State Champions Hart and Methner look for repeat invitational wins; Top notch team battles ahead for both Boys and Girls races

By Michael Newman

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The hype for this meet started way before the first official day of cross country in Illinois. Defending individual Class 3A champions in the state Katelynne Hart and Josh Methner are back to defend their individual titles.

The challenges for the team championships should be enormous with the top six Class 3A teams in the Boys race and three of the top six teams in Class 3A in the Girls race. The addition of the Boys and Girls teams from Claremont CA just make this meet even stronger.

The weather conditions appear to be great on Saturday morning for cross country running should be also optimal. Add in the conditions of the course are as good as last week’s race could mean some fast times.

Here is a look at each of the Varsity races that will take place Saturday morning at Detweiller Park. The first race off the meet commences at 9 a.m. with one race going off every 35 minutes.

RACE BOX ASSIGNMENTS

WATCH the 2018 Richard Spring Invitational Varsity Races – BOYS | GIRLS

Girls Varsity Race - 9:35 AM

Ranked Teams (28) – 3A: #2 Downers Grove South, #5 Hinsdale Central, #6 Wheaton-Warrenville South, #7 York, #8 Glenbard West, #9 Neuqua Valley, #10 Oswego, #12 St. Charles East, #14 O’Fallon, #15 Oswego East, #19 Hersey, #20 Oak Park-River Forest, #22 Downers Grove North; 2A: #3 Latin School, #4 St. Ignatius Prep, #13 Chatham-Glenwood, #14 Urbana, #17 Peoria Notre Dame, #18 Mahomet-Seymour; 1A: #2 Monticello, #4 Normal University, #6 Rosary, #10 St. Joseph-Ogden, #11 Benton, #13 St. Thomas More, #21 Stanford Olympia, #24 Wheaton Academy (California: Claremont CA #7)

Other Teams: AA Stagg, Waubonsie Valley, West Aurora, Bartlett, Bartonville Limestone, Belleville East, Belleville West, Bismarck-Henning, Glenbard North, Lincoln Park, Marist, Deer Creek-Mackinaw, Deerfield, Grant Community, Lincoln-Way East, Geneva, Heyworth, Hinsdale South, Joliet West, Joliet Catholic, Lake Forest, Lake Zurich, Lane Tech, Stevenson, Lincoln-Way Central, Lincoln-Way West, Glenbard East, Loyola Academy, Machesney Park Harlem, Maine South, Mother McAuley, Providence Catholic, Palatine, Pekin, Plainfield Central, Plainfield East, Plainfield South, Pleasant Plains, Pleasant Valley IA, Quincy, Rantoul, Lake Park, Sandburg, Schaumburg, Springfield, Springfield Lanphier, Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin, Springfield Southeast, St. Charles North, Taylorville, West Chicago

Team Preview – Three of the top six Class 3A teams lead the field and could be the teams that challenge for the Varsity title. This will be the second invitational race of the season for Downers Grove South. It could be the first race where they are at full strength. Brenna Cohoon is the top runner for the team and will challenge for a finish in the top five. Sophia McNerney has showed great improvement this fall and makes their pack behind Cohoon even stronger. The addition back of Rebecca Diddia and Kennedy Warden along with Erin Reidy could make this team tough to beat.

It was a breakout performance for Hinsdale Central two weeks ago on their home course. They have the strength up front to challenge for the team title on Saturday. Emma Watcke and McKenna Revord could be among the top 10 finishers. Catie McCabe is a strong third runner that could be among the top 15. The Red Devilettes top five split was 78 seconds. A split under 64 seconds could get them the race championship.

Wheaton-Warrenville South finished behind Hinsdale Central two weeks ago at Hinsdale. They would like to change the order of finish on Saturday. Samantha Poglitsch will be among the leaders in this race. Kaitlyn Nenninger finished 30 seconds behind Poglitsch in the last race. That gap should close in Peoria. The gap between the first two runners and then the next five runners led by Haley Ansel is something to keep an eye on.

