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Naperville Twilight Invitational - 2019 Meet PreviewPublished by
Naperville Twilight Invitational - 2019 Meet Preview
Hart goes for fourth title; Top 5 teams in state challenge for Girls Team championship; Boys team and individual titles wide-open
By Michael Newman
This meet just gets bigger every year it is held. With the weather forecast to be near perfect for running Wednesday evening, we could have some magical racing occurring on the campus of Naperville North High School. The Girls Varsity race again will be the showcase race of this meet. What could make this race even more exciting is the addition of four of the top individuals in the state along with 17 Girls teams. Katelynne Hart will be chasing after her fourth individual title on her final time on this course. The top five Class 3A teams are in this field led by top ranked Downers Grove South and defending meet champion Naperville North. The Boys Varsity race follows. What could make this race exciting is the unpredictability of what could happen. There is no real individual clear favorite like there has been in previous years in this meet. There are up to eight teams that could come away with the team championship. The first race of the meet begins at 4:30 PM with the Girls Open race.
LIVE RESULTS | MEET INFORMATION | ILXCSPEEDRANKINGS.COM MEET PROJECTIONS
Girls Varsity Race – 7:30 PM
Individual Race – Katelynne Hart of Glenbard West has only run in two big invitational races this fall. The first race at Hinsdale’s Katherine Legge Memorial Park saw Hart find her way around the park in a course record 16:28.7. Two weeks later at the Richard Spring Invitational on Peoria’s Detweiller Park, Hart ran the third fastest time ever for a Girls High School runner (16:00.7) winning by 44 seconds. What will be in store on Wednesday night? Hart wanted Judy Pendergast’s course record of 16:15.2 but high winds prohibited her getting close to that record. The year before in 2017, Hart just missed the record by seven tenths of a second running 16:15.9. Her two races this year have been a telling sign that we could see something special in this race from the Glenbard West senior. The conditions are soggy in some portions of the course due the heavy rains that have hit the area the past couple of weeks. The last four days have been dry. Maybe we see this four-year old record fall around 7:45 PM Wednesday night. The introduction of individual runners to the field could make this race even more exciting. Lianna Surtz of Rosary ran 16:44 behind Hart in Peoria. She came back the following week to finish third at the Roy Griak Invitational in Minnesota. Brooke Stromsland of Lakes Community tuned up for this meet by running a solo 16:46 to win the 1A/2A race last Saturday at Peoria. Ava Parekh of Latin School ran 16:53 finishing behind Hart and Surtz in that Peoria race. We could see faster times from her in this meeting. Her teammate Marianne Mihas has missed the first half of the season due to a foot injury. It will be interesting to see how fast she will run in this meet. Katrina Schlenker of Batavia is the top returning runner from last year (behind Hart). She has raced twice this season with a 10th place finish at Roy Griak her best so far. We should see a faster effort from this sophomore in this race. Brenna Cohoon of Downers Grove South and Samantha Poglitsch of Wheaton-Warrenville South finished in the top five last year. They will look for similar finishes Wednesday night. Maggie Gamboa of Naperville North has emerged as the team’s top runner and will challenge for a front spot. Helena Kleronomos of Yorkville ran strong last week in Indiana and will be a factor in this race. Ashley Heidenrich of Waubonsie Valley has showed great improvement this fall. Expect her to be near the front. The Hinsdale Central duo of Emma Watcke and McKenna Revord cannot be ignored and should challenge for a top 10 finish.
