Folders |
DyeStat IL - 2015 First to the Finish Invitational PreviewPublished by
More than 180 schools converge on Peoria’s Detweiller Park; a look at each of the six races Saturday
By Michael Newman
The biggest meet in Illinois this season takes place on Saturday when more than 180 schools head from all over the state as well as Indiana, Kentucky, and Iowa for the First to the Finish Invitational. The meet simulates the state meet in November with six class races with some of the best teams in the state.
The best race of the day could be just before noon when three of the top Girls teams in the state (Naperville North, Yorkville, and Minooka) toe the line to see who the best is on this weekend. Kevin Salvano and Daly Galloway are some of the top individuals who will use this race as a checkpoint towards their goals of state championships in less than two months.
Here is a look at the six races that will take place at Detweiller Park on Saturday.
1A Girls – 9:00 AM
DyeStat IL Ranked Teams (9) - #3 Urbana University, #4 Seneca, #10 Winnebago, #14 Westmont, #15 Carlinville, #17 Annawan-Kewanee Wethersfield, #21 Mt. Zion, #22 Illinois Valley Central, #25 Carterville
Individuals – Daly Galloway (Gardner-South Wilmington) Arielle Summit & Annemarie Michael (Urbana University HS), Kirstie Ramsey (Wethersfield), Keri Burmester (Red Bud), Shelby Siltman (Stanford Olympia), Eva Bruno (Seneca)
Outlook – The first race of the day does not have the team fire power up front. We will see the top two 1A teams (St. Joseph-Ogden and Seneca) next week at the Richard Spring Invitational. Seneca has a slight edge in the team competition ahead of Urbana University. Arielle Summit and Annemarie Michael should be in the top five. The question is how big the gap will be between the front duo and their pack. The same applies to Seneca. Eva Bruno should be among the top runners in this race. Teammates Carina Collett and Sarah Virgo could be in the top fifteen individually. The Irish have the same problem as U-High. How much of a gap will there be between the top three and then the rest of the pack?
Kewanee Wethersfield could be a surprise in the first five. Carlinville, Westmont, and Winnebago could be close behind.
The individual competition in this race has more sizzle than that of the team race. Daly Galloway lost by tenths of a second last year to Arielle Summitt. A year later, the two will challenge for the win. It is hard to say if Summit is completely recovered from injuries that slowed down her track season. I expect her to be up front. Galloway is running with more confidence having her eyes on a state championship. If the conditions are optimal, we could see Galloway near 17 minutes.
Kirstie Ramsey is running with more determination after a disappointing state finish last year. She could be among the top five on Saturday. Keri Burmester could also be a surprise in the top five.
1A Boys – 9:40 AM
DyeStat IL Ranked Teams (10) - #4 Elmwood-Brimfield, #7 El Paso-Gridley, #9 Pleasant Plains, #10 Carlinville, #11 Urbana University, #12 Johnsburg, #17 Illinois Valley Central, #20 Stanford Olympia, #22 Fairbury Prairie Central, #25 Beecher
Individuals – Ross McCormick (Seneca HS), Tyler Johnson (Pleasant Plains), Tanner Chada (Aurora Christian), Cory Landon (Carlinville), Matt Stelmasek (Johnsburg HS), Harrison Thomas (Carterville HS), Phillip Nordgren (Kirkland-Hiawatha HS), Matt Osmulski (Elmwood-Brimfield)
Outlook – This race last year was one of the most anticipated in this meet. The firepower is not there especially with Rockford Christian now in 2A. The team race is up for grabs. Elmwood-Brimfield traditionally does not run great in this meet early in the season. They finished 11th in 2013 and 4th last year. They are the top ranked team entered but might just make it into the top three. Matt Osmulski and Derek McCoy lead the team. They should be among the top fifteen. My hunch is that the winning team could be either El Paso-Gridley, Pleasant Plains, or Carlinville. Pleasant Plains has one of the top runners in this meet with Tyler Johnson. They will need to keep their split at 100 seconds or under in order to win. El Paso-Gridley has a tough trio up front led by all-state runner Hunter Cobbley along with Adam Ludy and Andy Layden. Cobbley should be challenging for a top five finish in this race. Ludy and Layden should be 15th or better. This team takes home the championship if their split is 80 seconds or faster. Carlinville could be the surprise in this meet. They finished second in both of their meets both to 2A schools. Cory Landon will be up front for the team. The question is getting their 2-5 split down to 90 seconds in order to place in the top three teams.
