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2026 IHSA XC Regional Previews
1A Kankakee (McNamara) Writer: Brodie Peterson The boys race shows off some decent talent with Holden Gerdes of Fairbury Prairie Ridge, ranked 12th in 1A, battling it out with 1A #15 Joe Faris of Dwight. Following close behind them will be Evan Benoit of Herscher. All three of these guys have been having killer seasons, so this could be anyone’s game here. On the team side Herscher, the 8th-ranked team in 1A, is the clear favorite. In a regional, a simulated 50 point gap is h

Carson Vittorio
Oct 2337 min read


2026 Conference Previews: Friday Conferences
Conference week is here, and we're breaking down all of the friday action below! There are a couple good meets today, so read up and see who's the favorite to win their conference title around the state! Friday Southwest Prairie Conference Writer: Brayden Gaffud Boys Teams: 3A - #1 Plainfield (South), #14 Plainfield (North), #24 Yorkville, Bolingbrook, Joliet (Central), Joliet (West), Plainfield (Central), Plainfield (East), Minooka, Oswego, Oswego (East), Romeoville Girls T
Jackson Summy
Oct 164 min read


2026 Naperville Twilight Preview
Naperville Twilight is one of the best meets of the year, and it's going down this Wednesday! We broke down all the action for you right here, enjoy the Naperville Twilight Preview: Boys Teams: Addison (A. Trail), Arlington Heights (Hersey), Aurora (Metea Valley), Batavia, Chicago (Jones), Dixon, Downers Grove (North), Downers Grove (South), Geneva, Glen Ellyn (Glenbard West), LaGrange (Lyons), Minooka, Morris, Naperville (Central), Naperville (Neuqua Valley), Naperville (Nor
Jackson Summy
Oct 64 min read


2026 Mike Newman Sectional Rankings: Week 5
Here are this week’s IHSA Sectional Rankings! Last week the IHSA reveiled the assignments! These rankings are dedicated to Mike Newman, who passed away last year. Mike was the owner of ILXCTF.com and was well-known for producing these top 10 rankings every season. In his honor, we have named these rankings after him. 3A Boys Elk Grove Village New Lenox (Lincoln-Way Central) Roselle (Lake Park) LaGrange (Lyons) Rank Team Last Rank Rank Team Last Rank Rank Team Last Rank Rank T

Carson Vittorio
Oct 16 min read


2026 Weekend Roundup: XC Season Week 5
Week 5 brings a number of exciting invites around the state. We break down all the big meets going on this weekend here! Enjoy this weeks edition of the Weekend Roundup! Palatine “Meet Of Champions” Invite Writer: Jackson Summy Boys Teams: 3A - #4 Arlington Heights (Hersey), #5 Winnetka (New Trier), #7 Palatine (Fremd), #8 Elmhurst (York), #9 Mt. Prospect (Prospect), #10 Plainfield North, #11 Lake Zurich, #15 Park Ridge (Maine South), #16 Libertyville, #17 Naperville (Neuqua
Jackson Summy
Sep 2511 min read


2026 Weekend Roundup: XC Season Week 4
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
Jackson Summy
Sep 1819 min read


2026 Weekend Roundup: XC Season Week 3
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

Carson Vittorio
Sep 1127 min read


2026 Weekend Roundup: XC Season Week 2
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
Jackson Summy
Sep 419 min read


2026 Weekend Rundown: XC Season Week 1
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

Carson Vittorio
Aug 2811 min read


2026 Illinois Indoor Championships Preview
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

Carson Vittorio
Mar 2637 min read


Weekend Rundown: Week 5 Track & Field
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

Carson Vittorio
Mar 620 min read


Weekend Rundown: Week 4 Track & Field
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

Carson Vittorio
Feb 2717 min read


ONU 1A/2A Preview
Out of all the events in the 1A/2A ONU Classic, the mid-distance fields are going to be the most competitive. We could see an early season State rematch between 800m Silver medalist, #2 Evan White of Rockford Christian, and the Bronze medalist, #3 Joe Faris of Dwight. While Faris opens his season this week, White has shown great fitness this early in the season with his 2:00.5 recently. If put together, this matchup can result in some crazy sub-2 minute performances. Rockford
Brodie Peterson
Feb 252 min read


The 2026 Circuit Chicago: Top Athletes
The Circuit in Chicago is back and year 2 of this event looks to be even more exciting than last year. The High Voltage two mile has compiled one of the best fields that we will see across the country, you’ll see some elite distance runners come together to hopefully break the 9 minute barrier. Our brand new interns, Brodie and Krishtian, break down the top 15 athletes by gender that will be competing at the Circuit. Boys Yohannes Van Meerten, Jr., Flagstaff Arizona Yohannes

Illinois Running News
Feb 2014 min read
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