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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

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 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

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

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

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

Cabin Fever Invite The girls sprints are absolutely loaded at Cabin Fever, let’s meet the field. Mariyah Robinson of Homewood Flossmoor will be running the 200, you should expect a huge season best from the Viking queen. Jordan Hamb of South Shore will look to take a huge win in the 60 and the 60mH. With Robinson absent from the entries in the 60, Hamb becomes the overwhelming favorite, she should dominate there. In the 400, Briyah Beatty of Plainfield East will face off agai

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