2025 XC Weekend Rundown: Week 5

This weekend features meets across the state that promise exciting local competition. While some of these meets may be smaller in scale, they present intriguing matchups as we continue to push full speed ahead toward November 8th. Let’s take a look at the top invitational meets happening this week across the state.

Palatine "Meet Of Champions" Preview

MacNider Invite

Key Boys Teams: Glen Ellyn (Glenbard West), Minooka, Huntley

Key Girls Teams: 3A - #12 Huntley, #13 St. Charles East, #24 Minooka; Northbrook (Glenbrook North), Schaumburg

Key Boys Individuals: Nathan Gehrmann (Sr., West Aurora), Matt King (Sr., Glen Ellyn [Glenbard West]), Nico Cimino (Sr., Minooka)

Key Girls Individuals: 3A - #24 Adley Wilson (So., St. Charles East); Natalie Nahs (Jr., Minooka), Nicole Mayer (Jr., St. Charles East), Isabella Ciesla (Sr., Huntley), Reagan Malone (Sr., Elk Grove Village)

Outlook: The MacNider Invite has historically been a smaller, but great competition meet held at Hoover School. This year, on the boys’ side, it will be an excellent battle between Glenbard West and Minooka for the win. Glenbard West has been extremely consistent this year, while Minooka has had more ups and downs but has shown the potential of what they’re capable of. The individual race will be a great opportunity for Nathan Gehrmann of West Aurora, Nico Cimino of Minooka, or Matt King of Glenbard West to really step up and emerge here. The girls’ team battle will be the main event. #12 Huntley vs. #13 St. Charles East vs. #24 Minooka will make for an excellent race. The rivalry between Huntley and St. Charles East will also be a battle for bragging rights over which Kaplan twin is the better coach. Individually, expect a great contest between Adley Wilson of St. Charles East, Isabella Ciesla of Huntley, Reagan Malone of Elk Grove, and Natalie Nahs of Minooka to take the win here.

Spartan Classic

Key Boys Teams: 1A - #5 Tolono Unity, #6 Clinton, #11 St. Joseph-Ogden, #12 Toledo (Cumberland), #16 Monticello, #22 Georgetown (La Salette), #23 Effingham(St. Anthony), #24 Pleasant Plains; Shelbyville, Downs (Tri-Valley), Urbana University

Key Girls Teams: 1A - #2 Shelbyville, #5 St. Joseph-Ogden, #16 Effingham (St. Anthony), #17 Tolono Unity, #18 Urbana University, #19 Monticello, #23 Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond; Clinton, Downs (Tri-Valley)

Key Boys Individuals: #8 Johnathan Iacobazzi (Sr., Sullivan), #12 Eli Anderson (So., Monticello), #21 Cayden Bostic (So., Clinton), #24 Eli Crowe (Sr., Tolono Unity); Tim Sikorski (So., Monticello), Henry Woolery (Jr., Shelbyville), Camden Fairbanks (Sr., Tolono Unity), Elijah Teefey (Sr., Pleasant Plains)

Key Girls Individuals: 1A - #1 Isabella Keller (Jr., Effingham [St. Anthony]), #3 Kate Foltz (Sr., Tuscola), #5 Aubrey Denning (Jr., Effingham [St. Anthony]), #7 Klaire Eighner (Sr., Maroa-Forsyth), #10 Tessa Bowers (Sr., Shelbyville), #12 Mackenzie Pound (Sr., Tolono Unity), #14 Leah Shoaff (Fr., Shelbyville), #15 Molly Farrell (Sr., Marshall), #21 Adelin Bruce (Sr., Downs [Tri-Valley]), #23 Ellie Emberson (So., Fishers); Macie Owen (So., Monticello), Grace Bressner (So., St. Joseph-Ogden), Callie Richardson (Jr., Fithian [Oakwood]), Taylor Mabry (Jr., Monticello), Julia Moody (Jr., Sullivan)

