2022 Distance Night In Palatine Preview

 

Ince, Watcke, and Rogers look to repeat as DNIP Champions

 

 

By Michael Newman – [email protected]

 

 

It seems like every year that when we all converge at Chic Anderson Stadium on the campus of Palatine High School for Distance Night in Palatine, we have multiple layers of sweats on trying to stay warm. This year we should be able to keep all those clothes in our cars.

 

DNIP Website | Link for Live Results

 

Temperatures are supposed to be in the 80’s during the day. By the time the Main Event races go off at 9:00 PM, mid 70’s temperatures will surround us. The heat index may be higher with the electricity of the fast times that will surround this track.

 

This is the sixth edition of this distance wonderland of a meet that former Palatine Coach Chris Quick created. It keeps getting better every year. We may get some winds whipping up Saturday night. We still think the performances could be out of this world.

 

Three runners are back to go after back to back championships in this meet. Drew Rogers of Herscher is back after an injury slowed him down during the indoor season. His eyes are on another meet championship and lowering his meet record.

 

Daniel Watcke of Hinsdale Central sprinted away for the meet record last year in the Boys 800 Meter Run. He will be the big favorite in that race with the possibility of running under 1:50 in his reach.

 

Allison Ince of Normal Community highlighted last year’s meet by edging Roisin Willis to set a new meet record in the Girls 800 Meter Run. She is back not to defend that title but run a fast time and maybe a new record in the Girls 1600 Meter Run.

 

All six Main Event races have competitive fields. The undercard races before the main event may be the deepest in the meet’s history.

 

Here are previews of what you can expect to see Saturday night. The Undercard races begin at 5:30 PM.

 

Girls 800m Run

 

Meet Record: 2:04.10 – Allison Ince, Normal Community - 2021

 

Main Event Race Time – 9:03 PM

 

Main Event Preview – Defending champion Allison Ince is in the meet but not in this vent choosing instead to run the 1600 Meter Run. Three runners enter this race with personal bests under 2:14. Becca Heitzig of Lincoln finished her basketball season in March on hopped straight onto the track. She stepped onto the track in high style running 10:45.78 to win the 3200 Meter Run. Her times outdoors have continued to be great. She ran the second fastest time in the state 2:11.8 in a quad meet at Rochester on April 11. She went under five minutes for the first time running 4:59.92 at Olympia on Tuesday. She finished sixth in this race last year. She is in position to take home the top prize on Saturday.

 

Bella Domier of Grayslake Central possesses a wicked finishing kick that could cause problems if she is close to Heitzig in the final 200-meters. Domier finished the indoor season winning the 3A race at Illinois Top Times and should play a factor in this race. She ran a personal best of 2:12.68 to finish second at state last June. Jordyn Miller of Mundelein ran a 2:13.40 personal best in 2021. This senior should have her eyes on a top three finish.

 

Four other runners under 2:20 are in this race including Grace Erb of Winnebago, Isabella Orozco of Aurora Central Catholic, Annie Macabobby of Wheaton-Warrenville South, and Erin Milligan of Hinsdale Central. We could see two of these runners get close to or under 2:16. Brodie Denny of Anna-Jonesboro and Trixie Johnson of Paxton-Buckley-Loda are two Class 1A runners that could be surprises in the top five. Daija Brown of Homewood-Flossmoor could also shock some fans in this race.

 

Section 3 – Abby Machesky of Crystal Lake South is the top seeded runner in this race at 2:21.75. We should see the winner under 2:19 in this section. Mt. Zion’s Ashleigh Anderson and Sofia Munoz won’t be doubling like they normally do in a meet. The two runners are par of Mt. Zion’s 4x8 team that should make some noise in May. Both will be under 2:20 but far under? Downers Grove South’s Holly Johnson steps down a distance to run this event in this meet. The freshman 3A All-State XC runner ran 5:04 for 1600-in March. She could be close in this race. Abigail Ziemer of Normal Community or Cassie Fuhrman of Minooka should be watched for on Saturday.

 

Section 2 – This could be a close section race with all 12 runners scheduled to compete have run seed times between 2:24 and 2:25. Madison Perez of Lakes and Kate Tueting of Naperville Central are the top two seeds. Sydney Williams of Oswego East was seeded 12 in her section last year and ended up winning that race. She is seeded eight in 2022 and again could come away with a win.

