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Granite City Robinson/Lang Invite Boys Teams: 2A - #13 Marion, #23 Waterloo; 1A - #15 Metro East Lutheran, #20 Roxana; MO - #2 SLUH; Alton, Belleville Althoff, Belleville East, Belleville West, Breese Central, Chatham Glenwood, Chesterton Academy, Civic Memorial, Collinsville, Columbia, Confluence Academy, Dupo, East St. Louis, East Alton Wood River, Edwardsville, Father McGivney, First Baptist Academy(O’Fallon), Freeburg, Gibault, Granite City, Greenville, Highland, Jacksonv

Class 1A has long been known for producing championship-caliber teams, and the 2026 season is shaping up to be another exciting one. From defending state contenders to emerging programs on the rise, this year's preseason Top 25 features teams with a strong blend of returning experience, talented underclassmen, and proven postseason success. Our rankings are based solely on performances and information available prior to July 1st, 2026, meaning any races or results after that

While the teams ranked in our preseason Top 25 enter the season with the highest expectations, they are far from the only programs capable of making an impact this fall. Illinois Class 1A is filled with talented squads that narrowly missed the rankings and have the potential to emerge as contenders as the season progresses. The teams featured below were not included in our preseason rankings but had their coaches complete the preseason questionnaire that was sent via email, a

100m This is going to be one of the closest 100m State Final races we have ever seen. There are many athletes that are within milliseconds of each other. Realistically, any of the athletes mentioned here could take the title, as long as they have a good day on Finals day. The first contender is the only returning All-Stater from last year, Jaiduan Cranford of Metamora. Cranford was the early season favorite, as he smoked the field at IL Top Times. Not to mention, he still has

100m Marcellus Moore's state record of 10.31 has stood as the gold standard of Illinois sprinting, but it may not survive this weekend. Bennett Konkey of Geneva arrives as the favorite and the biggest threat to that mark, and his resume this season has been nothing short of extraordinary. The senior never even qualified for state a year ago, yet here he stands as the most dominant sprinter in Illinois, owning a blistering 10.25 PR that is not only the fastest in the state thi

We have finally made it to the end of the season, and the girls state meet is just around the corner. With 1A prelims tomorrow, we have gone event by event and broken down all of the action that you will see this weekend! 100 The 1A 100m has no clear favorite, which means there are a number of athletes that could take the win here. Two of the top times are held by freshmen Isabella Niebrugge of Teutopolis and Austyn McDowell of Robinson. Niebrugge ran a solid 12.06 at the sec

We have finally made it to the end of the season, and the girls state meet is just around the corner. With 1A prelims tomorrow, we have gone event by event and broken down all of the action that you will see this weekend! 100 Danville currently holds both the boys and the girls top 2A 100m runners. Focusing on the girls side, Jamia Esther is the favorite to win. Now, the tiniest mistake can be made in such a short race, but Esther is currently almost .4 seconds ahead of every

We have finally made it to the end of the season, and the girls state meet is just around the corner. With 1A prelims tomorrow, we have gone event by event and broken down all of the action that you will see this weekend! 100m The 100m is always a marquee event at the state meet, one that can throw a wrench into predictions given how little margin for error exists in such a short race. That said, this year's field has a clear and heavy favorite in Rayna Raglin of Alton, who h

SWSC The Southwest Suburban Conference is the best it has been in years, there is a ton of exciting stuff going down here. In the sprints, we are going to be treated to a great matchup in the 300mH between Myles Ellis of Homewood Flossmoor and Anthony Lusciatti of Lincoln Way West. Ellis has been a fantastic 300mH all season long, his season best of 37.39 stands as the #4 mark in Illinois. Ellis will also be running the open 100, where he should be in for an easy win, as his

SPC The SPC is home to some of the top programs in the entire state, we are going to see some electric track events here. In the sprints, Dontrell Young of Oswego is in the hunt for his first ever conference triple crown. He’s entered in the 100, 200, and 400 and he is the heavy favorite in the latter two. His 400 season best of 47.76 makes him one of 4 athletes who have broken 48 this season, which makes him a great candidate for the win here. He will face fierce competition

