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How fast will they go this fall in 3A?

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ILXCTF - Mike Newman   Aug 21st 2017, 8:10pm
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ILXCTF Cross Country Season Previews

Photo: Lyons Township's Danny Kilrea is the top returning runner in 3A Boys this fall (Laura Duffy photo)

By Michael Newman

[email protected]

 

If the past year of the 2016 State Cross Meet are any indication, we are going to see some fast times at Detweiller Park on November 4. Danny Kilrea, Dylan Jacobs, and Charlie Kern all ran three of the five fastest junior times ever at the state meet in Detweiller Park. Add in Clayton Mendez who did not have the best end of his cross-country season but was hammering fast times during the track season.

All four runners are a class above the rest of 3A this year. Any of these seniors could be the state champion. It just depends who has a better race on that day. If the conditions are perfect, we could see the winner under 14 minutes. That could put anyone under that sacred mark at Detweiller Park into legendary status.

Here is a look at some of the top 3A Boys runners in Illinois for this cross-country season.

 

Top 10

 

1 Danny Kilrea – SR – LaGrange Lyons Township

2016 3A State Finish – 2nd

Notes – Kilrea ran the second fastest time ever for a junior in last year’s state meet running 14:08. He followed that up six days later winning the NXR Midwest Regional. The time of 14:51.6 was three seconds off the course record of 14:48 set by Futsum Zeinasellassie in 2011. Kilrea went on to earn All American honors by finishing 13th at the Nike Cross Nationals. His track season was just as good as her ran under 9:10 for 3200-meters/2-miles seven times with his 9:00.81 at Arcadia in April his best. Kilrea finished fourth in the 3200 Meter Run at the IHSA 3A State Meet. He also had a personal best of 4:14.27 for the 1 Mile Run (4:12.81 for 1600-meters) at the Magis Miles in June. Will be one of the top runners in the nation this fall.

Coach Michael Danner said:

Danny has had a strong summer of training and continued development at the same rate as the last two years. I’m looking forward to seeing what he can accomplish this season.

 

2 Dylan Jacobs – SR – Orland Park Sandburg

2016 3A State Finish – 3rd

Notes – Jacobs had one of the most memorable post-seasons for an Illinois runner last fall. After running the fourth fastest time ever for a junior at the IHSA 3A State Meet (14:10), he followed up by finishing second at the NXR Midwest Regional (14:55.1) behind Kilrea. Two weeks later at the Foot Locker Midwest Regional, Jacobs ran 14:58.8 on the 5-kilometer course to win the Boys Championship Race. Jacobs earned All-American honors the following two weeks placing 19th at the Nike Cross Nationals and 11th at the Foot Locker Nationals. During the track season, he anchored Sandburg’s team to a second-place finish at the IHSA 3A State Meet with a 1:52 split on his leg. He came back to finish 9th in the 1600 Meter Run. He ran a personal best of 4:09.09 for the 1 Mile Run (4:07.57 for 1600-meters) the next week at Magis Miles. Just like Danny Kilrea, he will be one of the top runners in the nation.

Coach John O’Malley said:

Dylan was in the lead of every race he was in last year, including State, NXN and Footlocker. I think that is a clear indicator of where his mindset is at competitively. His mindset is at the front of the field this year as well. He is ready to roll and looks strong this summer. The challenge will be managing college decisions, the lengthy national season, and focusing on the right preparations for him and the team mentally, physically and emotionally.

The decision to run the 4 x 800 and 1600 was a difficult one. We knew Dylan could do some serious damage in either the 3200 or 1600 fresh. If you pay attention (as I know you do, Mike) and watch the 1600 finals over the years, you know that the 4x8/1600 is not an easy one, and it’s probably underappreciated. Dylan and I had several lengthy discussions on the matter. We knew the 3200 was going to be lights out and that was really appealing to Dylan. On the flip side, we knew we could be in the mix for the state title in the 4 x 800. Dylan was genuinely excited to put his teammates in that position. I remember him saying, “They are going to love this,” when we made that decision, which was heavily Dylan’s decision. Having been in that position, and benefited from others, Dylan was too excited to help give his teammates that experience, which trumped the opportunity in the 3200 for him. And we still felt we had a good opportunity in the 1600, and while he scrapped out an all-state medal in that event as well, that was a little disappointing. Either case, no matter what, the nature of the Illinois state track meet is set up so that you always have to leave something on the table as a distance runner and make a decision on what to focus on.

