2025 XC Weekend Rundown: Week 7

This weekend may be a bit of a lull as teams gear up for their conference championships, but don’t be fooled, there’s still plenty of action on tap! A few marquee meets are set to light up the course tonight, with more quality races hitting tomorrow. Check out all the excitement right here!

Lakes Sunset Invite

Key Boys Teams: 2A - #9 Crystal Lake (Central), #25 Woodstock, Antioch, Bartlett, Carol Stream (Glenbard North), Chatham (Glenwood), Crystal Lake (Prairie Ridge), Crystal Lake (South), Deerfield (JV), Fox Lake (Grant), Grayslake (Central), LaGrange Park (Nazareth Academy), Lake Villa (Lakes), Marengo, Mundelein, Mundelein (Carmel), Plainfield (Central), River Forest (Trinity), Rockford (Boylan Catholic), Rockton (Hononegah), South Elgin, Waterloo, Wauconda

Key Girls Teams: 3A - #7 Chicago (St. Ignatius) 2A - #1 Chatham (Glenwood), #6 Crystal Lake (Prairie Ridge), #14 Crystal Lake (South), #16 Grayslake (Central), #21 Waterloo, #22 Rockford (Boylan Catholic), #23 LaGrange Park (Nazareth Academy), Antioch, Bartlett, Carol Stream (Glenbard North), Deerfield (JV), Fox Lake (Grant), Lake Villa (Lakes), Marengo, Mundelein, Mundelein (Carmel), Plainfield (Central), River Forest (Trinity), Rockton (Hononegah), South Elgin, Wauconda

Key Boys Individuals: Ellery Shutt (Woodstock), Amana Omale (Crystal Lake [Central]), Adan Cordova (Grayslake [Central]), Joey Gonzalez (Crystal Lake [South]), Max Haas (Fox Lake [Grant]), Tyler Devilder (Waterloo), Elijah Mendoza (Mundelein), Cooper Summy (Lake Villa [Lakes])

Key Girls Individuals: Allison Shutler (Chicago [St. Ignatius]), Annika Swan (Chicago [St. Ignatius]), Emaline Foster (Crystal Lake [Prairie Ridge]), Irma Jimenez (South Elgin), Luna Pozos (South Elgin), Kylie Simpson (Rockton [Hononegah]), Kayleia Lindsay (South Elgin), Lucinda Hodges (Rockton [Hononegah]), Daniela Lovett (Dixon), Ali Londrigan (Jr., Chatham [Glenwood]), Ashlyn Chopra (Sr., Chatham [Glenwood]), Sophie Rentmeister (Jr., Chatham [Glenwood])

Outlook: The girls race is shaping up to be an electric showdown between teammates, Ali Shutler and Annika Swan of St. Ignatius. Shutler has had an impressive season so far, with several times under 17 minutes. Her season best of 16:25 from FTTF is the fastest mark in the field and she is not to be messed with. Last week was the first time Swan bested her this season, when Swan took 4th at Nike XC Twilight. Swan was 10 seconds ahead of Shutler, but Shutler has buried Swan many times this season already. Whoever comes out on top, you can still count on these two to work together to run a pair of fast times. Another person who will look to ride off of these two will be Emaline Foster of Prairie Ridge. She had quite the season, taking wins almost everywhere she goes. She ran 16:56 at FTTF and she’ll be looking to shatter that time here at Lakes. Ali Londrigan of Chatham Glenwood should also be up with that group. She was third to Foster at FTTF with a time of 17:21, but has a season best of 17:00. She will be shooting for a new PR here as well, likely under the 16:50 mark. The course record of 16:23 will be in jeopardy from this group, we’ll have to wait and see who comes out with the record. Behind these three, you should see a large pack at 17:30 with names like Kylie Simpson of Hononegah and Luna Pozos of South Elgin. South Elgin has two other runners, Irma Jimenez and Kayleia Lindsay, who could be in that second group as well. Teamwise, it’s St. Ignatius’ race to lose. They are a top 10 team in 3A and they will have little to no competition getting a win here. 2A #2 Chatham Glenwood, and 2A #6 Prairie Ridge will be the only teams that will have anything to say, they will compete for the silver trophy. On the boys side, it will be Ellery Shutt of Woodstock leading Amana Omale of Crystal Lake Central and Adan Cordova of Grayslake Central. Shutt has run some solid races this season, taking 8th at FTTF in the 2A race. He will be chasing his PR of 14:42 here at Sunset, he could even take a shot at the course record set by Joe Bregenzer last fall. Omale has really stepped into his own this season, dropping his PR dramatically to a 15:05 at FTTF. He was two spots behind Shutt in that race and has been trailing him every time they go against each other. Should he follow Shutt here at Lakes, he will surely be dragged to a shiny new PR. Cordova has an inspiring story and his success this season is nothing but earned. He was all-state as a freshman, but then suffered two seasons of straight injuries. With healthy legs finally underneath him, he has been destroying his old PRs and is right up there with Omale and Shutt this year. Expect him to drop a hefty PR along with the two in front of him. On the teamside, 2A #9 Crystal Lake Central should be able to clean up shop. They had a strong showing at Palatine a couple weeks ago, and with an extra week of rest under their belts, they should put up some good times.

