2022 Naperville Twilight Invitational Meet Preview

 

Almost perfect race conditions await the runners Wednesday night in West Suburban Naperville

 

By Michael Newman [email protected]

 

Temperatures will dip to close to 60 degrees with a wisp of wind when the Girls Varsity runners take to the line just before 7:30 PM on Wednesday night. The Boys Varsity race starts 30 minutes later. 19 ranked teams along with some of the top individuals in Illinois ready to run the Naperville North XC Course on the school campus.

 

The first time that this meet was run in 2015, Naperville North senior Judy Pendergast set the course record with a 16:15.2 time. Two years later, Katelynne Hart, then a sophomore at Glenbard West, just missed breaking the record by less than a second running 16:15.9. Hart was a four time winner in this meet.

 

Right after Hart finished her race, Thomas Shilgalis went out to run the Boys course record of 14:27.4.

 

We could see both course records fall in this meet. Grace Schager of Glenbard North broke one of Pendergast’s records at Lake Park. She followed that up by running 16:08 a week later at the Richard Spring Invitational. Zac Close of Neuqua Valley ran 14:33 last Saturday in Peoria. He could get near the course record in this race.

 

The teams competitions in the two races? Too close to call. When you have 5 top 10 teams in the Girls race and 6 top 10 teams in the Boys race, that could cause a lot of excitement when the runners finish inside the Naperville North track.

 

Here is an idea of what to watch in each of these races.

 

Watch the 2021 Varsity Race Highlights – Boys | Girls

Meet Information | RS Meet Page | Live Results

Race Projections by Illinois XC Speed Ratings

 

Girls Varsity Race – 7:30 PM

Girls Teams Preview

This is a tough field with five ranked teams in the top 10 in the state ready to race in this 16 team field. This could be one of the closest of all Naperville Twilight Girls races with #3 Naperville Central, #4 Lyons Township, #5 Downers Grove North, #6 Naperville North, and #8 Minooka all having the runners to win the team title. Nine of the top 30 teams in the state are in this race.

 

Naperville Central

Ranking - 3

Overview – The last race for the Redhawks was the Naperville Girls Invitational on  September 23. This team has the potential to win this meet as well as being a trophy contender in Peoria a month from now. Katie Tueting has stepped up as the team’s top runner followed closely by Liv Phillips. The two runners were separated by two seconds in the 9/23 race. Ava Hendren was slowed by an injury early in the year but has come on strong. She was 37 seconds behind her teammates in her last race but close that gap on Wednesday. Addison George and Lola Satre-Morales have been solid four/five runners for the team this season. The team’s top five split in their last race was 84 seconds. It is hard to put an importance on that split considering the Redhawks could have 3 runners in the top 15 in this race with 2 runners in the top 10. They may need a closer pack in this race considering all the good packing teams in this field.

 

Lyons Township

Ranking - 4

Overview – The Lions are coming on strong at the right time especially after finishing fourth in their last race at the Palatine Invitational more than a week ago. The return of Catherine Sommerfeld from injury gives this team a boost. She finished 12th in that race and should finish higher after another week’s of training. Lyons Township has a special pack that could cause other teams problems. Shannon Cranny, Julianne Melby, and Charlotte Lange were only separated by two seconds in the Palatine race. Scarlett Lestina was the team’s fifth runner 27 seconds behind the pack. In their last invitational race in Peoria a month ago, Lestina was right with that pack. Anna Bylsma could give the team depth in the top five. There was almost a minute separation between Sommerfeld in that Palatine race. The gap may need to be cut down by 10 seconds in order for the Lions to come away with the team championship.

