2020 IHSA Class 3A XC Regional Meet Previews

 

 

By Michael Newman

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The next two weeks take up more importance than they usually do during the normal season. COVID-19 has eliminated the state meet in Peoria. The change of format in which Regional Meets will be more in the forefront than usual. Instead of cake walk city in most every regional meet, the change of only five teams advancing to the sectional meets make this Saturday even more important.

 

You wanted a tougher regional meet? Well, you’ve got it.

 

Here is a look at each of the 12 regional races that will take place in Class 3A.

 

 

Chicago Whitney Young Sectional

 

Chicago Marist Regional

 

Things to Watch – Sophia McNerney of Downers Grove South is having a breakout junior season that is expected to continue in Saturday’s Girls race. The junior ran 17:18 on her home course at the end of September and should be the runner to watch in the front. There are a number of runners that will challenge for the second spot including Brielle Morris of Sandburg, Melissa Jachim of Downers Grove North who finished fourth last week at the WSC-Silver, and Karolina Rozanski of Stagg.

 

Downers Grove North and Downers Grove South will be two of the teams to run for the regional race. Hinsdale Central is a young squad but could advance in this sectional. Sandburg ran a good race in their second-place conference finish last week and could challenge the two West Suburban Conference teams. Marist and Mother McAuley look to be in the top five but will need good races to stay ahead of Stagg to make it to Chicago’s Lincoln Park next week.

 

This could be one of the top Class 3A Boys regional races this weekend. Sandburg did not run their star frosh/soph runners Grant Giblin and Trent Anderson up on varsity in last week’s conference win. Sandburg should be the team to beat especially with good races from Ismail Tineh and Griffin Lehnhardt. Downers Grove North ran a great pack race to win the WSC-Silver team title last week in horrible conditions. Evan Cummins and Roy Llewellyn will need to keep their split under 33 seconds to stay close to Sandburg. Hinsdale Central finished third in that WSC-Silver race and could challenge for the win with a strong race from sophomore Daniel Watcke and a solid pack right behind him. Downers Grove South has a solid team that should advance to next week. Marist, led by Jake Phillips, should be the final team to advance on their home course.

 

The individual race is wide-open and could be led by Sandburg’s Tineh and Tim Neumann of Downers Grove South. The South junior ran 14:53 on the track in September for 3-miles and would not be a surprise if he won. Watcke and Lehnhardt will also be in the front in this race.

 

Chicago Whitney Young Regional

 

Things to Watch – We saw what Josephine Welin of Oak Park-River Forest could do last week in the WSC-Silver Girls race when she ran 16:49 for 2.88 miles in high winds for conference title. It is hard to see anyone get close to her in this race. Evelyn Hett of Jones Prep finished second in last week’s Chicago City Championship could be Welin’s closest competition.

 

Oak Park-River Forest has the best of the packs in this meet and could place six runners among the first ten to win the regional title. Lane Tech edged Jones Prep for the City team championship last Saturday. The two teams will challenge for second-place. Lincoln Park and Whitney Young should make the return to next week’s sectional at Lincoln Park.

 

A strong performance by Jones Prep in winning last Sunday in the Chicago City Championships makes them the overall favorite in this meet. The Eagles are a good bet to score a perfect 15 led by Aaron Hou, Andy Niser, and Michael Sommese. This team ran only a 15 second split in their last race. That trend should continue in this regional. Lane Tech and Whitney Young will contend for the second position. Do not be surprised if an underrated Oak Park-River Forest surpass both teams. Niles West could be the fifth team out. Do not count out Berwyn-Cicero Morton who could be a surprise.

 

Oswego East Regional

 

Things to Watch – I was surprised that this regional was shifted to the Chicago Sectional. Both the Boys and Girls races should be interesting to watch.

 

Three time defending Class 3A champion Naperville North has been untouchable this season. That should not change in this meet. Maggie Gamboa leads a tough first four along with Audrey Mendrys, Lucy Westlake, and Campbell Petersen. Sophie Golobitsch is a fifth runner that will be less than 40 seconds behind the front. That split makes this team tough to beat. Oswego East ran a great race last Friday at the Southwest Prairie Conference Meet led by Naylah Allen. They will need a similar effort to finish among the first three teams. Oswego has a good front runner in Audra Soderlind. The Panthers finished fourth in that conference race and will need better pack running to finish second. Neuqua Valley and Naperville Central are teams that we could see advance downtown.