Landon should be among the front runners in this race. Last Saturday, Tyler Johnson and Landon were only separated by a second in the two mile race with Johnson winning in a fast 9:49. It is possible that we could see a time close to 15 minutes. Ross McCormick was the surprise 1A runner on the track at the end of the year. He should be in the top five in this race. He could be close enough for the win. Matt Stelmasek is one of the most underrated runners in 1A. He finished 19th at state in 2014. I could see him winning on Saturday if he is within three seconds of the lead at 2 miles. Tanner Chada missed all of track with a knee injury. He finished second behind McCormick at Morris in August. It will be interesting to see if he pushes the pace like he did in this meet last year.
2A Girls – 10:20 AM
DyeStat IL Ranked Teams (16) - #2 Lemont, #3 Dunlap, #4 Belvidere North, #6 Washington, #7 Rochester, #8 Normal University, #9 Vernon Hills, #10 Montini Catholic, #11 Aurora Central Catholic, #15 St. Teresa, #17 Glenbard South, #19 Latin School, #21 Kaneland, #22 Morton, #23 Rock Island Alleman, #24 Danville
Individuals – Karina Liz & Abby Fioresi (Aurora Central Catholic), Jenna Lutzow (Belvidere North), Vivian Overbeck (Vernon Hills), Frannie Verville & Miranda Kruiswyk (Dunlap), Nicole Beebe (Canton HS), Shannan Supan (Normal University), Taylor Campos & Gabby Volatrel (Lemont), Kate Jacobs (Woodstock HS), Kortney Schardt (Lakes)
Outlook – This would have been one of the races of the day but four time 2A state champion Yorkville was given the option to run in 3A this season and accepted it. There are still 16 ranked teams in the field with 9 of the top 11 toeing the line. Dunlap might be the slight favorite in this meet. Frannie Verville and Miranda Kruiswyk have the potential to be in the top five. Their pack is tight. It was only eight seconds between their fourth and seventh runners a week ago at Galesburg. Lemont will once again need to rely on a tight pack. Last week, they were all over the course with a split over two minutes. Expect their pack to return in this meet. If they can put their five in between 15 and 35, the championship could be theirs.
Belvidere North could challenge for a top spot especially with Jenna Lutzow challenging for the individual title and Sabrina Elder a possibility in the top ten. Their split needs to be under two minutes to have a chance for the win. This will be the first invitational for Washington. Expectations are high for this team this year. Rochester has won both of their invitational meets in their first year in 2A. Those wins have come in 1A meets. The team is still good enough to find their way in the top five. The same holds true for St. Teresa who moved up to 2A as well this year. They have a good first four. Their fifth runner needs to get close to the pack. Vernon Hills could be one of the most improved teams this year with two freshmen in the top five. It would not surprise me if they finish in the top three.
Vivian Overbeck has been strong in her first two meets this year including running 18:03 to win the Lake County Invitational more than a week ago. Jenna Lutzow should challenge Overbeck for the win. Abby Fioresi has showed improvement so far this fall and could challenge for the top five along with teammate Karina Liz. Kortney Schardt is another runner that we should find in the top five. Verville and Krusiwyk will give Dunlap up front and could vie for one of the top spots. Kate Jacobs could be the surprise in this race especially after the success she had during track.