Outlook: Every year, the Spartan Classic road race produces blistering times, this year will be no different. The girls individual race will post some of the fastest times of the weekend, with two of the most elite individuals in the country going head to head. Isabella Keller of St. Anthony will be facing off against Kate Foltz of Tuscola in what should be a fantastic matchup. Keller dropped a scorcher at the Richard Spring invite last week, with a 16:08 season best. Foltz was 16:28 the week before at FTTF, but the glaring heat at FTTF makes it hard to compare those two times. Given that the Spartan Classic is a road race, both girls will be on sub 16 watch. Following these two behemoths, will be Keller’s teammate, Aubrey Denning of St. Anthony. Denning posted a 16:53 last week at the Shelbyville invite in an impressive win over some key Shelbyville girls. She will be challenged by Klaire Eighner of Maroa Forsyth, who will also be on sub 17 watch. Eighner ran 17:17 at FTTF for fourth and was 17:07 at the Clinton Light it Up Invite. Both girls have the capacity to run in the 16:40s, but it’ll be interesting to see which one ends up on top. On the team side, the Shelbyville powerhouse should clean up shop. Tessa Bowers and Leah Shoaff have been an elite duo up front and they will likely carry that into this weekend. Both have run under 18 minutes, with Bowers sitting at 17:30 and Schoaff sitting at 17:48. This strong lowstick presence is what gives them the edge over St. Joseph-Ogden, who doesn’t quite have the firepower up front. STJO has a solid roster, easily capable of taking second here. Grace Bressner leads the Spartans with a PR of 17:55 from the state meet last year. So far, she’s run 18:24 and will be looking to take that down this week. On the boys side, Jonathan Iacobazzi of Sullivan has been dominating the 1A circuits in southern Illinois, he’ll be aiming at another win here. With a season best of 14:58, he stands as the only man under 15 minutes in the field. He should be able to get the job done, but he’ll have company from some other elite 1A runners. Cayden Bostic of Clinton has had a couple rough races, but still has one of the better PRs in the field with a 15:09. He’ll be looking to replicate or improve on that result, something that would get him in range of Iacobazzi. Eli Anderson of Monticello has been one of the biggest surprises this season, he will continue to impress at the Spartan Classic. He ran 15:18 at Richard Spring and has catapulted himself into the 1A top 15. Him and his teammate, Tim Sikorski, will be leading Monticello to a good finish in the team standings. On the team side, Tolono Unity is the narrow favorite over Clinton. Unity checked in at 1A #5 last week after beating Clinton by a slim 10 points at the Tuscola Classic on Saturday. Eli Crowe and Camden Fairbanks have been elite lowstick scorers for the Rockets, both have been very consistent in the low 15:30s. Clinton has Cayden Bostic up front, and then an elite chase pack including Brockton Sumner, Abel Koritz, Joe Taylor, Justin Droke and Nolan Rhodes. All five of those men could mix it up between the second and fifth spot. 

Bartlett Flyin’ Hawk Invite

Key Boys Teams: 3A - #8 St. Charles North; Batavia, Hoffman Estates (Conant), Champaign Central

Key Girls Teams: 3A - #18 St. Charles North, #19 South Elgin, #21 Batavia; 2A - #4 West Chicago (Wheaton Academy), #18 Crystal Lake South; Algonquin (Jacobs), Aurora (Waubonsie Valley)

Key Boys Individuals: 3A - #19 Samuel Hill (Jr., St. Charles North); Caleb Mathias (Sr., Champaign Central), Matthew Russell (Sr., St. Charles North), Charlie Calderone (Sr., Hoffman Estates [Conant]), Joseph Bagnuolo (Sr., Bartlett), Joseph Gonzalez (Sr., Crystal Lake South), Christian Enger (Jr., St. Charles North), Logan Hitchings (Jr., St. Charles North)

Key Girls Individuals: 3A - #2 Kara Glenn (So., St. Charles North), #4 Lennox Szymonik (So., Algonquin [Jacobs]), #6 Avery Hacker (Jr., Batavia), #20 Gwen Hobson (Jr., St. Charles North), #25 Luna Pozos (Fr., South Elgin); 2A - #23 Addie Painter (Jr., West Chicago [Wheaton Academy]); Kayleia Lindsay (Fr., South Elgin), Irma Jimenez (Fr., South Elgin)

