Preview: 2025 Batavia Distance Madness

By Michael Newman

The only meet record of last year’s Batavia Distance Madness was when Nick Strayer set a new meet record in the Boys 1600 Meter Run.

The meet record books could be cracked open once again inside the Batavia Fieldhouse with as many as three events could fall on this fast track.

The Boys 3200 Meter Run has a fantastic field that might see the 9:15.91 record from 2022 get disintegrated led by Huntley’s Tommy Nitz and Glenbard South’s Thomas Jochum. The 11-year-old meet record in the Girls 800 might fall led by runners that could do it in St. Ignatius’ Allison Shutler and Hinsdale Central’s Lily Hodneland. The Boys 1600 Meter Run record has fallen in the last two years. Could it be three years in a row?

Here is a look at the six events that will take place on Friday evening.

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Live Results

Girls 800 Meter Run – Championship Race – 5:44 PM

Total Sections – 8; Total Runners – 99

Meet Record – 2:14.57 – Michaela Hackbarth, Downers Grove South – 2014

State Leading Time (as of 3/13/2025) – 2:13.02; Emily Stecky, DePaul College Prep

Preview – This could be the year that Michaela Hackbarth’s 11-year-old meet record falls? The possibility is good that it happens. Lily Hodneland (Hinsdale Central) and Allison Shutler (St. Ignatius Prep) have both run 2:16 and ranked in the top 10. Hodneland ran 2:14.75 outdoors last year and should be in the hunt for the win and maybe the record. Shutler is no longer a mystery this indoor season having run 10:35 and then coming back to run 2:16 on this track two weeks ago. She led off St. Ignatius’ team Monday at the DGS Mustang Relays with a 2:13.1 split. Her 4:50 that she ran at Gately Park last Saturday shows she could drop down to 2:12 and challenge for the race win.

Cecilia Hilby (Aurora Central Catholic) and Gwen Hobson (St. Charles North) should be in the hunt in the front having run 2:19 this season. Mia Forsyth (Lincoln-Way Central) finished second in the 3A State 800 last May and will play a factor in the front. Athena Triner (Yorkville), Avery Braker (Morton), and Rose Cosme (Marist) will be in the mix for top five finishes.

Boys 800 Meter Run – Championship Race – 5:49 PM

Total Sections – 8; Total Runners – 105

Meet Record – 1:55.40 – Patrick Hilby, Aurora Central Catholic – 2023

State Leading Time (as of 3/13/2025) – 1:55.90; Grant Schroder, Downers Grove North

Preview – This could be an exciting race as was last year’s when John Ihrke just missed Patrick Hilby’s meet record in winning the race. No surprises this year. The opening section is wide open with 9 of the 11 runners in the 1:58 range. Michael Wilson (St. Charles East) is the only runner having a top 10 times this year in the state. Wilson looked good last week at York running 1:26 in the 600 Meter Run at York. This meet will be the first race of the season for Zach Born (Metamora). The sophomore ran 1:55.48 last spring earning All-State honors at this distance.

Like we said, this race is wide open with two more St. Charles East runners, Patrick Klasa and Samuel Wollak, capable of winning this race. Griffin Schneid (Benet Academy) and Nathaniel Gabriel (Joliet Central) have wicked finishing speed and could pull the surprise from behind. John Daffenberg (Marmion Academy) and Ethan Petrillo (St. Ignatius Prep) also finish well and should be runners to watch for. Jackson Summy (Lakes Community) ran 9:22 last week and 4:16 two weeks ago on his home track and has the base speed and strength to come away with the race win.

Girls 3200 Meter Run – Championship Race – 6:57 PM

Total Sections – 2; Total Runners – 24

Meet Record – 10:34.25 – Sarah Schmitt, Naperville North – 2018

State Leading Time (as of 3/13/2025) – 10:05.18; Mia Sirios, Barrington

Preview – There is strength in this championship field even though none of the top 10 times/runners are in this field. However, we could have a winning time in this race under 10:50. This is the first race at this distance this year for Maya Ledesma (Minooka) who was all-state at 3200 at state finishing fifth. and during the fall all-state finishing fourth last November at Detweiller Park. Ledesma ran 5:04 to win last week at North Central College showing that she is ready for a fast race in this meet. Shania Tandon (Naperville North) was among the top finishers last March at Illinois Top Times. She finished third behind Ledema last week and could go sub 11 in this race. Meg Peterson (Prospect) ran 10:58.11 in this meet last year finishing second. Ledesma and Peterson match well if this comes down to a kicker’s race.

Avery Hacker (Batavia) will find comfort of being on her home track. She dropped her best down to 10:59.66 in her freshman season and will look to lower that in this meet. Nicole Poglitsch (Wheaton-Warrenville South) has been running multiple events this indoor season but will just run at this distance on Friday. Poglitsch ran 11:19 solo in a home meet nine lap to the mile track in flats. Watch for this two-time All-State cross-country runner in this race. This is a good field that has been assembled for this meet including Ella Satre (Hinsdale Central), Mackenzie Armstrong (Wheaton-Warrenville South) and Sophia Baumert (Streamwood) in this 12 runner second section.