Dylan was supremely ready for that weekend. His 4:15 after a comfortable 1:57 in the relay on Friday felt like the easiest mile he had ever run; he was reluctantly holding back. He got the baton on Saturday well behind Neuqua Valley and running in about 4th place. He methodically went to work. The fact that he went toe-to-toe with Isiah Robinson, who serves as a great 200-meter runner, down the final 100 meters after chopping down :04, shows you how deceptively fast Dylan is. He split 1:52 on that leg, which was a :03 PR. There is no situation he thrives on more than competing all out for his team. Even when he competed in Nationals (NXN and FL) as an individual, he was thrilled because he was representing Sandburg and its tradition. He’s a special young man. As for the physical element of it, we worked on sprint mechanics and speed development and I am confident in his ability to recruit neuromuscularly and mechanically in a way that he can deliver serious death blows in the final meters of any XC race.

 

3 Charlie Kern – SR – Elmhurst York

2016 3A State Finish – 4th

Notes – Kern has been all-state all three years of high school. His 14:12 time at last year’s 3A state meet is the fifth fastest time ever for a junior. Kern earned all-state honors during the track season as he finished third at the 3A State Meet in the 800 Meter Run. His best time at the distance was 1:53.03. He won the High School Mile ahead of Danny Kilrea at Magis Miles running 4:13.20 (4:11.67 for 1600-meters). He also anchored York’s quartet that finished sixth in the 4 x 1 Mile Relay at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals. He has great finishing speed on and off the track. He showed his speed at the end of races as he made up seven seconds in the final mile at Detweiller at Dark in July to finish second by one second behind Indiana’s Gabe Fendel running 14:30. Another runner that could be among the best in the state as well as the nation.

Coach Charlie Kern said:

Charlie is looking forward to his final xc season and improving upon his 14:12 finish time from 2016. He has logged more miles this summer than last year.  He knows that he will have to be prepared to run near or under 14:00 minutes if he wants to stay with Danny Kilrea, Dylan Jacobs, and Clayton Mendez.  Charlie’s speed is a tremendous asset at the end of a race, but he will have to work on his strength to challenge Danny, Clayton and Dylan.

 

4 Clayton Mendez – SR – Chicago Whitney Young

2016 3A State Finish – 79th

Notes – You cannot use his state race from last fall to show how talented Clayton Mendez is. His season was a rollercoaster with a number of family illnesses/problems slowing him down. The end of the year motivated this past track season starting with running 9:01 indoors at Proviso West at the end of February. He went under nine-minutes for the first time for 3200 Meters in April at Distance Night in Palatine (8:59.46). Mendez finished third at the IHSA 3A State Meet in the 3200 Meter Run. His post-season was memorable as he first ran a personal best of 4:11.26 to win the 1600 Meter Run at the Midwest Distance Classic. He followed that up the next week as he finishing fourth in the 2 Mile Run at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals earning All-American honors. He should be putting up some fast times this fall as one of the top runners in this state and possibly in the nation.

Coach Billy-Poole Harris said:

Last fall Clayton had an eye-opening blow in his running career, he had some family issues along with other issues that mix together for a sub-par cross finish. After cross country Clayton refused to except the fact that he as a one-hit wonder. During the off season he sacrificed, changed and focused on what he wanted to do for track.

After coming off successful campaign in track, he has gone into the summer with the same focus. He set the bar high with placing 3rd in the 3200m and 7th in the 1600m making him the top returner in both distance events in track. He’s training has been solid with running a couple of 5k as practice runs and really enjoying time with family and friends. We expect big things from the young harrier from City of Chicago. 