Teams
Downers Grove South ILXCTF State Ranking – 1 Box – 7 Team Preview – The Mustangs enter this meet as the top ranked team in the state after wins at Fenton and the Richard Spring Invitational in September. In their last race, South finished third in the Desert Twilight Invitational outside of Phoenix, Arizona. Brenna Cohoon finished fourth in this race last year and has been the top runner for the team all season. Erin Reidy has stepped up as the team’s second runner. She finished 37 seconds behind Cohoon in Arizona and will need to close that gap. Kennedy Warden was slowed by an injury early in the season and appears to be back at full strength. Reidy and Warden within five seconds of each other would be a plus in this race. Sophomores Sophia McInerney and Alex Spang will need to be within 15 seconds of the first three runners to make this team tough to beat. Rebecca Diddia, also injured at the beginning of the year, is coming on strong and will be a bonus for this team’s top five. Their top five split could be 55 seconds or less. The pack behind Cohoon needs to be within 20 seconds of each other for this team to take home the big prize. The Mustangs rearranged their schedule this fall. This will be their first meeting with Naperville North and Yorkville. The three teams will face each other once more hopefully in the regular season in Peoria.
Naperville North ILXCTF State Ranking – 2 Box – 5 Team Preview – This is the fourth big invitational race this season for the host Huskies. North won the Pleasant Valley Spartan Classic and the First to the Finish Invitational in the first two weeks on the season. They finished second on September 28 at the Roy Griak Invitational. The top five on this team were all underclassmen at Griak led by Maggie Gamboa and her sixth-place finish. You can expect Gamboa to finish among the top five in this race. Audrey Mendrys was 45 seconds behind Gamboa at Griak and will need to close the gap in this race. Molly Morton leads a pack that includes Kate Donaldson and Lucy Westlake. The three were within 17 seconds in their last race and within 30 seconds of Mendrys. That pack needs to close the gap in this race. Campbell Petersen has recovered from an injury has kept her out this season and was cleared to run in this race. A fever kept her out of school Tuesday. She will not compete according to Naperville North Coach Dan Iverson. North’s split in Minnesota was 92 seconds. Their top five will need to be within 60 seconds for a chance to win this race.
Yorkville ILXCTF State Ranking – 3 Box – 11 Team Preview – The Lady Foxes made a big statement last Saturday in finishing third at the Nike Valley Twilight Invitational at Terre Haute, Indiana. Yorkville had injury problems at the beginning of the season with three of their top seven runners out of their lineup at First to the Finish in September. Kailey Fox is slowly coming back from a hip injury. She won the open race in Indiana but will not race Wednesday night. Helena Kleronomos has been the team’s rock and top runner all season and will be in the front again for her squad. The junior finished fifth last Saturday. The emergence of sophomore Margaret Hunter, freshmen Alex Stewart, Katie Melzer, and Makenna Edwards along with veterans Hailey Simmons and Sara Klemm give this team a strong pack. Anna Hunter, who is one of the team’s top runners and finished right with Stewart at First to the Finish, did not run in Indiana. She will not race until their conference meet on October 18. The Peoria race in September showed what this team is capable of. Kleronomos was a minute ahead of the pack with the next four runners within five seconds of each. Yorkville will need that type of race in this meet. The Lady Foxes had a strong move in the final of last Saturday’s race. A repeat of that could mean big things for this squad on Wednesday night.
Glenbard West ILXCTF State Ranking – 4 Box – 9 Team Preview – Most observers did not expect much out of this team at the beginning of this season. The Hilltoppers proved them wrong by finishing second at the Richard Spring Invitational. Their second race of the season at full strength could be another statement maker for this team. It’s nice to add the total score of your second through fifth runners and then add 1. That is what Katelynne Hart brings to this team. She will be the individual favorite in this race. Ignore the top five split for this team. Hart, well, will be Hart and will be way ahead of her teammates. The location of where sophomores Delaney Engel and Audrey Allman will be in the race is something to watch for. Both runners finishing among the top 25 runners will be a key for the team’s success in this race. Their fourth and fifth runners, Anna Nicoley and Ava Powell had times that were within a second of each other on Saturday in different flights at Wheaton North. The two were 50 seconds behind Allman and Engel. That gap will need to be cut by 25 seconds for this team to finish in the top three in this meet.