 

Downers Grove North

Ranking - 5

Overview – The depth of this team showed last weekend when they ran their top seven and won at the St. Charles North Invitational and their next seven running at the Solorio Sun Academy Invitational and leaving Marquette Park with the team championship. Freshman Lily Eddington has stepped up as the team’s top runner. She won last week at St. Charles North. Claire Pyne was just 12 seconds behind her teammate in their last race and could be closer still on Wednesday. Their next four runners (Sydney Hnatiuk, Audrey Casten, Ava Gilley, Alayna Todnem) were only separated by 16 seconds in the 10/1 race. The team’s top five split in last Saturday’s race was 51 seconds. Their split at Palatine when they finished behind Lyons at Palatine was 68 seconds. Eddington and Pyne need to be closer to Lyons’ Sommerfeld for this team to have a chance to win. A split under 45 seconds in this race also could be necessary.

 

Naperville North

Ranking - 6

Overview – The Huskies last race was at the Roy Griak Invitational on September 23 where they finished fourth overall. Julie Piot has been the team’s top runner in their first three invitational races and could finish among the top ten runners. The emergence of freshman sisters Shaina and Rianna Tandon has been a plus for the team. The two were the second and third runners at Griak and only 27 seconds behind Piot. A big concern in their last race was that there was a 42 second split before fourth runner Logan Brennen finished. Emma Berres was eight seconds behind Brennan. The team’s top five split in that race was 78 seconds. In the race before in Peoria on September 10, the top four split off Piot, the Tandons, and Brennan was just 46 seconds with gap before their next runner at 48 seconds. The addition of Berres will be a plus. North could place their first four runners in the top 30. The Huskies need to keep the split low between three to four or four to five to have a chance to win the team title. Naperville North is the defending champion in this meet.

 

Minooka

Ranking – 8

Overview – Minooka’s last meet was 10 days ago at the Macnider Invitational where they were the team champions. The Indians would like to take one step up in the standings in this meet. They finished second a year ago. Gabriella McCollom has been the top runner for the team most of this season. She was joined by Maya Ledesma in the front in their last race. Gabrielle Kics gives this team a strong third runner. Caprice Rodely entered the top seven last meet as the team’s fourth runner but was 22 seconds behind Kics in that race. Taya Gummerson was the team’s fifth runner at Macnider 12 seconds behind Rodely. The team had a 66 second split on their top five. In the last traditional invitational in Peoria on September 10, Minooka’s top five split was 100 seconds as they finished behind four teams that will be in this race. The emergence of Rodely will be a plus in this race. It will be bigger if Gummerson or Cassie Brushaber can join Rodely in the front. Minooka placing two runners in the top 20 as well as keeping their top five split under 55 seconds could get this team in the mix for a team championship.

 

Yorkville

Ranking - 14

Overview – The Lady Foxes ran great in their last race at Roy Griak where they finished sixth overall. Yorkville was among the top six teams throughout the entire race. Getting in a good position in the first mile will be a key for this team. Yorkville had a 52 seconds in the race led by Sophia Keeler and Ava Galloway finishing within 19 seconds of each other. Katie Melzer, Makenna Edwards, and Lucy Anderson give the team a strong top five nucleus. The team has had three different top runners with Galloway the top runner in their opening meet, Edwards the top runner at Peoria, and then Keeler in their last race. The team’s top five split at Peoria was 58 seconds. The key on this race is getting their top runner among the top 22 runners in this race. Their top five split could be under 50 seconds in this race which could put the Lady Foxes into a top five finish.

 

Wheaton-Warrenville South

Ranking - 15

Overview – The Tigers have surprised some this season having been ranked as high as #13 so far this year. This team should be in the top half of the standings in this meet. A top five finish is not out of their reach. South finished second on Saturday without their top runner Nicole Poglitsch who was rested for Wednesday’s race. The week before at the Palatine Invitational, the Tigers finished 12 overall in a 29 team field. In that race, Poglitsch ran a personal best of 17:25 to finish in the top 15. A top 10 finish for the sophomore is not out of her reach. Frida Martinez leads a strong pack behind Poglitsch which includes seniors Payton Fleming and Kira Mothershed along with junior Jenna Bachara. Forget about a top five split on this team with Poglitsch looking for single digit points for her team. The split between her and Martinez at Palatine was 82 seconds. The split from two to five in that race was 54 seconds. Keeping Poglitsch among the top 15 runners, a 56 second split before the pack with the next four runners within 48 seconds of each other could get this team close to a top five finish.

