By Michael Newman

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Welcome to one of the best team races of this season. We thought that the point totals were close between the top four teams at Naperville Twilight a month ago. They could be even tighter. This could be one of the best team races ever in the Girls Meet. The individual race may not be that dramatic. Glenbard West’s Katelynne Hart has looked unstoppable this fall. It will be interesting to see if there is anyone that will be able to stay close to her.

Here is a look at each of the qualifying teams as well as some of the top individuals to watch on Saturday.

Teams

(Listed in Ranking Order)

Naperville North

DS IL Final Ranking – 1

Box – 31

Preview – West Aurora Sectional Champion. One of the many teams to watch up front Saturday afternoon. Sarah Schmitt has been the Lady Huskies’ top runner all season and should be in the top ten individually. Sophomore Alex Morris has come on strong as the team’s second runner. She has been as close as 5 seconds to Schmidt earlier in the year at the Naperville Twilight Meet. Getting her under 20 seconds within Schmidt would be a big help. The team has been solid through 4 runners having a split averaging 36 seconds with Hannah Ricci and Claire Hamilton the three/four runners. Their split, especially against the quality of teams in this race, has to be around 40 seconds. They romped to the sectional win but with a 63 second split.  All eyes could be on Minooka and Yorkville. I would not sleep on this team.

Minooka

DS IL Final Ranking – 2

Box – 25

Preview – Edwardsville Sectional Champion. The defending 3A champions enter this meet with confidence as they had two close wins over Yorkville at regionals and sectionals. There is no doubt that Mackenzie Callahan, Ashley Tutt, and Emily Shelton will at least be in the top 15 maybe the top 10. Callahan has been running hot as of late having broken the SIU-Edwardsville course record last week. We have been watching the gap between these three runners and fourth runner Vivian Van Eck during the season. Last week, the junior was within 2 seconds of Shelton. Van Eck is a possibility in the top 20. What is a concern is the overall split. It was 105 seconds in their regional race and 125 seconds on the Edwardsville hills last week. That large of a split will not get them on top of the podium again. Having four runners in possible all-state spots is reassuring for the hopes of Minooka fans. A split of 81 to 84 seconds on their top five could have them repeating as state champions.

Yorkville

DS IL Final Ranking – 3

Box – 34

Preview – Finished second at the Edwardsville Sectional. The Lady Foxes go after their sixth straight state championship with the last five coming in 2A. The pressure of repeating or winning will be there. That should not effect this team since they been through this process before. Yorkville will need to have a tight pack to win. They were able to get away with an 85 second split on five at the Normal Regional and a 56 second split last week at Edwardsville because there was just not that much competition in both of those races. Nicole Greyer has been the team’s top runner all season. The sophomore could finish between 10^th and 15^th in this race. What was encouraging last week was that Alyssa Edwards and Maddie Dearborn were within 10 seconds of Greyer. The split for the top five has to be at 35 seconds or faster for this team to contend for a team championship. It might mean having three all-state runners. More importantly, having their scorers in the first 50 will be a key.

Glen Ellyn Glenbard West

DS IL Final Ranking – 4

Box – 3

Preview – Niles West Sectional Champion. The Hilltoppers took a big hit when their third runner throughout the season Katie Hohe was lost for the remainder of the season due to catching mononucleosis. It put this team from a contender for the state championship to a team now going after a trophy. This team did not listen to the “noise” surrounding them as they went out to win the regional and sectional titles without Hohe. This team believes in themselves and what they can do. It helps when you have the best two runners in the state Katelynne Hart and Lindsey Payne leading the way. They will be up front again in Peoria this Saturday. It is the pack behind these two that you have to keeps your eyes on. The split on their next three at last week’s sectional race was only 32 seconds. Glenbard will need to have either Claire Connolly within 88 seconds of Hart. A split of 110 to 114 seconds on their top five could get them into the top three at least.

Wheaton-Warrenville South

DS IL Final Ranking – 5

Box – 9

Preview – Finished second at the Niles West Sectional. The Lady Tigers have been within 2 points at regionals and 9 points at sectionals of Glenbard West not running their best race of the year. Maybe they are saving the best for last this weekend. Sara Atkins and Allison McGrath have been up front for this team all year and could both finish in the top 20 at state. Laurel Moneysmith has been a pleasant surprise as a solid third runner running 25 to 30 seconds behind the front two. The key for South is getting their split on five under 50 seconds. They had a split on four of 30 seconds at their conference meet but a 29 second split from four to five. Four runners within 30 seconds of each other could go a long way in getting this team into the top three.

