DyeStat IL - 2015 IHSA XC 3A Regional Previews - October 23, 2015
Thursday, October 22 2015 - IHSA 3A Cross Country RegionalsDyeStat IL - 2015 IHSA XC 3A Regional Previews - October 23, 2015
Published by DyeStatIL Oct 22nd, 11:22pm
Above Photo: Naperville North starts defense of their 3A Girls title at Saturday’s West Chicago Regional (Mike Newman Photo)
By Michael Newman
The first steps to Detweiller Park on Saturday as 15 regional meets will take place across the state. It could be a wet one for fans and runners as rain is predicted Friday night into Saturday. The top Girls meet to watch this weekend should be the West Chicago Regional Saturday morning as #1 Naperville North faces four other ranked teams. There are three good Boys regional meets. The best could be at the Palatine Regional as 2 of the top runners in the state Matt Pereira and Kevin Salvano face off for the first of three consecutive weekends.
Here is a brief look at each of the meets that will take place. The top 6 teams in each regional will qualify for one of five sectional meets that will take place next weekend. The top five individuals not on a qualifying team will also make it to the following weekend.
Good luck to all athletes competing this weekend, their coaches & parents, along with the fans that will be cheering for them!
Hinsdale Central Sectional
LaGrange Lyons Township Regional
South Campus Course, Western Springs
Girls – 1:15 PM
This race should come down to a dual meet between WSC-Silver rivals #7 Lyons Township and #16 Hinsdale Central. The Lions put in a good performance last week in getting second in their conference meet. Lyons’ #1 runner freshman Sarah Barcelona has continued to improve and could be among the top there individually. Hinsdale Central could be getting a boost with the return of Annie Zaher who has missed most of the season due to injury. St. Ignatius Prep and Berwyn-Cicero Morton will challenge for the next spots. The individual race should come down to Kyleigh Spearing (St. Ignatius College Prep, Chicago), Reilly Revord (Hinsdale Central HS), and Barcelona battling for the regional championship.
Boys – 2:00 PM
This is dual meet Part 2 in this regional as #2 Lyons Township and #6 Hinsdale Central face off for the regional championship. Connor Madell led the team last week at their conference meet. Vince Zona, who has been their #1 runner all season, was under the weather in last week’s conference meet, should be back at full strength at up front with Madell and Danny Kilrea. The Lions have run on an average 40 second split on their top five this season which should also continue in this meet. Hinsdale Central will have Blake Evertsen up front leading them. Watch for the time gap between Evertsen and the pack led by Chris Brenk. It has been close to 30 seconds most of this season. St. Ignatius is improving and should be a solid third in this meet after last week’s 4th place finish at the CCL Championships. Berwyn-Cicero Morton will challenge St. Ignatius for the next spot. The final two spots are up for grab. It will be interesting to see the strategy these teams deploy in this meet with a sectional matchup with #1 Sandburg looming next week. Evertsen should be the favorite in the individual race. The Lyons Township trio of Madell, Zona, and Kilrea along with Dan Santino (St. Ignatius College Prep, Chicago) should battle for the second spot.
Orland Park Sandburg Regional
Midlothian Meadows, Markham
Girls – 1:00 PM
It is a toss-up between Fenwick, Sandburg, and Mother McAuley for the team championship in this race. Fenwick and Mother McAuley were only separated by 4 points in last week’s GCAC conference meet and should be close again this week. Sandburg finished 3rd last week at the SWSC-Blue Meet and would like to take home the regional championship on their home course. Eisnehower, Shepard, and Argo should be the other teams to make it sectionals from this race. The individual race is wide open with McAuley’s Ashley Bryja and Sandburg’s Grace Foley among the favorites.
Boys – 1:30 PM
Recent history shows that #1 Sandburg will rest their top runners in this meet. This year certainly will be no exception. This team is so deep and should win the regional championship. It will not be a perfect 15. SSC-Red Champions Shepard has a good duo up front with Caleb Washington and Paul Milkus able to break through Sandburg’s top five. Oak Lawn, Eisenhower, and Argo will battle for the third spot. Washington returned from a hamstring injury last week to win his conference championship. He will be one of the favorites in this race. It could be one of Sandburg runners up front that will also push Washington and Milkus for the individual regional championship.