 

Nicolas Dovalovsky of Neuqua Valley will be the runner to watch to win the Boys race Saturday afternoon. He should have company in the front with Balin Doud and Ethan Forsell of Oswego, Jackson McClellan of Moline, and Arthur Graham of Naperville Central will be among a pack of strong runners that will challenge for top five finishes.

 

Neuqua Valley did not have their best race of the season last week in their conference meet when they finished behind Naperville North. The Wildcats will need top 10 finishes from Dovalovsky and Aidan Stone in this race along with a top five split under 35 seconds off Dovalovsky’s lead. Oswego had the team race won going into a final mile with three runners towards the front ahead of Yorkville’s group. They need to keep their pack up front together throughout and a split under 30 seconds in order to capture the win. Some will realize that this team is really good in the next two weeks. Naperville North could also win with tight pack running and a split under 25 seconds. Five runners in the top 25 will also help led by Tommy Paltzer and Julian Head.

 

Waubonsie Valley has a solid pack that could finish among the first three teams led by Angel Solis. A controlled first mile and then moving the rest of the way gets the Warriors into the first three. Naperville Central did not run their top runners last week but should advance this week led by Graham and Brandon Kamp.

 

 

 

Hoffman Estates Sectional

 

Fox Lake Grant Regional

 

Things to Watch – There is really no question who should win the individual Girls race. Aly Negovetich of Grant Community has been undefeated this year including a 20 second win last week in the NLCC Meet ahead of Brooke Stromsland. She could win by a minute in this race a against a field of runners that is good. The North Suburban Conference Meet provided top races from Lake Forest’s Skyler Kreunen and Libertyville’s Bree Ponchak and Sheila Tucker. The three runners should be in the pack behind the Grant junior along with Maggie Mason of Cary-Grove and Isabella Marisco of Lake Forest.

 

Take your pick, but any of four teams could walk away with the regional team championship. Lake Forest has three runners that could finish among the top 10. The Lady Scouts need their fourth and fifth runners in before 25th to get the win. Warren Township, on the other hand, may not have any runners in the top ten on Saturday, but have their entire top five in before 20th place. Cary-Grove could have Mason among the top five runners in this race. They should have a 15 second split on their 2 through five runners that puts them in contention. Libertyville should have Ponchak and Tucker among the first five runners. Getting their top five in the first 30 is a key to get them to the win. McHenry and Zion-Benton will challenge for the final sectional spot from this regional.

 

The Boys individual race should be strong with CSL-North champion Jason Polydoris of Highland Park. Luke Wiley of Warren Township should be his chief competition. Highland Park freshman Nate Wehner could also be in the pack. Highland Park may have the edge especially with having two possible runners in the top five. Getting their scorers in the first 20 should help. Warren will need six runners in the first 20 to offset Highland Park’s strength in the front. Libertyville is almost a lock to finish in the top three teams. It gets foggy after that as McHenry, Round Lake, Grant Community, and Cary-Grove will all challenge for the final two sectional spots.

 

Hoffman Estates Regional

 

Things to Watch – No guessing in the Girls race, especially in the front. Prospect is one of the top teams in Class 3A and should show that again in this race. Prospect should be in control with their top five runners possibly in the top five led by individual favorites Audrey Ginsberg and Hailey Erickson. Glenbrook South should have Molly Durow and Maggie Jortberg in the top ten. That should push the Titans to sectionals. Evanston Township has gone unnoticed this season but could challenge for the regional win led by Hope Leman. A trio of MSL schools Rolling Meadows, Hoffman Estates, and Schaumburg will fight for two sectional spots.

 

MSL individual winner Stephen Barretto of Rolling Meadows will be challenged by Evanston’s Essay Tolosa for the Boys race win. Glenbrook South’s Brian Hiltebrand is also a possibility in the front. Maine West has not been in position to win a regional meet in what could be close to 40 years. The Warriors could win with Jesus Vallejo and Adam Gorcyca in the top five and five runners in the top 25. Glenbrook South, Hoffman Estates, and Prospect could all be in the mix for the team win. Evanston looks to be a solid top five team that should make it to sectionals.

