2025 PND Richard Spring Preview

Race Schedule:

8:00am - Girls Varsity

8:40am - Boys Varsity

9:20am - Girls Fr/So

10:00am - Boys Fr/So

10:40am - Girls Open

11:20am - Boys Open

Key Boys Teams: 3A - #4 Mt. Prospect (Prospect), #5 Lake Zurich, #6 Chicago (Lane), #7 Elmhurst (York), #8 Arlington Heights (Hersey), #10 Hinsdale Central, #11 St. Charles North, #12 Naperville Central, #14 Naperville North, #17 Naperville (Neuqua Valley), #18 Palatine, #24 Oak Park-River Forest, #25 Wheaton Warrenville South, 2A - #2 Mahomet-Seymour, #5 Peoria (Notre Dame), #8 Taylorville, #14 Marion, #15 Niles (Northridge Prep), #21 Springfield, 1A - #6 El Paso-Gridley, #10 St. Joseph-Ogden, #16 Williamsville, #18 Monticello, #20 Pleasant Plains; OH - #12 Mason (OH); Barrington, Chicago (Payton), Chicago (Whitney Young), Downers Grove South, O’Fallon, Orland Park (Sandburg), St. Charles East, Wheaton North

Key Girls Teams: 3A - #1 Arlington Heights (Hersey), #2 Mt. Prospect (Prospect), #3 Chicago (St. Ignatius), #4 Glen Ellyn (Glenbard West), #5 Lake Zurich, #8 Elmhurst (York), #11 South Elgin, #13 New Lenox (Lincoln-Way Central), #14 St. Charles North, #15 Chicago (DePaul), #16 Chicago (Lane), #17 Geneva, #18 Downers Grove North, #21 St. Charles East, #22 Orland Park (Sandburg), #24 Downers Grove South; 2A - #1 Wheaton (St. Francis), #7 Mahomet-Seymour, #8 West Chicago (Wheaton Academy), #9 Peoria Notre Dame, #17 Springfield (Sacred Heart-Griffin), #23 Lake Forest; 1A - #5 St. Joseph-Ogden, #6 El Paso-Gridley, #8 Williamsville, #18 - Monticello; KY - #7 Daviess County (KY); KS - #7 St. Thomas Aquinas; IA - #4 Pleasant Valley (IA); Frankfort (Lincoln-Way East), Naperville (Neuqua Valley), O’Fallon, Schaumburg

Key Boys Individuals: 3A - #2 Jesse Gudauskas (Jr., Naperville [Neuqua Valley]), #4 Alex Krieg (Sr., Palatine), #5 Grayson Meek (So., Naperville [Neuqua Valley]), #6 Sam Hill (Jr., St. Charles North), #8 Jack Krusinski (Sr., Palos Hills [Stagg]), #14 Patrick Hill (So., Elmhurst [York]) [ENTERED ON FR/SO LEVEL], #15 Brayden Kloeppel (Sr., O’Fallon), #16 Karanveer Patil (So., Lake Zurich), #17 Gordy Libby (Sr., Lake Zurich), #23 Brendan Hanrahan (So., Frankfort [Lincoln-Way East]); 2A - #7 Liam Bettis (Jr., Taylorville), #8 Gabriel Greer (Jr., Marion), #9 Raphael Greer (Jr., Marion), #13 Max Kirby (Jr., Peoria [Notre Dame]); 1A - #7 Lucas Hollinshead (Jr., Williamsville), #15 Elijah Teefey (Sr., Pleasant Plains), #23 Eli Anderson (So., Monticello); Mateus Salomao (Sr., Arlington Heights [Hersey]), Nathan Gehrmann (Sr., West Aurora), Caleb Mathias (Sr., Champaign Central), Tra’Monti Williams (Sr., Chicago [Payton]), Declan Slavin (Sr., Chicago [Payton]), Conrad Saner (Jr., Downers Grove South), Henry Miller (Jr., Hinsdale Central), Henry McMurry (Sr., Mahomet-Seymour), Augustus Gaudio (Sr., Mahomet-Seymour), Caden Winship (Sr., Mason [OH]), Tim Sikorski (So., Monticello), Quinn Davis (Sr., Mt. Prospect [Prospect]), Luke Robinson (Sr., Mt. Prospect [Prospect]), Manny Najera (Jr., Naperville Central), Jackson Truty (Sr., Naperville North), Simon Reckamp (Sr., Naperville North), Nicholas Dul (Sr., New Lenox [Lincoln-Way West]), Peter Kipp (Sr., Niles [Northridge Prep]), John Masaka (Jr., Niles [Northridge Prep]), Mateo Ramiro-Garcia (Sr., Orland Park [Sandburg]), James O’Sullivan (Sr., Palatine), Michael Wilson (Sr., St. Charles East)