Plainfield South Regional
Hammel Woods Forest Preserve, Shorewood
Girls – 11:30 AM
#14 Downers Grove South, #17 Lockport and Benet Academy will challenge for the team title in this regional. Downers South had an easy time in winning their conference meet. The Mustangs should run under a 60 second split in this race which could put them up front. The Porters did not have to run all out in winning their conference meet last week on their home course. They are coming on strong at the right time led by Karlee Stortz, Aubrey Friedrich, and Morgan Bollinger. Benet Academy looked strong in winning the ESCC last week. The Redwings ran an 81 second split off of Clare McCabe last week. That needs to come down in order to win the team championship. Host Plainfield South and Downers Grove North will challenge for the next spot. Bolingbrook should also qualify in this regional. Emma Moravec (Downers Grove North HS) and Claire McCabe (Benet Academy, Lisle) will challenge WSC-Gold individual champion Katie Stapleton for the individual championship.
Boys – 12:00 PM
Three ranked teams head this good regional race. It could come down to city rivals #13 Downers Grove North and #15 Downers Grove South for the team championship. #19 Plainfield South will be on their home course and could break up a Downers 1-2 finish. Don’t be fooled by DGN’s 5th place finish in last week’s ultra-tough WSC-Silver Meet. The Trojans were without #2 runner Robbie Prescott who could be back for this meet. Downers South is peaking at the right time led by Jack Lalonde and Stephen Pipilas. Their split of 50 seconds last week could be enough to win in this race. SPC Champion Plainfield South ran a 36 second split off of John Partee’s 2nd place finish. The Cougars will need to have 3 runners in the first 10 with their pack 14 seconds behind Partee for a chance to win the regional title. Benet Academy, Romeoville, and Bolingbrook should also qualify out of this regional. Downers North’s Alec Danner should be the big favorite in this race.
Normal Community Sectional
Edwardsville Regional
SIU-Edwardsville XC Course
Girls – 10:00 AM
It will be a re-match of last week’s SWC Meet when Edwardsville only defeated O’Fallon by one point. With only Quincy added to this regional along with the rest of the SWC teams, we should see another close team race. The key for Edwardsville last week was a 20 second split on their top 5 led by Julianna Determan leading the way. O’Fallon has the front runners in this race with Brooke Witzel and Caitlyn Clinton. The Panthers will need to close that gap in order to turn the team tables for the regional championship.
Boys – 11:00 AM
SWC Conference Champion O’Fallon should be the big favorite for the regional championship. This was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the Panthers. They could be making a return trip to Peoria led by Joey Black and freshman Kyle Dismukes. Edwardsville is an extremely young squad who should be the second team in this regional. Granite City, Quincy, and Belleville West could be the next three teams. Will O’Keefe (Granite City HS) defeated Dismukes by 4 seconds to win the SWC Individual race last Friday should be the individual favorite in this regional race.
Minooka Regional
Channahon Community Park, Channahon
Girls – 10:00 AM
#3 Minooka will be the big favorite in the team race especially running on their home course. Their 1-5 split has been fluctuating between 80 to 90 seconds the past couple of weeks. Watch for a tighter pack in this meet. 4 other sectional top 10 teams are in this meet led by #24 Lincoln-Way Central in this meet. The Knights are coming off of a SWSC-Red Championship led by freshman Kelly Robbins in that race. Normal Community placed second last week at the Big 12 Championship behind Rachel Zimmerman’s 4th place finish and could push for 2nd. Pekin and Western Big 6 Champ Rock Island should be in the next 2 spots with Bradley-Bourbonnais and Moline challenging for the final qualifying spot. Minooka’s Ashley Tutt, who ran 16:54 to win the SPC title last Saturday, should be the big favorite in this meet.
Boys – 10:45 AM
#23 Minooka will be the team favorite on their home course. The Indians looked good in a close 2nd place finish last week behind Plainfield South especially with the return of their #1 runner Soren Knudsen. East Moline United looks to be a solid second in this meet with Pekin, Bradley-Bourbonnais, Lincoln-Way Central, Moline, and Normal Community fighting for the final 4 qualifying spots. Knudsen and United Township’s Kyle Riege will battle for the individual win.
Tinley Park Andrew Regional
Turtlehead Lake Forest Preserve
Girls – 10:00 AM
Lincoln-Way East will be the slight favorite in this race challenged by Lincoln-Way North and Joliet West. Lincoln-Way North’s Rebekah Harden and Lincoln-Way East’s Jenna Couwenhoven will challenge SWSC-Blue Individual champion Maddie Blaauw (Joliet West HS) and teammate Kiersten Perry for the individual race title.