 

Wilmette Loyola Academy Regional

 

Things to Watch – This could be the monster of monster regionals in Class 3A this weekend. Both the Boys and Girls race will be exceptionally tough. It will be a shame that some good teams will end their season at this meet.

 

Morgan Mackie of Loyola Academy and Anna Harden of Hersey pushed each other in a fast race at Palatine in September with Mackie the win by three seconds. The two will face off against each other for the first of two weeks. Brooke Johnston of Lake Zurich has run 17:19 this fall and will be in the front with Mackie and Harden. Kristin Loftus of Lake Zurich, and Ellie Grammas of Loyola should be among the runners that could challenge for a top five finish.

 

Loyola Academy is a top 10 Class 3A team that could win Saturday on their home course. They should have three runners in the first 10 in this race. Five in the first 19 runners secures them a regional title. Barrington had a good MSL race last week and could narrow the gap on Loyola if they can keep their top five in the top 23 and within 34 seconds of each other. New Trier and Lake Zurich are good fits in the top five. Lake Zurich could have three runners in the first eight. Their fourth and fifth runners  need to be in the top 40 for this team to advance. New Trier again should have a solid pack. The Lady Trevians their top five runners finishing between 11 and 26. MSL rivals Hersey and Palatine should battle for the fifth spot. Hersey finished third and Palatine fourth in their league meet last week.

 

The Boys race should be just as tough. Jacob Myers and Jack Gilboy of Lake Zurich will be two of the runners in the front. Spencer Werner of Loyola should be with them along with Nick Falk of New Trier.

 

New Trier showed earlier in the season at Sandburg that they could have the deepest team in the state. That showed in their win last week at the CSL-South championships. They enter this meet as the favorite with all seven runners in the top 15. They could have a top five split under 30 seconds which locks up a win. Barrington has been a mystery team all season. The Broncos showed up at the MSL Championship and came away with the win. Just like New Trier, Barrington could have a team split under 35 seconds in this race led by Jake Ziebarth and Alfredo Arnieri. Barrington could have four runners in the top 12 but will need their fifth runner in the top 25 to challenge for the win.

 

Lake Zurich could have two of the top runners in this race along with Danny Burns in the top 15. Their top five split needs to stay under 60 seconds with five runners finishing in the first 30. Hersey has a solid pack led by Quinn Born and Luis Vasquez. The Huskies may not have a runner in the top 10. They could have a top five split of under 37 seconds with their top five runners in the first 35. Deerfield could be a surprise with Josh Puyear in the top ten and a pack between 15th and 30th places. Loyola Academy and Palatine are good. They could have their season’s end Saturday afternoon.

 

 

 

Lyons Township Sectional

 

Hillside Proviso West Regional

 

Things to Watch – What can we say in the Girls race other than again Samantha Poglitsch of Wheaton-Warrenville South and Katrina Schlenker of Batavia race against each other. This time it is on Proviso West’s 3.05 mile course. Schlenker made her move just after 2-miles at last week’s DuKane Conference Meet securing her a 20 second win ahead of Poglitsch. The two have raced against each other so many times this fall. Schlenker will move early to take away Poglitsch’s lethal kick. The question is when will that move be made?

 

Audrey Allman of Glenbard West did not have her best race last week at the WSC-Silver race last week but should bounce back on Saturday. Michaela Quinn of York finished ahead of Allman and could repeat that kind of performance in this meet. Kate Dickman of Lyons Township should be a runner to watch in the front along with Batavia’s Jenna Schifferer.

 

York made a statement in last week’s WSC Silver Meet with a convincing win of 31 points ahead of Oak Park-River Forest. The Lady Dukes had a 73 second split in that win. That needs to come down for that team to win in this meet. Batavia finished second last week in their conference meet with their best race of the season. The Bulldogs could have three in the top 10 with Schlenker, Schifferer and Laura Hunecke leading the way. Lyons Township could be among the teams to advance out. Wheaton-Warrenville South finished fourth at DuKane last week with not their best race of the season. Wheaton North could sneak ahead of them if a similar happens for the Lady Tigers.

