by coaches and parents about the state races that would take place on Saturday. The one question that was repeatedly asked was which race were you most looking forward to. I did not have a good answer to that question. All I could say was I would get to the park before the start of the first race of the day.

 

I had seen Mia Kotler of Latin School, Molly Farrell of Marshall, and Kate Foltz of Tuscola race at one point of the season. I had not seen Isabella Keller of Effingham St. Anthony race yet this year and was looking forward to watch this race. My schedule had not crossed the path of Keller. Maybe it was why I got to Detweiller Park 2.5 hours before the start of the race.

 

I had the opportunity to see Isabella’s sister Anna Sophia Keller run more than five years ago and all the spectacular things that she accomplished. I had talked to talk to their father Chuck Keller the day before the meet. There was a sense of confidence in his voice but trepidation at the same time knowing that this was a tough field that his daughter would be running.

 

Kotler had a one second lead on Keller as the two passed in 10:56 for 2-miles. Keller made her move in the final mile to run 16:26 to win her first state title with Kotler six seconds behind. Keller followed that up eight days later by finishing third at the Nike Cross Midwest Regional and then at the beginning of December finishing eighth earning All-American honors. I have the privilege to watch the younger Keller run for the next 3.5 years which should be fun.

 

The weather conditions at this year’s state meet made it favorable to race and watch considering the mud and rain we experienced in 2022. All six races on that day were treasures to behold.

 

Gavin Genisio of Benton defended his individual title running 14:12 to win by 17 seconds ahead of Isaac Teel of Pinckneyville. The team race was great. Tuscola all season had emphasized pack running towards the front of races. Jackson Barrett finishing third with teammates Will Foltz and Josiah Hortin in the top 10 helped Tuscola win their first state title by a close margin 97-104 ahead of Benton.

 

The third race of the day showed that there was no doubt that Chatham-Glenwood would win the 2A Girls race. They had dominated the state all season and ranked #1 in this classification. Three of their top five runners were freshmen. Ali Londrigan finished seventh leading two teammates to individual all-state honors as the Titans won with 82 points behind two-time state champion Grayslake Central (125 points) and the St. Ignatius College Prep (166 points) leaving Peoria with trophies.

 

What defined the Girls 2A race was how Becca Heitzig of Lincoln and Annika Swan of St. Ignatius Prep battled for the individual state title in that race. Heitzig had a great story in this race as she had competed with the school’s volleyball team in the state sectional game less than 24 hours before this race. Every move that Swan made Heitzig countered. When two runners are separated by just five hundredths of a second at the end of 3-miles show how much grit and heart you need to have to win. Both deserved state titles in my eyes.

 

Dylon Nalley of Marion realized two dreams in the 2A Boys race. He was defending his individual title. Nalley had in his mind of going after Josh Methner’s course record and ran 14:00 and 14:17 in his two Peoria races. As the year went on, Marion’s team continued to improve putting themselves in position of win a team title. He was the big favorite in this race as he had a 10 second lead at the mile and 14 seconds ahead at 2-miles. He did get his second state title but did not get the course record. That did not matter as Marion dominated the team race for the state title with 112 points. “It did not matter that I did not get the record,” Nalley said after the race in the Marion team area. There was a flood of disbelief and uncontainable joy for a team that had never won a trophy on this stage. I could have left to do other interviews. Soaking up that moment was something that I needed on that day.

 

What could have made the 2A Boys race more interesting if Ethan Hogan of Columbia was competing in it. Hogan had a breakout junior season during his indoor season when he ran under 4:10 for the 1 Mile Run at the New Balance Indoor Nationals. His outdoor season was more fantastic breaking the Class 2A State Meter Record to win the 3200 state title. His 8:49 at Arcadia in the 3200 Meter Run and 4:08.36 in the 1 Mile Run at HOKA Festival of Miles put his name on the map for this fall cross country season. It was hard to tell what Nalley would do since injuries slowed down his track season.

 

The injury bug hit Hogan in a big way after his race at First to the Finish Invitational where he missed a month of the season. He tried to come back but could not race at sectionals and then state.

 

My one wish for this Christmas is that both Nalley and Hogan are healthy all track season. Both young men are better people than they are runners. To see them race against each other would be like iron sharpening iron with the two bringing out the best in each other. This is just me thinking out loud.

 

It felt following those four races that the two Class 3A races were just the dessert of the main course that we have seen. It was heartbreaking to see Veronica Znajda of Prospect, who took the lead just after the mile in the 3A Girls race, collapsed with 880 yards to go and could not finish the race. Scout Storms of Barrington pulled away from Liv Phillips of Naperville Central to capture the individual state title.

 

The Prospect teammates surrounding Znajda in the finish area was a moment to remember. The Knights were the defending state champions but had to settle for fourth place overall. Their inner strength showed the following week when they won the Nike Cross Midwest Regional Championship. Tears of disappointment were replaced by tears of joy as they found out that they had won and would be making the trip for the Nike Cross Nationals.