Boys – 10:45 AM
#24 Lincoln-Way North ran a 34 second split on their top 5 in easily winning the SWSC-Red Conference championship. They will be challenged by Illiana Christian for the team championship. The Vikings did not have to run hard in winning the MSC-East title last week. When they have been pushed, their 5 man split has been near 80 seconds off of their top runners Colin DeYoung and Nick Wondaal. Watch for Lincoln-Way North to put their pack in after Illiana’s front 2. Joliet Central and Joliet West will be the other chief challengers in this meet. Wondaal and DeYoung should be challenged by Raul Rosendo (Joliet Central HS) for the regional individual championship.
Roselle Lake Park Sectional
Chicago Whitney Young Regional
Washington Park, Chicago
Girls
CPL champion Northside Prep will be the slight favorite for the regional team championship with Trinity and Lane Tech possibly close behind. Northside ran an 80 second split off of #1 runner Sara McCoy last week and will need the same type of effort in this race. Lane Tech, who finished 2nd behind Northside at the City Championships, had a 28 second 2 to 5 split in that meet. Their gap of 100 seconds between the pack and #1 runner Maggie Scholle needs to come down. Trinity is similar to Lane Tech with a good front runner in Hailey Hansen and a big 1-5 split near 2 minutes. Trinity will need to get their 2nd and 3rd runners ahead of Northside’s #2 runner in order to be close in this meet. City champion Maggie Scholle is the big favorite in this race.
Boys
#10 Whitney Young will be the favorite in this regional team competition. The split of 58 seconds on their top 5 will not hurt the Dolphins in this meet. Jones College Prep were second in the CPL championships using a 60 second split off of their #1 runner Nico Moreno. They could make it uncomfortable for Whitney Young if they can move their pack up just a little bit. City champion Clayton Mendez leads the Dolphins and should be the individual favorite in this race. Danny Rosen (Northside Prep), Jaimie Marcos (Von Steuben Academy), and Moreno should be in the front pack in this race.
Elmhurst York Regional
Proviso West HS XC Course, Hillside
Girls – 1:00 PM
Three ranked teams are in this meet in which it could be the toughest among the 3 regionals in this sectional complex. WSC-Silver Champion #2 Glenbard West is the team to beat led by individual race favorite Lindsey Payne. #11 Wheaton-Warrenville South did not run their best race of the year at last week’s DVC Championships but should bounce back behind their top runners Sara Atkins and Allison McGrath. #23 York has the slight edge for the 3rd spot. Glenbard East and Oak Park-River Forest had good races in their respective conference meets and could be close to the Dukes. Lake Park and Wheaton North will challenge for the final qualifying spot. Lindsey Payne has run under 17 minutes in every meet that she has run in this season. That streak should end on the 3.05 mile Proviso West Course. Lindsay Graham ran 17:50 to win their conference meet on this course a year ago.
Boys – 2:00 PM
#3 York and #5 Oak Park-River Forest square off in a battle of two WSC-Silver powers. The conference champion Dukes continue to improve keeping a 30 second split on their top 5 led by Charlie Kern Jr. Oak Park-River Forest has Irwin Loud leading them but showed they are improving as evidenced by their 3rd place finish in that tight conference meet. #22 Wheaton North ran their race of the year so far when they finished 2nd in the DVC last week. The Falcons should be in the third spot challenged by Glenbard West and Lake Park. Loud is the individual favorite in this race. Eric Neumann (Glenbard West HS, Glen Ellyn) was sick and had to drop out of last week’s conference meet. He should be with Kern in the front for the 2nd spot.
Skokie Niles West Regional
Niles West XC Campus Course, Skokie
Girls – 2:00 PM
CSL conference rivals #12 New Trier and #19 Maine South could be challenged by improving GCAC champion Loyola Academy in this race. New Trier demonstrated their strength in winning their conference meet with a 31 second top 5 split and Grace Fagan and Caroline Fix finishing 1-2. Maine South ran a tight split early in the year but has found a #1 runner after Olivia Nizolek finished 3rd in that race. Their 38 second split on 5 is close to New Trier, but will need to move their pack up in order to challenge the Trevians. Loyola was riddled by injuries early in the year but is healthy as evidenced by their conference win at Lewis University. The Ramblers compare favorable well to both teams with a 37 second split on their top 5 led by Kathryn House, Lainey McKinley, and Margot Dooley. Watch for the House pack to be closer to the front than they were a week ago when their pack started in 6th. Evanston should be the next team in this race.
