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We're already in week 4 of the 2026 cross country season! We break down all of the action going on this weekend in this weeks edition of the weekend roundup! Dale Donner Invite Writer: Ian Tancrell Boys Teams: 1A - #2 East Dubuque, #14 Rockford (Lutheran), #15 Elmwood, Aledo (Mercer County) Amboy, Cambridge, Erie-Prophetstown, Forreston, Grannville (Putnam County), Henry (H.-Senachwine), Kewanee, Kewanee (Wethersfield), LaSalle (L.-Peru), Manlius (Bureau Valley), Mendota, Min

FTTF 1A Invite Writer: Brodie Peterson Boys Teams: #1 Eureka, #2 East Dubuque, #3 Clinton, #4 Elmwood, #5 Chillicothe (Illinois Valley Central), #6 El Paso-Gridley, #8 Delavan, #9 Williamsville, #11 Edwardsville (Metro-East Lutheran), #13 Herscher, #15 Rockford Christian, #16 Roxana, #17 St. Joseph-Ogden, #18 Murphysboro, #19 Fairbury (Prairie Central), #20 Rockford Lutheran, #21 Toledo (Cumberland); Abingdon-Avon, Anna-Jonesboro, Argenta-Oreana, Auburn, Aurora Christian, Bee

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

The first weekend of cross country action is officially upon us! Illinois Running News will be providing coverage of multiple major invites across the state of illinois. The following 5 meets will all have coverage produced by Illinois Running News at. Sit back and enjoy reading about where we will be this weekend. EIU Showdown Writer: Sydney Cine Boys Teams: 3A - #3 Downers Grove North, #12 Naperville (Neuqua Valley), #20 Plainfield North, Algonquin (Jacobs), Bolingbrook, Hi

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 The 1A 100m this year is going to be a pretty tight race for top 3. Kamden Flenner of Tuscola is one of the co-favorites to win this event. Flenners ran a 10.39 way back in April and has had multiple sub 10.80 performances. Flenner did not qualify for state last year and has had a massive senior year. He will face a tough field and will have to repeat his previous performance to have a shot at winning. Brady Anderson of Morrison is the defending 1A state champion and is

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

Mid Illini The Mid Illini Conference is one of the best 2A distance conferences in the state, and we are set to see an electric 4x8 today. Metamora ran an incredible 7:48 last week to take the IL #3 spot in the 4x8. That exact relay is on the relay card for today, and they will have some great competition from Morton. Morton has listed their A-squad, with Abe Martin, Keyston Beyer, Joe Anders, and Campbell Akers all appearing on the relay card for this afternoon. Martin and B

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

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

Friday Central Illinois Invite Although there are many impressive athletes on the boys side, the girls side is just as amazing. Starting with sprinters, the first big name is Sophia Shapiro of Edwardsville, who has already run some quick times in the 200 and 400 and has the #9-ranked 400 time in Illinois this season. Another notable name is Rayna Raglin from Alton, who is ranked #3 in the 60m and #1 in the 200m this season across all classes. Aswell, Nina Brown of Champaig

This looks to be a huge weekend for the state! With many top invites in the state happening this weekend we take a look here! Friday 3A ONU Classic Boys The electric atmosphere at the ONU indoor track continues this Friday night with the 3A boys meet. The first of many dominant performances will start with Oak Lawn Richards’ #3TJ, #6LJ Nicholas Jafilan , as this senior is at the top of the seeds for both Triple Jump and Long Jump. While #1 Shaun Alexander of Romeoville is n