 

Glenbard West

Ranking - 20

Overview – The Hilltoppers are coming off a second-place finish last Saturday at the Wheaton North Flight Classic. West’s last invitational race came when they finished eight overall at the Richard Spring Invitational. This team will rely on strong pack running in this race like they have all season. Their top five split in the Peoria race was 48 seconds led by Maggie Hibbard and Maddie Morgan. Their top five split the week before at Lake Park was 46 seconds led by the same two runners. Carlin Hass, Moira Ahern, and Maia Kaslewicz are runners that you could see in the top five for this team. There are no runners that you could see in the top 15. You could see Hibbard or Morgan finish in the top 30. This team will challenge for a top of the half finish in this meet but will need to lower their top five split to under 42 seconds to accomplish that.

 

Batavia

Ranking - 23

Overview – The Bulldogs last race was at the Roy Griak Invitational on September 23 when they finished 14th overall. They got out slow in the race as they were in 31st place after the first mile. This team is young with five of their top eight runners either freshmen or sophomores. Batavia has good leadership up front led by Liliana Bednarek, Brooke Silbernagel, and Ava Thomas who were within 26 seconds of each other at Griak. Freshmen Madeline Cassidy and Chloe Kammes were the fourth and fifth runners. The split in that race was 51 seconds. The First to the Finish race on September 10 netted them a 41 second split as the three seniors finished in the top 23 within 11 seconds of each other. The Bulldogs finished behind Naperville North in that race but ahead of Lyons Township and Naperville Central. Batavia was ranked in the top 10 earlier this year but the Griak race dropped them down. Getting out in good position in the first mile and moving could put this team among the top five teams in this meet.

 

Lane Tech

Overview – Lane Tech raced last Friday at the Loyola/Latin School Invitational finishing second overall. The Indians ran five runners in the top 22 led by Olivia Ide and Sophia Mullins finishing in the top 10 in that race. There are four runners that could challenge for top five spots including Sophia Avila, Izzy Ide, Caitlin Thomas, and Claire Davis. The team’s split was 97 seconds in that last race. Their split from second runner Sophie Mullins to Caitlin Thomas was 56 seconds. Their race at the Richard Spring Invitational gave them a 19th place finish out of 57 teams with a 94 second top five split. Their split from two to five was only 29 seconds. Ide or Mullins finishing in the top 35 would help start this team to a top 10 team finish. They need to keep that tight split on their pack with their overall split under 84 seconds to make that happen.

 

Plainfield North

Overview – The Tigers last race was at the Naperville Girls Invitational where they finished sixth overall. The five teams that finished ahead of them were all ranked. Elsie Czarniewski was in the top 10 in that race for Plainfield North. This team is young with their top five runners in that race underclassmen. Juniors Kaitlyn Ward and Nora Rudakas along with freshmen Tessa Russo and Emaan Hussain you should see among their top five runners. The team’s top five split was 98 seconds with the split from Russo to Hussain at 63 seconds. Their race at Reavis on September 10 gave them a team championship again led by Czarniewski. They have improved since that race with their split at Reavis close to three minutes. That was without Hussain in the top five. North could finish in the top 10 in this meet. Czarniewski could finish in the top 20. Keeping their top five split under 85 seconds keeps this team in a top 10 position.

 

Downers Grove South

Overview – The Mustangs have been hurt by the loss of their top runner Holly Johnson who suffered a foot injury and could be out for the rest of the season. South finished sixth out of 37 teams in last Saturday’s Pat Savage Invitational. This team without Johnson will need to rely on some great pack running to get into the top 10 in this race. The Mustangs had a 41 second split in their top five led by top 30 finishes from seniors Nora Joy and Arianna DeLeon. Skyler Tomecki, Sophie Ring, and Lindsay Spear were in the top five only separated by 11 seconds. Getting a runner in the top 50 would be a plus for Downers South on Wednesday. Their pack could put them into a top 10 finish in this meet.