Batavia ILXCTF State Ranking – 5 Box – 12 Team Preview – Batavia had a breakout race at the Roy Griak Invitational on September 28 when they finished sixth-place overall. This race on Wednesday night will be only the second time this year that Katrina Schlenker has raced with her teammates. The sophomore missed early in the season due to an injury. She appears ready to go in this meet and could finish among the top five individuals. Mia Gianfrancesco and Jennifer Schifferer finished within a second of each other in the Minnesota race. Both could be in the top 20 individually in this race. A key for this team is to get the pack from fourth on closer to Gianfrancesco and Schifferer. There was a 60 second gap in the Griak race with Katie Cole and Audrey Pellico. The Bulldogs are deep from their fourth to eighth runners with 40 seconds separating the group. This meet benefits Batavia since you are allowed 10 runners in the varsity race. Getting their packs closer together could mean a top three finish for this team.
Wheaton-Warrenville South ILXCTF State Ranking – 8 Box – 3 Team Preview – The Tigers have been “stuck in the mud” in some of their races this season. This could be a breakout meet for this team. South’s last race resulted in a fifth-place finish at Palatine. They will look for a better finish in Naperville. Samantha Poglitsch has been the top runner for this team again this fall. She finished fifth in this race last year and will look for a higher showing. Kaitlyn Nenninger has emerged as a strong second runner for this team. A top 15 finish from her will help this squad. It will be interesting to see who steps into the next three scoring spots. Haley Ansiel has been a consistent third runner for this team and will need to stay within 35 seconds of Nenninger. Maria and Tess Rucoba swept the top two spots in the open race at Palatine and could be a plus in this race for the Tigers. Becca Hauenstein and Annie Macabobby could be runners that you also see in the top five for this team. South could be among the top four teams in this meet. Tight pack running from their third through seven runners could put them in a top four team finishing position.
Hinsdale Central ILXCTF State Ranking – 9 Box – 4 Team Preview – The key for the Red Devilettes is getting their fifth runners closer to a strong group of front four runners. Emma Watcke and McKenna Revord were within five seconds of each other in their last race in Wisconsin. The two could finish in the top 10 in this race. Catie McCabe and Louisa Brorson ran side-by-side in the same Wisconsin race but were 32 seconds away from their teammates. Getting that pack closer to the front will be something to watch for. Lucy and Sarah Fischer are the team’s fifth and sixth runners but ran 92 seconds behind Brorson. The pack getting closer to the front four runners could make this team dangerous among the top squads in this race.
Downers Grove North ILXCTF State Ranking – 13 Box – 6 Team Preview – The Lady Trojans are coming off a strong race last Saturday at St. Charles North where they finished third overall. They will use that race confidence when they step to the line Wednesday night. Melissa Jachim has been the top runner for this team and could finish in the top 15 individuals. North will need to rely on a strong pack led by Eva Bednard and Ava Geiger to get this squad among the top three. The two runners, along with Claire Pyne, Maeve Courtney, and Annie Bieda could get this team up in the standings. They will need to stay within 25 seconds of each other and the pack within 55 seconds of Jachim for a high finish to happen.
Neuqua Valley ILXCTF State Ranking – 16 Box – 13 Team Preview – The Lady Wildcats have been one of the surprises in this state with visions of getting to the state meet. They could also finish among the top six teams in this race. Maria Widmann leads this team. She could be among the top 25 in this race. A strong pack of three runners behind Widmann consisting of Julia Rushing, Annie Amundsen, and Emily Stine will need to stay within 10 seconds of each other and 20 seconds of their #1 runner to make things happen for this team. Gretchen Leland leads the next six runners that could be within five seconds of each other. Getting that pack closer to pack #1 will benefit this team in this race.
Metea Valley ILXCTF State Ranking – 18 Box – 14 Team Preview – The Mustangs continue to run strong this season with a fourth-place finish at St. Charles North an indication. Metea was just five points away from third-place in that race. They will look to build off of that. Sophia Sandy has been their top runner all season. The senior could be among the top 20 in this race. A gap of one minute from Sandy and their pack led by Sarah Maggio could hurt the team’s chances of finishing into the top five teams.