Outlook: The girls race at the Bartlett Flyin’ Hawk Invite will be one to watch, as there will be a battle between 3A #2 Kara Glenn (St. Charles North), #4 Lennox Symonik (Algonquin Jacobs) and #6 Avery Hacker (Batavia). Glenn comes into this race as the favorite after her 16:19 finish at the Richard Spring Invite last weekend, and she will likely take the win. Behind her will be a rematch between Hacker and Szymonik, where Szymonik edged out Hacker at the line winning 17:03.3-17:03.4 to take the 3A title at First to the Finish. Since then, Szymonik has dipped under 17 minutes to run 16:55 at the Larry Eddington Invitational. The race for second will surely be one to watch. In addition to the top three, keep an eye out for the South Elgin freshman trio of 3A #25 Luna Pozos, Kaylia Lindsay, and Irma Jimenez to make a big impact for the Storm up front. Other notable runners include 3A #20 Gwen Hobson (St. Charles North) and 2A #23 Addie Painter (Wheaton Academy). The team race looks to be just as interesting, with a tight team battle between 3A# 18 St. Charles North, #19 South Elgin, #21 Batavia, and 2A #4 Wheaton Academy. The title could go to any of these teams depending on their 3-5 runners, and a tight pack could very well be the deciding factor. As for the boys, 3A #19 Sam Hill (St. Charles North) comes in as the heavy favorite coming off a blistering 14:31 from the Richard Spring Invite. Behind him will be the rest of the St. Charles North pack, as they come in as race favorites and could dominate the rest of the field. Look out for Matthew Russell, Christian Enger, and Logan Hitchings behind Hill. Other runners that could challenge for a top three spot are Caleb Mattias (Champaign Central), Charlie Calderone (Conant), Joseph Bagnuolo (Bartlett), or Joseph Gonzalez (Crystal Lake South). Behind St. Charles North, Batavia, Conant, and Champaign Central will look to battle for the other top three positions.

Westview Hills Wildcat Invite

Key Boys Teams: #4 Willowbrook (Westview Hills), #5 Arlington Heights (Thomas); Gompers, LaGrange (William F. Gurrie), Minooka

Key Girls Teams: #2 Minooka, #5 Lemont (Old Quarry), #11 Arlington Heights (Thomas), #18 Shorewood (Troy); LaGrange (William F. Gurrie)

Key Boys Individuals: #7 Yebby Diedrich (8th, Willowbrook [Westview Hills]); Vaughn Rutan (8th, Lemont [Old Quarry]), Sam Wasiliewski (7th, Lockport [Oak Prairie]), Jesus Bustamonte (8th, Joliet [Gompers]), Patrick Rieger (8th, Arlington Heights [Thomas]), 

Key Girls Individuals: #4 Madeline Serur (8th, Arlington Heights [Thomas]), #6 Chloe Crim (7th, Shorewood [Troy]), #16 Julia Farley (7th, Lemont [Old Quarry]); Elsie Thomas (7th, Minooka), Rowen Slowinski (7th, Minooka)

Outlook: The Westview Hills Invite looks to be a small but highly competitive middle school meet that will feature some of the top programs in the state. The boys’ race will be an excellent showdown between the host team, Westview Hills, and Arlington Heights Thomas which are currently ranked 4th and 5th in the state, respectively. Both teams had strong showings at the Troy Invite and will finally be competing at full strength against each other here. Expect Yebby Diedrich of Westview Hills to take the individual win, with Vaughn Rutan of Old Quarry likely finishing in second. The girls’ team race will also be a great one, featuring four ranked schools. The real battle will be between Minooka and Old Quarry for the team title. Individually, expect a tight race between Madeline Serur of Thomas, Chloe Crim of Troy, and Julia Farley of Old Quarry as they each look to claim the win.

