2026 Pre-Season XC Previews: 3A Girls Teams Unranked

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 3A 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, allowing us to provide a preview of their returning athletes, key additions, and outlook for the 2026 season. These programs will certainly be worth following as they look to exceed expectations and make their presence felt throughout the fall.

Orland Park (Sandburg)

Head Coach/Coaches: Tony Pena / Janine Wilkins, Bridget Driscoll, Elizabeth Venezio

Key Returners: Ella Giblin, Emily Sayger, Annika Trehan, Lyla Schanz, Angelina Arroyo, Isabella Van Alst, Katie Bordelon, Clare Snyder

Key Additions: Sienna Siebert, Elessa McNeill

Coach's Outlook: I think we'll have quite a few girls running sub 20 and sub 19:00. The question for us is can we get a true low stick to challenge the top runners in our conference, regional, sectional and state. I think we have a number of candidates, but only time will tell. Our senior group is talented and highly motivated. They have improved tremendously from their freshmen year when they arrived to Sandburg with very modest backgrounds. They are looking to continue that progression. We also have a number of incoming freshmen that will be turning heads very soon. Overall, our girls are ready for this season to begin. 

O'Fallon

Head Coach/Coaches: Neil James / Megan Meckfessel

Key Returners: Mae Naveira (Sr), Lily McCollum (So), Gwyn Cintron (So), Kayla Kalmer (Sr), Jessica Wilzcak (Sr), Campbell Plassman (Sr), Gabi Wolf (So), Gwen Wolf (Jr)

Key Additions: Kate White (Fr.), Ella Eccher (Fr.), Sydni Faver (Fr.), Millie Ponciroli (Fr.)

Coach's Outlook: We will continue on looking to improve throughout the season.  We are hoping to improve on last year’s finish by having a tighter pack.  Our girls have really dedicated themselves to building a strong foundation.  

Algonquin (Jacobs)

Head Coach/Coaches: Kevin Christian / Chris Keller, Michael Hanley, Tom Smith

Key Returners: Lennox Szymonik (So), Dani Soto (So), Jamie Lakeman (Jr), Julia Felton (Jr), Amisha Schlicht (Sr), Bella Hooper (Sr), Alex Zaucha (So)

Key Additions: Deanna Jackson (Fr), Maryn Redecker (Fr)

Coach's Outlook: Jacobs is looking to be just as good as last seasons surprise 19th place finish at the 3A state cross country meet.  Lennox Szymonik has already started strong, winning Detweiller at Dark.  After that we have Dani Soto returning after going 18:20s as a freshman, and we think junior Jamie Lakeman can be right there with her.  Sophomore Alex Zaucha and senior Bella Hooper put in huge summer and could contend for any spot from fourth to seventh on our team.  After that we need some girls ot step up if we want to continue with our recent successes.

Naperville Central

Head Coach/Coaches: Matthew Blondell / Aislinn Hicks, Sarah Braun

Key Returners: Charlotte Danahy, Hannah Zei, Katelyn Burke, Lauren Quigg, Carly Ernst, Claire Lin, Izzie Barnard, Maddie Calvey, Maggie Muszynski, Delaney Fenlon, Kinley Zielinski, Lucy Kozlik, Naya Kachrani

Key Additions: Nora Goode

Coach's Outlook: This year's team is defined by its cohesiveness. We've had an outstanding summer of training with excellent attendance and a genuine commitment to one another. We return a strong core of experienced athletes while adding an exciting transfer in Nora Goode. What sets this group apart is the positive influence they have on each other every day. Their relationships continue to push our work ethic, accountability, and competitiveness. If we continue to build on that throughout the season, I believe this team has the potential to accomplish some great things, including competing near the top of the conference and earning another trip to the State Finals.