 

5 Zach Kinne – JR – Naperville Neuqua Valley

2016 3A State Finish – 17th

Notes – Kinne is the only returning runner from Neuqua Valley’s state championship team. He was the team’s second runner at both the state meet at the Nike Cross Nationals finishing 67th overall. His track season was just as good as he ran 9:11.48 to finish fifth in the 3200 Meter Run at the 3A State Meet. The junior also ran 4:23.64 for 1600-meters. His improvement was huge during the past season. We can only see him getting better in the 2017-2018 season.

Coach Paul Vandersteen said:

Zach is getting stronger and stronger.  He continues to grow and train consistently.  I think he will only improve from last spring.

 

6 Sean MacGregor – SR – Elmhurst York

2016 3A State Finish – 10th

Notes – MacGregor was one of the most improved runners last fall as he finished 10th at Detweiller Park. His track season was hampered by illnesses that slowed him down. He just missed qualifying for the state meet in the 3200 Meter Run finishing third at the Lake Park Sectional. He came back with a couple of good post season races. He ran a personal best 4:25.13 for the 1 Mile Run at the Magis Miles and a season’s best of 9:38.04 at the Midwest Distance Classic. He was also part of York’s 4 x 1 Mile Relay team that finished sixth at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals. MacGregor showed he was 100% healthy at Detweiller Dark as he ran 14:54 to finish third in the race.

Coach Charlie Kern said:

Last year Sean closed the gap on the state’s best juniors by finishing 10th.  Sean is excited to see how much closer he can get to the top runners in the state.  He has not missed a day of training all summer and has renewed focus after not qualifying for the state 3200m run. 

 

7 Jacob Ridderhoff – SR – Downers Grove North

2016 3A State Finish – 15th

Notes – Ridderhoff was the team’s second runner at the state meet with a 14:39 time. He was the team’s top runner at the Nike Cross Nationals placing 66th. He did not have the track season that he wanted as he missed qualifying for state in the 3200 Meter Run at the Lockport Sectional but he did run 9:29.13. His best 1600 Meter Run time was 4:22.30 at the WSC-Silver Championships. The track season should motivate him to do some big things this fall. He ran 14:59.8 to finish sixth at the Detweiller at Dark in July.

Coach John Sipple said:

Despite a somewhat rocky spring track season, Jacob is poised to improve on where he finished in XC last year.  He has demonstrated a greater level of focus and maturity each and every year, this year looks to be no different.  Like with many of our top returners from last year, it has been nice to watch him step into that leadership role with enthusiasm.       

 

8 Tommy Brady – JR – Park Ridge Maine South

2016 3A State Finish – 29th

Notes – Did not earn all-state honors last fall finishing 29th at state. His track season indicates he could be in for a great cross-country season this fall. Brady concentrated mostly on the 3200 Meter Run during track season running the event seven times including a personal best of 9:18.43 at the IHSA 3A State Meet. That finish gave him all-state honors. He followed up the following week at Magis Miles to run 4:20.18 to win his race section and finishing ninth overall.

Coach Greg Nordahl said:

Tommy has continued his trajectory this summer and has taken on a leadership role for the team. His goals are to be all state and to help the team be in the top five at state. His sophomore year was great (14:53, 9:18/3200 (all-state), and 4:18.7 at Magis Mile. The team will be counting on his consistency and competitiveness. 

 

9 Nick Lanning – SR – Barrington

2016 3A State Finish – 32nd

Notes – Lanning possibly showed the most improvement of Illinois runners last track season. His first 3200 Meter Run of the spring had him clocked at 9:48.51 at the MSL West Divisional championship in April. By the time his season ended, he had run under 9:22 four times including a 9:16.83 personal best at the Lake County Invitational at the beginning of May. His 9:20.15 time at the IHSA 3A State Meet earned him 9th place and All-State honors. He could be one of the top runners in the conference and a good chance to be all-state in November.