 

Section 1 – Hannah Diete of Taft is the top seed in the first section of this event. Charlotte Muller of Lane Tech, Olivia Kunio of Rosary, and Bryn Sato of Grayslake Central are some of the runners that you could see challenging for the win.

 

Boys 800m Run

 

Meet Record: 1:52.72 – Daniel Watcke, Hinsdale Central - 2021

 

Main Event Race Time – 9:08 PM

 

Main Event Preview – There are two types of racing that Hinsdale Central’s Daniel Watcke exhibits once the gun goes off. The first is just going for the win. The second is going for a fast time. The stars are aligning to provide almost perfect conditions to run on Saturday night. This should be one of these fast Watcke races.

 

The junior ended his sophomore track season running 1:50.34 at the end of last June. He left this meet last year winning and setting the meet record in the process. Watcke has shown some fast performances during the indoor season running a 1:54.3 leg on his team’s 4x800m Relay at the Mustang Relays. He then ran a solo 1:19 in the 600 Meter Run at the WSC-Silver to end the season. This was on basically strength work. He showed he is ready for a fast 800 last Saturday at Downers Grove South running a state leading 48.89 for 400-metes in less than optimal conditions. He could go under 1:50 in this race. A sub-1:49 may also be in the cards for this junior.

 

Let’s face it. This race will be for second unless something unfortunate happens to the defending 3A champion. However, this field is good behind Watcke where we could see three or four runners going for times under 1:55. Ryan Schreiner of Wheaton North tuned up for this meet running 1:56.62 in a dual meet Tuesday at Lake Park. He was all-state in 3A last June. He could be one of those sub-1:55 runners on Saturday. Brian Hiltebrand of Glenbrook South had iron deficiency problems during the fall cross-country season. On little training before the state meet, he ran 4:30 for 1600-meters. It shows the talent that this senior has. Hiltebrand was all-state last June and finished second in March at Batavia Distance Madness. He should be along side Schreiner. Brett Wasick of Bolingbrook won at Batavia in March and followed up by running the exact same time (1:56.21) he ran at Batavia in winning at Illinois Top Times. He is running with one more confidence and could take one of the top three positions.

 

Eli Mojonnier of Bismarck-Henning is the defending 1A state champion with a 1:56.44 lifetime best. He should be in the hunt for a top finish. Garrett Slack of Lincoln ran 1:56.47 on April 9 at Rantoul. Parker Schneider of Durand WI was the Wisconsin D3 State Champion last year at this distance having a time under 1:57. Both Slack and Schneider should be factors in this race. Michael Polizzi of Taft also has a best under 1:57 and could be a surprise when the gun goes off.

 

Section 3 – Sam Atkinson of Mt. Zion enters this meet with a 1:58 seed time. We could see something special from him after he ran a state leading 1:56.10 at Springfield last Saturday. Charlie Richardson of DePaul Prep has a 1:57.58 best for now that should get close to under 1:56 on Saturday night. Aden Bandukwala of Hinsdale Central continues to gain confidence at this distance after running the 400 most of last year. The sophomore came from behind to win the WSC-Silver race in March. He has that killer kick that could give him the section win. Teammate Grant Miller ran 1:58.86 last week at Downers Grove South. He will also play a factor on the outcome of this race. Fenwick’s Grayden Rill and Lee O’Bryan along with Ryan Leonard of Oak Park-River-Forest could go under 1:57. Julian Aske of Beacon Academy, Samson Desalines of Chatham-Glenwood, and Lucas Doland of St. Viator could run huge personal bests in this section.

 

Section 2 – Patrick Hilby of Aurora Central Catholic and Zach Kiley of St. Ignatius Prep are the only runners in this section that have bests under two minutes. Jackson Gilbert of Urbana finished third in the 2A 400 Meter Dash at state last June. He has run 21.70 for 200-meters and under 50-seconds again for 400-meters already this outdoor season. The 2:00.08 that he ran at Danville at the beginning of April indicates he could have a fast time in this race. Lou Delano of Oak Park-River Forest and Owen Forberg of HL Richards should be runners also to watch for.

 

Section 1 – A wide open first section with al 12 runners within a second of each other. Michael Jerva of Glenbrook South has the top seed. Landis Musser of Riverdale, Ethan Sterling of Jones Prep, and Elias Wilkin of Payton Prep should also be in the mix. Runners such as Chris Miserendino of Waubonsie Valley, Patrick McClanahan of Palatine, and Joey Drage of Barrington could be also near the front.