 

Neuqua Valley

Overview – The Wildcats are without their top runner Carissa Hamilton who was diagnosed with a stress fracture and is lost for the season. Neuqua Valley finished 12 last Saturday at the Wheaton North Falcon Classic. The week before at Culver Academies in Indiana, the Wildcats finished 13 overall. In that race, Gretchen Leland stepped up as the team’s top runner finishing in the top 20. Elizabeth Hall was the team’s second runner but was 69 seconds behind Leland. Their next five runners were separated by five seconds led by Katelyn Shen, Olivia Dalson, and Elaine Huang. The overall split in that race was 115 seconds on their top five.

 

Geneva

Overview – The Vikings last raced Saturday at the Wheaton North Falcon Classic. Their race previous to that was at the Rock River Run in Sterling on September 24 where Geneva finished third overall. This team is young with four freshmen in their top seven. Sophia Borter is one of those freshmen. She was the team’s top runner finishing fifth in the Sterling race. Senior McKenna Mertes, junior Lila Storaasli, along with freshmen Taylor Peahl and Lucina Lechtenberg were also part of the team’s top five. The top five split in that race for the Vikings was 113 seconds. Borter and Mertes are possibilities in finishing in the top 60 on Wednesday.

 

Metea Valley

Overview – The Mustangs competed last on Saturday at the St. Charles North Invitational where they finished fifth overall. The week before at the Harvest Christian Academy Mid-Season Classic, Metea Valley finished second overall. Junior Maya Hall has been the team’s top runner in the last two meets. The Mustangs had a 94 second split in that race. Their split in their top five last Saturday was 93 seconds with Hall, Zoe Kirkman, Taylor Poces-Bell, Brooke Horning, and Kamea Baler among their top five. Their top four split in that race was 48 seconds.

 

Waubonsie Valley

Overview – The Warriors ran last Saturday at the Wheaton North Falcon Classic. They competed the meet before at Bartlett where they finished third overall. Lily Baibak has been the team’s top runner all season. The sophomore could finish in the top 40 in this race. Lindsey Mathews, Anna Riggs, Emely Galvez, and Hannah Nabicht were in the top five in the Bartlett race. The top five split off Baibak was 148 seconds. Their split from Matthews to Nabicht in that race was close to two minutes.

 

Girls Individual Preview

Grace Schager of Glenbard North needed to make a choice after winning at the Richard Spring Invitational either to run in Indiana at the Nike XC Town Twilight Invitational or race at Naperville North on Wednesday. Schager chose to run in this meet. “She thought long and hard about going to Terre Haute, but Naperville Twilight holds a special place in her heart, and she is excited to race there again this year,” said Glenbard North coach Eric Day. “It was the first "big meet" she ran as a Sophomore and it kind of served as a "coming out" moment when she won the 2nd flight.” She did not race last year due to a minor injury. Her best time is 18:55 on this course. She will run faster on Wednesday.

 

Schager has taken down one Judy Pendergast meet record in September at Lake Park running 16:00. The conditions should be great for fast times on this course. We know in the first mile of this race if her intentions are to go after a fast time.

 

There are three other individual runners that are in this race that could finish in the top 15. Scout Storms of Barrington is a late entry. She ran 17:25 to win at First to the Finish on September 10. She did not have a good race at Palatine and was forced to drop out. She came back three days later to run 17:25 on the same course in the MSL-West Divisional meet. She will be among the top runners in this race. Evelyn Hett of Jones had her first race at Palatine where she ran 17:24 to finish 11 overall. She will also be among the leaders. Caroline Schoen of Homewood- Flossmoor ran 17:01 to finish fourth in this race last year. She ran 17:58 last Saturday at Palatine. I still expect her to be among the top 10.