Key Girls Individuals: #1 Ally Shutler (So., Chicago [St. Ignatius]), #2 Kara Glenn (So., St. Charles North), #3 Annika Swan (Sr., Chicago [St. Ignatius]), #6 Karlin Janowski (So., Elmhurst [York]), #8 Macy Ermitage (So., Downers Grove North), #9 Meg Peterson (Sr., Mt. Prospect [Prospect]), #10 Alexa Novak (Sr., Glen Ellyn [Glenbard West]), #13 Chloe Wettstein (Fr., Lake Zurich), #15 Emily Stecky (Jr., Chicago [DePaul]), #16 Sofia Borter (Sr., Geneva), #18 Nia Ortega (Jr., Downers Grove South), #19 Luna Pozos (Fr., South Elgin), #20 Graceleen Mabry (Fr., Arlington Heights [Hersey]), #21 Alexa Izenstark (Jr., Arlington Heights [Hersey]), #23 Gwen Hobson (Jr., St. Charles North), #24 Sienna O’Malley (Fr., Chicago [Lane]); 2A - #6 Lillian Chaddock (Fr., Peoria Notre Dame), #8 Elena Mamminga (Jr., Wheaton [St. Francis]), #9 Elayna Harker (So., Taylorville), #10 Maragret Andrzejewski (Sr., Wheaton [St. Francis]), #12 Paityn Brady (So., Springfield [Sacred Heart-Griffin]), #13 Erin Hinsdale (Jr., Wheaton [St. Francis]), #19 Pilar Rosales (Sr., Lake Forest); 1A - #2 Isabella Keller (Jr., Effingham [St. Anthony]), #15 Macie Owen (So., Monticello), #19 Joelle Wilson (Jr., Williamsville); Abigail Radich (So., Chicago [DePaul]), Lily Eddington (Sr., Downers Grove North), Molly McGreal (Sr., Elmhurst [York]), Sophia Galiano-Sanchez (Sr., Elmhurst [York]), Celia Blaylock (Jr., Lake Zurich), Avery Muhr (Jr., Lake Zurich), Polina Krupsky (Sr., Lake Zurich), Mia Forystek (Jr., New Lenox [Lincoln-Way Central]), Keira Faxel (So., New Lenox [Lincoln-Way Central]), Ellie Bush (Sr., O’Fallon), Elizabeth Garrett (So., Palatine), Ruth Dellaria (Jr., Roselle [Lake Park]), Irma Jimenez (Fr., South Elgin), Kayleia Lindsay (Fr., South Elgin), Adley Wilson (So., St. Charles East), Julia Rodney (Jr., St. Charles North), Addie Painter (Jr., West Chicago [Wheaton Academy])

Boys Team Outlook: This will be an exciting one, as six of the top ten ranked teams in 3A are here. After the battle of the heavyweights, Downers Grove North, Plainfield North, and Plainfield South, last week at the First to the Finish Invite, we now get to see which team is closest to those three and if any are better at this time. The top-ranked team entering this meet is the Knights of Prospect, who are coming off an excellent performance at the Red Devil Invite where they secured the win. They are led by the trio of Quinn Davis, Luke Robinson, and Brody Cushing, who were within six seconds of each other at Red Devil. The key will be getting Landon Samp and Pierce Baker closer to the pack and bringing that split to under 30 seconds here. Lake Zurich will be led by the 1-2 punch of Karanveer Patil and Gordy Libby, who are expected to finish within the top 10 in this race. Luke Marshall will be this squad's third runner and could potentially run close to 15:00 here. The key for them will be keeping their fourth and fifth runners within 30 seconds of Marshall in order to secure the win. Lane Tech looks great after the Harvey Braus Invite this past weekend, where they put their entire top five within the top seven finishers. They will need to keep their 1-5 split under 20 seconds, like they did at Harvey Braus, in order to win this and will need to push that so the front end is near the Prospect trio of front runners. Samuel Assefa, Quinn Anderson, Gary Angelo, Hugo Ayala, and Alexander Fitzpatrick could be a dangerous group here. York will not place high in the team scoring as they elected to run their top sophomores at the FR/SO level here, meaning the Dukes will be without Patrick Hill and Michael Gurgone on the varsity level. Hersey is a very interesting team with a lot of firepower. This team ran amazingly during the track season and can really let one rip here. Their key will be Mateus Salomao running near the front of this race. If he can do that, then Elliot Baik, Nathan Marotta, and Gabriel Gronski can stay within 20 seconds of him, and this could be a sneaky team. Aidan Korb, Luke Carlson, and Brandon Rugg would also need to break out as this squad's fifth runner. Don’t count out Hinsdale Central and St. Charles North, either, as both have the potential to really shake things up here.

