Great pre-season performances highlight Misfits Invitational at Gately Park

By Michael Newman

New US#1 performances in the Girls 1 Mile Run and Girls 2 Mile Run were in the spotlight at the Misfits Invitational presented by HOKA Friday and Saturday held at the Dr. Worrill Track at Gately Park. It is hard to handicap who will put together top performances in an early pre-season meet before the Illinois regular season begins in February. It was evident at the conclusion of the meet that Mia Sirois is picking up where she left off at the beginning of December.

Results

Sirois, the sophomore from Barrington, ended her cross-country season earning All-American honors placing sixth at the Nike Cross Nationals, ran a great double on Saturday in the 1 Mile Run and then later in the Girls elite race in the 2 Mile Run at the end of the meet. The top three times in the nation in this distance were produced all of which were personal bests. Sirois pulled away in the final two laps of the race to run 10:15.24 for the win. Sundara Weber of Sandwich had run a solo 4:50 on this track on January 12, ran 10:18.23 to finish second. Ella Hagen of Summit HS CO, who finished ninth in December at Nike Cross Nationals, ran 10:19.57 to place third.

Weber pushed the pace from the front in this race passing the first mile in 5:07 with Sirois and Hagen two seconds back and the rest of the race another five seconds behind. Hagen took the lead with four laps left but could not drop the two Illinois XC Champs. It was the Sirois move coming towards the end of the race that defined the fast times.

Three other Illinois runners ran under 11-minutes in this race. Isabella Keller of Effingham St. Anthony came back from running the mile earlier in the meet to run 10:35.71 to place fourth. Karlin Janowski of York in her first high school race on the track ran 10:41.44 to finish fifth. Kate Foltz of Tuscola ran 10:50.19 to finish sixth.

One of the most surprising races came in the HOKA Elite Girls 1 Mile Run where another top national performance was produced. Freshman Elin Latta of South Texas Heat Homeschool stormed away from the field early in the race to run a US #1 time of 4:43.92 for the win. Her margin of victory was an incredible six seconds ahead of Jessica Jazwinski of Jazz Running MI who ran 4:50.15 (US #5) who finished second.

Latta, who ran 4:46.37 at the New Balance Nationals Outdoor last June, was determined to establish a new personal best and it showed as she passed the first four laps in 2:21.41 two seconds ahead of Jazwinski and Annika Swan of St. Ignatius College Prep IL. Latta extended the lead to five seconds with two laps to go. She closed in a final 400-meters of 70 seconds.

Swan led an Illinois pack running 4:50.94 (US #6) to finish third ahead of Mia Sirois who ran a seven second personal best of 4:51.49 (US #7) to finish fourth while Isabella Keller ran 4:55.81 to finish fifth.

The HOKA Elite Boys mile was TJ Hansen’s race for the taking. The senior from Freeland MI had finished second in December at the Nike Cross Nationals. He ran 4:12 last week at Saginaw Valley. He was primed for a fast race as he took the lead on the second lap and never looked back. He passed with four laps to go at 2:05 opening a three second lead and a five second lead entering the final two laps. Hansen ran a seasonal best of 4:09.21 (US #8) for the win. Jackson Miller of St. Louis University MO improved his indoor personal best by five seconds running 4:12.81 to finish second. Ben Crane of New Trier had a whirlwind of a December earning All-American honors at Nike Cross Nationals and Foot Locker Nationals, started his track season running a personal best of 4:13.58 to finish third.

Miller came back later in the meet to win the Boys 1000 Meter Run (2:32.50) winning by over a second ahead of Jemekhi Tally of Milwaukee Speed Academy (2:34.14).

Other Meet Highlights

Caleb Winders of Bloomington North IN ran 1:18.48 (US #2) to win the 600 Meter Run by over two seconds ahead of Demari Caldwell (1:20.57, US #7) of Motor City Track Club. Owen Horeni of Yorkville ran 1:21.19 to finish third.

Keegan Smith of Knoxville Catholic TN ran 9:09.15 (US #7) to win the Boys 2 Mile Run by six seconds ahead of Calvin Seitz of Jasper IN (9:15.61). Two Illinois runners ran under 9:20 in this race as Evan Nosek of Kaneland (9:17.72) finished third while Rory Gaan of Fremd (9:18.97) finished fifth.

Sofia Arcuri of Maine South ran 5:13.64 last week at the Akinosun Invitational held on this track. She came back in a big way on the same track on Saturday afternoon. She ran 5:01.95 to finish second in the 1 Mile Run in the three sections that were held before the Girls premiere mile. It is her best time for 1600/mile by almost five seconds. Charlie Gall, a freshman from Cedar Rapids IA, had finished third in the Iowa Class 4A State Meet last November, ran a personal best of 4:58.13 to have the fastest time of all three sections.

Four sections were run in the High School races before the featured section. Max Malloy of Elkhart IN ran the same strategy as Hanson in the HOKA race pushing the pace from the gun and never looking back. Malloy opened a four second lead with two laps left in the final section as he ran 4:15.10 for his section win. Jackson Summy of Lakes Community passed Gabriel McLain of Benton on the final lap to run 4:18.74 to finish second. McLain opened his season to run 4:20.28 to finish third. It was a battle in the third section that came down to the final lap. Thomas Jochum of Glenbard South, who finished second in the Class 2A State Meet last November, closed his race in a 30.49 final lap to won his section running 4:20.67. Aiden Murphy of Wheaton Worth ran 4:22.67 to finish second. Finn Richards of Benet Academy, the Class 2A State Champion, started his season on a good note running 4:29.62 to finish third.