Downers Grove South

DS IL Final Ranking – 6

Box – 20

Preview – Marist Sectional Champion. While most of the attention in 3A has been on the top five schools, here is Downers Grove South with solid pack running and the ability to finish in the top four in this meet. Katie Stapleton has been the front runner most of the season. Breana Cohoon has stepped in to the top spot during the state series meets. The split on their top five was 40 seconds two weeks ago and 42 seconds last week. When they won at Peoria at the beginning of October, their split was only 22 seconds. The possibility of having a runner in the top 25 is good. The split on five could go low as 26 seconds if Stapleton can stay with Becky Versaskas on Saturday. This team is pretty underrated. They won’t be after the race on Saturday.

LaGrange Lyons Township

DS IL Final Ranking – 7

Box – 28

Preview – Finished second at the Marist Sectional. The Lions are coming on strong and could finish among the top five teams on Saturday. Sarah Barcelona and Emily Henkel have finished 1-2 in the last two races. Both sophomores could finish in the top 15. The team did not run their best split last week at sectionals running a 103 second split. That could come down this weekend. A split under 75 seconds with two all-state runners who get this WSC-Silver team among the top 5.

Hinsdale Central

DS IL Final Ranking – 8

Box – 11

Preview – Finished fourth at the Marist Sectional. The Red Devillettes did not have their best sectional race. Watch for them to bounce back this week. Reilly Revord has been consistent up front for her team. She figures to be in the top 25 on Saturday. Grace McCabe leads a pack that had a 78 second split on the top five but only 40 seconds between their second through fifth runners. If McCabe can get within 10 seconds of Revord with the pack split staying close to 40 seconds, some special things could happen for this squad.

Palatine

DS IL Final Ranking – 9

Box – 16

Preview – Waukegan Sectional Champion. It has been an improbable season for the Lady Pirates this fall going from unranked at the beginning of the year to sectional champions. Danya Lloyd stepped up as the team’s top runner in September and has held on to that position. Palatine will need to keep a 15 second split between Lloyd and second runner Liz Lechowicz. The split for Palatine has been in the low 70’s for 3 of their last 4 meets. Lloyd does have the potential to finish in the top 25. They will need to get their pack closer together within 58 seconds of Lloyd for this team to have a chance to challenge for a finish in the top 5.

Arlington Heights Hersey

DS IL Final Ranking – 10

Box – 23

Preview – Finished second at the Waukegan Sectional. It has been a great year for the Huskies making it to state for the first time in 7 seasons. Sarah Harden and Hailey Bowes have been the top runners for the team all season. The gap between the two in the last two meets has been 19 seconds. That gap needs to get closer in this race. A key has been that Teagan Beckley is now running within 5 seconds of Bowes. For most of the season, it was more than 30 seconds. Harden has a chance to be all-state and Bowes too if she stays close Beckley could be a big plus if she finishes in the top 40. Their split was 68 seconds on five last week. If it goes under 60 seconds, Hersey could finish higher than people think.

Lockport Township

DS IL Final Ranking – 12

Box – 4

Preview – Finished third at the Marist Sectional. This is a team that has been overlooked for parts of this season. The Lady Porters should be a threat to finish in the top ten. Morgan Bollinger again has been the top runner for this team. It is no doubt that she could finish in the top 25 in this race. Freshman Madison Polinski was 23 seconds behind Bollinger last week. If Polinski and Kaylee Stortz can be within 20 seconds of Bollinger, it could push Lockport up in the standings. Their split on five has been in the 70 to 80 second range the last 3 meets. A split under 70 seconds could be helpful for this team on Saturday.

Geneva

DS IL Final Ranking – 13

Box – 12

Preview – Finished third at the West Aurora Sectional. The split on Geneva’s top three has gone from 2 seconds at their conference meet 3 weeks ago to 44 seconds last Saturday. Watch for Emily Ehrhardt, Sara McDonnell, and Adrine Larsen to be at least within 20 seconds of each other in the state race. Any of these runners could be all-state. Geneva’s problem has been their split has been over 60 seconds since their race in Peoria in September. A split under 65 seconds at Detweiller Park could put this team in the top ten. It could be higher if they can keep their top three close together.

Naperville Neuqua Valley

DS IL Final Ranking – 14

Box – 5

Preview – Finished second at the West Aurora Sectional. The key for the success of the Lady Wildcats is good pack running. The 52 second split on five was not their best in the sectional race. It was good enough to get them a second place finish. Caitlin Horn has been their top runner al l season and could be among the top 25 individuals in Saturday’s race. Freshman Julia Rushing has stepped up as the team’s second runner in the last four meets. She could finish 20 seconds behind her and have pack within 15 seconds of her. That would assure this team of a top 10 finish.