 

10 Matt Moravec – SR – Downers Grove North

2016 3A State Finish – 31st

Notes – One of the surprises at the end of the track season. The switch flipped for Moravec last spring when he ran 9:15.36 to finish seventh at the IHSA 3A State Meet earning All-State honors. He was the team’s seventh man at the Nike Cross Nationals. He should be one of the leaders for this team this fall.

Coach John Sipple said:

Matt demonstrated with his 7th place finish in the IHSA State track meet this spring that he has progressed into one of the top distance runners in IL. The dude is a cool customer that is really fun to watch race, his racing instincts are exceptional.  

 

Runners to Watch

(In Alphabetical Order)

 

Ryan Birkmeier – SR – Downers Grove North

2016 3A State Finish – 46th

Notes – Birkmeier was one of the pieces that made Downers Grove North’s pack roll last fall. He was the team’s fifth man at state and the team’s fourth runner at the Nike Cross Nationals. Birkmeier was part of Downers Grove North’s quartet that ran 7:52.92 at the WSC-Silver Championships in the 3200 Meter Relay. He ran 9:37.35 for 3200-meters and 4:18.72 in the 1600 Meter Run at the Lockport Sectional qualifying him for state.

Coach John Sipple said:

Ryan possess range unlike any runner in our top group, while we mostly focused on the 800/1600 this spring he is excited to show what he can do on the lengthier races.  He has progressed nicely and it will be fun what he can do this fall, he is a guy who will surprise people.

 

Jackson Bode – SR – Elmhurst York

2016 3A State Finish – 162nd

Notes – Bode did not have the best finish last fall as he ran while sick. He was diagnosed with pneumonia after his conference meet. It is a testament of his toughness and his dedication to his teammate. He was the team’s fifth runner at the state meet. He came back strong during the track season running personal bests at 3200-meters (9:29.85) and 1600-meters (4:22.86). He qualified for state in the 3200 Meter Run. He did run 15:12 at Detweiller Park last fall. He has the talent to run with his teammate Sean MacGregor.

Coach Charlie Kern said:

Jackson came down with pneumonia during the 2016 state series. As a result, he finished below his expectations.  Jackson rebounded in track and posted personal bests in the 800, 1600 and 3200 and individually qualified for state in the 3200m run.  This summer, Jackson has committed himself to staying with Sean and Charlie in our high-quality sessions.  If he continues to do this, he will earn many individual honors this fall. 

 

Patrick Burns – SR – Lake Zurich

2016 3A State Finish – 51st

Notes – It was a breakout season last fall for Burns as he developed into a strong #4 runner behind teammates Brian and Kyle Griffith as well as Matt Pereira. Burns should be one of the top 15 runners in the state and the top runner for the Bears. He just missed qualifying for state in the 3200 Meter Run but did run a personal best of 9:27.33 finishing fourth at the Fremd Sectional. He was also a part of Lake Zurich’s 4 x1600 Meter Relay that ran the second fastest time in the nation (17:19.89) at Glenbrook North at the end of April.

Coach JB Hanson said:

Patrick has had a good summer and is primed to take over the lead role of our team. His work ethic and consistency have allowed him to reach training levels as high as anybody I have coached.  Patrick has really benefitted from having training partners the past few years, so I am interested to see how he handles training as the lead dog.

 

Brandon Christopher – SR – Park Ridge Maine South

2016 3A State Finish – 52nd

Notes – One of the runners that could surprise some this fall. He did run 15:19 at Detweiller Park last October. He dropped his time down to 15:04 in his state meet race. Christopher has already started out the season running 15:07 at Detweiller at Dark. Good things are ahead of this senior. He ran a personal best of 4:29.94 for 1600-meters this past track season.

Coach Greg Nordahl said:

Brandon wanted to be all-state last year (15:04) and was disappointed to not have achieved this goal. He was injured mid-track season and with only a few weeks of running post-recovery, he posted a 4:29/1600. He started his cross season the day after track sectionals and had been a positive and dependable team leader. He and Tommy will be our top two runners and should both be all-state caliber.

