Folders |
2021 IHSA State Cross Country Championships - Class 1A Girls PreviewPublished by
2021 IHSA State Cross Country Championships - Class 1A Girls
By Michael Newman [email protected]
The individual race is the craziest of the six races that will take place Saturday at Detweiller Park. Everything was thrown up in the air with the five sectional races with a couple of surprises. Louisa Wilson of Williamsville had a great race at Elmwood winning the sectional title by 25 seconds ahead of Anna Perry of Eureka. Elena Rybak of Father McGivney was the pre-race favorite at Trenton-Wesclin but did not have her best race finishing 17. Ahry Comer of Pope County came away for that sectional with the win and one more runner to keep an eye on in Peoria. Kate Ahmari of Urbana University won by 25 seconds at St. Teresa and stamped herself as one of the favorites in the 1A race. Grace Erb of Winnebago won at Oregon hoping that a high finish at Detweiller will help win her team another state championship. The one runner to keep an eye on is Lianna Surtz who easily won on Saturday in Lisle. The 2019 State champion is running great as f late and could be the one runner to watch on Saturday. I’m not dismissing Perry and Rybak after so-so race performances at sectionals last week. Both runners I expect to be in the front in this race. Comer with her surprise win has the confidence to walk away with a state crown. Carly Manchester of IC Catholic Prep and Mabry Bruhn of Monticello will challenge for a spot in the top five. All I know we could see six or seven runners entering the final mile at Detweiller Park racing for the win. Winnebago looks for their third straight state title if you want to include the ShaZam race from last year in that list. Tolono Unity and Rosary look to be the two teams to keep a close eye on that might challenge Winnebago. There are 30 teams that made it from the five sectionals. Here is a detailed look at each of those teams. READ THE OTHER STARTE MEET PREVEWS HERE | LIVE RESULTS LINK FOR THE IHSA STATE MEET
Winnebago
Notes – Winnebago’s Girls team makes their 29th state meet appearance since 1988 looking for their 14th state title on Saturday morning. He Indians are the favorite coming into the meet running at their best at the right time. Grace Erb will be one of the runners to watch in the front. Marissa Roggensack and Kaylee Woolery are runners that you could see in the top 25. Forget that they have a 1:47 split off Erb in their last race. Keeping their split under 70 seconds from their second through fifth runners is something to keep an eye on. Tolono (Unity)
Notes – This will be the 16th time that the Rockets have qualified for the state meet. They have qualified for the state meet the last nine years. If there is one team that could catch Winnebago, it could be this team. They were within 25 points of a shorthanded Winnebago at First to the Finish in September. Erica Woodard with a good race could finish in the top 10. It is the pack that will help the Rockets in this meet. They have gone over 60 seconds in only one meet this season and could run under 50 seconds on their top five in Peoria. Getting their top five in before Winnebago’s fourth runner makes things interesting. Eureka
Notes – This is the 20 time that Eureka has qualified for the state meet. Their only state title came in the 2018 1A State Meet. The strength in front for Eureka will play a factor in this race. Anna Perry will be one of the individual favorites. Elle Knapp and Laurel Munson could be in the top 20. Clare Albertson has been 20 seconds behind Munson in the past two meets and needs to get closer. The gap between their fourth and fifth runners has been close to 60 seconds in their last two races. Monticello
Notes – The Lady Sages make their 11th appearance in the state meet. Monticello has qualified the last four years in a row that included finishing third in 2017 and second in 2019. This is one of the teams that I thought would be a factor for the state championship in the beginning of October. The loss of one of their top runners Estella Miller plays a factor in this race. Mabry Bruhn will be one of the runners in the front pack in this race. Rachel Koon and Sylvia Miller could finish in the top 20. A healthy Estella Miller would be with or ahead of those two runners. Their fourth and fifth runners were close to two minutes behind Sylva Miller in the sectional race. That could take the Sages from a trophy contender to challenging for a top five finish. St. Joseph-Ogden
Notes – The Lady Spartans have a storied history in this meet. They qualified for the 26 time for state in last Saturday’s sectional meet. They have won six trophies including three state championships. It will be the story of two pack for the Lady Spartans. Savanna Franzen and Ava Knap are possible top 20 finishers. There is close to a 90 second gap between the first two and the next three who are only separated by 20 to 25 seconds. If the trio can stay that close but get within the top two runners, this team could be leaving Detweiller Park with a team trophy. Aurora (Rosary)
