2019 ILXCTF.com XC Season Awards - Girls XC Runner of the Year (By IHSA Classifications)

By Michael Newman

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Here are the three Girls XC Runners of the Year by IHSA Classification.

Class 3A

There was really doubt who would be selected in this classification.

Katelynne Hart of Glenbard West had not won her first two races in her high school races during the IHSA season. After her third-place finish at the Hornet-Red Devil Invitational her freshman year in 2016, Hart has been unstoppable.

The University of Michigan signee went undefeated during her senior season. She became the fourth Girls runner in state history to win four state championships. The last was Anna Sophia Keller in 2016. Hart’s state time of 16:05 gave her three of the six fastest times for a Girls High School runner ever at Detweiller Park.

While Hart was in a class by herself in Class 3A again this season, there were a couple of other runners that deserve recognition.

Samantha Poglitsch of Wheaton-Warrenville South stepped her running up another level in 2019 finishing second in the IHSA Class 3A State Meet race. She had to outkick Batavia’s Katrina Schlenker to achieve that. The two runners were in a kickers’ dual at the DuKane Conference Championships three weeks earlier with Poglitsch again edging the Batavia sophomore.

Poglitsch finished second behind Hart in both the Glenbard West Regional and Lake Park Sectional before her great run at Detweiller Park. Schlenker missed almost the first month of the season before coming on strong during the state series. There will be a new state champion in 2020. It could be one of these two runners.

This is the fourth time that we have awarded Katelynne Hart this honor. She shared the Class 3A award her freshman year with teammate Lindsey Payne.

For the fourth and final time, congratulations to Katelynne Hart of Glenbard West High School in Glen Ellyn as the 2019 ILXCTF.com Illinois Class 3A Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year.

Class 2A

16:37 showed on the clock when Tatum David crossed the line in her second race ever at Detweiller Park this past September in the Class 2A race at the First to the Finish Invitational.

The Richland County freshman made her announcement to the Illinois High School Cross Country world on that day in a big way. She went on the rest of the season to win her races that she competed in on ana average by over two minutes.

David won her sectional race in Decatur by over two minutes. She was the center of attention the following week in the Class 2A State race when she bolted away from the rest of the field in the first 400-meters of the race daring her competition to follow her.

Her pace was insane going through the first mile in 5:03 leading by almost 15 seconds. The rest as history. David’s time of 16:04 was the fastest time ever run for a freshman in state meet history. It was also the fastest time of the day on the Detweiller Park course and the fourth fastest time ever run at the State Meet.

David had some other big accomplishments after that race. We will describe those in a future article.

Acknowledgments also go out to a couple of other runners in this classification. Brooke Stromsland of Lakes Community was the 2018 Class 2A State Champion. With the emergence of David, the junior knew she would have to challenge herself even more. She ran under 17-minutes for 3-miles three times this season. She ran 16:46 in back to back meets at the Peoria Invitational and the Naperville Twilight Invitational. Stromsland was 29 seconds behind David in finishing second at the state meet. She was within a second of her 16:32 winning time from a year before running 16:33. Stromsland ended her season finishing 10 at the Nike Midwest Cross Regionals.

Ava Parekh of Latin School had a fantastic sophomore season finishing third in the Class 2A State Meet running 17:00. She ran under 17-minutes twice running 16:53 to finish third at the Richard Spring Invitational and then 16:33 to finish second behind Hart at the Naperville Twilight Invitational. Parekh ran well in the post season finishing eighth at the NXR Midwest Regional and then 13th at the Foot Locker Midwest Regional.

All three runners should be factors on the national scene next fall.

Congratulations to Tatum David of Richland County High School in Olney as the 2019 ILXCTF.com Illinois Class 2A Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year.

Class 1A

Lianna Surtz of Rosary High School learned last December that her school would be placed in Class 1A for the next two years. Surtz, who finished second behind Brooke Stromsland in the Class 2A State race, wanted to run against the top runners in the state in either 2A or 3A but would have to settle to be the Class 1A cross country queen this fall.

The sophomore broke away from the pack in the first 400-meters of the Class 1A state race, then rolled to her second career state title (she won the Class 2A 1600 Meter Run in May) running 16:41 to win that race.

Surtz found the competition this fall finishing in the top three in three top races in the Midwest. She finished second at the Richard Spring Invitational, third at the Roy Griak Invitational in Minnesota, and third at the Naperville Twilight Invitational. Surtz did not make it back to the Nike Cross Nationals finishing 12th at the NXR Midwest Regional and then another 12th at the Foot Locker Midwest Regionals. She did not make the regional scene in 2019. She will be in either Portland or San Diego in 2020.

Lydia Roller of Staunton had another standout cross country season finishing second for the second year in a row in the Class 1A race. She ran under 17-minutes for the first time at Detweiller Park crossing in 16:58.9. Roller finished 21st at the NXR Midwest Regional earning Midwest All-Region honors. Her senior season should be one to keep a close eye on in 2020.

Roller and Surtz, along with Amelia McLain of Benton who finished third at state this fall, all will run in Class 2A during the track season where they will encounter Tatum David and Ava Parekh. Those distance races at the Girls State Meet should be lights out.

Congratulations to Lianna Surtz of Rosary High School in Aurora as the 2019 ILXCTF.com Illinois Class 1A Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year.