Gurnee (Warren)

Head Coach/Coaches: Louie Klein / Meg Wakefield, Dave Wilson

Key Returners: Kaylee Wilson, Sydney Wilson, Teagan O’Neill, Leah Martinek, Blair LaRoche, Nora Gibson, Finley Jezuit

Key Additions: Anna Sorge-Young, Bridget McNulty

Coach's Outlook: Usually it is more obvious who will be running on the varsity squad.  But this year we don’t really know, and that’s because there are so many who could be up there.  We have a pretty young team with a lot of girls who took the next step in mileage this summer.  State is a possibility, but we don’t know enough about or freshmen yet to say how likely that is. 

LaGrange (Lyons)

Head Coach/Coaches: Joe Pontrelli / Greg Frandsen, Luke Taylor, Dina Castillo

Key Returners: Samantha Smith (12), Amelia Ludden (12), Allie Huth (12), Sarah Edell (11), Lucy Martinez (11), Evelyn Thomas (11), Ruby Rademaker (11), Eleanor Meuer (11),  Abby Elter (11), Elin Dorchinecz (11), Abbey O’Toole (10), Naomi O’Hare (10), Anna Dulyaba (10), Adriana Caballero (10), Ellinor Lach (10), Bella Stojowski (10)

Key Additions: Viktoria Vidakovic (Fr.), Sydney Hartman (Fr.), Kennedy Hartman (Fr.)

Coach's Outlook: This team is really talented, especially at the freshman and sophomore levels. Because of our inexperience, I think we may struggle early in the season. The upside is that right around the Naperville North Twilight Meet, we should have a good idea of what type of team we really are. If we can stay healthy and can learn from our previous races, I believe this team has the potential to qualify for the state meet. It’s an exciting group, but we will need to put in the hard work and continue to focus on racing, learning from each race, and finding ways to improve. 

Roselle (Lake Park)

Head Coach/Coaches: Joseph Pacione / Alberto Villa, David Haberman, Samantha Garcia

Key Returners: Ruth Dellaria (Sr), Penelope Panagiotopoulos (So), Rain Solano (Jr), Aubrey Haugh (Sr), Monica Chukurov (So), Karolina Tomaszczyk (So), Lily Potts (Sr), Karolina Podstawski (So), Audrey Rodriguez (So)

Unexpected Losses: Vivienne Stojanovic

Coach's Outlook: This can be a great team if the girls are disciplined and committed every step of the way. We are still a step or two away from competing at the higher levels, but with dedication from especially this sophomore class, we can make a big push forward to being a competitive program, especially with Ruth Dellaria leading the way.  

Lincolnshire (Stevenson)

Head Coach/Coaches: Lindsay DePaul / Tom Hake, Madelyn Rowan

Key Returners: Sienna Romero, Camila Pak, Ellie Kerksick, Anfisa Vasilyeva, Ameliya Godo, Claire Yu, Katie Castro

Key Additions: Sloane Wagner (Fr.)

Coach's Outlook: We have some very fast rising Juniors, a rising Sophomore who ran in the State meet last year, and some incoming freshmen who look competitive. We are looking forward to a good season!

Lisle (Benet Academy)

Head Coach/Coaches: Dan Billish / Kc McQuaid

Key Returners: Ashlyn Willis, Sarah Read, Clare Bremner, Faye Ferrell, Sophia Rinaldi, Savannah Trench

Coach's Outlook: Should have a strong pack 2-4 with a 5-6 who will grow throughout the season.  Our goal for this year is real simple--get better each day.  We join the GCAC this year so a step up competitively, but we will be struggling with depth.  The summer commitment has been solid, but we are down substantial numbers.  We may field a team of 20.  

Plainfield Central

Head Coach/Coaches: Jeff Purdom / Kyle Draghi

Key Returners: Brooke Rochacz, Poppy Hohman, Sam Norville, Ashlynn Sabatini, Ella Ruland

Coach's Outlook: The team can be led by one of the best Wildcat cross country runner in school history, Brooke Rochacz, can improve upon her strong sophomore season. Poppy Hohman can be pushed to new heights with a strong training partner. The leadership from Seniors will also be a big push for this team.