 

Owen Hays of Lyons Township looks to be the favorite in the Boys race after a strong run and win last week at the WSC-Silver Meet. Pierce Cousins of Glenbard West finished second in that race and will play a factor on Saturday afternoon. Ryan Schreiner of Wheaton North could be among the runners to challenge for the win along with Michael Atkins of Wheaton-Warrenville South.

 

Lyons Township finished second in the WSC-Silver last week and will need Joaquim Thorpe closer to Hays in this race. Wheaton-Warrenville South edged Wheaton North by three points in last week’s conference meet. The two teams should be close again on Saturday. York did not have their top seven racing at WSC-Silver last week due to a quarantine. All of their top seven will race on Saturday led by Mickey Vreeland, Colin Hill, and Ethan Summer. Glenbard West could have the edge on Batavia for the fifth and final spot. The Hilltoppers will need to have a similar race as they did last weekend to make it Lyons Township next weekend.

 

Rockford Guilford Regional

 

Things to Watch – Kelly Carpenter of Jacobs finished third at the Fox Valley Conference Meet and should be the favorite in this Girls race along with Michelle Gasmund of Rockford Guilford and Breanna and Brittney Burak of Huntley. It should be Huntley that could win this regional with a strong pack and possibly five runners in the first 13. Jacobs and Hononegah should make it to sectionals along with Dundee-Crown. Rockford Auburn and Rockford Guilford will race for the final spot.

 

The Boys race will be close with three runners that have the talent to win individually. Riley Newport of DeKalb has raced against DVC teams this fall and has improved. Peter Maculan of Rockford Auburn and Andrew Doetsch of Jacobs should challenge Newport for the win. Jacobs ran strong in their dual meet portion of the season and then finishing second in the FVC. Placing five runners in the first 20 could place this team in the top spot. DeKalb and Huntley are locks to advance. Dundee-Crown, Rockford Auburn, Hononegah, and Rockford Guilford will be the teams that we could see in the final two qualifying spots.

 

Roselle Lake Park Regional

 

Things to Watch – St. Charles East should sweep both team titles similar to what they did last week on this course at the DuKane Conference Meet. Rachel Price of St. Charles North ran great running 17:42 to finish third last week. She should be the favorite along with Jenna Buchanan of Bartlett. St. Charles East’s Marley Andelman and Morgan Sandlund lead the Lady Saints’ pack. East has been improving throughout this season. They should have their top seven at the worst in the top 15. Nevertheless, they should win on Saturday. St. Charles North and Maine South are teams that are equal and challenge for the second and third spots. Geneva, Taft, and South Elgin should challenge for the final two spots.

 

St. Charles East has a strong front three that should be difference makers in the Boys race. Luke Schildmeyer ran a 14:33 last week to beat teammate Micah Wilson by five seconds. Those are the two runners you should watch in the front. East’s Zach Loomis, Matt Coyle of Maine South, Noah Eng of St. Charles North, and Chicago City Champ Lucas Guidone of Taft will challenge for top 10 finishes. Ben Calusinski of Geneva is expected to race Saturday after missing weeks due to a hamstring injury. Keep an eye on him in this race.

 

The Saints should win easily with five runners in the top 12. Having three of the first four finishers again will be a big help. Maine South is a lock for second. St. Charles North, Taft, and Geneva should advance with the other three spots.

 

 

 

Normal Community Sectional

 

Granite City Regional

 

Things to Watch – The Girls Individual race should be interesting to watch in this regional. Freshman Ali Ince of Normal Community had a breakout race last week at the Big 12 Championships running 17:22 at Detweiller Park. She will be one of the runners to watch in the front. Peyton Schieppe of O’Fallon is having a good comeback campaign after missing last year due to injury. She will be in the front. Alyssa Elliott of Belleville West and Anna Schuering of Quincy are having standout seasons and will be in the mix along with Edwardsville’s Riley Knoyle. All of these runners have run under 18-minutes this season giving us a good race in the makings.

 

The emergence of Ince has Normal Community on another level and a team that could this tougher than usual regional. Lauren Sanderson and Olivia Hartke can be expected to be in the top 10. Five runners in the top 20 seals the deal for this team. Edwardsville and Quincy should make it to Maxwell Park next week. Edwardsville has Knoyle in the front but will need a split of 37 seconds or under on their 2 to 5 runners. Quincy has received a boost from Anna and Olivia Schuering which solidifies the team’s presence in the front. Their split could be too big to allow them to get to second. Pekin and O’Fallon should also advance. Granite City is good but needs to move their pack up to extend their season one more week.