 

Catherine Sommerfeld of Lyons Township and Nicole Poglitsch of Wheaton-Warrenville South both finished in the top 10 at Palatine and could be in the top 10 in this race. Naperville North’s Julie Piot along with Shania and Rianna Tandon could also be part of the front along with the Naperville Central trio of Liv Phillips, Kate Tueting, and Ava Hendren. Lily Eddington and Claire Pyne of Downers Grove North will also be among the front runners in this race.

 

Boys Varsity Race – 8:00 PM

Teams Preview

12 teams out of the 18 in this field are ranked. We will not see #2 Hinsdale Central at full strength as their top three runners will not run on Wednesday. The Red Devils still have the talent of finish in the top five, maybe top three. Two other schools from the WSC-Silver #3 Downers Grove North and #4 Oak Park-River Forest have the talent up front and the packs behind them to challenge for the win. #8 Neuqua Valley, #9 Lyons Township, and #10 Plainfield North all could find themselves in the top three when all the scores are tabulated.

 

Hinsdale Central

Ranking - 2

Overview – The Red Devils are the top ranked team in this meet. They will not race their top three runners Daniel Watcke, Aden Bandukwala, and Michael Skora in this meet. Hinsdale Central raced the Nike XC Town Twilight Invitational last Saturday where they finished eighth overall in the Championship race. Watcke, Bandukwala, and Skora all finished in the top 31 in that race. It was the 54 second split before the rest of the pack came across that is worrisome for this team. We will see the rest of the pack in this race led by Jesse Gamboa, Grant Miller, Max Lowe, Josh Smak, and Nikita Kamenev. There was a 34 second split last Saturday on that group. I am sure there will be an emphasis on their pack running in this race. A top five finish for this group is not out of the question.

 

Downers Grove North

Ranking - 3

Overview – Downers Grove North has only raced once since running at Kaneland on September 17. The Trojans ran a conference dual meet against Oak Park-River Forest on September 29. In that race Caden Weber went out and set the Green Valley Forest Preserve course record of 14:53. The pack of Ryan Eddington, Topher Ferris, Ava Gaspar, and Leo Gartlan were separated by 26 seconds. Their race at Kaneland included sophomore Grant Schroder in the top five that had a 26 second split. This team will live and die by pack running which is a good thing. The Trojans got out hard in a bigger race in Peoria on September 10, but Plainfield South pulled away for the win. This field on Wednesday is smaller. You will see a lot of purple towards the front. Ferris has been their top runner this year. So has Schroder, Weber, and Eddington. That unpredictability favors this team in this race. Two to three runners in the top 10 with a split under 32 seconds will clinch the team win for North.

 

Oak Park-River Forest

Ranking - 4

Overview – The third of WSC-Silver teams mentioned in this preview. The Huskies team that we saw at Palatine was not indicative of what we saw the week before in Peoria when they won the Richard Spring Invitational. In that race, Liam Newhart was in the top five individually with a pack of Daniel Johnson, Michael Michelotti, Nick Parrell, and Owen Augustine were separated by 28 seconds with an overall top five split of 45 seconds. Oak Park was without Johnson in the race at Palatine. The Huskies finished fourth overall in that race with a top five split of 79 seconds. Their two to five split was 59 seconds. Newhart will be up front as one of the individual favorites in this race. The Huskies’ pack needs to mix it up with Downers Grove North in the front. Oak Park having a top five split of 45 seconds or lower with Newhart in the front will benefit this team. Watch for the individual matchups between the two schools in this race. It will be close if Oak Park runs the way they did at Fenton and Peoria earlier this year.