Aurora Metea Valley

DS IL Final Ranking – 15

Box – 21

Preview – Finished fourth at the West Aurora Sectional. It was not a great race for the Mustangs last week but just enough to get them to Peoria for the second straight year. Leana Goldman has been the team’s top runner this season and could finish among the first 40. The key for their success is having their first 4 runners within 30 seconds of each other. They did that in their regional race that they won. The split on five definitely needs to be under 50 seconds. That could move them into the top ten.

Park Ridge Maine South

DS IL Final Ranking – 16

Box – 27

Preview – Finished fourth at the Niles West Sectional. Maddie Dingle and Olivia Nizolek lead the Hawks. They have been running with each other all season. The biggest gap the two had was 10 seconds at the Palatine Invitational. Both could finish in the top ten in this race. The split between these two and their pack climbed to 72 seconds last week. That needs to narrow down to under 60 seconds with an overall split between 80 and 85 seconds. That kind race could move this team close to the top ten.

Winnetka New Trier

DS IL Final Ranking – 17

Box – 17

Preview – Finished third at the Niles West Sectional. It has not been the typical New Trier team that we are used to seeing with tight top five packs. The Trevians, however, did make it back to Peoria with strong front running by Caroline Fix and Grace Fagan. More than 30 seconds have separated the two in the last 3 meets. Fix does have a chance to finish in the top 25. The split on their top five last week was close to 80 seconds. That needs to go down to under 70 seconds for this team to finish near the top ten between 11^th and 15^th.

Fox Lake Grant

DS IL Final Ranking – 18

Box – 7

Preview – Finished fourth at the Waukegan Sectional. This team continues to peak at the right time every season to find their way back to Peoria. One of their keys is keeping Danielle Osmon and Eva Cardy close together in races. The two were only separated by 5 seconds last week. Do not be surprised if both runners are in the top 25 this weekend. The low numbers up front could help especially with their five runner split over 100 seconds. A lower number gets then in the low teens and possibly in the top ten if the pack is within 65 seconds of Osmon.

Batavia

DS IL Final Ranking – 19

Box – 29

Preview – Finished fifth at the West Aurora Sectional. The Bulldogs do not have the fire power up front like they did a year ago when they finished third. Batavia does have a strong pack that could get them into the top ten. Their split on five last week was 39 seconds. Two weeks before in their conference race it was only 16 seconds. Marygrace Golden and Audrey Pelico have the potential to finish in the first 45 if they stay within 5 to 7 seconds of each other. Watch for this team to run under a 35 second split on their top five.

Elmhurst York

DS IL Final Ranking – 21

Box – 35

Preview – Finished fifth at the Niles West Sectional. Sarah May leads this York team back to the state meet. She finished in the top ten in her sectional and could finish among the top 25 this Saturday. York has a good pack behind May with Katherine Tomaska and Erin Davies close together. Their split from their second to fifth runners was only 16 seconds last week with their overall split under 60 seconds for the first time this season. If they can close the gap to 37 seconds on May and an overall split of 52 seconds, York will definitely be in the top 15 maybe closer to the top ten.

Edwardsville

DS IL Final Ranking – 22

Box – 8

Preview – Finished third at the Edwardsville Sectional. A pack of under 50 seconds has been the key for the Tigers most of the season. The strength of their pack has showed up front as they have had four athletes that have been their top runners in meets. Abby Schrobilgen was the first runner in for them last week. A tight pack with 3 runners within 15 seconds of each other and then another pack with an overall 40 second split on five could get this team into the top 20 on Saturday.

Plainfield North

DS IL Final Ranking – 25

Box – 19

Preview – Finished fifth at the Marist Sectional. Plainfield North finally made it over the hump qualifying for the state meet for the first time in the program’s history. Juliana Stogsdill and Megan Patton were within eight seconds of each other last week. Both could finish in the top 30 in this race. Their split on five mast of the year was in the 100’s. It dropped to 87 seconds last week as the gap between the third through fifth runners was only 3 seconds. If they can close the gap down to 65 seconds on their front runners with a split under 80 seconds, the team could finish in the top 15.