DuKane Conference The distance events are stacked at DuKane, we should see some great matchups all over the place. In the 3200, Kara Glenn of St. Charles North will go up against Sofia Borter of Geneva. Borter has been on the rise lately, but taking down an athlete like Glenn will take a great performance from her. In the 1600, you’ll see Gwen Hobson of St. Charles North, Avery Hacker of Batavia, and Nicole Mayer of St. Charles East battle it out for the win. Hobson and Mayer

The Prospect Wanner Knights invite has some great talent attending this year. We should see some prestigious names compete for great marks here. We break down all the action here! Distance The distance events are definitely the standout events here at the Wanner Knights Invite. There are two main events that will likely put up some premier times, they will be the 1600 and the 4x8. 1600 The field for the Wanner Knights 1600 is absolutely stacked this year, we could see some hu

Distance Night in Palatine is the premier distance meet in Illinois, and this year looks to be a great year again. Across the board, we will see huge PRs and big breakouts from a ton of great distance runners. We break down all the action at DNIP here! Boys 800m Main Event The DNIP 800 is the shortest event at the meet, but it is looking to be one of the best races of the night, with lots of talent from multiple states and schools. The overall favorite based off of PR’s is Je

The Norm Armstrong Invite features some of the best sprint competition that we will see all year. The outdoor season is full of stacked meets, but right off the bat, we get to see teams from across the state face off in St. Louis. There will be plenty of fast times coming out of this meet, get excited for some fun racing. We break down ALL the action here! Sprints In the short sprints, Joe Owusu of Plainfield East will be a huge name to watch. Owusu is a returning all-stater

In the wake of the passing of Mike Newman, Illinois Running News is honored to carry forward one of the state’s most beloved traditions: the Sub 5/Sub 6 Challenge. This challenge has long been a staple of the Illinois distance running community, celebrating the pursuit of breaking the 5-minute mile for boys and the 6-minute mile for girls. With the blessing of Noah Lawrence, who played a key role in creating and shaping the original concept, Illinois Running News is committed

In the wake of the passing of Mike Newman, Illinois Running News is honored to carry forward one of the state’s most beloved traditions: the Sub 5/Sub 6 Challenge. This challenge has long been a staple of the Illinois distance running community, celebrating the pursuit of breaking the 5-minute mile for boys and the 6-minute mile for girls. With the blessing of Noah Lawrence, who played a key role in creating and shaping the original concept, Illinois Running News is committed

In the wake of the passing of Mike Newman, Illinois Running News is honored to carry forward one of the state’s most beloved traditions: the Sub 5/Sub 6 Challenge. This challenge has long been a staple of the Illinois distance running community, celebrating the pursuit of breaking the 5-minute mile for boys and the 6-minute mile for girls. With the blessing of Noah Lawrence, who played a key role in creating and shaping the original concept, Illinois Running News is committed

In the wake of the passing of Mike Newman, Illinois Running News is honored to carry forward one of the state’s most beloved traditions: the Sub 5/Sub 6 Challenge. This challenge has long been a staple of the Illinois distance running community, celebrating the pursuit of breaking the 5-minute mile for boys and the 6-minute mile for girls. With the blessing of Noah Lawrence, who played a key role in creating and shaping the original concept, Illinois Running News is committed

The stage is set for one of the most anticipated meets of the indoor season as the Illinois Indoor Championships return this Saturday to the fast, banked surface of the Dr. Conrad Worrill Track & Field Center. With elite talent from across the state converging under one roof, this meet promises high-level competition, breakthrough performances, and early glimpses of athletes poised to make noise when the outdoor season arrives. From loaded distance fields to explosive sprints

Gabriel Gronski - Hersey Batavia Distance 1600m 4:16.23 Gabriel Gronski had an incredible win at Batavia this past Friday with a blazing 4:16.23 that just barely broke the old meet record of 4:16.59. Gronski has never really had the spotlight on him throughout high school. Just narrowly missing state in the 1600m last year, Gronski still has yet to run on the blue oval. This year, Gronski has already decided to change his fate. His first ever sub 4:20 1600m allowed him to lea