Minooka ILXCTF State Ranking – 20 Box – 16 Team Preview – A young Minooka squad will toe the line with hopes of finishing in the top half of the teams. The Indians have not raced in a big meet since their own invitational on September 21. Julia Dames ran 18:02 at First to the Finish and should lead this team. Freshmen Gabby Kics and Gabriella McCollom give this team a strong first three runners. The pack led by Kicks will need to stay within 30 seconds of each other and starting in the first 30 for this team to reach the upper half of the team standings.
Palatine ILXCTF State Ranking – Unranked Box – 17 Team Preview – The Lady Pirates have made it into the top 25 at one point this season. A high finish could get them back into the rankings heading into the state series in a couple of weeks. Palatine is coming off a third-place finish in their league’s west divisional championship. Anne Marie Jordan is still on the comeback after an injury that caused her to miss last spring’s track season. She could be among the top 30 runners in this race. Ellie Roy leads the pack behind Jordan that will need to be within 30 seconds of Jordan and within 25 seconds between their second through fifth runners.
Naperville Central ILXCTF State Ranking – Unranked Box – 15 Team Preview – The Redhawks just dropped out of the top 25 this week and will look to jump right back in. Central will need to rely on tight pack running led by Emily Scott and Kayla Zimmer. The team could potentially have a split on their top five runners. A key will be getting that pack starting between 30 to 35 to move to the top half of the standings.
Waubonsie Valley ILXCTF State Ranking – Unranked Box – 2 Team Preview – The Warriors could be among the top 10 teams in this meet. Ashley Heidenrich has emerged as one of the top 15 runners in the state this fall and will lead this team on Wednesday. A top 10 finish is well within her range. Heidenreich and teammate Katelyn Mullinax are more than two minutes ahead of the rest of their top seven. Mullinax could finish in the top 35. The pack needs to get closer for this team to finish in the top 10
Geneva ILXCTF State Ranking – Unranked Box – 8 Team Preview – The Vikings could be among the teams that finish in the top 10 in this meet. Andrine Larsen will give the team low numbers in the front with the possibility of finishing into the top 20. Sarah Pratt and Lauren Hasty will lead the pack behind Larsen.
Plainfield North ILXCTF State Ranking – Unranked Box – 18 Team Preview – The Tigers are coming off a good race last Saturday in Peoria where they finished seventh overall with a 47 second split on their top five. Aminah Hussain has emerged as the team’s top runner with Sarah Conley leading the pack 20 seconds back. Another great race by this team could move North into the top 12 in this meet.
Lane Tech ILXCTF State Ranking – Unranked Box – 10 Preview – Lane Tech will look to improve on last year’s 17th place finish led by Daniela Martinez and Laine Sullivan. The team ran a 90 second split on five led by Martinez running 19:20 at the Richard Spring Invitational. Martinez finishing in the top 50 and a split of under 75 seconds could move this team up.
Boys Varsity Race – 8:00 PM
Boys Individual Race – It is hard to determine who will be the favorite for the Boys Individual race. There is no runner that standouts but so many runners of equal excellence. Richie Jacobo of Palatine finished eighth in last year’s race and is the top returning runner. Jake Allen of Naperville North placed 10th last year and will contend for the title. He is coming off a second-place finish last week at Lockport. Nicholas Dovalovsky of Neuqua Valley finished eighth in that Lockport race. He did run 14:38 to finish three seconds ahead of Allen in the Richard Spring race. If the Neuqua Valley junior is 100% when the gun goes off, he could be the runner that wins this race. Jason Hoffman of Minooka, Ben Calusinski of Geneva, and John Heneghan of Downers Grove South could be some of the other runners to watch in the front.
TEAMS
Naperville North ILXCTF State Ranking – 9 Box – 16 Team Preview – There are eight teams that are ranked that in this field. The Huskies moved into the state top 10 with a convincing win at Lockport last Saturday. Jake Allen finished second in that race and will be one of the favorites in this race. The pack behind Allen will be a key in this race. The next four runners Tommy Paltzer, Chase Burrell, Julian Head, and Gabe Ryan are all underclassmen and ready for the center stage. 11 seconds separated the four runners in the Lockport race. They need to keep that pack that close in this race. Allen could be a little farther ahead on this flat course. The foursome staying within 25 seconds of their #1 runner could secure the home win for the Huskies.