O’Fallon

DS IL Final Ranking – Not ranked

Box – 15

Preview – Finished fourth at the Edwardsville Sectional. Brooke Witzel leads this Panthers’ team. She could be among the top 45 in the state race. The pack led by Kaitlyn Walker was only 33 seconds between the four runners. Walker getting within 31 seconds of Witzel with their pack of 63 seconds could move O’Fallon into the top 20 in Peoria.

Frankfort Lincoln-Way East

DS IL Ranking – Not ranked

Box – 24

Preview – Finished fifth at the Edwardsville Sectional. Narrowly made it to state finishing two points ahead of district rival Lincoln-Way Central in fifth. Last Saturday’s race was not the best for the Griffins with an overall split at 106 seconds. A split under 80 seconds could get the team into the top 20. Jenna Couwenhoven has been their top runner all season. Freshman Olivia Jacobs has been in the second position leading the pack.

Lincolnshire Stevenson

DS IL Ranking – Not ranked

Box – 32

Preview – Finished third at the Waukegan Sectional. The Patriots ran a strong race to get to the state race. Isabelle Sparreo has been the top runner again all year. You can expect her to finish in the top 20 in this race individually. Gabriela Jagielo leads the pack that is a minute behind Sparreo but within 35 seconds of each other. A split of only 40 seconds between Sparreo and the pack could move this team closer to the top 15.

Schaumburg

DS IL Ranking – Not Ranked

Box – 13

Preview – Finished fifth at the Waukegan Sectional. A surprise team that made it to state. Madison Marasco has been the key runners for the Saxons being up front in every race. She could be in the top ten individually. Lauren Kubinski has been a solid second runner that could run within 60 seconds of her teammate at Detweiller Park. The split on five last week was 143 seconds. That split needs to come down to under 110 seconds if this team wants to finish in the top 20.

Team Summary

The chaise for the team championship will be similar to the Naperville Twilight meet a month ago when the top four teams in the state were separated by only 13 points. Glenbard West could be challenging with these teams, but the loss of Katie Hohe will hurt those chances. They still did win their regional and sectional races without her.

Minooka and Yorkville challenged each other the past two weeks. With more runners in the race, the split on five becomes more important. Minooka will have the front runners but will need a split of 80 on their top five. Yorkville has the pack behind Nicole Greyer. They will need a split under 40 seconds. Naperville North was not discussed before the Twilight meet but they ended up winning. With Sarah Schmidt up front, that pack needs to make their presence known in this race.

Glenbard West has the top two runners in the race but will need to close the gap between them and their pack. Wheaton-Warrenville South needs to put together the complete race having all five of their runners on the same page with a good race. They are a possibility to finish in the top three. Downers Grove South has been in the shadows but could put together a great race to get in the top three with a tight pack. WSC-Silver Rivals Lyons Township and Hinsdale Central could be surprises in this race.

Individual Summary

It is hard to deny that Glenbard West freshman Katelynne Hart will be in the favorite in the race. This is the first time running this state championship with the atmosphere surrounding it. She admitted afterwards that she thought she went out a little too fast last Saturday but still won by 19 seconds. If she keeps her emotions under control early on, it will be tough to see anyone close to her. Teammate Lindsey Payne has been second behind Hart in most of the meets this season. She has not been defeated by another Illinois runner this season besides Hart. It is hard to see anyone ahead of the two Saturday afternoon.

Mackenzie Callahan (Minooka HS) has been running hot of late and could make her presence known close to the two Glenbard runners. Teammates Ashley Tutt and Emily Shelton could also be close. Jocelyn Long (Barrington HS) and Brooke Wilson (Prospect HS) have challenged each other coming down the stretch and should be in that front pack. Sarah Schmidt (Naperville North HS) has been tough and will be challenging the front group. One runner that I would keep an eye on is Isabelle Christiansen (Oswego HS). The sophomore looked comfortable in her second place finish at West Aurora behind Schmidt last weekend. She should be in the top ten. It would not surprise me if she is in the top five. Maddie Dingle and Olivia Nizolek (Maine South HS, Park Ridge) have been running strong this season. They could be challenging for top five finishes.

Sarah Barcelona and Emily Henkel (Lyons Township HS, LaGrange) have finished 1-2 in their last two races. Expect them to be towards the front. Other runners to keep an eye on include Madison Marasco (Schaumburg HS), Isabelle Sparreo (Stevenson HS, Lincolnshire), Nicole Greyer (Yorkville HS), Sara Atkins and Allison McGrath (Wheaton-Warrenville South HS), Reilly Revord (Hinsdale Central HS), Emma Ehrhardt (Geneva HS), and Sarah May (York HS, Elmhurst).