Notes – The Royals have qualified for the last state meets held at Detweiller Park. Their first appearance came in 2013 when they finished 17th in the 2A State Meet. Rosary has been quietly running great winning their regional and sectional races. They could make some noise n Saturday morning. Lianna Surtz is the 2019 defending state champion and will be in the front group. Their pack behind Surtz is running great with only 26 second separating Chiara Surtz and Olivia Kunio. The gap needs to stay within 80 seconds between Surtz in the front and the group behind. It will not be a surprise if the Royals finish among the top three teams. Urbana (University)
Notes – The Girls program form U-High makes their 22 State Meet appearance. Their first state meet appearance came in the 1984 state meet when the finished 21st in the single-class state meet. Hopes of a top five finish are there and possibly a spot in the first three teams. U-High is similar to Rosary. Kate Ahmari is a runner that should finish in the top five. Their scoring second through fifth pack was over two minutes behind Ahmari in the last race. Their split, however, in the last race was only 25 seconds. The gap needs to get under 90 seconds on Saturday for this team to have a trophy chance. Elmhurst (IC Catholic Prep)
Notes – This is the third straight State Meet appearance for the Lady Knights. Their first state meet race as a team came in 2018 when they finished sixth. IC Catholic Prep has finished sixth and eight in their two state meet appearances. They would like to better those in Saturday’s race. Carly Manchester is someone to look for in the top five. Graziella Narcisi has stepped u as a freshman to the second spot and could finish in the top 30 in this race. Kennedy Calcagno has been hampered by injuries and was help out of sectionals for precautionary reasons. She could be near the freshman in this race. The Knights could be in the top five or have high hopes to finish in the top 10 on Saturday. DuQuoin
Notes – The Indians qualifying last Saturday for this trip to Detweiller Park is their fifth state meet in a row. They will look to better their 14th place finish that they achieved in 2019. Winners of the Trenton-Wesclin Sectional, the Indians could finish in the top 10 in this meet. Olivia Phillips could finish in the top 25 to lead this team. DuQuoin has run top five splits over two minutes all season. Their second through fifth split needs to be under 50 seconds for this tea to finish in the top 10. Glen Carbon (Father McGivney)
Notes – This is the first appearance for the school’s Girls Team in the state meet after finishing third last week at the Trenton-Wesclin Sectional. This is one of the breakthrough stories of the season for this young team. Elana Rybak should bounce back after a sub-par race at sectionals. Kaitlyn Hatley has a chance to finish in the top 25. Their top five split has been over four minutes with Rybak in the front. Their split on their other three scorers has to get lower for this team to finish in the top 10. Robinson
Notes – The Maroons make their 13th appearance in the Girls State Meet. It is their first since 2007 when they finished 17th in the 1A State Meet. Their best finish was when the finished second in the Class A Meet in 2004. The Marrons have had tight races with conference rival Marshall in the past month to get them ready for this moment. Katelyn Jones is a runner that you could see in the top 25. There is then a close to one minute before the pack starts to cross the finish line. Aledo (Mercer County)
Notes – This is also the first appearance at the state meet for the Mercer County Girls’ team. This has been a wonderful year for Mercer County. Their reward for that is a trip to the state meet where they could finish in the top 10. Eden Mueller is their top runner and could be among the top 30 runners in this race. Their pack could be close to two minutes behind Mueller. That needs to narrow in this race for good things to happen for this group. West Chicago (Wheaton Academy)
Notes – This is the 16th state meet appearance for this program. They finished 22nd in the 2019 1A State Meet. Wheaton Academy had a great race at Lisle last week finishing second behind a shorthanded IC Catholic Prep. They should finish in the top 10 in Saturday’s race. Lily Lebo and Brooke O’Carroll are runners that you could see challenging for top 30 finishes for their team. Springfield (Sacred Heart-Griffin)
Notes – This is the 10th time that the Cyclones have qualified for the state meet. It is their first state meet since 2014 when they finished 17th in the Class 2A State Meet. Vivian Rahmel and Kaitlyn Lee both have the potential to earn all-state honors and should finish in the top 50 in this race. The team has been running over two-minute top five splits all season. A gap under two minutes with Rahmel and Lee in the front could be a good thing for this squad. Joliet (Catholic)
Notes – This is only the second state meet appearance for Joliet Catholic. Their first came 10 years ago when they finished 19th in the 2011 Class 1A State Meet. Clare Blotnik and Ella Farris have been a solid duo up front for their team and could be among the top 40 finishers in this race. Their three through five runner gap is two minutes behind the duo up front and could cause problems in this race unless those times narrow. Marshall
Notes – Marshall has come close to qualifying for the state meet but falling short in sectional meets. This is the first state meet for this team after finishing sixth at the St. Teresa Sectional Meet making it by just three points. This team is solid with Brooklyn Bender and Isabel Arthur possibilities in finishing in the top 25. Cailin Morris finishing within 20 seconds of Arthur could mean big things for this team. That could offset the gap between this trio and the rest of the team. A top 15 finish in this meet for Marshall is a possibility. Rock Falls