Boys – 2:45 PM
#8 New Trier, #20 Maine South, and #25 Loyola Academy are the ranked teams in this field. New Trier has cut their split down to 29 seconds from close to a minute in winning the CSL Championships. Maine South, who placed third at the CSL Conference Meet, has been without their normal #1 runner Reese Jordan who has not raced since the Palatine Invitational. It is not known if he will race in this meet. Ralph Patejunas has stepped up as the #1 man. The Hawks will need to slim down the 49 second split that they had on 5 from last week. Loyola showed improvement in placing 2nd at the CCL Championships. Their split has moved down to 40 seconds led by Paolo Tiongson. Niles North and Niles West should also make it through to the sectionals from this race. Martin Barr (Niles North HS, Skokie) won the CSL Championship last week. He will be challenged by Paolo Tiongson and Josh Derrick (New Trier HS, Winnetka).
Schaumburg Sectional
Hoffman Estates Regional
Busse Woods Forest Preserve, Elk Grove Village
Girls – 10:00 AM
#5 Prospect comes off of the MSL Championship last week as the favorite in this race. The team had a 97 second split off of front runner. That could dip close to 80 seconds if top 5 runner Marissa Valentini returns to the line-up. #22 Schaumburg finished 4th at the MSL’s and will challenge for the 2nd spot. Maddie Marasco should be one of the top 5 individually in this meet. Ellie O’Connell and Lauren Kubinski hope to be closer to Marasco in this meet. Hoffman Estates could take the second spot if their 2-5 pack (24 seconds within each other last week) can get within 45 seconds of #1 runner Meagan Biddle in this race. Glenbrook South is a young squad that could surprise some if they place in the top 3 in this meet. Hersey and Fremd should also place in the top six teams in this meet. MSL individual champion Brooke Wilson (Prospect HS, Mt. Prospect) should be the favorite in this race.
Boys – 11:00 AM
It will be the packs of #11 Prospect and #16 Hoffman Estates that will decide the team championship in this regional. The Knights had a tight 15 second split on their top 5 in placing 2nd in the MSL Meet. Watch for that to happen again in this race. Hoffman Estates did not run their best last week and will look to bounce back. Matt Peterson, who was not among their top seven last week, will be a big key in whether this team can take away a regional championship. The split on their top 5 was 58 seconds last week without Peterson in there. It is normally close to 30 seconds. Hersey finished 4th at MSL and could be a factor in this meet. Glenbrook South, Fremd, and Wheeling most likely will be the other teams making it to sectionals. Danny Peterson (Fremd HS, Palatine) finished 4th last week at the MSL Championship and should be the favorite in Saturday morning’s race.
Lake Forest Regional
Lake Forest West Campus Course, Lake Forest
Girls – 2:00 PM
NSC Champion #9 Lake Forest and NSC 3rd place #21 Stevenson will be the teams to watch in this race. Lake Forest continues to run a tight 4 runner pack up front led by Emma Milburn. Last week at the NSC Meet, their split was only 29 seconds with a 67 second split on their top 5. Stevenson will have one of the favorites in the race Isabelle Sparreo up front. They will need to keep their split on 5 near 100 seconds in order to keep the second spot. Keep an eye on Highland Park in this meet. The return of Charlotte Nawor boosted the Giants to a 5th place finish in the CSL Meet. They could be a surprise in this meet. Sparreo should be the favorite in this race. Milburn and Melissa Manetsch should be challenging for 2ndin this race.
Boys – 3:00 PM
#18 Highland Park has come off of good races at the Wheeling Invitational and the CSL Meet, where they finished 2nd, and should be the favorite in this meet. Stevenson was shorthanded without #1 runner Jared Borowsky at last week’s conference meet. A healthy Borowsky could mean Stevenson challenging for the regional championship. Warren and Mundelein should also qualify with ease out of this regional. The individual race should be a good one with Borowsky, Brett Davidson (Highland Park HS), Dustin Macuiba (Warren Township HS, Gurnee) and Mark Myers (Lake Forest HS) should be the runners to watch up front in this race.
Palatine Regional
Deer Grove East Forest Preserve, Palatine
Girls – 10:00 AM
#6 Barrington and #10 Palatine faced off in a dual meet 2 days before the Palatine Invitational with Barrington winning 27-29 in that race. The regional championship should also be close. Barrington will have Jocelyn Long among the leaders in this meet. The Fillies split last week on 5 was 79 seconds. Watch for their pack to move closer to Long if they want the regional championship. Palatine did not have #2 runner Sam Lechowicz last week at the MSL meet but still finished third. The Pirates have a solid front 4 led by Kelly O’Brien. If that pack is in the top 10 in this meet, Palatine could be winning on their home course. Grant Community and Lake Zurich should also make it to the Schaumburg Sectional. Crystal Lake South, Jacobs, and Dundee Crown will challenge for the final two spots. It should be a good individual race with Long, O’Brien, and NSC champion Caitlin Shepard (Lake Zurich HS) challenging up front.