York has displayed strong pack running in their first two races including a win last week at Lake Park. Freshman Brooke Berger has stepped up as the team’s #1 runner. The split on their top five off Berger’s lead was only 29 seconds. That kind of split along with Berger in the top 20 could mean big things for the Dukes.

We should see Glenbard West’s lineup in full strength in this race for the first time this fall. Three time race winner Katelynne Hart will be the favorite in this race. Hart did not run last Saturday due to a college visit. Delaney Engel and Audrey Allman stepped up as the team’s top two runners. All three could finish in the top 15. Moving their fourth through seven runners forward could get this team among the top three squads.

Claremont, located east of Los Angeles, makes their first trip to the Richard Spring Invitational and could be among the top three teams in the meet. They have a strong nucleus back from last year’s team that finished 12th at the Nike Cross Nationals. This will be the second race of the season for the Wolfpack. They finished fifth behind the nation’s top team Great Oak CA at the Cool Breeze Invitational on September 6. Maddie Coles, Azalea Segura-Mora, and Angie Gushue could all finish in the top 20. Their split from the pack to their fourth runner was 78 seconds in their first race. That split needs to be lowered to challenge for the championship.

Neuqua Valley and Oswego had strong performances at Joliet last week and could play a factor in the top 10 along with Lincoln-Way Central. Oswego East showed a strong front four at Hinsdale. Getting their fifth runner closer to the group could place this team among the top 10. Palatine could be a surprise in the top 10 especially if Anne Marie Jordan is in their lineup. The junior has missed all of track season due to an injury suffered when she qualified for the state meet individually. Jordan won the open race at Palatine two weeks ago.

Individuals to Watch (in alphabetical order) – Alice Abbott-St. Charles East; Audrey Allman-Glenbard West; Rachel Baumgartner-Lincoln Way Central; Brooke Berger-York; Mabry Bruhn-Monticello;   Brenna Cohoon-Downers Grove South; Maddie Coles-Claremont CA; Delaney Engel-Glenbard West; Morgan Ede-Oswego East; Nia Gibson-Chatham Glenwood; Angie Gushue-Claremont; Anna Harden-Hersey; Katelynne Hart-Glenbard West; Ashley Heidenrich-Waubonsie Valley; Fran Hendrickson-St. Thomas More; Melissa Jachim-Downers Grove North; Ella Jeffries-Sandburg; Katie McCabe-Hinsdale Central; Amelia McClain-Benton; Sophia McNerney-Downers Grove South; Marianne Mihas-Latin School; Azalea Segura Mora-Claremont CA; Aly Negovetich-Grant Community; Kaitlyn Nenninger-Wheaton Warrenville South; Rhiannon O’Keefe-St. Ignatius Prep; Ava Parekh-Latin School; Samantha Poglitsch-Wheaton Warrenville South; Rachel Price-St. Charles North; McKenna Revord-Hinsdale Central; Oliva Rosenstein-Urbana; Peyton Schieppe-O’Fallon; Elizabeth Sims-Mahomet Seymour; Lianna Surtz-Rosary; Emma Watcke-Hinsdale Central; Josephine Welin-Oak Park River Forest; Madison Zarembski-Oswego East

Individuals Preview – Will this be the fourth win in a row in this race by Katelynne Hart? This could be a different race for her. The previous three years she has won here but came off a race the week before at Lake Park. She did not race last week. The 16:14.7 that she ran in warm conditions last year was amazing. The forecast looks to be cooler for Saturday’s race. She did set a course record on the rolling hills of Katherine Legge Memorial of 16:28.7 two weeks ago indicating that she could be ready for something special at Detweiller Park this weekend.

The field is strong enough and the course is dry enough that we could see maybe 10 runners under 17-minutes. Aly Negovetich has won her first two invitational races of the season She also has a course personal best of 16:33 at Detweiller Park. Ava Parekh ran 17:07 last week on this course and is itching to get back to run a sub 17-minute time. Lianna Surtz has looked strong this fall running solo in most of her races. She will have company on Saturday meaning we could see the pack go with her for a fast time.