 

Girls 3200m Run

 

Meet Record: 10:13.91 – Lauren Pansegrau, Middleton (WI) - 2021

 

Main Event Race Time – 9:13 PM

 

Main Event Preview – This race is deep in talent with 12 runners with seed times at 11:01 or under. Lauren Pansegrau won this race in 2021. She will not compete in this meet in 2022. This race is wide open with at least five runners in this field that have a legitimate chance to win.

 

It is hard to believe that this is the first year on the track for Normal University’s Delaney Fitzgerald. The senior has adapted to track running quickly having run a personal best 10:41.66 at Bloomington on Good Friday. This Kansas University signee runs bests in every race. Let’s see how much she lowers her PR on Saturday night. It could also mean a win. Peyton Schieppe of O’Fallon ran 10:46.12 solo also on Good Friday in her home invitational. We will see her pushing the pace. Caroline Schoen’s time at Rock Island last Saturday of 10:49.34 was remarkable considering she won the race by more than two minutes. The Homewood-Flossmoor junior will have runners with her in this meet. That should not bother her. It did not when she won the 1600 Meter Run at Illinois Top Times.

 

Lianna Surtz of Rosary knows how to take the pace out in big races. We have seen her do it twice at Detweiller Park winning two state xc championships. The senior has not run this race that much with a personal best of 10:50.52. She is a runner that I would not count out. Audra Soderlind of Oswego is a big meet runner. We should see her among the front pack. Soderlind did run 10:50.43 indoors at Batavia in March. Sarah Fischer of Hinsdale Central has displayed that she is one of the most improved runners in the class of 2023. Fischer’s times have dropped to where she is now under 111-minutes. I would keep an eye on her in this race.

 

Naperville Central’s Liv Philips and Ava Hendren have been great this track season and should play a factor in this race. Anna Harden of Hersey does run great in big meets. We should also see a good race from her. Julie Piot of Naperville North and Breanna Burak of Huntley have run under 11 and should do so again at Palatine. Catherine Sommerfeld of Lyons Township missed most of indoor season due to an injury. She looked good last week at the Bruce Ritter Invitational running a strong leg in the 4x8 and a third-place finish in the wind in the 1600 Meter Run. She should surprise some people in this race.

 

Section 3 – This race should be just as competitive as the main event race. The field is loaded with the top six runners with times of 11:20 or under. Logan Brennan of Naperville North and Isabella Gonzalez of Crystal Lake South lead this section with seed times of 11:15. It won’t be a surprise if they are touching an 11-minute or under time. Jenna Buchanan of Bartlett will join Texas Christian in the fall on their Triathlon team. I would not count her out in this race. She could be close to the leaders. Ava Galloway has stepped up in a big way this season. The Yorkville sophomore has run 11:17 and could lower her personal best even more on Saturday.

 

Nicole Poglitsch of Wheaton-Warrenville South ran her seed time of 11:18.67 at Batavia Distance Madness in March. The freshman in these expected great conditions could drop her personal best down considerably. Katie Stabb of Oak Park-River Forest, Kelly Carpenter of Jacobs, and Ellie Anderson of Latin School are runners that you could see near the front.

 

Section 2 – This is an open section with the top four runners within one second of each other. It is anyone’s guess of whether Rachel Behrens of Chatham-Glenwood, Shannon Cranny of Lyons Township, Paige-Elicia Caruth of Lakes, or Anna Todd of Vernon Hills come away with the win. Freshman Chiara Surtz of Rosary could surprise with a big race in this section.

 

Section 1 – Four runners in this first section with times under 12-minutes. Ashley Robinson of Neuqua Valley and Sophia Keeler of Yorkville are the top two seeds in this race.

 

Boys 3200m Run

 

Meet Record: 8:57.78 – Drew Rogers, Herscher - 2021

 

Main Event Race Time – 9:28 PM

 

Main Event Preview – 2021 meet champion Drew Rogers of Herscher is back to defend his title in this event. It perhaps did not like that at the beginning of the year. Rogers ran through an injury in the 1A State XC Championships and still finished second. He did not race indoors. Rogers showed his fitness level at the start of the outdoor season running 9:18.12 at Rantoul on April 9 finishing behind Wilson Georges and then running a solo 4:20.34 to win at Lemont five days later. He appears to be ready to take advantage of the expected great conditions to run a fast race.

