Above Photo – Abigail Lynch (second from left) of Brownsburg, Indiana starts to make her move just after 2-miles at Detweiller at Dark Friday night. (Laura Duffy photo)

By Michael Newman

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Peoria – The races under the lights at Detweiller Park on Friday night were a chance for the runner that never gets to run on this iconic cross-country course to do so. These races mark the end of the summer training and the beginning of what lies ahead for the 2017 high school cross-country season.

The finishes of both high school races were close. One finish pitted two unknown runners chasing after great times. The other was two of the nation’s best dueling in the final 400 meters for the win.

Abigail Lynch of Brownsburg, Indiana had a full day traveling with her parents to Peoria after the Woodcraft graduation ceremony in the morning at Culver Academy. She had no expectations heading into this race.

“I had never run a 5k before. This was my first cross-country race,” Lynch said. “I was just hoping today to break 19-minutes.”

She was not racing like an incoming high school freshman. By the time the lead pack got to the first mile, there was Lynch fighting for the lead along with Yorkville IL runners Alyssa Edwards and Emily Eberhardt. The group passed by the mile mark in 5:43.

Summer races are races of the unknown. You want to see what kind of shape you are in. It is a check point in some ways. In this girls race, the unknown were the runners that were up front.

The group was still together but the dynamics had changed. Now Lynch had the lead but was challenged by Lianna Surtz from Batavia, Illinois. Fans around the course were asking who were these two runners?

Surtz is younger than Lynch, entering eighth grade this fall. Her resume is good, having finished third in the 3,000 (10:04.73) in the 13-14 age group at the USATF Youth Championships in Lisle at the end of June. Most of the fans did not know that. The same was true of other runners in the race.

The two passed  two miles in 11:39 with Eberhardt, Edwards, and Phoebe Bates from Carmel, Indiana. As the five passed the finish line signifying the final lap on the course, Lynch surged to move away from the rest of the pack. Surtz followed on her right shoulder.

The two ran side by side in the final mile of the race. As they approached the finish line, Lynch made one final surge in the last 20 meters of the race. She crossed the line in 17:16.15 with Surtz just a second back. Bates followed in third (17:29.6) followed by Edwards (17:38.0) and Eberhardt (17.44.6).

“I had a fast start but it did not feel that fast. So, I just kept going,” Lynch said.” I stayed with the pack at the beginning. I guess it turned out pretty well.”

Lynch also has a decision to make. She also plays soccer. She said she was going to do both this fall. Maybe she should talk to Glenbard West’s Katelynne Hart and Lindsey Payne who were in the same predicament when they started out. They made the choice to run. Look how well that turned out for them.

The weather conditions were almost perfect as the temperature drifted down to 70 degrees by the start of the boys race around 10 p.m. All eyes would be on Indiana’s Gabe Fendel. He was coming off a great track season including running 4:04 to win the 1,600 at the Indiana Boys State Championships. He also had run 8:50 for 3,200 meters.

This was the first time at this meet for York and coach Charlie Kern.

“I gave them a choice of running 3 x 1 mile on track or running this race,” Kern said when asked what kind of strategy his four runners would use. “We are really not in racing shape. We will see what happens.”

Fendel’s chief challenger would be Charlie Kern Jr. who had a little experience on this course including a personal best of 14:12 at last year’s Illinois state meet.

From the start of the race, the pace did not seem like a summer race. It felt like it was at state. The temperature was great. The course was in great shape. And the pace was fast.

Fendel took control of the lead going past the half mile in 2:19. By the time he got to the mile in 4:43, Kern was at 4:46 in second. Over the next mile, Fendel continued to stretch out the lead as he passed two miles in 9:39. His lead had grown to six seconds as Kern passed that point in 9:45. It had become a two-runner race. The rest of the pack started passing the point between 9:55 to 9:57.

The momentum began to change up front by the finish line entering the last lap. Fendel was feeling the pace and looked tired. Kern had his sites on the Indiana runner as he slowly made up ground in the next 800 meters. Kern closed the gap even more as the two crossed the field heading to the final 600-meter straight. This was Fendel’s first time on the course. He was following the tree line by the triangle. Kern was running the tangents and making up ground.

It looked like Fendel had the race won in the final 200 meters. Kern made one final charge. The Indiana runner turned his head twice in the final strides to the finish finding a little more speed to get to the line. He held off Kern crossing the line in 14:29 with the York runner just one second back. 

York’s Sean MacGregor placed third (14:54.8) out sprinting Mahomet-Seymour’s Ryan Hodge and Mathias Powell for the third spot. Hodge and Powell came in together at 14:55. Fendel’s 14:29 winning time was a new meet record. The race was fast but the conditions this night warranted a fast pace.

“At the starting line, we (the York team) just talked about having fun tonight,” Kern said afterwards. “We don’t get to run at night for cross. It was a cool experience. I felt great out there. Fendel ran such a great race. It was just a competitive situation. I just have to take those opportunities.”

Illinois schools were among the tops in the Boys and Girls races. Yorkville’s Girls team had the lowest score on the Girls race. They had four runners in the first ten led by Alyssa Edwards (fourth), Emily Eberhardt (fifth), Olivia Borowiak (ninth), and Helena Kleronomos (10th). They were without Nicole Greyer who was part of their top five last year.

Downers Grove North will be the team to beat in Illinois this fall as well as one of the top teams in the nation. The team showed its pack running ability Friday night winning the boys team competition. Jacob Ridderhoff led Downers Grove North placing sixth overall. He was followed by Miles Christensen (14th), Ryan Birkmeier (15th), Nick Chudzik (16th), and Matt Shimenetto (61st). They were without a few of their top seven including Matt Moravec who was all-state in track in the 3,200. The split on DGN's front four was only 12 seconds.

Mahomet Seymour, the defending 2A champions, finished second followed by a surprising Mundeleien team that placed third. York only ran four runners in the race and did not score in the team standings.