2A Boys – 11:00 AM
DyeStat IL Ranked Teams (15) - #2 Grayslake Central, #3 Yorkville, #7 Rockford Christian, #8 Vernon Hills, #9 Belvidere North, #11 Normal West, #14 Kaneland, #15 Metamora, #17 Danville, #20 Normal University, #21 Rock Island Alleman, #22 Sterling, #23 Salem, #24 Dixon, #25 Champaign Central
Individuals – Shane Williamson (Vernon Hills), Eryk Yunk (Belvidere North), Luke Beattie (Woodstock), Nick Monkemeyer (Rockford Christian), Jake Gillum (Metamora), Trevor Wills (Yorkville), Robel Yemane (Mather), Jonathan Landis (Sterling), Carl Way (Danville HS), Ben Flowers (Jersey), Ashton Wyatt (Champaign Central)
Outlook – It will come down to the front running that Grayslake Central has against the pack of two time state champion Yorkville. The Foxes will have to rely on a tight pack led by Trevor Willis. Their first race two weeks ago their split was under 30 seconds. That same kind of effort is needed with their first runner between 12 and 18. Grayslake Central was surprised last week finishing second to Stevenson at the Lake County Invitational. They were without #3 runner Danny Vincent who should be running on Saturday. Their split was over 70 seconds at that meet. Led by Jack & Matt Aho up front and with Vincent in there, do not be surprised if we see a split under 60 seconds.
This will be the first “real” 2A race for Rockford Christian. Nick Monkemeyer was up front for his team last week at the Oregon Open. Their 2-5 split was only 19 seconds. If the split from Monkemeyer to the pack is between 45-50 seconds with a tight 2-5 split, this team could be in contention for the win. Vernon Hills has the front running of Shane Williamson while Belvidere North has Eryk Yunk up front. Both teams will need to have 75 second splits or better in order to place in the top three. Keep an eye on Normal West. They ran a 62 second split off of #1 man Alex Hillegass at their first meet of the season. Hillegass did not run last week, but will be back Saturday. The Wildcats need him in the first 13 with a 46 second split in order to place in the top three teams.
The individual race should be a great one with a tine 14:50 or under winning it. Jack Aho looked good tactically in winning Lake County. He should be in the front. Last year’s 2A 3rd place finisher Shane Williamson should be towards the front along with Luke Beattie, Eryk Yunk, and Nick Monkemeyer. Ben Flowers has been running well early this year and could be a surprise up front.
3A Girls – 11:40 AM
DyeStat IL Ranked Teams (14) - #1 Naperville North, #1 (2A) Yorkville, #2 Minooka, #4 Lockport Township, #5 Winnetka New Trier, #7 Barrington, #8 Batavia, #9 Naperville Central, #10 Hinsdale Central, #15 Lake Forest, #17 Geneva, #18 Metea Valley, #19 Downers Grove South, #25 Lyons Township
Individuals – Judy Pendergast, Claire Hamilton, & Sara Schmitt (Naperville North), Ashley Tutt, Emily Shelton, & Mackenzie Callahan (Minooka), Annie Zaher, Grace McCabe, & Reilly Revord (Hinsdale Central), Emma Stephens (Batavia HS), Jocelyn Long (Barrington), Summer Pierson, Alexis Grandys, and Maddie Dearborn (Yorkville), Emma Milburn (Lake Forest), Melissa Manetsch (Libertyville), Oona Jung-Beeman (New Trier), McKenzie Altmayer (Geneva), Kaitlyn Ko (Buffalo Grove), Morgan Bollinger (Lockport).
Outlook – This should be the race of the meet especially with defending state champions Naperville North and Yorkville in the field. “We were offered a chance to run in the 3A Girls Race by meet director Brien Dunphy. We were committed to constantly challenging our kids’ week in and week out,” Yorkville Coach Chris Muth said. “We are really excited to have the opportunity to compete against the best in our state and look forward to seeing how we stack up.”
Just like the 2A Boys race, it will come down to the pack running of a number of teams against teams that have the fire power up front. Minooka showed their presence up front last week at Hinsdale when they put three runners in the first five. Emily Shelton, Ashley Tutt, and McKenzie Callahan could do the same thing this week. The key for the Indians is getting their five runner split to under 100 seconds.