Hampshire

Head Coach/Coaches: Ryan Hollister / Cindy Wagner, Jordan Lung

Key Returners: Reese Long, Miya Moraga, Cassie Gatza, Kaelyn Kuzel, Analese Haas, Aliyah Avila, Jazmine Abdul-Haqq, Addison Pizzolato, Haley Haegendorn, Brianna Pasillas.

Key Additions: Jazmine Abdul-Haqq, Haley Haegendorn, Kaelyn Kuzel, Addison Pizzolato

Coach's Outlook: This year’s girls team has a great deal of potential and is coming off a successful track season with plenty of momentum heading into cross country. Reese Long, Miya Moraga, and Cassie Gatza give us three strong returning runners with significant varsity experience, and I’m especially excited to see them take on greater leadership roles within the team. We’re also excited to welcome track athletes Kaelyn Kuzel and Addison Pizzolato to cross country, while freshmen Jazmine Abdul-Haqq and Haley Haegendorn could compete for varsity spots and provide some much-needed depth. After injuries impacted our postseason last year, staying healthy will be a major priority. Our biggest strength is our mental toughness—this is a group that embraces challenges and consistently puts in the little things necessary to improve. With Reese having qualified for state individually in each of her first two seasons and Gatza and Moraga bringing all-conference experience, we have a strong foundation. The key to our postseason success will be finding two more runners who can close the gap and run with our top three. If some of our returning JV athletes or incoming freshmen can step up and help us build a strong, competitive pack, I believe this team has a legitimate opportunity to break through the sectional and qualify for the state meet as a team.

Homewood-Flossmoor

Head Coach/Coaches: Hailey Baumstein / Larry Dawson

Key Returners: Makayla Shulman, Chase Foster, Amiyah Pearson, Betana Haddon, Carrington Hughes, Asha Maclin, Jerni Mahone

Key Additions: Nevaeh McFarland

Coach's Outlook: As this is my fourth year as the head coach, it seems like we're really settling into a more serious cross country culture. They seem more committed to a collective goal and have a higher running IQ than in years past.

New Lenox (Lincoln-Way West)

Head Coach/Coaches: Matt Bowden / Dillan Harness, Sarah Zarnowski

Key Returners: Ally Dean (Sr), Carli Smith (Sr), Danity Paape (Sr), Kate Lemke (Jr), Adriana Litro (Jr), Ava Ferrucci (So), Neve McSherry (So), Penny Pinciak (So)

Key Additions: Lizzie Lemke (Jr)

Coach's Outlook: West distance had a strong season of growth during track—6 runners under 6:00 for the first time, all running this fall.  Can we build on that?  With a small team (20 runners), can we increase the intensity of our workouts without succumbing to injuries?  We had a few varsity athletes spend their summers on the track circuit; how will this impact their preparation for the xc season?  We have lots of questions, and we look forward to seeing the Warriors answer them soon!

Wheaton North

Head Coach/Coaches: Peter Anderson / Amy Freeman, Anne-Marie Lemp

Key Returners: Emily Offutt, June Rectenwald, Annika Carlson, Laura Roe

Coach's Outlook: We look to rebuild after not making the top 3 in conference and not advancing to sectionals or to the state meet as a team in 2025.  It might take some time for the confidence to build in the freshmen as they adjust to racing 3 miles.  Emily Offutt, Annika Carlson, and June Rectenwald have all been all-conference runners in their career and there is no doubt that they can do that again in their last season of high school cross country.  

Huntley

Head Coach/Coaches: Matthew Kaplan / Jason Monson, Brandy Swanson, Jimmy Jestus

Key Returners: Haley Rahman (Sr), Morgan Sauber (Sr), Brynn Early (So), Ella Farquhar (Jr), Ellisyn Shorey (So), Lena Jurczyk (Jr), Ava Bromann (Jr)

Coach's Outlook: The girls team will be a work in progress and some would call it a rebuild type season.  The group returns our 2 of the top 5 from last year and both will help our varsity perform well.  Haley Rahman and Morgan Sauber will be looked to lead the charge up front.  This group will need others to step up in order to reach the success this team has earned in the last 5 - 6 seasons.