Loyola Flight Night

Key Boys Teams: 3A - #6 Lake Zurich, #17 Libertyville, 2A - #10 Niles (Northridge Prep), Aurora (Rosary), Barrington, Burbank (St. Laurence), Chicago (Depaul), Chicago (Latin), Chicago (Payton), Chicago (St. Ignatius), Chicago (University), Chicago (Whitney Young), Evanston, Glen Ellyn (Glenbard West), Highland Park, Mt. Prospect, Niles (Northridge Prep), Niles (Notre Dame), Park Ridge (Maine South), Skokie (Niles West), Wilmette (Loyola Academy), Winnetka (New Trier), Winnetka (North Shore Country Day)

Key Girls Teams: 3A -  #1 Barrington, #6 Glen Ellyn (Glenbard West), #8 Winnetka (New Trier), #25 Chicago (Depaul), Aurora (Rosary), Burbank (St. Laurence), Chicago (Latin), Chicago (Payton), Chicago (University), Chicago (Whitney Young), Evanston, Highland Park, Mt. Prospect, Niles (Northridge Prep), Niles (Notre Dame), Park Ridge (Maine South), Skokie (Niles West), Wilmette (Loyola Academy), Winnetka (North Shore Country Day)

Key Boys Individuals: Karinveer Patil (Lake Zurich), Cameron Libby (Lake Zurich), Luke Marshall (Lake Zurich), Peter Kipp (Niles [Northridge Prep])

Key Girls Individuals: Alexa Novak (Glen Ellyn [Glenbard West]), Angelica Hil (Barrington), Emily Stecky (Chicago [Depaul]), Victoria Tarara (Barrington), Chloe Wettstein (Lake Zurich), Francesca Mora (Chicago [Latin]), 

Outlook: Because of the teams that are attending Flight Night this year, we should actually get a highly competitive Flight 1 and Flight 2. With Lake Zurich having a team centered around a strong top two, the top flight should be an electric matchup. Karinveer Patil and Cameron Libby of Lake Zurich are the two fastest runners in the field Both have PRs in the low 14:20s and they should be able to win their respective flights with ease. Their teammate, Luke Marshall, ran 14:30 at Richard Spring and is likely going to be in the top 3 here. Santino Conte of Niles Notre Dame will be a name to watch as well, he ran 15:01 and is capable of stepping up for a fast race here. On the girls side, you should see Alexa Novak of Glenbard West earn her first big win of the season. She has been competing in stacked invites week in and week out, and this is her first time being the clear favorite coming into a race this year. She’s broken the elusive 17 minute border with a PR of 16:53 at Richard Spring and she should grab the gold here at Loyola. Angelica Hil and Victoria Tarara of Barrington have been running identical to each other, both with season bests at 17:34. Both of them are some of the fastest athletes in the field and they’ll be key runners to watch here. Ella Satre of Hinsdale Central strung herself between the two Barrington girls at FTTF with a nice PR of 17:35. With much cooler weather on the dock for Loyola, she should be able to take off even more time, right along with the Barrington girls. Chloe Wettstein of Lake Zurich will look to make her mark on the top pack as well. She ran 17:11 at Richard Spring and was a top ten finisher in that race. She did lose to Novak in that race, but seeing as Novak is the favorite here, it shouldn’t stop her from competing for second. Emily Stecky of Depaul will also spice this top flight up. She ran a solid 17:39 at Richard Spring and she should be connected with the top pack. 

