Illinois High School XC Weekend Highlights - September 20, 2020

 

 

 

By Michael Newman

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This weekend heated up with more smaller invitationals taking place. There were some high level dual meets that brought about some top times.

 

Here are highlights from some of the meets that took place on Friday and Saturday.

 

MIDWEEK HIGHLIGHTS | RACE VIDEOS AND INTERVIEWS

 

FRIDAY RESULTS | SATURDAY RESULTS

 

Oswego / Yorkville Dual Meet @ Old Post School Course, Oswego

 

Yorkville displayed in the Girls race why they are one of the top teams in the state. The Lady Foxes took the lead at the gun and never looked back on the way to a 18-45 win ahead of a good Oswego team. Helena Kleronomos led from the start on her way to the win with a 18:18 time for the 3.06-mile course. Margaret Hunter was eight seconds behind Kleronomos to give Yorkville a 1-2 finish. Oswego’s Audra Soderlind broke up the Yorkville pack as she ran 18:40 to finish third.

 

Yorkville took the next six places in the race. Their split from third runner Anna Hunter and sixth runner Hailey Simmons was only four seconds. Their overall top five split was only 37 seconds.

 

The Boys team race outcome was in doubt until the final 200-meters of the race. Both teams had five runners in the top 10 in this race. It was the 1-2 finish by Ivan Westcott and Austin Popplewell that gave Yorkville the narrow win 26-29 over a tough Oswego team. The two Yorkville runners took the lead from the start and never looked back. Westcott pulled away in the final 800-meters for the win (15:16) with Popplewell seven seconds behind in second-place.

 

What won the race for Yorkville is that their third and fourth runners Colin Kachlic and Nathan Summers moved up in the final mile to break up Oswego’s four runner pack. If that did not happen, Oswego would have won the team race. Oswego was led by the 3-4-5 finish from Balin Doud, Ethan Forsell, and Benjamin Huey. The three runners were only separated by four seconds. Oswego’s top five split was 30 seconds. Yorkville had a top five split of 49 seconds. Their split from Kachlic and #5 runner Ben Whaley was 19 seconds.

 

Hinsdale Central / York Boys Dual Meet @ Katherine Legge Memorial, Hinsdale

 

This dual meet between two state traditional powers in the West Suburban-Silver Conference produced another close dual meet like they have done in the past Friday afternoon. Hinsdale Central’s Daniel Watcke pulled away from the York trio of Colin Hill, Ethan Summer, and Mickey Vreeland after two miles to give the sophomore the individual win of 13:49 over the 2.8-mile course. Hill (13:53), Summer (13:55), and Vreeland (13:57) finished second through fourth separated by only four seconds.

 

It was the pack of Hinsdale Central that secured the team win for the Red Devils as they won 27-30 over the Dukes.

 

The pack of Colby Revord, Piyush Mekla, Henning Ley, and Henry Gruber were only separated by six seconds. What secured the win for Central was the ninth-place finish from Henry Gruber as he finished ahead of York’s fourth runner Garrett Schwann.

 

Palatine Girls Quad @ Palatine High School Campus Course

 

The weekend kicked off with some fast times on Palatine’s new quick campus course. We knew Loyola’s Morgan Mackie showed how good she was during the summer. We found out how good she was on the cross-country course in this race. The freshman ran 17:10 on this 3-mile course to give her the win and holding off Hersey sophomore Anna Harden by three seconds. Harden’s time was a great 17:13.

 

Loyola Academy is showing that they are one of the top five teams in Class 3A. The Ramblers placed five runners in the first 11 to win this quad with 28 points. Hersey scored 61 points edging Palatine (69 points) and Maine South (71 points).

 

Whitney Young Invitational @ Humboldt Park, Chicago

 

Another new course in the Chicago area where this meet was held. The flat terrain of Humboldt Park produced some fast times especially in the Girls Varsity race. Latin School’s Ava Parekh proved that as she took the lead from the start on her way to running 16:43 on the 2.98 mile course for the win. 2.98 miles is 50 yards short of three-miles. The three-mile time equivalent would have been 16:50 which would have been one of the times for that distance in the nation.