 

Neuqua Valley

Ranking - 7

Overview – The last race for the Wildcats was last Saturday in Peoria where they finished third overall. The race before that was at the Roy Griak Invitational where Neuqua Valley finished fifth overall. In that race, the Wildcats had the team lead at 3-kilometers. Zac Close has emerged as the team’s top runner this season. He led the team finishing 14th in Minnesota. He won at Peoria last Saturday. The team had a 66 second top five split in the Griak race. It was 37 seconds just before 3-kilometers. The pack of Ryan Palmer, Robert Glenn, Matthew Gutierrez, and Andres Lopez in that race were within 37 seconds of each other. Glenn did not race Saturday in Peoria, with Close winning, their top five split was 75 seconds but with Palmer, Nicolas Castrillon, Logan Brown, and Tony Hinderliter in their lineup. The Wildcats should be at full strength in this race. Close will be going after the individual title in his hometown. Neuqua Valley will need a 30 second split on their next four runners with Glenn and Palmer finishing between 10 and 15. That kind of race will put this team in contention for the team win.

 

Lyons Township

Ranking - 8

Overview – I would not underestimate this team in this race. They are better than their ranking indicates. The Lions was at the Culver Academies Invitational in Indiana on September 24. Lyons Township finished second in that race behind Mason OH the best team in that state. The Lions placed 4 runners in the top 16 with Nicholas Strayer, Cillian Henning, and Aidan Collins all finishing in the top 10 separated by only 17 seconds. Michael Ferrell was 23 seconds behind that group. Their fifth runner Matthew McGovern was another 29 seconds back giving the team an overall 69 second split. In their race before that at Peoria on September 10, the Lions finished fifth overall behind four teams that are in this field. In that race, the split on their top three was 22 seconds with a top five split of 74 seconds. Henning was the top runner in that race with Strayer 15 seconds back. Strayer has the potential to finish in the top five individually. The key is having Henning and Collins in the top 15 and within 17 to 20 seconds of each other. The top five split is getting lower. A split at or under 60 seconds would be a good thing for this squad. It could also get them into the top three teams in this race.

 

Plainfield North

Ranking - 9

Overview – The Tigers had an impressive race in their last race at the Roy Griak Invitational where they were 18th at the end of the first mile moving up to sixth overall by the time they finished. Oliver Burns missed the first couple of meets due to a minor injury. He is fully back now and will contend for the individual win. Ryan Tracey has showed great improvement this season and is a solid second runner for North. Owen Stahl, Easton Miller, and Quinn Davis were all in the top five in the Griak race but separated by 31 seconds. Their top five split was 63 seconds. That type of split would be good for this team in any other field. This meet is a little different. Burns should be in the top 5 in this race. Tracey finishing in the top 15 would be a good thing for this team. The pack behind these two runners needs to shrink to 20 seconds. The gap between Tracey and the pack was only 10 seconds. Closing the split from Burns to Tracey and then from Tracey to the pack will be something to watch. That formula could result in a top five finish for this team

 

Downers Grove South

Ranking - 16

Overview – The Mustangs finished an impressive fifth last Saturday at the Peoria Invitational. The Mustangs are senior oriented with only one underclassman in the top seven. Carter Smott ran a strong race in Peoria and is the top runner on this team. Shane Hosty was 12 seconds back in the last race and will look to close the gap on Smott. Jeffrey Spirek, Nolan Crooks, and Josh Poeschel were also a part of the top five that had a 43 second split. Smott in the top 25 and their pack within 35 seconds of each other could get this team in the top 10.

 

Naperville Central

Ranking - 23

Overview – It is hard to get a good reading on this team in regard to how they race. The Redhawks could finish in the top five in this meet. They could also finish in the middle of the pack. Central did run at Minooka, a flight meet, on September 17. Their last invitational was in Peoria on September 10 where they finished seventh overall. In that race, Luke Noren was the team’s top runner finishing in the top 15 with the next five runners of Lucas De La Cruz, Tyler Browning, Nick Kamp, Foster Shelbert, and Thomas Mask separated by 28 seconds. Their overall top five split in that race was 57 seconds. The Redhawks did run a quad meet against ranked teams Wheaton-Warrenville South, Naperville North, and Wheaton North on September 21. They were two points behind South in that race. Noren led the team again that had a top five split of 37 seconds. It is easier to keep a pack closer together in a smaller meet. Noren could be among the top 10 finishers in this race. If this team can stay together behind Noren with a top five split under 50 seconds, we could see Central challenging for a top five finish. They will need their pack to start between 18th and 23rd place.