 

One of the runners that we have seen this fall have a dramatic improvement has been Ryan Watts of Edwardsville. The junior, who transferred from West Aurora after his freshman season, is running with more confidence. It shows in his racing. He clocked 14:53 at Belleville West in September. Watts will be challenged in the front by Quincy all-state runner Fiker Rosen. The junior is coming off a 15:03 win last Thursday at the Western Big Six Conference and will push for the win. Freshman Trey Peterson of Collinsville could be a surprise up front.

 

Edwardsville is the clear team favorite in the Boys race. Watts as a potential individual winner along with Geo Patrylak and Ryan Luitjohan in the top 10 make this team tough to beat in this meet. Pekin should challenge for a top five finish led by Drae Heiple in the top 10. Normal West, O’Fallon, and Collinsville are close to locks to also make the trip north for sectionals.

 

Minooka Regional

 

Things to Watch – Yorkville should be the class of this regional in both the Boys and Girls races. The Lady Foxes put six runners in the top 11 last week on the Channahon Park Course for the Southwest Prairie Conference Meet. Helena Kleronomos will be one of the runners to watch in the front and leads her team. Lockport and Minooka should challenge for the second team spot. There were some fast times from the Southwest Suburban Conference Meet last week. Lockport could surpass Minooka with good races from Kayla Shea and Monica Skibicki. Minooka has SPC Champion Gabby Kics to lead them. Their team getting the top five in the first 15 will be something to watch from this squad. Plainfield North will advance to Normal next week. They could get closer to the first three teams with good races from Claire Wilson and Aminah Hussain. Bolingbrook should also get out of this regional.

 

Austin Popplewell has been running with thoughtful reckless abandon this fall helping Yorkville to one of the top five Class 3A teams in the state. Wil Kiley of Lockport Township ran 14:33 on what was reported as a 3-mile course and could challenge for the win against Popplewell.

 

It was close for Yorkville last week as they won by only two points. The Foxes should be the favorite with Popplewell in the front and the return of Ivan Westcott who looks to be recovered from an illness that had sidelined him for a couple of weeks. Five runners in the top 10 is possible for this team. Minooka was 11 points within Yorkville and should challenge for the win with good races from Vincent Van Eck and Daniel Schalk. Lockport has Kiley in the front. They just need four runners in the top 18, five runners in the first 30 to catch Minooka. Plainfield North should advance out of this regional. Plainfield South, Bolingbrook, and Joliet West should all challenge for the fifth qualifying spots.

 

Tinley Park Andrew Regional

 

Things to Watch – Three runners are figured to challenge for the win in the Girls race in this regional. Merrigan Allen of Lincoln-Way Central had a good race last week at her conference meet and should be in the front. Caroline Schoen of Homewood-Flossmoor is having a breakout sophomore season and will figure in who shall win. Gianna Arizzi of Lincoln-Way West is another sophomore that I could see winning. It would not be a surprise if you see Kate Guderjan of Lincoln-Way East also winning.

 

Lincoln-Way East and Lincoln-Way Central are the teams that I could see winning on Saturday. East will need to get four runners in the top 10 along with possibly six runners in the top 20. Central needs to have three runners in before East’ second runner to capture the win. Lincoln-Way West could surpass both of those teams but will get their five runners finished before 18th place. Bradley-Bourbonnais, Homewood-Flossmoor, and Andrew all have the talent to advance to sectionals in the final two spots.

 

You should see teammates Jay Parker and Caden Simone of Lincoln-Way Central challenge for the individual win in the Boys race. Nolan Rogers of Lincoln-Way East could also challenge the two Central runners. Lincoln-Way Central has a strong first four that should be among the first ten in this race. They need their fifth runner in the top 20 to secure the team win. Lincoln-Way East could be one stride behind Central with two runners in the first five but will need their 3 to 5 runners move up to be within reach of the win. Lincoln-Way West, Andrew, and Bradley-Bourbonnais are all good choices to make it out of this sectional.