Oswego

Head Coach/Coaches: Alicia Rafferty / Jacob Bohnart, Jake Kaufman, Madison Etheridge

Key Returners: Morgan Bradley (Sr), Lindsey Sturm (So), Alivia Kath (Jr), Josie Beiler (So), Sophia Padilla (Jr), Grace Johnson (So), Lluvia Torres (Sr), Araceli Desimoni (Jr), Ana Cemortan (Jr) 

Coach's Outlook: I don't have a specific outlook but what I can say is that this team can do whatever they put their mind to.  As stated before, they have goals, they are strong, they are powerful, and they will match that with their bravery in races.  I don't know what exactly they are capable of, and I don't think they know that yet either.  I think that is a good thing because they have so much to prove to themselves and to believe in themselves with.  This season will be whatever they want it to be and whatever they make it.  I am going to continue being consistent and intentional with them and they will continue to run brave and fearless.  

Chicago (Jones)

Head Coach/Coaches: Maxwell Crowninshield / Jaclyn Borrowman, Caleb Hernandez, Rachel Schoenecker

Key Returners: Helena Smith-Donald(12), Mariella Herman (10), Ada Buehler (10), Allison Banegas (11), Katherine Smaroff (12), Lindsay Bett(11), Ixbal Par Vincente (11), Nandini Bharat (10) Loretta Cortez

Coach's Outlook: This year is going to be a massive jump up from our team last year. We return all but 1 of our top 7 and even though we are still a very young team this group has made major strides since last fall. I think we are going to surprise a lot of people when we get to the post season. 

DeKalb

Head Coach/Coaches: Mike Wolf / Jacob Wielgos

Key Returners: Alex Schwantes (Sr.), Sam Vander Bleek (Sr.), Lucy Wheaton (Sr.), Alina Arguello (Jr.), Stephanie Castro (Jr.), Becca Trotter (So.), Bri Hueramo (So.)

Key Additions: Samantha Schwantes (So.), Ruby Vander Bleek (Fr.), Amanda Martin (Fr.)

Coach's Outlook: We are led by a strong leader in Alex Schwantes and the success of our team will be dependent on how close our 2-5 runners can be.  Our pack needs to be closer to each other and a little faster altogether.

Rockford (Guilford)

Head Coach/Coaches: Manuel Molina / Gary Peterson, Colin Andrews

Key Returners: Reagan Bachta, Lucy Morlan, Gabriella Molina, Whitney Bowen

Coach's Outlook: Gradual increase in mileage with weekly long runs with fast finish progressions and weekly hill sprints and strides. The team should compete well and looking forward to a strong season.

Buffalo Grove

Head Coach/Coaches: Danielle Freeman / Corinne Ginder

Key Returners: Taylor Sipiera, Dagmar Alonso, Lily Nelson, Arianna Pozniak, Tiffany Jansen, Soraya Banerjee, Alex Bielski, Grace Saracco

Key Additions: Megan Fritzsche, Maddie Reece

Coach's Outlook: Obviously the goal is to be at our best in October and keeping them hungry and healthy is key to that.  I see us starting out slow, getting the freshman acclimated to racing through 3 miles.  Our Peoria trip isn't until the first weekend of October and I hope for that to be an emergence weekend for us as a whole. One of our top runners from last season was out all summer with an injury from summer track so I am hoping we can get her where she needs to be when it matters and we can advance to sectionals.