Alice Abbott and Samantha Poglitsch both ran under 17-minutes in last year’s race finishing in the top five. Both will be in the front again. Brenna Cohoon lives for the big race. You should expect her close to the front. Maddie Coles finished second as a freshman last November in the California D2 Championships. She will be among the leaders in this race. Emma Watcke and McKenna Revord finished just behind Poglitsch in the race at Hinsdale. Keep an eye on them in this race.

Peyton Schieppe is coming off a win last week at Forest Park MO and could play a factor in this race. Olivia Rosenstein has looked strong early in the season. A top 20 finish on Saturday is not out of the question. Class 1A runners Amelia McClain and Mabry Bruhn should be runners to watch for. McClain won her division last week at Forest Park. Bruhn, only a freshman, has been on fire early this season and could put up a fast time on this course.

Boys Varsity Race – 10:45 AM

Ranked Teams (25) – 3A: #1 York, #2 St. Charles East, #3 Wheaton-Warrenville South, #4 Hersey, #5 Sandburg, #6 Barrington, #8 Lake Zurich, #9 Oswego East (JV), #16 Neuqua Valley, #17 Naperville North, #19 Palatine, #20 Wheaton North, #21 Lane Tech, #22 Deerfield; 2A: #7 Chatham-Glenwood, #14 Bartonville Limestone, #23 Springfield, #24 Normal University; 1A: #1 Stanford Olympia, #2 Monticello, #5 Latin School, #6 Northridge Prep, #10 Deer Creek-Mackinaw, #17 St. Joseph-Ogden (California: Claremont CA #5)

Other Teams: AA Stagg, Arthur-Lovington (Indv), West Aurora, Bartlett, Belleville East, Belleville West, Benton, Bismarck-Henning, St. Thomas More, Chicago Alcott (Indv), Brother Rice, Lincoln Park, Marist, Grant Community, Lincoln-Way East, Geneva, Heyworth, Hinsdale South, Hononegah, Joliet Central, Joliet West, Joliet Catholic, Lincoln-Way West, Glenbard East, Loyola Academy, Machesney Park Harlem, Mahomet-Seymour, Maine West, Providence Catholic, Niles Notre Dame, Oak Park-River Forest, O’Fallon, Oswego, Pekin, Peoria Notre Dame, Plainfield Central, Plainfield East, Plainfield South, Pleasant Plains, Pleasant Valley IA, Quincy, Rantoul, Robinson (Indv), Lake Park, Shepard, Springfield Lanphier, Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin, Springfield Southeast, St. Charles North, Taylorville, Urbana

Teams Preview – This is the early season team matchup that most fans have looked forward to in this race. The top six Class 3A teams are in this field. Add one of the top California teams in the field and it makes this race even more exciting.

St. Charles East moved to the top of the ITCCCA Coaches Poll after a convincing win last week at Lake Park. Bob Liking, Aidan King, and Micah Wilson all ran under 15-minutes on the fast Lake Park East Campus course last Saturday. The Saints top five split went from 34 seconds in their first race to 42 seconds in their last effort. The top five needs to be under 40 seconds for this squad to come home with the team championship.

Wheaton-Warrenville South will look to bounce back after finishing second behind St. Charles East last week. The team had a Billy Hauenstein will be among the favorites. The Tigers had a 55 second split on their top five last race but that was without top five runner Jared Peaslee who was involved in ACT testing. David Zeller should lead the pack that will need to stay within 26 seconds of each other and 15 seconds of Hauenstein to challenge for the win.

This will be the first big race of the season for top ranked York. The Dukes were missing some of their top runners due to ACT testing last week but still won at Joliet behind the win from Colin Hill and third-place finish from Sam Ayers. The addition of Daniel Klysh and Michael Moriarty, among others, will give this team a boost. This will be a rust buster for most of this team. It is hard to determine what kind of finish we will receive from them.