Notes – Rock Falls makes their tenths appearance at Detweiller Park for the state meet. They finished in the top five in the last two 1A meets held at Detweiller Park finishing second in 2018 and finishing fifth in 2019. Rock Falls did not have their best race last week and should rebound on Saturday. Tayli Hultin and Hana Ford should provide low point totals for the Rockets. Seneca
Notes- The Irish make it to the State Meet for the 11th time after finishing second at the Oregon Sectional. Seneca ran a great race on Saturday to get that sectional finish. Evelyn O’Connor and Ashley Alsvig were the team’s top runners and will need to stay within 60 seconds of each other for this team to finish in the top 15. Chicago (DePaul Prep)
Notes – This will be the first time in the state meet for the Rams after qualifying from the Lisle Sectional. This is a team on the rise running some great races in championship season. Lorelei Travers will not be a surprise if she finishes in the top 25 in this race. This team has exhibited tight pack running and will be a surprise in the top 10 if they keep their top five split under 52 seconds. Pinckneyville
Notes – This is the fourth state meet appearance for the Girls team from Pinckneyville. This is their third state meet in a row. Vanessa Teel is running great as of late and will lead this team. Their top five split was over two minutes in adverse conditions last week. Keeping that gap between 100 and 110 seconds could mean a top 15 finish for this team. Elmwood
Notes – This is the 23rd time that Elmwood’s Girls team has qualified for the state meet. They ran in the second Girls State Meet in 1980 when they finished 21st in the Single-Class Meet. Addie Symonds is the team’s top runner that should finish in the top 50. The pack behind their top runner is good but will need to stay within 55 seconds of her in this race. Williamsville
Notes – This is the fifth straight appearance for the Bullets and fifth overall for the team. Louisa Wilson surprised some by winning the sectional race last week in Elmwood and will play a factor in the front again. Katherine Walker could finish in the top 60 in this race. Their top five split was over four minutes in last week’s race. Stanford (Olympia)
Notes – This will be the 14 time that the Spartans will toe the line at Detweiller Park for the state meet including the last five state meets. A team that should finish in the top 20 led by top finishes from Abby Litwiller and Anna Bieber. The Spartans will need to keep their top five split under 95 seconds for good things to happen for this team. Rockford (Christian)
Notes – The Girls team from the Rockford area makes their sixth state meet appearance after qualifying from the Oregon Sectional finishing fifth. Kelly Giardina leas this team again in her senior year and could finish in the top 50. Their top five split needs to stay under three minutes for this tea to finish in the top 20. El Paso-Gridley
Notes – The Girls team made three straight State Meet appearances from 2016 to 2018. Saturday will be their fourth state meet. Nellie Melick has been one of the top freshmen in Class 1A this season. A top 25 finish in this race is not out of the question. Palos Heights (Chicago Christian)
Notes – This will be the sixth time that Chicago Christian has competed in the State Cross Country Meet. They are the sixth team out of the Metro Suburban Blue Division to qualify for the state meet. Anna Enderle is the top runner for this team that could finish in the top 50. Their split staying under two minutes keeps them closer to a top 20 team finish. Breese (Mater Dei)
Notes – Saturday marks the 22 time that Mater Dei has competed in the state meet. The Knights have won a state championship occurring in the Class 1A State Meet in 2003. Freshman Isabella Hacker is having a standout season leading Mater Dei. She should be leading the team’s pack up front along with Alexis Kampworth and Corryn Toennies. Keeping their split on their top five under 2:30 is a key to success for this team. Sherrard
Notes – Sherrard makes their fifth state meet, their first since 2004. The team had splits under 90 seconds in the last month but ballooned over two minutes in last week’s race. It should come back down this week. Madison Mathis and Beth Churchill have been the team’s top runners all season. Centralia (Christ Our Rock Lutheran)
Notes – This is the second straight state meet appearance for this school. Their Boys team qualified for state meet where they finished 11th in the 2019 1A State Meet. This is the first appearance for the Girls team. They made it out of the Trenton-Wesclin Sectional by one point. This year has been a surprise but yet it is not considering what the Boys team did in 2019. Sarah McKowen and Kyle Eversgerd have been the team’s 1-2 punch in the front throughout this season. Freeburg
Notes – Saturday will be the 20th time that the Midgets will race in the IHSA State Meet. This will be the 12th year in a row that they have competed in the Class 1A State Meet. Freeburg is back again for another race at Detweiller Park led by Alexis Vogel and Elizabeth Cox. A team that gets into the top 25 in this Class if their split stays under 65 seconds in this race.
More news |