 

Anthony Hurgoi – SR – Carpentersville-Dundee Crown

2016 3A State Finish – 41st

Notes – Hurgoi had a breakout junior season starting with his finish in the state meet during the fall. He finished ninth the week before at the Waukegan Sectional. Hurgoi again will lead a Dundee-Crown team that could surprise some at the end of this season. During track, he ran a personal best at 1600-meters (4:20.16) at the Kane County Meet, and at 3200-meters (9:21.59) at Distance Night in Palatine. He did qualify for state in the 3200 Meter Run.

Coach Tyler Carlson said:

Anthony’s entire last year was one big “holy smokes!” We knew, based on workouts, that he had the ability to be special, but to make the jump he did so quickly was a bit of a surprise.  In XC, he ran some good races, but timid, really all the way up through regionals. Then sectionals hits, he takes a risk, runs with the leaders, and never looks back.  He qualifies for state and then runs sub 15. The coaches and I expected a 15:20 out of him by season’s end when we set season goals in August last year, and he completely shattered those expectations. To prove it wasn’t a fluke, at our first week of indoor track time trial he perfectly split a 4:32 on his own. I realized then whatever Anthony said he was going to do, I believed him.  He set nationals as a goal for track, but came up short of 9:10 as he’d hoped.  A combination of strategic races and a lingering ankle issue from indoor are partially at fault for that. It’s motivated him.  He’s set impressive goals for this year. He expects to lead his team to state. He expects to be among the best in the state on the medal stand. I’ll let him speak to his time expectations and place finish.  He’s a tireless worker and fierce competitor. I think a couple of the tougher races from track where he got humbled will be important to feeding that competitive fire.

 

Ryan Kennedy – SR – Naperville Neuqua Valley

2016 Finish – 14th West Aurora Sectional

Notes – How deep was Neuqua Valley’s team in 2016? Ryan Kennedy would have been in the top five on most every team in the state. He finished 6th at the Batavia Regional along with his sectional finish. Kennedy also ran 15:58 at the NXR Midwest Regional that placed third in the open race. Track personal bests included 1:58.98 for 800-meters, 4:25.24 for 1600-meters, and 9:23.08 for 3200-meters. One of the reasons why Neuqua Valley will be contending for a trophy this fall.

Coach Paul Vandersteen said:

Ryan had his tonsils removed in early June.  Since then, he has looked great.  The tonsils and other build-up were impairing his breathing.  He often runs with Zach in our training sessions.

 

Scott Maison – JR – Wheaton-Warrenville South

Sean Maison – JR – Wheaton-Warrenville South

2016 3A State Finishes – 62nd (Sean); 70th (Scott)

Notes – One of the reasons why Wheaton-Warrenville South was as good as they were last season was because of these twins. Scott and Sean raced close to each other most of last season. In their sectional race, Scott and Sean were separated by five seconds. It was only a three second with Sean ahead. Scott qualified for state in the 3200 Meter Run last spring finishing second at the Lake Park Sectional. His personal best at that distance happened at Distance Night in Palatine (9:34.73). He ran a 4:26.77 personal best at 1600-meters. Sean ran personal bests at 3200-meters (9:28.56) and 1600-meters (4:26.02).

 

Josh Methner – SO – Arlington Heights Hersey

2016 3A State Finish – 30th

Notes – The top freshman last year at the state meet running under 15 minutes (14:53). His time was the fourth fastest ever for a freshman at the state meet at Detweiller Park. His track season was just as impressive as he ran 9:25.75 for 3200-meters. It was the seventh fastest freshman time nationally just ahead of teammate Max Svienty.

Coach Kevin Young said:

Josh is clearly a load of talent, but his coachability and competitiveness is what could take him to the next level. He's had a very consistent summer after an on-and-off track season that ended with a state meet appearance. We're looking forward to see what he is going to accomplish this season with his teammates.