 

Latin School showed their strength taking the top four spots along with five runners in the top seven to win with only 18 points. Parekh was followed across the finish line by teammates Marianne Mihas (17:37), Olivia Syftestad (17:44), and Bea Parr (17:54). McKenna Fellows was the team's fifth runner running 18:57 to finish seventh.

 

Payton Prep scored 63 points to finish second ahead of Jones College Prep (74 points).

 

Five points separated the first three teams in the Boys Varsity race. The 2-3-4 finish from Ryan Hardiman, Peter Bernhardt, and Akili Parekh helped Latin School to the win with 60 points. Whitney Young and Lane Tech both scored 65 points tying for second-place. Taft’s Lucas Guidone pulled away in the final moments of the race to run 15:12 for the win. Hardiman was second with a 15:17 time.

 

Latin placed five runners in the first 30 with a 120 second split. Their top three split was only 12 seconds. Whitney Young packed it up led by the ninth-place finish from Paxton Ferencak. The Dolphins placed 5 runners in the top 17 with only a 20 second split. Lane Tech, led by the sixth-place finish from Hunter Whitney, put 5 runners in the top 19 with a top five split of 29 seconds.

 

Peoria Notre Dame Boosters Invitational @ Detweiller Park, Peoria

 

This weekend would normally have the Richard Spring Invitational. With the social guidelines effecting the attendance of Chicago-area schools, only six schools were able to compete in this meet.

 

The Boys race produced another fast effort from Limestone’s Wilson Georges. Only five runners were under 16-minutes in this race. It was the Limestone junior’s time of 14:50 that was the fastest on Saturday. Olympia’s Charlie Kistner ran 15:04 to finish second. Elmwood’s Luke Hoffmann ran 15:40 to finish third.

 

Olympia led all the Boys teams in the Varsity race scoring 40 points while placing three runners in the top seven and 5 runners in the top 15. Olympia’s top five split was 90 seconds. Their split from second runner Logan Wheeler (4th) and fifth runner Alec Pfeffer (15th) was 39 seconds. Elmwood (58 points) and Peoria Notre Dame (73 points) finished second and third overall.

 

Normal University put three runners in the first four places and 5 runners in the top 13 to help them win the Girls Varsity race with 28 points. Peoria Notre Dame placed five runners in the first 12 to score 36 points to finish second. U-High’s Lyndsey Wolters ran 18:04 to claim the individual win with Maria Stedwill of Notre Dame running 18:10 to finish second.

 

Neuqua Valley Triangular Meet @ Neuqua Valley Campus Course, Naperville

 

Naperville North rested their top runner Maggie Gamboa in this race on Saturday. The Lady Huskies still put six runners in before another team’s runner could finish giving them a perfect 15 points. Neuqua Valley (57 points) and Metea Valley (69 points) finished second and third. Eight seconds separated Naperville North’s top three runners. Audrey Mendrys covered the three-mile course in 17:24 for the win followed by teammates Lucy Westlake (17:30) and Campbell Petersen (17:32). Naperville North’s top five split was 41 seconds.

 

The Boys race between the same three teams on Friday was closer. Neuqua Valley put five runners in the top nine to give them the edge 25-30 over Naperville North in this race. Metea Valley scored 80 points to finish third. Nicolas Dovalovsky showed that his fitness is at a high level. The senior ran 14:46 to win by 22 seconds ahead of teammate Aidan Stone (15:08). Neuqua Valley’s top five split was 46 seconds. Their second through five runner split was only 24 seconds.

 

Naperville North was just as strong in this race as their top three pack behind Stone of Tommy Paltzer, Julian Head, and Chase Burrell were separated by only three seconds. The Huskies top five split was only 20 seconds.