Hersey easily won two weeks ago at Fenton and will be challenging for a top three spot. Josh Methner, the defending 3A state champion, will be one of the race favorites, and will have Max Svienty up front with him among the top 10. Sandburg looked strong at Lyons Township with Will and Ben Giblin running under 15-minutes. The team had a top five split of 47 seconds in that race. The pack getting closer to the Giblin Brothers could push the Eagles closer to the top three.

Claremont CA started their season finishing behind Great Oak at the Cool Breeze Invitational. The Wolfpack is a team that will challenge for a finish among the top five teams. Adam Trafecanty was under 14:50 in that first race and could challenge for the individual win. Claremont top five split of 52 seconds needs to come down for this team to challenge in the front.

Barrington had a strong opener in winning the Lake County Invitational behind Patrick Furlong and will be among the teams in the top 10. This will also be the first big meet of the season for Lake Zurich. They do have a strong nucleus returning from last year’s state team led by Jack Gilboy. It will be interesting to see how they stand after their rust buster.

Neuqua Valley will continue to work on their pack running behind Nico Dovalovsky after the second-place finish at Forest Park MO. Wheaton North and Palatine are some of the teams that you could see in the top 10.

Stanford Olympia will be back on the Detweiller Park course after a convincing win last week at the First to the Finish Invitational. The Spartans are a squad that could finish ahead of some of the Class 3A ranked teams as well as last year’s 2A state champion Chatham-Glenwood. The second ranked Class 1A team Monticello is a team that will measure themselves against Olympia in this race.

Individuals to Watch (in alphabetical order) – Jake Allen-Naperville North; Negus Bogard-Robinson; Yoon Cho-Claremont CA; Nico Dovalovsky-Neuqua Valley; Jason Dworak-Joliet Central; Patrick Furlong-Barrington; Brett Gardner-Lincoln Way East; Ben Giblin-Sandburg; Will Giblin-Sandburg; Wilson Georges-Bartonville Limestone; Jack Gilboy-Lake Zurich; Layton Hall-Arthur Lovington; Patrick Hart-Lake Zurich; Billy Hauenstein-Wheaton Warrenville South; Colin Hill-York; Richie Jacobo-Palatine; Byron Jones-Belleville East; Aidan King-St. Charles East; Daniel Klysh-York; Thomas Leonard-Marist; Bob Liking-St. Charles East; Josh Methner-Hersey; Michael Moriarty-York; Fiker Rosen-Quincy; Max Svienty-Hersey; Adam Trafecanty-Claremont CA; Graham Turk-Chatham Glenwood; Micah Wilson-St. Charles East; David Zeller-Wheaton Warrenville South

Individuals Preview – The last time that Josh Methner ran on this course he was crowned the Class 3A State Champion. He also won this race a year ago waiting for the final mile to make his move. We have not seen Methner at full speed yet this fall after an easy win at Fenton. This could be the Saturday that he pushes the pace.

This is a strong and deep field behind Methner that could push the state champion to fast times in almost perfect conditions. Brett Gardner ran a solo 14:42 in his win two weeks ago at the Rich Dust Invitational. He is ready to challenge Methner. Bob Liking is coming off a win at Lake Park where he ran 14:41. Keep an eye on him in the front.

California’s Adam Trafecanty ran 14:42 for 3-miles in his first race of the season and is capable of being among the leaders in the front. He could be a surprise in this race. Billy Hauenstein and Nico Dovalovsky were separated by less than a second in the Hinsdale race. Expect both to be in the lead pack.

Max Svienty, Aidan King, Micah Wilson, Michael Moriarty, Daniel Klysh, Colin Hill, and Ben & Will Giblin will be among the front runners trying to get their teams single digit points. Jake Allen was among the top runners at Hinsdale and is an athlete that should not be dismissed in this race. Richie Jacobo could also be among the top 10 runners. Watch for 1A runners Negus Bogard and Layton Hall that will push for fast times in this meet.