Elk Grove

Head Coach/Coaches: Tim Nowicki / Jeanette Huerta

Key Returners: Elena Bis (JR), Zuzanna Nowakowski (SO), Sonia Aleman (SR), JJ Wirtz (JR), Olivia Samborski (SR), Mikaela Huerta (SR)

Key Additions: Emma Sanders (SR)

Coach's Outlook: Elk Grove returns 6 of our top 7 runners from last year.  We aim to qualify as a team for sectionals for the third straight year.  This year, the goal is to once again improve on our team sectional finish and our MSL team finish from last year.  Leading the way for Elk Grove will be Elena Bis who earned All-Conference in the MSL last cross-country season as well as qualified for state last track season in the 800 meters and on our 4x400 relay.  Overall, our remaining core of returning runners had a great summer.  Our success will depend on how much that pack improves this year. 

Mundelein (Carmel)

Head Coach/Coaches: Jim Halford / Lisa Halford, Ken Foy

Key Returners: Juliet Bing 10, Stephanie Johnson 11, Maya Markley 11, Chloe Bing 12, Julia Zhdanovich 12, Cailyn Albanese.

Key Additions: Anna Chilcutt 12, Sadie Chebny 10, Ellie Edinger 10

Coach's Outlook: Our outlook is very positive.  In track we had 12 girls average 2:31 in an 800 so we hope to have the same type of improvement this fall.  Juliet Bing had a strong frosh year running 18:17, so we hope she can break 18:00 and then have the other 4 or 5 running 19:20-30.  Last year we finished 5th in our regional, but it will be very hard to advance as we have Barrington, Lake Zurich etc... to compete with.

Palos Heights (Shepard)

Head Coach/Coaches: Joseph Lerner / Kevin Courtney, Nick Heidinger

Key Returners: Emma Dominguez (SR), Kayla Coulter (SR), Sophia Flores (SR), Peyton McCall (SR)

Key Additions: America Linders (SO), Liberty Linders (SO)

Coach's Outlook: After dominating the track season and breaking our 4x8 indoor and outdoor school records, we bring back many vital pieces and reload with young talent. At the front end, we’ll have four seniors battling for top honors and shots at qualifying for State in Emma Dominguez, Kayla Coulter, Sophia Flores, and Peyton McCall. The Lady Astros will live and die by these talented and close knit seniors. That all important fifth and sixth spot will be taken by sophomore twins America and Liberty Linders. Fresh off impressive track seasons, the sky is the limit for this dynamic distance duo. We are healthy and strong through a solid summer of training and poised to repeat our performances of Top Two in Pre-Conference to start the year and hopefully send the seniors out with a bang earning Back to Back Conference victories in October. This will be the end of the ride of an awesome four years together with these program changing seniors!

Rockton (Hononegah)

Head Coach/Coaches: Mark McLarty / Eddie Baines, Tim Wiltshire

Key Returners: Chiduto Ezeani (12), Sophia Frommer (12), Lucinda Hodges (11), Reese Andrews (10), Maddi DeLong (10), Bri Greving (10)

Key Additions: Haylie Simpson (9)

Unexpected Losses: Emma Moore

Coach's Outlook: This team will have to have others step up this season.  We will be without 4 time state qualifier Kylie Simpson.  She was the workhorse and leader over that time, so someone new will have to step up to fill those shoes.  This team had a good summer of training and will look to improve throughout the season.  The team will be young and looking for sophomores Reese Andrews, Madison DeLong, and Bri Greving to fill in some of those varsity spots.  Seniors Chiduto Ezeani and Sophia Frommer will also be contributors.  Lucinda Hodges ran a 17:46 last season, but was sidelined at the end of the xc season, and throughout the track season.  She is hopeful to return this season, and will be a big part of the team's success.  We will also be adding Haylie Simpons (Kylie's little sister).  She was the 3A IESA state champ last fall.  She has an unbelieve work ethic and will be an immediate impact on the team.  If we can get all the pieces to fit this year, we should be much improved from last season.  

Fox Lake (Grant)

Head Coach/Coaches: Jeff Durlak / Jeff Harvey, Jeff Glatz

Key returners: Lexi Fulghum (Sr.), Leah Terryberry (Sr.), Kahrsten Geary (Sr.)