 

The one thing that I am looking forward to this spring from this Prospect group is the possibility of winning their fourth straight title in a row in the 4x800m Relay in May at the IHSA State Meet in Charleston. There have been a number of schools that have won three titles in a row in that event. Four titles would put Prospect’s program on another level. We will just have to wait and see how their season plays out.

 

It’s too bad that four state trophies are not given out at the conclusion of the meet for each class. I am not a proponent of doing that, but the four schools that competed in Class 3A earned a trophy. Its just what it is.

 

York earned their second state title in three years with some great pack running especially throughout the second half of the season. Their top five splits in those meets were all under 30 seconds with a different runner their top runner in each meet. The Dukes had a 25 second split to secure a state title led by an 11-12 finish from Katherine Klimek and Maggie Owens. An inspirational note came from Owens throughout the season. She missed a chance to run at state in 2022. She was ready to go this fall and would be up front for this team along with Klimek and Michaela Quinn. Anna McGrail missed a chance to run last year at Nike Cross Nationals as she was replaced by Owens at NXN. McGrail came back in her senior season to earn all-state honors finishing 21st.

 

Another story of perseverance came from the Downers Grove North Girls team. They lost one of their top runners Kenzie Willard from an injury after the Naperville Twilight Invitational. It was a major loss for the Trojans. The team still fought back to finish second in the Class 3A State Meet and second at Nike Cross Midwest Regionals. It was a good scene watching them finish in Terre Haute each giving everything they had to get across the line. Willard fought back to run at Nationals. She was only a junior so we shall see how high she climbs next fall.

 

Barrington returns the bulk of their squad led by Storms next fall. Their third-place trophy in November could drive them to higher goals in 2024. Illinois took the first four places in Terre Haute. There is always discussion after Illinois teams run over the rest of the competition in that regional meet. I am sure we will have the same discussion next November.

 

Downers Grove North dominated competition throughout the state last fall on their way to the 3A State Boys title using strong pack running with 6 runners in the top 30 to with only a 22 second split. The endgame for the Trojans was the Nike Cross Nationals where they finished seventh overall. Plainfield North should again be one of the teams to watch with a big group returning when they finished second.

 

Post season racing for Illinois runners / teams showed again what kind of runners we produce in this state. “Experts” under estimated Downers Grove North Boys team throughout the season and they let their talking show how good they are as they finished seventh at NXN. Plainfield North tuned up for 2024 in that race by finishing 15th overall. With five runners coming back next fall, the Tigers gave us a preview of what we could see from this squad in 2024.

 

Four Illinois Girls teams would have been a nice sight to see at Glendoveer Golf Course. Any of those team could have been the first finishing team from this state. We saw how close they were to each other throughout the season. On December 2, it was York finishing 12th, Prospect finishing 14th, and Downers Grove North finishing 16th with the three teams separated by just 31 points. Barrington on the same day finished second at the Running Lane Championships. Just a hint, all four of these teams will challenge each other for a state title next fall. We just hope for an injury free season to see a great fall of racing like we did over the past couple of months. There were all championship teams in my eyes this fall.

 

I started running in middle school in 1975. This running journey now has hit 48 years. In reality, it will end sometime but cannot tell you when the journey ends. 2023 was the most challenging year for myself personally which led into the things that I do professionally. I am blessed with results pouring in everyday and having the opportunity to manage that. When I was ready to crack, I could look at rankings lists and smile until I saw a 2:04 time for 3200-meters.

 

A big thanks go out to Kevin Rafferty and Rob Harvey who made my spring flow easier. Rafferty, the coach at Waubonsie Valley, needed an announcer for his annual Red Ribbon Invitational. I volunteered to make the meet enjoyable. Harvey, the Boys and Girls Track Coach at Wheaton-Warrenville South, offered a number of years ago me to be at the Tiger Girls Invitational. I was able to be on the infield calling the races in that meet. Last year, I was at four meets where we had a microphone work allowing me to interview the athletes after their race. It calmed me in the storm that was going on inside of my head. Thank you.

 

I thank Roland Hopkins every year at this time for the things that he does for cross-country in this state. Before he started his website ILLINOIS XC SPEED RATINGS, I was one of the many people he asked about doing it. I am glad he created his site adding more of his knowledge of the sport to all of you. He likes to stay in the background. Roland deserves to be acknowledged in most cases more than me.

 

My gift this year was receiving the meets that I was blessed to attend. Thank you for the young athletes that I got the opportunity to talk to. Thank you to the parents for raising such great kids in this state and to the coaches that allow me the minute or so after a race to talk to their athletes.

 

I receive thanks on social media and in person for what I do. It is extremely humble moment to me. I appreciate that. I have learned so much from running. All I am doing is giving that back to all of you. This life is supposed to be about giving. Perhaps some day the quirky things that I write or recapping what I saw through my eyes will motivate you to jump into the sport. I know we could always use new men and women to officiate in this sport. Perhaps my joy of giving will motivate you to give back to something that interests you.

 

All I can say is thank you for making my passion for what I do even more special.

 

Merry Christmas. Have a happy holiday season.