 

Minooka

Ranking - 26

Overview – The Indians last raced at the Macnider Invitational in Schaumburg on September 24 where they finished second behind Huntley. Zachary Balzer has been the top runner on this team all season with his last race at Macnider resulting in a win and a new course record. Balzer will be slaying dragons in the front of Wednesday race. It will be the pack to keep an eye on. Nick Paugys, Ben Resar, Tyler Herrera, and Hayden Host were only separated by 20 seconds in that last race but 69 seconds behind Balzer. In the First to the Finish Invitational, Minooka finished 11 with Balzer finishing fourth and a top five in that race over two minutes. Balzer among the leaders and a tight pack 55 seconds behind their top runner puts this team among the upper half of the team standings.

 

Yorkville

Ranking - 27

Overview – The Foxes last race was at the Roy Griak Invitational on September 23 where they finished 18th overall. The team had a 54 second split on their top five runners in that race. Ben Whaley was 19 seconds ahead of the rest of the pack. Jake Younger, Brody Greyer, Owen Horeni, and Ryan Rotramel were within 35 seconds or each other in that pack. Yorkville finished 10th at First to the Finish paced by Younger and Whaley finishing within two seconds of each other. The top five split in that race was 55 seconds. Yorkville has the talent to finish in the top 10 in this meet. They will need Whaley and Younger close in this race and in the top 35. A split under 50 seconds could get this team into top 10 territory.

 

Jones College Prep

Overview – The Eagles finished second in this meet in 2019. Their last two varsity races were at Palatine where they finished 12 overall and the week before at the Richard Spring Invitational where they finished ninth out of 71 teams. Sam Berlinghof led the Eagles finishing 12th in that race and could be in the top 10 on Wednesday. Samuel Mortensen was the team’s second runner but was 40 seconds behind Berlinghof. Alexander Leonard, Spencer Dixon, and Jayden Reyes were only within five seconds of each other but were 27 seconds behind Mortensen. Their top five split was 72 seconds. The top five split at Richard Spring led by Berlinghof was 58 seconds. Berlinghof was in his first race of the season and finished 30th overall. The Eagles could finish among the top half in this meet but cannot have a “split type” race that they had at Palatine. Berlinghof will be among the top runners in this race. Mortensen needs to close the gap on Berlinghof, and the pack needs to stay close but get closer to Mortensen. That could get them in the top half of this team race.

 

Lane Tech

Overall – The last race for the Indians came last Friday at the Loyola/Latin School Invitational at Montrose Harbor where this team finished second behind Northville MI. Their all-state runner from last year Hunter Whitney just started to race at the end of September running a 2-mile race at Mather on September 27. He was the team’s third runner three days later in the Loyola race. Will Kozlowski and Anan Bauman were separated by four seconds up front for Lane Tech. The team had a top five split of 42 seconds in the race with Tommy Stecz and Ian Yeagle part of that group. Lane Tech finished 10th at the Richard Spring Invitational without Whitney in the lineup. Kozlowski was the top runner in that meet. The Indians had a top five split of 51 seconds in that race. We will get a better idea of Whitney’s condition in this race on Wednesday. He could be in the top 10 individually or he could be embedded within his team’s top five. Lane Tech could be in the top half of the 18 teams in this field. It will depend on where that pack starts and if their top five split is under 40 seconds.

 

Naperville North

Overview – The Huskies competed at Locktoberfest last Saturday where they finished sixth overall. This team could be among the top nine teams in this meet. The pack of Colin Corcoran, Sean Chilcott, and Jack Robertz were separated by only 12 seconds in that race. Add in Ammar Bhanpuri who won the sophomore race at Lockport and would be a part of the first four runners. Miles Taylor and Tommy Morrison were in the top five in that race. That top five split was 87 seconds. It would be down to 55 seconds if they move Bhanpuri up for the varsity race. That decision will decide where the Huskies finish on Wednesday. North is a top nine team in this meet with a full lineup. Otherwise, we could see them finish between 12 to 14.