Boys 3200 Meter Run – Championship Race – 7:12 PM

Total Sections – 3; Total Runners – 46

Meet Record – 9:15.91 – Caden Simone, Lincoln-Way Central – 2022

State Leading Time (as of 3/13/2025) – 9:00.01; Ben Crane, New Trier

Preview – This could be the best of the 37 races that will be run in this meet. The field is deep and talented where I could see the meet and fieldhouse record could fall dramatically in the third and final section of this event. Tommy Nitz (Huntley) is the hot runner in this field. His time last week in the 800 (1:55.92) is the third fastest in the state by just two hundredths of a second and the fastest time in the state in the 1600 Meter Run (4:12.87). He is the defending champion in this event running 9:22.48. The quality of this field could push several runners under 9:10 including Nitz. Another runner to watch is Thomas Jochum (Glenbard South) who has been running as hot as Nitz. The sophomore has a best of 9:19.69 last month at Proviso West running that race solo. Last week at York, he pushed the pace to an opening 2:04 first half of the 1600 before finishing in 4:19. This could be the race to push him even faster. Jochum has the fastest time in the field and third fastest this winter in Illinois.

There are six runners in the championship race that have bests under 9:24. Josiah Narayanan (Wheaton-Warrenville South) was all state in Charleston last year and will be among the front runners. Rory Gaan (Fremd) has not run this distance yet this year but has run 4:21 for the 1600 Meter Run and has a lifetime best of 9:09. Francesco Benelli (Batavia) will be on his home track and has a 9:13 lifetime best. Finn Richards (Benet Academy) is the 2A State XC Champion and Qwynn Garrelts (Maine South) has a 9:24 best. Both runners could be factor making in the pace of this race. Also watch for Sean Hanrahan (Lincoln-Way East) could be the surprise finishing in the top three.

Girls 1600 Meter Run – Championship Race – 9:11 PM

Total Sections – 8; Total Runners – 100

Meet Record – 4:49.30 – Judy Pendergast, Naperville North – 2016

State Leading Time (as of 3/13/2025) – 4:46.80; Sundara Weber, Sandwich

Preview – Section 8 (Championship) is solid with six runners ready to challenge to take the title away from Emma Berres (Naperville North) who ran 5:02.85 for the 2024 win. That time will not win this championship on Friday night. Berres has been running multiple races indoors with 2:19. 5:05, 11:04 bests. She is stronger than last year/ She will be busy this weekend running in this meet and then running in the New Balance Nationals Indoor in Boston on Sunday.

Veronica Znajda (Prospect) and Stella Davis (Evanston Township) both have personal bests under five minutes and will push the pace from the front on the final section. Davis ran 5:06 last week to win at Antioch and is moving up her fitness level. Znajda ran a 2:16 split to help her team win at the DGS Mustang Relays on Monday and has season bests of 11:00 and 5:06. The one runner to keep an eye on is Kyla Babb (Westmont). The junior has started running on a higher level after finishing third in the Class 1A State Meet at Detweiller Park. Babb last Saturday at Gately Park in her first race of the season ran 10:37.97 in the 3200 Meter Run and then to come back less than two hours later 5:04.38 in the 1600 Meter Run. Babb will be concentrating on the 1600 Meter Run on Friday. How fast could she go in the final section?

Sofia Arcuri (Maine South) will run this distance for the first time in this meet. She showed her fitness level last week at Gately Park running 2:16.45 in the 800 Meter Run. Delilah Helenhouse (Benet Academy), Margaretha Grabske (Hersey), Lola Satre-Morales (Naperville Central), Reese Kohnke (Rockford Boylan), Rianna Tandon (Naperville North), and Madison King (Joliet Central) will all be a part of this quality field.

The top three seeds in Section 7 are Madeline Bialko (Hersey), Ainsley Carter (Lane), and Ireland Wildhart (Prospect. The top three seeds in Section 6 are Frida Martinez (Wheaton-Warrenville South), Lucinda Hodges (Rockton Hononegah), and Hudson Szymonik (Jacobs).

Boys 1600 Meter Run – Championship Race – 9:18 PM

Total Sections – 8; Total Runners – 105

Meet Record – 4:16.85 – Nick Strayer, Lyons Township – 2024

State Leading Time (as of 3/13/2025) – 4:12.87; Tommy Nitz, Huntley

Preview – Nick Strayer last year took down the meet record in the final race of the night. The potential is the record to drop again especially with the field assembled. Max Sudrzynski (Jacobs) enters this meet with the second fastest time in the state so far this year of 4:13.77 finishing second behind state leader Tommy Nitz. Carter Hayes (Palatine) is #8 in Illinois with a 4:18.69 season’s best doing that in February at Hononegah.

Two more Palatine runners, Alex Krieg, and James O’Sullivan both ran great at the DGS Mustang Relays helping their quartet break their indoor school record. Both ran great last Friday at York with Krieg winning the 3200 Meter Run 9:23.29 and O’Sullivan running a gutsy 1600 with a 4:22.38 second-place time. Greyson Ellensohn (St. Charles East) finished second behind Krieg last we at York showing he is ready for a fast 1600. Christian Harris (Morton) has run 9:25 this winter also showing he is ready for a fast time.

Jameson Tenopir (Cary-Grove), Evan Nosek (Kaneland), Mateus Salomao (Hersey), Andrew Straley (Brother Rice), and Patrick Clune (Naperville Central) will also be in this field with any of them able to finish among the top three runners in the final section.

The top three seeds in Section 7 are Braden Hoff (Lincoln-Way Central), Owen Tremblay (Maine South), and Aiden Noel (Wheaton-Warrenville South. This is a deep section with the 12 scheduled runners separated by just five sections. The top runners in Section 6 are Matt McKee (Marist), Evan Whidlin (Kaneland), Peter Kipp (Northridge Prep), and Wojtek Gilarski (Hinsdale South. All 121 runners in that section are separated by just two seconds.