Jones College Prep ILXCTF State Ranking – 11 Box – 4 Team Preview – The Eagles had a strong race almost two weeks ago when they finished fifth at Palatine. Chances are good that this team could win the team championship. With the possibility of a teacher’s strike in the Chicago Public School District on October 17, Jones may be focused for the big race. Anthony Maida ran a great race at Palatine finishing third and will be one of the runners to watch in the front of the pack. Seniors Ryan DeSantis and Ian Bacon along with juniors Andy Niser, Aaron Hou, and Luke Benes will need to stay within 30 seconds of each other in this race. The split on their top five was 71 seconds at Palatine. Maida in the top five along with a 58 second split in their scorers could give them the team championship.
Hinsdale Central ILXCTF State Ranking – 12 Box – 17 Team Preview – The key for the Red Devils in this meet is what level will some of the runners race in. Central put three runners in the top 33 while finishing ninth overall. Carter McCarroll, Piyush Mekla, and Henning Lay were part of that group. Their next runner finished 92. With the addition of freshman Daniel Watcke and sophomore Colin Hill, this team could have contended for a top five finish in that race. With these five runners leading the way on Wednesday night, Hinsdale Central could contend for the team title.
Downers Grove North ILXCTF State Ranking – 14 Box – 9 Team Preview – Another WSC-Silver school that will be in the hunt for the championship in this meet. The Trojans last race at the Minooka Flighted Invitational on September 21. The last time that they ran as a team in a big meet was at the First to the Finish Invitational the week before Minooka where they finished fifth overall. They have the formula to win this meet. Evan Cummins was the team’s top runner at Peoria and should be up front for North. A finish between 10 to 15 would be a good start for this team. The team ran a 30 second split on their top five scorers in the Peoria. The group of Matt Shimenetto, Roy Llewellyn, Kyle McNally, and Clark Kelly were only separated by 14 seconds. A similar type of race gets them the team crown.
Minooka ILXCTF State Ranking – 15 Box – 2 Team Preview – Minooka finished seventh behind Downers Grove North and Hinsdale Central at First to the Finish only 18 points behind North. It could be that close again in this race. the key will be getting their fifth runner closer to the top four. Jason Hoffman started out the season strong finishing fourth at FTTF. The pack behind Hoffman, Vincent Van Eck, Hunter Phillips, and Daniel Schalk, were separated by only 12 seconds. The fifth runner in that race, Nick Chaidez was almost a minute back. The Indians have the power in the front. They will need a gap of 30 seconds from four to five to capture the championship.
Naperville Central ILXCTF State Ranking – 17 Box – 8 Team Preview – It might take tight pack running to win this Boys race. Naperville Central could have the runners to get that done. Arthur Graham has been the top runner for the Redhawks all season. He finished sixth overall at St. Charles North on Saturday while his team finished third. Graham will need a top 15 finish in this race. The team split was 40 seconds on their top five at St. Charles with Brandon Kamp leading the group. He was only 18 seconds behind Graham. Naperville Central could win the team title but will need a 32 second or under split on their scorers to get the job done.
Neuqua Valley ILXCTF State Ranking – 18 Box – 11 Team Preview – This has not been the typical year for the Wildcats after finishing third at state last year. This young team is learning to race slugging it out for high places every week. They finished second behind Naperville North last week at Lockport. In this wide-open Boys race, Neuqua Valley could come away with a top three finish. Nicolas Dovalovsky has stepped up as the team’s top runner as a junior. He started out strong finishing second at Hinsdale and then fourth at the Richard Spring Invitational. He did not have his best race last week at Lockport placing eighth. He van be expected to be one of the front runners in this race. This team could have a tight pack behind Dovalovsky led by Quinn Kennedy and Aidan Stone with a gap between 20 seconds between the four other scorers. Having “Dovo” in the top five with the pack 25 seconds behind their front runners could be the ingredients to get his team a top three finish.