John Taylor Invite

Key Boys Teams: 2A - #4 Deerfield; Vernon Hills JV, Fox Lake (Grant)

Key Girls Teams: 2A - #3 Arlington Heights (St. Viator), #5 Deerfield; Vernon Hills, Mundelein (Carmel), Grayslake North

Key Boys Individuals: 2A - #23 Jamie Chandler (Sr., Deerfield); 1A - #11 Grady Smith (So., Johnsburg); Maxx Haas (Sr., Fox Lake [Grant]), Andrew Calderon (Jr., Deerfield)

Key Girls Individuals: Madison Petersen (Sr., Grayslake North), Estella Ollinger (Jr., Vernon Hills), Audrey Dickerson (Jr., Deerfield), Juliet Bing (Fr., Mundelein [Carmel]), Azalea Modes (Jr., Deerfield), Emily Wahlberg (Sr., Arlington Heights [St. Viator])

Outlook: The John Taylor Invite is shaping up to produce a great team race on the girls’ side between 2A #3 St. Viator and 2A #5 Deerfield. St. Viator got the best of Deerfield at the First to the Finish (FTTF) Invite, and the Warriors will be looking for redemption here. Individually, this looks like Madison Petersen of Grayslake North’s race to lose, though someone may step up and challenge her if they’ve made the right improvements. On the boys’ side, it should be a comfortable team win for 2A #4 Deerfield. Expect Jamie Chandler of Deerfield to take the individual title.

Rock River Run

Key High School Boys Teams: 2A - #16 Maple Park (Kaneland), #17 Belvidere North; Yorkville, Sycamore

Key High School Girls Teams: 3A - #17 Geneva; 2A - #17 Geneseo; 1A - #20 Cambridge; Sandwich, Yorkville, Sycamore

Key Middle School Boys Teams: Belvidere Central, Burlington Central, Sycamore

Key Middle School Girls Teams: Burlington Central, Sycamore

Key High School Boys Individuals: 3A - #25 Owen Horeni (Sr., Yorkville); 2A - #2 Carson Kaiser (So., Maple Park [Kaneland]), #8 Judah Binger (So., Belvidere North); Elliot Batz (Jr., Rock Island), Evan Whildin (Sr., Maple Park [Kaneland])

Key High School Girls Individuals: 3A - #19 Sofia Borter (Sr., Geneva); 1A - #2 Sunny Weber (Sr., Sandwich), #8 Emily Downing (Sr., Cambridge); Athena Triner (So., Yorkville), Taylor Peahl (Sr., Geneva)

Key Middle School Boys Individuals: #1 Bentlee Lawrenz (8th, Rock Falls), #15 Wyatt Schmidt (8th, Sycamore), #16 Leo Clapp-Duhau (8th, DeKalb [Clinton Rosette]); Parker Volk (8th, Pecatonica)

Key Middle School Girls Individuals: Violet Groom (8th, Sycamore), Lauren Cox (8th, Belvidere Central)

Outlook: The Rock River Invite is poised to be a thrilling entrance into the 5k. Several top 2a and 3a teams will be competing making for thrilling races throughout the meet. The boys team race is headlined by Yorkville. Yorkville has an impressive spread of 20 seconds and their Yorkville’s front runner, 3A - #25 Owen Horeni, will be looking to place high individually. The other teams to look out for are  2a#17 Belvidere North and #16 Kaneland.Everybody will be hard pressed to keep up with 2A - #2 Carson Kaiser. After his dominant FTTF win the others will be hard pressed to catch him. Some other names to look out for include, 2a - #8 Judah Binger, and Elliot Batz. On the girls side, Geneva is set to win headed by 3a - #19 Sofia Borter and Taylor Peahl. This meet will be 1A - #2 Sunny Weber’s first time running the 5k, and she should be prepared for a relatively dominant win. Some key teams in the middle school races are Belvidere Central, Burlington Central, and Sycamore. All around it should be an exciting and fast meet.

Springfield Invite

Key Boys Teams: 2A - #8 Taylorville, #13 Mt. Vernon, #25 Springfield; 1A - #1 Eureka, #16 Monticello, #17 Williamsville, #25 Auburn; Chatham (Glenwood), Mascoutah

Key Girls Teams: 2A - #2 Chatham (Glenwood), #11 Rochester, #12 Springfield (Sacred Heart-Griffin); 1A - #4 Eureka, #8 Pleasant Plains, #9 Williamsville, #12 Delavan, Mascoutah, Mt. Zion

Key Boys Individuals: 3A - #9 Landon Harris (Jr., Granite City); 2A - #5 Liam Bettis (Jr., Taylorville); 1A - #9 Lucas Hollinshead (Jr., Williamsville), #12 Eli Anderson (So., Monticello), #17 Keegan Dewall (Sr., Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley), #18 Gavin Stalter (Sr., Eureka); Tim Sikorski (So., Monticello), James Baisden (Sr., Auburn), Kade Parker (Sr., Petersburg [PORTA])