Girls Team Outlook: This girls field looks to be loaded with 16 ranked 3A schools, 6 ranked 2A schools, and 4 ranked 1A schools. We can't forget about the 2 ranked out of state teams as well. The Hersey girls enter this meet as the top team in the state and will be looking to defend that title here. They will be led up front by the duo of Graceleen Mabry and Alexa Izenstark. Both will look to be in the top 20 finishers in this star-studded field. The key will be keeping the pack of Alexandra Kopacz, Sofia Donner, JoJo Messer, and Clara Vincent all within 30 seconds of this duo. If they do that then it will be extremely hard to beat this group. Prospect is the #2 ranked team in the 3A classification, but won't place high here in the team scores on varsity with most of their athletes running on the frosh/soph level. St. Ignatius are led by the duo of Ally Shutler and Annika Swan who will both look to be in the top 5 of this race. Both ran excellent at the Harvey Braus Invite where they ran 16:47 and 17:02. Their key will be keeping the Sheaffer sisters together and their 5th runner within 40 seconds of them. This team can very well take home the win. Glenbard West is the #4 ranked team in 3A and is led by senior Alexa Novak who will be fighting for a top 10 finish here. They will need to keep the pack of Lauren Bennett, Alyssa Novak, Shayne Dietzen, and Maya Slowikowski within 45 seconds of Novak if they wish to win. Lake Zurich is another team that can potentially take the win here. They are led by freshman Chloe Wettstein who will look to contend for a top 10 individual finish here. Celia Blaylock had a great meet this Tuesday at an NSC Quad where she ran 18:09. They will need to have Avery Muhr, Abigail Kocher, and Polina Krupsky within 20 seconds of Blaylock if they want to win the title. York is another team that can surprise some and take the win here. They are led by sophomore Karlin Janowski who will be in the mix for the individual race. The key for this team will be closing down their 2-5 and forming a pack. Molly McGreal, Sophia Galiano-Sanchez, Lila Stanley, and Maggie Quinn will need to be within 30 seconds of each other in order to win. Look for teams like South Elgin and Lincoln-Way Central are teams that can make their way into the top 5 teams in this race.

Boys Individual Outlook: The boys individual race looks to be hot here with 3A and 2A talent both being in contention to win. Jesse Gudauskas and Grayson Meek have been an exciting duo to watch at both the EIU Showdown and Red Devil Invites. Meek got the win at EIU, while Gudauskas got the win at Red Devil. With the weather looking great on Saturday, we could see both dip under 14:30 here. Alex Krieg of Palatine took 2nd at the Red Devil Invite after entering the meet as the favorite. He entered this year as one of the favorites to win the State Championship this fall and will be looking to get back on track here with a win. He is another sub-14:30 candidate here. Sam Hill of St. Charles North is a very intriguing name to watch here. He has been undefeated in his first three races of the year. His most impressive race to date was the win at the Leavey Invite when he ran 14:51, which shows that he definitely can hang in the front pack here and will challenge for the win. The Lake Zurich duo of Karanveer Patil and Gordy Libby will also be in the mix here in their first all-out effort since Detweiller at Dark. Patil was the fastest freshman in the state's history last fall, running 14:30 to take 21st at the State Meet. At Detweiller at Dark, he took 2nd to his teammate Gordy Libby, who had an amazing breakout race. Expect both to be in the front pack of this race. We have a few 2A competitors here in this field that will be in the front pack and challenge for the win as well. Liam Bettis of Taylorville has been on fire in his first few meets, going undefeated. He beat Chaz Oberkfell at the Rochester Invite by 38 seconds, which shows how great of an athlete he is. Also watch out for Gabriel Greer and Raphael Greer from Marion, who will look to be in the top pack as well. Watch for names like Jack Krusinski of Stagg, Brayden Kloeppel of O'Fallon, and Brendan Hanrahan of Lincoln-Way East to also be up in that top pack and fight for top 10 finishes.

Girls Individual Outlook: This girls field looks to be loaded with talent, but this race seems to be a bit predictable here. Isabella Keller of St. Anthony enters this race after an extremely impressive race at the Cowchip Classic where she ran 16:24! That performance on that course is electric and with the weather that we will see this weekend will put us on sub 16:00 watch here. Watch for her to take this race out hot and go for the win early. The duo of Ally Shutler and Annika Swan of St. Ignatius will look to be in the front pack as the #1 and #3 ranked runners in the 3A classification. Shutler looked great in her win at the Harvey Braus Invite in 16:47. She could potentially dip into the 16:30s here. Swan was 3rd at Harvey Braus Invite in 17:02 which is an excellent performance for this time of the season. Expect her to be next to Shutler for most of the race. Kara Glenn of St. Charles North took 2nd at the Harvey Braus in that loaded invite. The first-year cross country runner has taken the state by storm and will be in the top group early fighting for a 2nd place finish. Karlin Janowski of York was the champion of this race last year running 16:45 for the win. She was 4th at the Harvey Braus Invite this past weekend and will look to break 17:00 for the first time this year. Macy Ermitage of DGN and Meg Peterson of Prospect are two other runners that will be looking to break 17:00 here. Both athletes ran in the 10:30s this track season which shows that they are capable of dipping under 17. Athletes like Elena Mamminga of Wheaton St. Francis, Erin Hinsdale of Wheaton St. Francis, Margaret Andrzejewski of Wheaton St. Francis, Alexa Novak of Glenbard West, Chloe Wettstein of Lake Zurich, Emily Stecky of DePaul, Sofia Borter of Geneva, Nia Ortega of DGS, Luna Pozos of South Elgin, Graceleen Mabry of Hersey, and Alexa Izenstark of Hersey are all athletes that will be fighting for top 10 finishes here.