 

Luke Wiley of Warren Township enters this meet with the top seed time run at the New Balance Nationals Indoors in March (9:02.22). Wiley did not have the race he expected at Arcadia two weeks ago running with pneumonia and finishing at 9:14.67. He did not race last week at Metea Valley. He will be up front challenging for the win if he is in this race.

 

Logan Seger of St. Aquinas KS comes from Kansas looking for a fast time. The senior finished second in the 3200 Meter Run in his state meet last May. Seger was the Kansas 5A State XC Champion last fall and finished third at the NXR Heartland Championship. Andrew Hauser of Rock Bridge MO had a great fall XC season winning the Missouri Class 5 State Championship followed by winning the NXR Midwest Race the following week. The sophomore has already run 9:13.83 this spring. He finished third in his race last year running 9:26 as a freshman. A runner that we could see stepping into the spotlight in this race.

 

Ryder James of Paxton-Buckley-Loda is having a special senior season which is continuing into the track season. James ran 14:16 at Detweiller Park for the 1A XC title last November. The senior ran a personal best of 9:18.31 to win at Illinois Top Times in March. His first race outdoors resulted in a 4:19 win at 1600-meters on April 14. He will be in the front pack in this race also with a chance to win.

 

Riley Newport of DeKalb made his presence known last fall finishing third in the 3A State XC Meet in Peoria running 14:15. He ran 4:17 indoors for 1600-meters and tuned up for this race running a solo 9:27 at Ottawa last Saturday. Tim Neumann of Downers Grove South has run shorter races this season so far with the exception of running 9:19 at Proviso West at the end of February. Neumann did run 9:13.10 indoors in 2021. His injury woes from last outdoor season are long gone. You expect a fast race from him on Saturday night.

 

One runner that could surprise this talented field is Caden Simone of Lincoln-Way Central. Simone dominated in the races he was a part of this indoor season running in 9:20 in all three of his races. He is ready for a time near 9-minutes in this meet. George Cahill of New Trier could be the dark horse in this race. He will be running the 1600 Meter Run the night before at the Red Grange Invitational. Cahill has a 9:20.52 personal best. His fitness level is great running 4:16 at Arcadia two weeks ago. Keep an eye on him in this race.

 

Section 3 – This race could be just as exciting as the 3200 race that follows later in the night. There is plenty of talent in this race with seed times all between 9:28 and 9:38. This race typical has a winning time under 9:20. We could see a big number of athletes surpassing that mark.

 

Dylan Maloney of Plainfield South enters this section with the top seed time of 9:28.98. He is only a freshman. You cannot tell that by the way he runs. He should put a fast time in at this meet. Teammate Camryn Viger finished eighth in the 3A State XC Meet last fall as a sophomore. He already has season’s bests of 1:56.65 and then 4:23.98 last week at Minooka. He’s fit for a fast race at this distance.

 

Hunter Whitney of Lane Tech continues to improve with every meet he runs in. He was all-state last fall, then followed that up with a huge PR of 15:05 for 5k at RunningLane last December. He ran 4:18 at Arcadia and is another runner ready to rip off a fast race here. Yusuf Baig of Burlington Central came away with a win at Illinois Top Times in March with a 9:29.07 personal best. Baig is another runner that could come away with a win in this section. Dylan Angel Lainez of South Elgin, Sean Safford of Hersey, and Joe Schwartz of Waterloo are some of the runners to keep an eye on in the front.

 

Section 2 – A wide open section with 16 runners entered within five seconds of one another. Louie Leahy of HL Richards, Tedros Mekonen of Senn, Liam Newhart of Oak Park-River Forest, and Alan Menninger of Jones Prep all have times at 9:37. Dylon Nalley of Marion, Gabe Nosek of New Trier, and Dylan Myers of Lake Zurich will be close behind. Weston Forward of Rockford Christian and Brenden Heitzig of Lincoln are some of the runners that you could in the front n what expects to be a close race.

 

Section 1 – Cullen Boyle of Homestead WI, Sean Kura of Prospect, and Abhinav Reddy of Hinsdale Central head this open section of this distance. Ethan Marshall of Waubonsie Valley finished second at Minooka last Saturday and could be a factor in the front along with Mitch Garcia of St. Chares East and Kieran Subra of Lycee Francais de Chicago.