 

Patrick Norrick – SR – Winnetka New Trier

2016 3A State Finish – 74th

Notes – Norrick should be the top runner this fall for the Trevians. He qualified for the 3A State Meet running 9:25.98 to finish third at the Niles West Sectional. A runner who discovered his stride during the track season and could finish this fall at state in the top 25.

Coach David Wisner said:

Pat has battled on and off injuries for most of his high school career, and I know that his best days are yet to come.  He is an aerobic machine and he has done things in workouts that no one in our program has ever done.  That being said, he needs to get through this season without any major training interruptions to attain his goals.  He is a pure strength runner, and if he can run his race and eventually find his way to the front of any pack, I expect him to be one of the state’s best in 2017.

 

Michael OBroin – SR – Chicago St. Ignatius College Prep

2016 3A State Finish – 56th

Notes – Obroin should be the top runner this fall in the Chicago Catholic League where he was fourth a year ago. He ran a great state series placing fourth in his regional race and sixth in the sectional meet. His personal best in track at 3200-meters came at Distance Night in Palatine where he ran 9:33.09.

Coach Ed Ernst said:

Senior Michael OBroin has had a great summer of training.  His spring season was building well until May, when the wheels came off for him.  Michael has high goals for the season, including running fast at the state meet and finishing in the top 25. 

 

Sean O’Connell – SR – Hinsdale Central

2016 3A State Finish – 65th

Notes – O’Connell steps into the top spot at Hinsdale Central that graduated Blake Evertsen held the past four years. He did not have the best track season in his eyes which could push him to some great things in the next few months. O’Connell missed qualifying for state in the 3200 Meter Run. He did run personal bests for 3200-meters (9:20.06) and 1600-meters (4:20.57).

Coach Jim Westphal said:

Sean has had an excellent summer, thus far, with his training. He’s put in a lot of hard work and has been building his mileage methodically. Sean was hugely disappointed just missing out on qualifying for state last May in the 3200. I think that near miss has been a real motivator for him. Sean is a great kid and will do anything the coaching staff asks of him. He is a genuine team guy.

 

Andrew O’Keefe – JR – Granite City

2016 3A State Finish – 69th

Notes – One of the top runners in the southern part of the state. He did have a breakout season this past spring. He ran 9:30.51 to win the 3200 Meter Run at Belleville West at the beginning of April. His big race was when he ran 4:16.37 to win the 1600 Meter Run at the Collinsville Invitational in May. He followed that up by qualifying for state in that distance. He finished 14th in the prelim missing the finals by two places and less than a second.

 

Stephen Pipilas – SR – Downers Grove South

2016 3A State Finish – 55th

Notes – Keep an eye on this senior from Downers Grove this fall. He ran consistently in the 4:23’s in the 1600 Meter Run with a 4:23.38 time indoors and 4:24.46 outdoors. He just missed qualifying for state in the 3200 Meter Run as he was timed at 9:27.95 to finish third at the Lockport Sectional. He is the defending WSC-Gold champion from last fall. He finished 4th in his regional race followed by 12th in his sectional race.

 

Sam Rivera – JR – Chicago Whitney Young

2016 3A State Finish – 26th

Notes – Forms a strong 1-2 punch with Clayton Mendez for Whitney Young. Rivera just missed all-state last year by one place. He should not miss this fall. Most of Rivera’s efforts were concentrated on the 3200 Meter Relay last spring. He helped his school finish sixth in the 3A state finals. He ran 4:20.25 for the 1 Mile Run (4:18.92 for 1600-meters) at Magis Miles the week after state.

Coach Billy Poole-Harris said:

Sam Rivera has been a very solid pillar in the Whitney Young Distance program. Having the shadow of Clayton Mendez over the program this year, has been very good for Sam to hone in and craft his skills as the next top runner for the program. Sam times has proven that, last fall he was 26th state meet individually, at footlocker the Sam was the 2nd sophomore to cross the line. During track, he was on the 4x800m relay that set a school record of 7:48 and a week later ran 4:18 in the 1600m at St. Ignatius Magis Miles (school record along with Clayton running 4:17).