 

Marist / Benet Academy Girls Dual Meet @ Marist HS, Chicago

 

Defending Class 2A State Champion showed why they are the top team in their classification as they scored a perfect 15-50 win over ESCC conference rival Marist Friday afternoon. Elisabeth Camic led the Benet pack as she ran 18:10 for the win six seconds ahead of teammate Louisa Diamond. The Redwings had a split of only 20 seconds on their top five runners.

 

Dixon Triangular Meet @ Sauk Valley Community College

 

This Big North Conference Meet showed the strength of a deep Rockford Christian team in the Boys race. The Class 1A school scored 25 points to finish ahead of Class 2A power Dixon (33 points) and Rock Falls (84 points).

 

Dixon top the top two spots in this race with Brock Drengenberg running 16:22 for a commanding 27 second win ahead of teammate Cadyn Grafton. Then came the Rockford Christian pack as they took the six places led by the third-place finish from D’Artagnon Beaver (17:09). The Royal Lions were separated by 46 seconds from Beaver and fifth runner Ethan Walsh that finished seventh.

 

Dixon was in charge in the Girls race placing 5 runners in the top 10 scoring 26 points for the win. Rockford Christian (50 points) and Rock Falls (53 points) finished second and third. Freshman Emma Smith led the way for the Duchesses as she ran 20:20 for the win. Kelly Giardina of Rockford Christian (20:31) and Jade Miller of Dixon (20:33) finished second and third.

 

Downers Grove North / Lyons Township Girls Dual Meet @ Greene Valley FP, Naperville

 

This race showed how a dual meet can work when you have a tight pack. Even though Lyons Township took three of the first four places, it was the pack of Downers Grove North that prevailed. Both teams scored 28 points to tie. It was sixth runner Ashley Novak of North that finished ahead of Lyons Township fifth runner Kate Ferrell that gave them the tiebreaker and the meet win.

 

It was a great individual race as Lyons Township’s Kate Dickman pulled away for the win in 18:18 nine seconds ahead of Downers Grove North’s Melissa Jachim (18:27). Catherine Sommerfeld and Madeline Ryan finished third and fourth to give the Lions the advantage. The Trojans countered by taking the next four spots led by Annie Bieda’s fifth-place finish. Their split on that pack was only 16 seconds.

 

Hinsdale South / Downers Grove South Boys 7 on 7 Throwdown @ Hinsdale South

 

The purpose of this Friday night meet under the lights at Hinsdale South’s track was to give both teams the advantage to run a competitive and fast race. That was accomplished as all 14 runners achieved personal bests.

 

Downers Grove South’s Tim Neumann and Hinsdale South’s Julian Watson broke away from the rest of the field after an opening 2:30 first 800-meters. The two runners passed 1600-meters in 4:58 with the pace picking up gaining 10 seconds on the field.

 

Neumann was on his own after 2400-meters as he slowly broke away from Watson. Neumann ran a negative split 4:55 for the second 1600-meters of the race. He finished up with 14:53 for the win as he finished off the track on the stadium’s infield. Watson also ran a 15 second personal best as he ran 15:16 to finish second overall.

 

Dunlap Invitational @ Dunlap Middle School, Dunlap

 

This meet was run in three wave races. In the Boys race, Ian O’Laughlin of Metamora was tops of them all as he cruised to the win running a 15:09 time. Jesse Golden of Christian Life Academy ran 15:34 to finish second. Metamora placed three runners in the first six to help them to the win with 40 points. Morton (54 points) and Dunlap (60 points) finished second and third.

 

Eureka, led by a 1-2 finish from Anna Perry and Alexi Fogo, scored 48 points for the team win ahead of Morton (57 points) and Metamora (61 points). Perry ran 17:39 for the win with teammate Fogo running 17:56 to finish second. Morton’s Emma Skinner ran 18:36 to finish third.