Yorkville ILXCTF State Ranking – 19 Box – 12 Team Preview – The Foxes are on the rise entering this meet after their best race of the year last Saturday at the Nike Valley Twilight Invitational. Don’t be surprised if they are among the top five teams in this meet. The team had a 69 second top five split off lead runner Ivan Westcott who could finish in the top 25 in this race. Austin Popplewell, Jackson Edwards, and Colin Kachlic were separated by only seven seconds on Saturday. They need to be within 20 seconds of Westcott in this race.
Palatine ILXCTF State Ranking – 24 Box – 13 Team Preview – The Pirates have the same decision as Hinsdale Central does in this race. Do you move your stud freshman up to the Varsity race? Their frosh group won at their home invite 10 days ago. They could push Palatine among the leaders. Richie Jacobo is the #1 runner on this team. He could be in the top five in this race. James Spencer and Andrew Duran could be joined by freshmen Andrew Jordan and Jack Casaccio in their next four like happened at the Richard Spring Invitational. A split on five between 45 to 53 seconds would be a good sign for Palatine.
Batavia ILXCTF State Ranking – Unranked Box – 14 Team Preview – Batavia just dropped out of the top 25 this week. A good race from the Bulldogs could put them back in next week. This team is capable of running a top five split under 40 seconds. The question will be where will that pack start? Adam Kennedy, Eamon Samsami, or Damian Rodriguez could be the leaders of the group. Any of these three runners could finish in the top 20.
Glenbard West ILXCTF State Ranking – Unranked Box – 10 Team Preview – This was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the Hilltoppers. They have surprised some being in the top 25 rankings the past two weeks before dropping out on October 8. Glenbard West has the talent to surprise some in this race led by William Hohe. Don’t be surprised if he is among the top 20 individuals. The pack led by Colin Hess and Pierce Cousins need to stay within 15 seconds of Hohe and have an overall top five split under 55 seconds to be among the top six teams.
Lane Tech ILXCTF State Ranking – Unranked Box – 15 Team Preview – The Indians made it into the top 25 for one week after a strong performance in September at Lake Park. Jack Burns and Tommy Donohue should give this team a strong top two that could finish among the first 30 runners. A team split under 40 seconds could get this team in the top half of this race for teams.
Downers Grove South ILXCTF State Ranking – Unranked Box – 5 Team Preview – The Mustangs have had their ups and downs during this 2019 season. They hope that Wednesday is one of those up meets. John Heneghan ran a season’s best 15:09 last Saturday in Peoria with hopes of running faster in this meet. South had a 76 second split in finishing 12th at Detweiller Park. A split of under 55 seconds could get this team int a top 10 finish.
Oak Park-River Forest ILXCTF State Ranking – Unranked Box – 6 Team Preview – The Huskies could be among the top 10 teams with a good race on Wednesday night. Eamon Cavanaugh and Jack O’Sullivan should be the top runners for Oak Park in this race. The team will need a split on five under 56 seconds to get into one of those top 10 places.
Plainfield North ILXCTF State Ranking – Unranked Box – 3 Team Preview – Senior Matthew Thomas is the top runner on this team having hopes to finish in the top 35 in this race. The Tigers are capable of running a split under 45 seconds. A key will be just moving the pack closer to the front.
Geneva ILXCTF State Ranking – Unranked Box – 7 Team Preview – This could be tough for the Vikings to get near the top 12 teams in this race. Ben Calusinski ran 15:07 at Detweiller Park more than two weeks ago. He could be among the top runners in this race. The team could have a 22 second split on their next four runners. The key for this team for a top 12 finish is moving that pack within 55 seconds of their #1 runner.
Metea Valley ILXCTF State Ranking – Unranked Box – 1 Team Preview – It could be tough for the Mustangs to be among the top 15 in this meet. Only two runners have gone under 17-minutes for 3-miles this fall led by Mamdue Diallo and John Burns. Tight pack running could move this team up.
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