Boys – 11:00 AM
This could be the best of the 3A Boys regional races of the weekend with NSC Champion #7 Lake Zurich and #9 Buffalo Grove challenging the team win. The individual race should be just as exciting as 2 of the top 3A Runners Lake Zurich’s Matt Pereira and Buffalo Grove’s Kevin Salvano face each other for the first time this season. Lake Zurich dominated their conference meet with a 71 second split and three runners in the top four with Brian & Kyle Griffith joining Pereira up front. Buffalo Grove has a strong top 3 with Tom Cleary and Mitchell Guittar joining Salvano in a 1-2-3 finish at the MSL meet. McHenry has a solid group and should be the third qualifier in this meet. Jacobs, Palatine, and Barrington should be the other teams to make it out of this tough regional.
West Aurora Sectional
Rockton Hononegah Regional
Roland Olson Forest Preserve
Girls – 10:00 AM
#25 Huntley should be the team to watch in this race with Hononegah and Machesney Park Harlem the two teams challenging them. Huntley’s Mary Raclawski , Harlem’s Rachel Huwe, and Hononegah’s Taylor Frommer will be the individuals to watch in this meet.
Boys – 11:00 AM
#17 Huntley should be the big favorite in this meet looking to bounce back from last week’s 2nd place finish at the FVC Championships. It could be a 1-2-3 finish by Huntley in the individual race with Keagan Smith, Seth Conroy, and Mike Grocholski leading the way. Hononegah and Rockford East will challenge for the 2nd position among the teams.
St. Charles North Regional
Leroy Oaks Forest Preserve, St. Charles
Girls – 10:00 AM
The top two UEC teams #4 Batavia and #8 Geneva were only separated by 5 points at last week’s conference meet. It should be that close as the 2 teams face each other on the new course at Leroy Oaks Forest Preserve. Batavia’s had to come from behind in the last half of the race last week to earn the win. In looking back at past regional meets, it is possible that Geneva will not run all of their top 7 in this race. St. Charles North, St. Charles East, and Bartlett should advance out of this sectional. The individual race should be a repeat of last week’s conference meet with top 3 finishers McKenzie Altmayer (Geneva HS), Emma Stephens (Batavia HS), and Audrey Ernst (St. Charles North HS) leading the front pack.
Boys – 11:00 AM
UEC Champion #12 St. Charles East and CCL Champion #14 Marmion Academy should be close in the team competition. Marmion put 5 runners in the top 17 led by top 5 finishes by Michael Ronzone and Andrew Burroughs. Their top 5 split in that race was 38 seconds. The key for success for St. Charles East is getting their top four ahead of Marmion’s #3 runner in order to win this meet. St. Charles East only had a 24 second split last week on 5 in winning their conference meet. #21 Geneva has continued to improve finishing 2nd behind the Saints last week at the UEC. They had a 31 second split on 5 led by Tyler Lau that could put them in the regional championship conversation. East Aurora, Batavia, and St Charles North could be among the final 3 teams qualifying for sectionals. UEC champion Connor McCue should be the individual favorite in this meet.
West Chicago Regional
Kress Creek Farms, West Chicago
Girls – 10:00 AM
This race has the toughest 3A field led by #1 Naperville North and 4 other ranked teams. It could be close for the next four spots but #13 Metea Valley, #15 Neuqua Valley, #18 Oswego, and #20 Plainfield North almost locks to make it in. A good Naperville Central team should be the final team out of this regional. The top runner in the state Judy Pendergast will be the favorite in this race with Plainfield North’s Rachael Lau, Naperville North’s Sara Schmidt, and Naperville Central’s Alana Austin her chief competition.
Boys – 11:00 AM
#4 Neuqua Valley has lost their #1 runner Connor Horn for the season. The pack has taken over for the Wildcats as they ran a 14 second split on their top 7 for an easy win at the DVC last week. They will be the big favorite in this regional. Good packs by Naperville Central and Waubonsie Valley could help them to advance to sectional. Oswego, Plainfield North, Oswego East, and Naperville North will fight for one of the six qualifying spots. Neuqua Valley took the top 7 spaces in the DVC last week. We could see one of the runners up front in this race. Bennett Peterson (Oswego HS) should also be up front challenging for the win.
Read more: DyeStatIL - News - DyeStat IL - 2015 IHSA XC 3A Regional Previews - October 23, 2015