Benton Invite

Key Boys Teams: Murphysboro, Benton 

Key Girls Teams: Anna-Jonesboro, Murphysboro, Fairfield

Key Boys Individuals: Caiden Cook (Jr., DuQuoin), Edgar Garcia (Jr., Murphysboro), Hayden Swiney (Jr., DuQuoin), Hunter Douglas (Jr., Murphysboro)

Key Girls Individuals: Caroline Tepe (Sr., Okawville), Jadyn Gerardi (Jr., Anna-Jonesboro), Sophia Hill (Jr., Anna-Jonesboro)

Outlook: Caiden Cook of DuQuoin High School leads this invite in the boys side, he has a personal best of 14:57 for 3 miles. Following him will be Edgar Garcia of Murphysboro High School, who will trail behind Cook in search for a new personal best and a chance at a win. His teammate Hunter Douglas will be right with him. They will help propel Murphysboro to a team title. On the girls side, senior of Okawville High School Caroline Tepe, is the one to watch, her personal best of 18:02 in the 3 mile leads the field, Jadyn Gerardi and Sophia Hill of Anna-Jonesboro will work together to give Anna-Jonesboro HS the team win. 

Black Sail Invite

Key Boys Teams: Lemont, Sycamore, Elgin

Key Girls Teams: Arlington Heights (St. Viator), Lemont, Sycamore

Key Boys Individuals: Mason Hephner (Sr., Lombard [Glenbard East]), Owen Gottfred (Jr., Arlington Heights [St. Viator])

Key Girls Individuals: Abigail Baumann (Sr., Rockford Lutheran), Hannah Farley (So., Lemont), Emily Walberg (Sr., Arlington Heights [St. Viator]), Johanna Rudolph (Sr., Freeport)

Outlook: This meet looks to be a solid matchup between 2A schools and some individual competition. In the boys side Mason Hephner of Glenbard east will be the one to watch in this meet, he ran a personal best of 15:14.3 at the Richard Spring invite in Peoria, and he is coming off a solid result at the Pat Savage invitational, however, Owen Gottfred of St. Viator could spoil the party, Owen won the Varsity red at the Pat Savage invitational and will challenge for the win. On the girls side this race is building up to be similar to the boys race, however Abigail Baumann is the favorite to win this race, she has a personal best of 17:28, but Hannah Farley of Lemont has the fastest time in this field but her season hasn’t really been the best yet. If Farley is able to put up a great performance she could give Baumann a run for her money. Other runners to look out for are Emily Walberg of St. Viator, and Johanna Rudolph of Freeport.

Delavan Panther Invite

Key Boys Teams: Taylorville, Clinton, Chillicothe (Illinois Valley Central), Georgetown (La Salette Academy), Gillespie

Key Girls Teams: Delavan, Clinton, Chillicothe (Illinois Valley Central)

Key Boys Individuals: Liam Bettis (Jr., Taylorville), Chaz Oberkfell (Sr., Gillespie), Cayden Bostic (So., Clinton), Coriell Green (Jr., Delavan), Logan Halligan (Jr., Taylorville), Aiden Duhs (Jr., Chillicothe [Illinois Valley Central]), Marco Cruz (Sr., Georgetown [La Salette Academy])

Key Girls Individuals: Elayna Harker (So., Taylorville), Annabelle LaFary (Sr., Delavan), Elyse Brinkmeyer (So., Delavan), Aubrey Peterson (So., Clinton)

Outlook: A rising Taylorville squad will look to dominate the Delavan invite on both sides. Their boys team has been going nowhere but up, with a huge performance at the Broadway Bolt. They went 1-2-3-4-5 while putting up some astounding marks along with it. It is worth noting that those marks are somewhat skewed, as the Broadway Bolt is a road race with very few turns, but you could still tell that Taylorville was putting in full effort. There is a chance that they go for a tempo effort here, as two races in one week is excessive, but even still they should be a threat for the win. Clinton will be the team to step in if Taylorville decides to step down. Clinton is one of the better teams in 1A this year and they are easily the next best team in the field. Individually, it’ll be Liam Bettis of Taylorville vs Chaz Oberkfell of Gillespie. Bettis is one of the top runners in the state regardless of class, and he’s proven it again and again that he is that runner. Like I said earlier, Bettis did not hold back at Mattoon, so he could potentially tempo this race. Even still, he should be a threat for second. Should he decide to tempo, that leaves the door wide open for Oberkfell to step in and take a win. He’s been the #1 runner in 1A for the entire season and it won’t change here. On the girls side, Delavan will be the team to beat. With a strong lowstick in Annabelle LaFary and a solid pack ending at 20 minutes, they should be able to walk away with the win pretty easily. Clinton will also be a team to watch. They don’t quite have the lowstick that Delavan has, but their pack sticks about the same as the Panthers. They could pull off an upset given a good day. Individually, it’ll be all Elena Harker of Taylorville. She ran a strong 17:40 at the Broadway Bolt and has the best PR in the field by quite a margin. Annabelle LaFary of Delavan will be the next best girl here, and she’s almost 30 seconds back from Harker. It should be an easy race for Harker, but a tempo effort could hand the win to LaFary on a silver platter. 