 

Girls 1600m Run

 

Meet Record: 4:51.36 – Katrina Schlenker, Batavia - 2019

 

Main Event Race Time – 9:41 PM

 

Main Event Preview – Weather conditions are expected to be almost perfect when the main event races commence. This is one race that could highlight this meet. There are 15 runners in this final section All of whom could break 5-minutes. Katrina Schlenker’s meet record should also fall especially with the depth of talent toeing the line.

 

Allison Ince of Normal Community holds the 800 Meter Run record in this met. She could gain a second record in this race. We know Ince is in peak level after running 2:05 for 800-meters at Arcadia two weeks ago. She ran three races last week at Bloomington including a solo 4:54 1600 Meter Run and a 54.8 anchor split in the 4x4. We know she is ready for a fast race on Saturday. We will just have to wait and see how fast it will be.

 

Elia Ton-That of Northside Prep was not supposed to win last year at state but she proved doubters wrong by outkicking Ava Parekh for the 2A win. Ton-That ran 4:51.97 for New Balance Nationals Indoors in March and could be able to push Ince to a fast time in this race. Catie McCabe of Hinsdale Central finished fourth in last year’s state meet and currently has one of the fastest times outdoors for 800-meters. McCabe is someone that I would keep an eye on especially at the end of the race. Brooke Johnston of Lake Zurich ran 5:04.91 to finish 15th in this race last May. Her personal best is now at 4:54.32 that she ran last June at Magis Miles. The 10:42.42 win for the 3200 Meter Run last week at Barrington shows that she is ready for a fast time in this race.

 

Aly Negovetich of Grant Community is another runner to keep an eye on in this race. She ran under 10:40 indoors twice for 3200-meters. She has a 4:56.24 best and has run 4:59.26 already this season. Fast times are ahead for Negovetich in this race. Grace Schager of Glenbard North is having a fantastic junior season having run 4:58 indoors and 10:33.93 to win at Illinois Top Times at the end of March. She believes that she belongs up front which she does. Do not be surprised if she finishes in the top three. Katrina Schlenker of Batavia won this race in 2019 setting the meet record. Schlenker is in shape for this race having times of 4:59 for 1600-meters and 10:46 for 3200-meters under her belt. A time in the low 4:50’s could be in her future in this meet.

 

Nora Gremban of Northland Pines WI is a runner from out of state to watch for. She was the D2 State Champion as a freshman last June running 4:56.95 to win at 1600-meters and 2:14.43 to win at 800-meters. Ally Kruger of Liberty MO and Elizabeth Schmidt of Merrill WI are both from out of state and could finish in the top half of this field. Sophia McNerney of Downers Grove South, Morgan Mackie of Loyola Academy, Scout Storms of Barrington, Mia Pasha of Warren Township, and Isabella Marsico of Lake Forest are also in this race. Any of these five runners could finish with a time under five-minutes.

 

Section 4 – This should be a high powered race led by top seed Evelyn Hett of Jones Prep. Caitlyn O’Neil of Cedarburg WI and Fran Peterson of Barron WI both have the talent to win in this race. Louisa Diamond of Benet Academy could be a threat in the front along with Rachel Soukup of Prairie Ridge. Julia Monson of O’Fallon and Riley Knoyle of Edwardsville along with Anna Hunter of Yorkville could end up winning this race.

 

Section 3 – Marissa Magana of Naperville North and Kelsey Casella of Downers Grove South are the top runners in this section having seed times of 5:18. There are a number of runners that could be in the hunt for the win including Marissa Roggensack of Winnebago, Gabrielle Kics of Minooka, Juliet Frum of Glenbrook North, and Scarlett Lestina of Lyons Township. This race will be close with only six seconds separating the 16 runners scheduled to compete.

 

Section 2 – This section is even closer with 16 runners separated by only four seconds. Avery Minnis of Oak Park-River Forest and Sophia Lane of Lake Forest lead this field having seed times of 5:25.

 

Section 1 – This is the first race of the meet. Audrey Boles of Minooka is the top seed with Olivia McPherson of Prairie Ridge, Samantha Duwe of Oak Park-River Forest, and Emma Mallory of Mt. Zion within two seconds of Boles.

 

Boys 1600m Run

 

Meet Record: 4:08.64 – Clayton Mendez, Chicago Whitney Young - 2018

 

Main Event Race Time – 9:50 PM

 

Main Event Preview – The final race of the meet should be wild with the possibility of the race record set by Clayton Mendez in jeopardy. The top eight runners in this race all have seed times under 4:20. It might take a 4:10 time to win this race. It could go perhaps lower.