 

Grayslake Central / Warren Township Boys Dual Meet @ Central Park, Grayslake

 

This NLCC / NSC crossover meet gave Warren Township a chance to run a real dual meet. The North Suburban Conference is using a time-trial format to conduct meets this fall. Luke Wiley ran a strong 15:12 to dominate the field in his win by 40 seconds ahead of Grayslake Central’s Bryan Vale (15:52). Central’s Trey Sato ran 16:00 to finish third. Warren Township took the next seven places to help them the team win 23-38 ahead of host Grayslake Central.

 

Highland Invitational @ Fireman’s Park, Alhambra

 

Highland edged Roxana 33-35 in this Girls three team meet. Triad scored 52 points to finish third. Grace Meyer of Highland ran 19:23 for the individual win ahead of Triad’s Sydney Hartoin (19:41) and Highland’s Faith Brindley (19:45).

 

Troy Triad placed five runners in the top nine to hep them to the Boys team win (4 schools) with 27 points. Highland’s Easton Rosen ran 16:07 for the win ahead of Triad’s Drake Bleier (16:15) and Ethan Dudley (16:40).

 

Mascoutah Invitational @ Mascoutah Middle School

 

Fast times were the name of the game in the Boys Varsity race run on the Mascoutah Middle School 2.95 course.  Trenton Wesclin’s Justin Mumford ran a fast 14:39.9 to capture the win with Father McGivney’s Tyler Guthrie running 15:10 to finish second. Mascoutah placed six runners in the top nine to score 28 points for the team win.

 

Waterloo placed three runners in the first four places to help them win the Girls race 34-38 ahead of Mascoutah. Waterloo freshman Angelynn Kanyuck ran 18:15 for the win with freshman teammate Ali Koeppel to finish second.

 

Olney Invitational @ Olney Central College

 

Monticello almost ran a perfect 15 in the Girls race but took the first four places in winning with only 16 points. Richland County was the closest school as they scored 88 points to finish second. Mabry Bruhn of Monticello won her fifth straight race of the season. The sophomore ran 16:23 for 2.83 miles for the win. Teammate Rachel Koon ran 17:15 to finish second.

 

Richland County placed 5 runners in the top 14 to give them the Boys team win with 39 points. Mattoon (55 points) and Monticello (71 points) finished second and third. Richland County’s Gavin Kirby ran 14:37 to win by 15 seconds ahead of Brock Davee of Mattoon.

 

Sandburg Boys Quad @ Midlothian Meadows

 

Sandburg placed five runners in the top seven to win easily with 21 points. Maine South scored 44 points to finish second. Maine South’s Matt Coyle ran 15:05 for 2.98-miles to edge Sandburg’s Ismail Tineh by one second (15:06). Sandburg did not run their full lineup resting Grant Giblin and Patrick Anderson. The Eagles still ran a 27 second split on their top five runners.

 

St. Teresa Invitational @ Hickory Point GC, Decatur

 

This flight meet combined the individual runners time to determine a race winner. Mt. Zion, led by Ashleigh Anderson’s third-place finish, scored 48 points for the win followed by St. Thomas More (81 points) and St. Joseph-Ogden (83 points). It was a freshman 1-2 finish as Bismarck-Henning’s Gabriella Moreman ran 18:30 for the win ahead of Trixie Johnson of Paxton-Buckley-Loda (19:11).

 

The regional guidelines produce repeat matchups during the season. This was the case as Ryder James of Paxton-Buckley-Loda and Layton Hall of Arthur-Lovington faced once again. James again won this race, but it was much closer on Saturday. The margin between the two runners the past two weeks was in double digits. James ran 15:10 for the win as Hall ran 15:16 to finish second,

 

St. Joseph-Ogden got top 10 finishes from Brandon Mattsey (5th) and Carson Maroon (7th) to help them win the Boys race with 55 points. Arthur-Lovington, who was without second runner Logan Beckmeier for this meet, finished second with 80 points.