Gene Jones Runnin Red Invite

Key Boys Teams: Peoria (Notre Dame), Mahomet-Seymour, Morton, Oswego East, Eureka, Springfield, Normal University, Glen Ellyn (Glenbard South), Washington, Metamora, Dunlap

Key Girls Teams: Eureka, Mahomet-Seymour, Washington, Rochester, Pekin, Normal University, Bloomington, Peoria (Notre Dame), Springfield (Sacred Heart-Griffin), Morton, Geneseo, Tolono Unity, Dunlap

Key Boys Individuals: Maxwell Kirby (Jr., Peoria [Notre Dame]), Henry McMurry (Sr., Mahomet-Seymour), Thomas Jochum (Jr., Glen Ellyn [Glenbard South]), Maxwell Carter (Jr., Morton), Zach Born (Jr., Metamora), Ben Gorsage (Jr., Washington), Elliot Batz (Jr., Rock Island), Anthony Garcia (So., Oswego), Jack Wolstenholm (Jr., Oswego East), Isaiah Engle (Sr., Moline), Augustus Gaudio (Sr., Mahomet-Seymour), Sean Kaeb (Sr., Normal University)

Key Girls Individuals: Mackenzie Pound (Sr., Tolono Unity), Lillian Chaddock (Fr., Peoria [Notre Dame]), Paityn Brady (So., Springfield [Sacred Heart-Griffin]), Emily Anand (Sr., Mahomet-Seymour), Morgan Coker (Jr., Pekin), Ashley Zeibert (Sr., Rochester), Brooklyn Smith (Jr., Geneseo), Lorelei Hulsing (Fr., Bloomington), Sophia Ramirez (Sr., Washington)

Outlook: We should see an electric team matchup on the 2A and 1A level in Metamora this weekend. The course is a difficult 2.94 miles, which means that it just about evens out for some decently fast times. Three of the top 5 boys teams in 2A will be competing for a title, with Morton, Mahomet Seymour, and Peoria Notre Dame. Mahomet Seymour has not raced since the Richard Spring invite, their legs should be feeling fresh for this big matchup. PND and Morton, however, had great showings at Nike XC Twilight last week. Morton came out on top due to the performance of a lifetime from Keyston Beyer, who replaced Maxwell Carter as the Potter’s #1. If he has the race that he did last week, Morton will likely walk away with the win. Individually, Thomas Jochum of Glenbard South will face off against Maxwell Kirby of Peoria Notre Dame in an intense matchup. Jochum came into the season as one of the top rated runners, but the only chance he’s had at racing real competition, he had a less than satisfactory day. His race at FTTF does not define who he is as a runner, and the cooler weather should lead to a much better performance from Jochum. Kirby, on the other hand, has been looking excellent for several weeks now. His 14:30 from the Richard Spring invite speaks for itself, he is extremely fit and he’s ready to take a win here. Henry McMurry of Mahomet Seymour, Maxwell Carter of Morton, Ben Gorsage of Washington, and Zach Born of Metamora are four more guys on a hot streak who should finish off the rest of the top pack. On the girls side, Rochester and Eureka will duke it out for the team title. They faced off at the Springfield invite where Rochester came out on top by a narrow 15 points, but Eureka could sneak by on a good day. Mahomet Seymour could also be in the conversation for a win, but their chase pack needs to be dialed in if they want to beat Rochester and Eureka. Individually, Mackenzie Pound of Tolono Unity should be able to lock away the win. She ran an incredible 17:20 at the Spartan classic, but she will have some obstacles here at Metamora. Lillian Chaddock of Peoria Notre Dame will be chasing her down as best she can. Chaddock had a great race at Nike Twilight, running 18:37 for the win in the Open Blue section. She has a season best of 17:26 which she ran at Richard Spring and she could take a statement win here. Paityn Brady of Sacred Heart Griffin will spearhead the chase pack. Her season best of 17:39 isn’t quite in range of the two leaders, but she could sneak by with a win on a good day.