 

Josh Rodgers – JR – Geneva

2016 3A State Finish – 43rd

Notes – Rodgers was the team’s second runner behind Tyler Dau at last fall’s state meet. He will be the team’s top runner this fall with a chance to finish in the top 25. He ran a 9:21.94 as a sophomore for 3200-meters to win the Hoffman Estates Sectional and qualify for state. He finished 13th in the state finals. Rodgers also recorded a 4:24.36 personal best for 1600-meters.

Coach Bob Thomsen said:

Josh works very hard and has done very well this summer.  With some seniors gone, he now becomes our top runner and we have high hopes for him.

 

Michael Ronzone – SR – Aurora Marmion Academy

2016 3A State Finish – 48th

Notes – Ronzone did not have his best race last fall at state but he still finished in the top 50. He had some good races leading up to state finishing second at the Chicago Catholic League Championships, fourth at the Batavia Regional, and ninth at the West Aurora Sectional. He recorded a personal best of 4:17.63 in the 1600 Meter Run at Distance Night in Palatine in April. Ronzone earned all-state honors by finishing ninth in the 2A State 1600 Meter Run. He started off this season strong running 15:07 at Detweiller at Dark.

Coach Dan Klatt said:

Michael is a terrific leader and has had a consistent twelve months of training. I am inspired by Michael’s ability to relentlessly pursue his goals with infinite passion regardless of the outcome.  He believes in himself and his work and is the most relaxed and confident he has been for quite some time. 

 

Thomas Shilgalis – JR – Naperville Central

2016 3A State Finish – 152nd

Notes – Shilgalis as a sophomore last year did not run his best race at state. Before that, he won the West Chicago Regional and 16th at the West Aurora Sectional. He ran a 15:02 best at Detweiller last October. He bettered that already this summer as he ran 15:00.9 to finish seventh at Detweiller at Dark. He had personal bests of 4:19.56 for 1600-meters and 9:33.70 for 3200-meters during the track season.

Coach David Ashton said:

Thomas is a pleasure to coach.  He is humble and grounded, which work in his favor as a young man, in general.  When he runs well, he gets the most satisfaction out of seeing others happy, which is an indicator as to the type of person he is.  After a very good track season, Thomas has had a good, smart summer of training, increasing his mileage a bit, but not overdoing it.  This will help him continue to improve and be at his best come late October/early November.  As summer camp concluded, Thomas ran 15:01 at Detweiller at Dark and 9:41 in our latest 2-mile time trial, showing nice summer-level fitness.  Thomas has been stepping up as a leader as he approaches his junior year.  We believe Thomas can contend, or at least be part of the conversation, in any race he is in this year.  Most importantly, Thomas believes this as well. 

 

Alex Tam – SR – Libertyville

2016 3A State Finish – 40th

Notes – The success that this Libertyville runner had this spring could lead to big things this fall. Tam ran under 4:20 five times this track season including 4:15.87 at Prospect behind Minooka’s Soren Knudsen. He made it to state finishing fourth at the Fremd Sectional. He failed to make the finals. That chip on his shoulder could lead to some fast times this fall.

Coach Stuart Mendelsohn said:

Alex Tam is the total package that a coach wants in a student athlete.  He comes to practice with 100% effort, a great teammate and he respects and supports the entire team.  He is humbled by his athleticism and the attention he gets from it.  I am looking forward to him breaking his PR's in his final year at school.

 

Jack Terry – SR – Mt. Prospect-Prospect

2016 3A State Finish – 33rd

Notes – Terry should be the leader of Prospect’s tight pack again this fall. He improved 15 seconds from the Peoria Invitational in October (15:10) to the state meet (14:55). He had times of 4:28.22 for 1600-meters and 9:52.65 for 3200-meters during the track season.

Coach Mike Stokes said:

Jack has had a great summer and has accomplished much this summer with his Pack.  He aspires to be in the top group at the MSL with the Nick Laning and the Hersey guys.

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