Key Girls Individuals: 2A - #3 Ali Londrigan (Jr., Chatham [Glenwood]), #8 Sophie Rentmeister (Jr., Chatham [Glenwood]), #9 Ashlyn Chopra (Sr., Chatham [Glenwood]), #12 Paityn Brady (So., Springfield [Sacred Heart-Griffin]), #13 Elayna Harker (So., Taylorville); 1A - #13 Joelle Wilson (Jr., Williamsville); Ashley Zeibert (Sr., Rochester), Macie Owen (So., Monticello), Phoebe DeFrain (Fr., Springfield [Sacred Heart-Griffin])

Outlook: The Springfield Invite is shaping up to be an excellent contest between some of the best 2A and 1A squads in the state. The boys' team race will likely come down to 2A #8 Taylorville, 2A #13 Mt. Vernon, and 1A #1 Eureka. The slight edge goes to Taylorville, who nearly put five runners under 16:00 at the Richard Spring Invite. However, don’t be surprised if Eureka or Mt. Vernon plays spoiler here. The individual battle between 3A #9 Landon Harris of Granite City and 2A #5 Liam Bettis of Taylorville will be a must-watch. Harris ran 14:41 in the heat at the FTTF Invite, while Bettis clocked 14:23 in the cooler conditions at Richard Spring. On the girls’ side, Chatham Glenwood is expected to dominate the team race. The real battle will be for second place between Rochester, Sacred Heart-Griffin, and Eureka. Individually, we could see a 1-2-3 finish for the Titans with Ali Londrigan, Ashlyn Chopra, and Sophie Rentmeister leading the way. Paityn Brady of Sacred Heart-Griffin and Elayna Harker of Taylorville will look to break up that trio.

Tinley Park Tollfree Farley Invite

Key Boys Teams: 2A - #22 Glen Ellyn (Glenbard South); Bradley-Bourbonnais, Frankfort (Lincoln-Way East), New Lenox (Lincoln-Way West)

Key Girls Teams: 2A - #16 Lemont; 1A - #24 Palos Heights (Chicago Christian); Frankfort (Lincoln-Way East), Palos Heights (Shepard), Chicago (Marist)

Key Boys Individuals: 3A - #8 Jack Krusinski (Sr., Palos Hills [Stagg]), #11 Brendan Hanrahan (So., Frankfort [Lincoln-Way East]), #14 Santiago Chavez (Jr., Burbank [Reavis]); 2A - #12 Thomas Jochum (Jr., Glen Ellyn [Glenbard South]); Nicholas Dul (Sr., New Lenox [Lincoln-Way West]), Caden Wolfe (Sr., Tinley Park [Andrew]), Isaac Stowers (Sr., Bolingbrook), Brayden Domont (Fr., Bradley-Bourbonnais)

Key Girls Individuals: 3A - #21 Madison King (Sr., Joliet Central); 2A - #15 Hannah Farley (So., Lemont), #20 Maggie Wolniakowski (Sr., New Lenox [Providence Catholic]); Aubrey Clark (Fr., Frankfort [Lincoln-Way East])

Outlook: The Tollfree Farley Invite at Midlothian Meadows features one of the most iconic finishes! On the boys’ side, the key teams are Glenbard South, Bradley Bourbonnais, Lincoln-Way East, and Lincoln-Way West. This is a South Suburban classic race! Top boys from the suburban race include Jack Krusinski of Stagg, Brendan Hanrahan of Lincoln-Way East, Santiago Chavez of Reavis, Thomas Jochum of Glenbard South, and Nicholas Dul of Lincoln-Way West. All of these boys make for amazing competition in the classes of 2A and 3A! On the girls’ side, the top teams are Lemont, Marist, Lincoln-Way East, Chicago Christian, and Shepherd, creating strong team competition all around! Key individual girls to watch are Madison King of Joliet Central, Hannah Farley of Lemont, Maggie Wolniakowski of Providence Catholic, and Audrey Clark of Lincoln-Way East! Overall, the Tollfree Farley Meet is a true South Suburban classic!