Welin, Watcke win at 3A Hinsdale Central Sectional

Hinsdale Central edges Naperville North for Girls title; Sandburg win close battle for Boys team crown

By Michael Newman [email protected]

Hinsdale, Ill – A muddy cross-country course can be an unkind equalizer if you hit the wrong spot on a course, you go down and your race is basically over.

The meet directors and administration of Hinsdale Central High School got the course as ready as it could be with a two-day rain finally stopping just after midnight before the morning of the race. Yes, there were some bad places on the course. You just learn to deal with like most of the runners did in the two races at Katherine Legge Memorial Park.

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There was another unkind equalizer that moved a dark cloud over this sectional meet. It was the placement of 12 ranked Boys and Girls teams in this qualifying for the race done by the IHSA in September. There was not much that can be done with it as the runners toed the line. Five teams would end their seasons on this day. It happens every year after every sectional meet has concluded. It should not happen this way.

With so many great teams and great runners in one spot, so many remarkable things happened on this day. The sogginess of the course slowed down what could have been some fast times.

Josephine Welin of Oak Park-River Forest took the lead early in the Girls race. She held off Sophia McNerney of Downers Grove South to win the sectional title with a 17:31 time. McNerney finished second (17:36) stamping herself as a runner to watch in the front next Saturday in the 3A State Meet.

Welin took the pace out hard after the gun charging to the lead in the first 200-meters of the race. By the half-way part of the race, Welin had opened a 10 second lead on the pack that included Katrina Schlenker of Batavia, Catie McCabe of Hinsdale Central, McNerney, and Catherine Sommerfeld of Lyons Township.

By the time Welin went up a muddy hill on the south end portion of the course for the second time in the race, she felt the fatigue in her legs just before the 2-mile point in which she passed in 11:30. McNerney saw that moment and started to move away to the pack and close the gap on Welin.

“I think it was the hills that took a little bit out of my legs,” Welin said describing her race especially towards the end. “I couldn’t slow down. I just had to keep on going.”

The gap was closing in the final 800-meters of this race. And Welin knew it as she made the final turn heading for home.

“I saw her coming,” Welin added. “I just dug down with everything that I had and kicked.”

McCabe passed Sommerfeld in the final 10 meters to finish third. Both runners were timed in 17:45. Holly Johnson of Downers Grove South moved up to fifth in the final mile as she crossed the line in 17:54. Audra Soderlind of Oswego followed in sixth (18:07). Naperville Central’s Liv Phillips and Ava Hendren finished seventh and ninth with Lucy Westlake of Naperville North placing eighth. Schlenker slowed in the final 50-meters finishing tenth (18:16) and collapsed after crossing the finish mats.

Hinsdale Central took advantage of their home course finish to hold off Naperville North 104-111 to win the sectional title. McCabe led Central and then was followed by Erin Milligan finishing 16th. The next three runners of their top five were separated by 11 seconds as Sarah Fisher (29th) was followed closely by Gabby Thanos (32nd) and Louisa Brorson (33rd). Their overall top five split was 79 seconds off McCabe. Their split from Milligan to Brorson was 31 seconds.

Naperville North has seemed to survive some health scares over the past two weeks to even advance to the state meet. Westlake’s top 10 finish was complemented behind her with a 35 second split from her teammates in the second through the five spots.. Emma Berres led that pack (20th) followed by Julie Piot (24th), Sophie Golobitsh (27th), and Logan Brennen (39th).

It got extremely close between the next five state qualifying teams. Oak Park-River Forest finished third (131 points) paced by Welin’s win and Katie Stabb finishing 17th. Downers Grove South was two points behind in fourth (133 points) led by McNerney and Johnson finishing in the top five. The next three teams were separated by only one point. Batavia and Downers Grove North both scored 155 points finishing fifth and sixth. Naperville Central was the final qualifier in seventh with 156 points.

Lyons Township experienced heartbreak finishing 11th overall failing to qualify. It was learned after the race that two of their runners were sick entering the race.

There was just as much suspense in the Boys race as the gun went off for the start at high noon. It played out like the last two races that Downers Grove North and Hinsdale Central were involved in. Roy Llewellyn of Downers Grove North took the pace out hard with Daniel Watcke of Hinsdale Central just sat on his shoulder waiting to put his 48 second 400-meter speed to effective use. Watcke waited until the final 200-meters to make a small microburst ahead of the rest of the field coming towards the finish line. Watcke crossed the line with a smile on his face as he ran 15:10 to take the win. Tim Neumann of Downers Grove South passed Llewellyn just steps from the finish to place second. Both runners were timed at 15:15.

“I just wanted stay relaxed, stay composed during the first mile and go for a ride,” Watcke said after the race. “I just kicked it in until I finished. You can never know what will happen.”

Llewellyn, Watcke, and Declan Tunney of Sandburg were together just before the half-way point of this three-mile race. Neumann and Parker Nold of Oswego East had separated from the rest of the pack and were about three strides behind the leading trio. There was a gap and a pack of five more runners with Sandburg at that point with four runners in the top nine.

Small moves were made by al five runners over the next mile checking to see if anyone would drop off the pace. That was not happening as the front pack of three became five as the group passed two miles in 10:06.

Tunney held on coming towards the finish line to finish fourth (15:17). Nold was next in 15:19. There was close to a 10 second gap before a charging Ethan Forsell of Oswego crossed the line in sixth (15:28). Colby Revord of Hinsdale Central was next (15:30) followed by another Oswego runner, Benjamin Huey in eighth (15:33). Brock Rice of Sandburg in ninth (15:37) and Noah Schalliol of Neuqua Valley in tenth (15:38) rounded out the top 10.

The presence of Sandburg runners in the front was the difference in this tight team race. The Eagles placed 4 runners in the top 19 to help them win the sectional title with 70 points. Tunney and Rice were followed by Grant Giblin placing 11, then followed by Sean Marquardt (19th) and Trent Anderson (35th). Their top five split in this race with a 45 second split.

Downers Grove North seems to be on the rise with another good race and today a second-place finish. Topher Ferris followed Llewellyn in this race by placing 14th. Then came through the finish line for the Trojans Caden Weber (23rd), Karan Shetty (24th), and Kyle McNally (30th). Their top five split was 45 seconds. Their split from Ferris to McNally was 13 seconds.

Hinsdale Central was only seven points behind their conference rival as they scored 92 points to finish third. Watcke and Revord were followed by Abhinav Reddy (29th), Aden Bandukwala (31st), and Michael Skora (38th) that only had a five second split between the three runners. Their overall spit was 54 seconds.

Oswego moved up during the second half of the race to finish just points back in fourth with 94 points. Balin Doud followed Forsell and Huey in 15th. Brady Nelson (34th) and Michael Smart (45th) were the team’s fourth and fifth runners. Oswego’s overall top five split was 45 seconds.

Lyons Township made it to Peoria finishing fifth (144 points) led by Charlie McLawhorn finishing 13th. Downers Grove South ran their best race of the season which was rewarded with a trip to the state meet by finishing sixth with 172 points. Neuqua Valley was the final team to advance scoring 185 points to finish seventh.

Jones Prep missed qualifying to state but ran their best race of the season by finishing eighth with 232 points. Waubonsie Valley had bad luck on this day with two of their top runners injured entering the race with one falling with 300 meters left in the race. The Warriors finished ninth with 240 points.