 

Batavia

Overview – Batavia’s Varsity lineup last raced at Bartlett on September 24 where they finished third overall. Quintin Lowe finished second overall in that race and could challenge for a top 10 finish at Twilight. This team is young. The rest of their top seven runners are either juniors or sophomores. David Bednarek has stepped up and was the team’s second runner at Bartlett. Colin Knowles, Francesco Benelli, and Alejandro Jacob were part of the top five that had a split of 85 seconds off Lowe. Their split from Bednarek to Jacob in that race was 45 seconds.

 

Waubonsie Valley

Overview – The Warriors last race was at the St. Charles North Invitational last Saturday where they finished sixth overall. Waubonsie Valley finished fourth the week before that at Bartlett. This program relies on good pack running. The Warriors had little varsity experience to begin the season and are getting better with every race. Zach Self has stepped up as the team’s top runner. Kyle Sullivan was 29 seconds behind Self at St. Charles. Zach Hayden and Gavin Ebenezer were within five seconds of Sullivan. Jonathan Treuhaft was the team’s fifth runner. Their overall top five split was 52 seconds with a 23 second spread between Sullivan to Treuhaft. Their top five split at Bartlett was 68 seconds with Austin McInturff leading a 44 second two to five split on that four runner group.

 

Glenbard West

Overview – The fifth WSC-Silver team in this meet. The Hilltoppers last raced at Locktoberfest four days ago where they finished fourth overall. Chuck Halden has stepped up and was the team’s top runner at Lockport. Nolan Nuccio leads a pack that includes Julian Hernandez, Owen Reifel, and Anthony Nitti. The team had a 58 second split in their last race. The split from Nuccio to Nitti was 27 seconds. This team is young but talented. Five of their top seven runners are juniors.

 

Geneva

Overview – The last team race was at the Rock River Run in Sterling on September 24. The Vikings won that invitational led by the second-place finish from senior Andrew Warcup. The team’s split was 58 seconds on their top five that includes Warcup, Anthony and Dominic Ross, Julian Hipp, and Jack Kuehl. The split from their second to fifth runners in that race was 33 seconds. Their race the week before that at the Richard Spring Invitational gave them a 23 second top five split led by Anthony Ross who ran 16:28. Warcup ran 15:51 at Sterling.

 

Metea Valley

Overview – The last two races for the Mustangs resulted in an eighth-place finish last Saturday at St. Charles North and a second-place finish at Harvest Christian Academy the week before that. The team had a 72 second split on their top five at St. Charles. Sam Urbon was 22 seconds ahead of a pack with Austin Brown, Zach Johnson, Zack Ortlund, and Connor Vine. The split on their second through fifth runners was 50 seconds. Their five runner split off Brown was 79 seconds with Urbon 16 seconds behind Brown.

 

Boys Individuals Preview

Zac Close of Neuqua Valley is the hot runner in this race after finishing in the top 15 at Roy Griak and then last Saturday when he ran 14:33 to win at Peoria. Thomas Shilgalis ran the course record of 14:27.4 in this meet in 2017. Close could be near that time. Zachary Balzer of Minooka and Liam Newhart of Oak Park-River Forest have both run 14:42 at Detweiller Park and should be in the front pushing Close.

 

Nick Strayer finished second at Culver Academy and should be among the runners in the front of the pack. Seven runners in this field have run under 15-minutes so far this season. Downers Grove North’s Caden Weber, Topher Ferris, and Asa Gasper could be among the leaders along with Daniel Johnson of Oak Park-River Forest. Oliver Burns of Plainfield North should also be in the front along with Sam Berlinghof of Jones Prep, Jessie Gamboa of Hinsdale Central, and possibly Hunter Whitney of Lane Tech.

 

There are three individual runners in the Boys race that includes Michael Polizzi of Taft and Habtamu Epley and Dane Ivancevic of Homewood-Flossmoor.