 

Nick Falk of New Trier has been on fire this season after finishing second in the 3A race at Detweiller Park last November. He senior has put together some great performances indoors including earning All-American honors at the New Balance National Indoor Championships running 8:57.65 for 2-miles and finishing fifth. In the same meet, Falk ran 4:15.59 for the mile. Two weeks ago, at Arcadia, Falk bettered his national time running 8:53.44 for the 3200 Meter Run. The times indicate he is ready to get close to that 4:10 mark.

 

Micah Wilson of St. Charles East has been close to Falk time wise this season. Wilson ran sick at New Balance but still ran 9:15.99 in a different section of the 2 Mile Run than Falk. Wilson looked strong at Arcadia running 8:57.40 for 3200-meters. The two runners will be close in this race. Wilson enters this race with a 4:15.38 personal best.

 

Sophomore Gavin Genisio of Benton enters the meet as the top seed in this event having run 4:13.93 in 2021. He has had a good season that included finishing fifth at the adidas Nationals with a 4:18.98 time. He has showed speed outdoors with a 1:56 800 time his best. It will be interesting to se if Genisio pushes the pace or waits for the right moment to make his move.

 

Owen Bosley of Homestead WI could be a threat to win this race. The junior ran 4:18.03 during the indoor season. He ran 9:05.98 two weeks ago at Arcadia. Bosley finished third in the Wisconsin D1 XC Championships last October. Aidan Manning of Verona Area WI will also be up front with a good chance to win this race. Manning ran 4:15.86 to win the D1 State Championship in the 1600 Meter Run. His indoor season included a 4:22.27 time to win the Wisconsin Indoor Championships.

 

Michael Atkins of Wheaton-Warrenville South has showed vast improvement this track season with his best 1600 time at 4:19.14. I would not count him out in this race. The same holds true for Jack Klein of Lane Tech who has been a cog in their success this year in the distance relays. Klein has a best of 4:26.25 run on his home track at the beginning of the month. Michael Schumacher of St. Viator ran 4:18.86 at the end of the indoor season and came back at Arcadia to run 4:20.4 in the 1 Mile Run.

 

Colby Revord of Hinsdale Central ran 4:22.21 in windy conditions last weekend at Downers Grove South. He could be a surprise at the end of the meet near the front. Justin Hoffman of Kankakee Valley IN ran in this meet last year running 9:29.35 to win his section of the 3200 Meter Run. He could be a surprise in this race. Manny Putz of Onalaska WI could be a surprise in this race. The freshman finished seventh last fall in the Wisconsin D1 State Championships. He ran 4:25 at the Wisconsin Indoor Championships two weeks ago. We could see a big personal best from him in this race.

 

Section 3 – 16 runners in this section are separated by less than four seconds in this race. Alex Das of Oswego East enters as the top seed. Charlie McLawthorn of Lyons Township and Will Kozlowski of Lane Tech should be near the front in this race. Nathan Virginelli of Wheaton-Warrenville South has seen his personal best drop to 4:24.70. He could go even faster in this race. Nick Kiley of St. Ignatius Prep and Akili Parekh of Latin School both have times in the 4:25. They could go even lower in those seed times in this race. Ryan Bernstein of Deerfield and Mukal Verma of Palatine could surprise some people in this section. It could take a time under 4:21 to win this section.

 

Section 2 – Anyone of the 16 runners could win this section. Michael Forbear of Plainfield Central at 4:27.61 has the top seed time. Lyons Township’s Hayden Constas and Finn Gallagher could come from this section with wins. David Lara of Warren Township was all-state last fall and could be the runner that takes this race.

 

Section 1 – Evan Morris of Deerfield and Luke Pravecek of Maine South both enter this meet with seed times under 4:32. Henry Laufenberg of Urbana University, Aidan Collins of Lyons Township, and Frank Thomas of St. Thomas Aquinas KS are some of the runners to also keep an eye on in this race.

 

Freshman – This race is always entertaining at the beginning of the meet. Last year Marcellus Mines of Joliet West pulled away for the win. Ben Crane of New Trier looks to be the big favorite with a seed time almost six seconds ahead of the rest of the field. Carter Hayes of Palatine and Rory Gaan of Fremd with fight for second and Palatine city rights.