Naperville North did not run their best race of the year last week in Iowa. Then again, they usually do not at the beginning of the season. Watch the pack tighten up on their 2-5 runners while Judy Pendergast challenges for the individual win. Yorkville will need to rely on a tight pack. Like Coach Muth said, they wanted to see how they stacked up against some of the best. In their first meet, their split on five was 21 seconds. That kind of split with a presence towards the front will be a help. Lockport had a 58 second split last week at Plainfield but only five seconds separated their first three. I would not discount this team. They could be among the first three teams.
Hinsdale Central finished eighth in their own invitational last week. That was because they were missing front runner Annie Zaher from their lineup. Zaher up front along with Reilly Revord and Grace McCabe will give them low numbers in the first three positions. New Trier ran a good race last week at Hinsdale. Watch for their pack to tighten up led by Oona Jung-Beeman. Barrington is another team to watch. They surprised some last week at St. Charles but have the fire power towards the front led by Jocelyn Long. Lake Forest is sneaky good. They don’t have the presence up front but have a tight pack led by Emma Milburn that can result in a high team finish.
The dynamics of the individual race are fascinating. Judy Pendergast opened up her season with a fast 17:45 5k on the hills at Pleasant Valley IA. She could be chased by Minooka’s trio of Shelton, Tutt, and Callahan. Jocelyn Long came from behind last week at St. Charles trailing the lead by eight seconds half way through but winning by 13 seconds. It would not be a surprise if she challenges Pendergast at the end.
3A Boys – 12:20 PM
DyeStat IL Ranked Teams (12) - #2 Lyons Township, #5 Hinsdale Central, #9 New Trier, #11 Buffalo Grove, #12 Whitney Young, #13 Lincoln-Way North, #18 Downers Grove North, #19 Marmion Academy, #20 Minooka, #22 Naperville Central, #23 Fremd, #24 Glenbard West
Individuals – Kevin Salvano (Buffalo Grove), Blake Evertsen & Chris Brenk (Hinsdale Central), Vince Zona & Connor Madell (Lyons Township), Daniel Santino (St. Ignatius), Michael Hahndorf (McHenry), Jack Litowitz (New Trier), Connor McCue (West Aurora), Jack Sebok (Plainfield North), Eric Neumann (Glenbard West), Ian Peterson (Lincoln-Way Central), Brett Davidson (Highland Park), Alec Danner (Downers Grove North), Soren Knudsen (Minooka), John Chomiak (Lincoln-Way North), Trevor Thompson (Fishers IN)
Outlook – The team battle will come down to WSC-Silver rivals Lyons Township and Hinsdale Central. Neuqua Valley, who has run in this race in past years, opted to be at Richard Spring the following weekend. The two teams are similar upfront. Hinsdale has Blake Evertsen and Chris Brenk who will be in the top five. Lyons Township has Vince Zona and Connor Madell that will also be up front. Lyons had a good 39 second split last week in getting close to Sandburg. Hinsdale ran a 52 second split on five, but the gap between Brenk and the pack was 30 seconds. That gap needs to narrow if Hinsdale wins on Saturday.
It will be the battle for the third spot. Buffalo Grove has Kevin Salvano and a good pack behind him. Whitney Young had a 42 second split last week. They are young but talented. New Trier ran a good pack last week at Hinsdale and could be close two Hinsdale and Lyons this week. Lincoln-Way North, Marmion Academy, and Downers Grove North all have the talent to find a way into the top five.
Kevin Salvano will be the runner to watch individually. He ran 14:34 at his first meet at Stevenson. He could be under 14:30 on Saturday. Blake Evertsen has the talent to chase after Salvano along with Chris Brenk. Vince Zona and Connor Madell stayed off of the pace last week but were in the front when it counted at the end. Daniel Santino has the talent to be up front along with Alec Danner. Connor McCue and Soren Knudsen could be surprises up front in this race.
More news |