Newcomers: Jillian Morales (Fr.), Amalia Hamner (Fr.)

Coach’s thoughts on team: The girls look to keep rebuilding this season after graduating five seniors from last season. Lexi, Leah, and Kahrsten will provide veteran leadership and varsity level experience to our lineup. Jillian was a state qualifying runner in middle school and could be our top runner as a freshman this year. By the end of season, the girls hope that they can improve their finishes within the NLCC and our Regional.

Burlington Central

Head Coach/Coaches: Vince Neil / Avery Andersen

Key Returners: Addy Davis, Julia Haacker, Hailey Romano, Isabella Munoz, Callie Pflug, Val Klassy

Key Additions: Kacy Davis, Aubrey Haacker, Vivienne David

Coach's Outlook: We return a solid group of girls who work hard and are hungry to compete.  Although still relatively new to class 3A our girls are beyond the transition period and are ready to show they have the talent to race at the next level.  Coming off a successful track season the girls return ready to go.  We return 6 of our 7 varsity girls from a year ago and have added some new freshman talent who will contend for varsity spots.  Addy Davis was our top athlete from a year ago and she returns ready to lead this talented group.  Our pack will be a key piece this fall so our plan is to close the gap to Addy and race as a complete team.  

Palatine

Head Coach/Coaches: Mike Nigliaccio

Key Returners: Ellie Garrett (Junior), Greta Kerr (Senior), Maya Iyer (Senior), Anika Rice (Senior)

Key Additions: Elia Diep (Sophmore)

Unexpected Losses: Dani Dire

Coach's Outlook: Our team had a good summer with a small crew, we return our top 3 from last years sectional qualifying team. Our varsity returners all put in a really good summer of consistent work.  I think our team will have Ellie being our front runner with our 2-4(Elia Diep, Greta Kerr, Maya Iyer) and I think our 5th right now will be Anika Rice who had a really good outdoor track season and a great summer.

Skokie (Niles West)

Head Coach/Coaches: Anne Heselton / Nikki Reynolds, Jason Macejak, Colleen Gogerty

Key Returners: Bella Mohip, Antonina Moriczi, Colleen Lombardo, Maise Parylak

Key Additions: Colleen Lombardo, Rumaysa Syed

Coach's Outlook: Niles West is looking to capitalize off a summer of hard work and improve upon their team's success from last year.  Led by captain's  Bella Mohip, Antonina Moriczi, and Maise Parylak, the squad looks forward to upcoming meets starting with our Crosstown Classic against Niles North. Newcomer Colleen Lombardo will look to make an immediate impact on the varsity squad.

Collinsville

Head Coach/Coaches: Adam Blair / Derek Freeman

Key Returners: Ryelan Judiscak, Sadie Demick, Esme Malo

Key Additions: Kritalyn Beal, Elyana Cerna, Quinn Hall, Layla Wilkerson

Coach's Outlook: A lot of newcomers with minimal distance training experience, but with a real competitive mindset. I think the addition of a few soccer players and a couple track athletes we are set to have a really great season. 

Oswego East

Head Coach/Coaches: Lisa Cook / Steve Ideran, Ashley Barnes, Katherine Sims

Key Returners: Audrey Cheney (junior), Kaitlyn McCarthy (junior), Mariana Ocon (junior), Aaliyah Asbell (sophomore), Zeah Manalodi (sophomore), Danielle Schmidt (sophomore) , Kaylee Thatcher (sophomore)

Key Additions: Jiana Busby (senior), Noelle Van Denend (freshman), Paytyn Walan (sophomore)

Coach's Outlook: Our 2026 OEXC team is coming off a great summer of running together.  We are faster, stronger, and tougher than we were a year ago as a team, and we are excited about what this group will be able to accomplish together.  We graduated our #1 runner from last season, but we return Aaliyah Asbell, Audrey Cheney, and Kaylee Thatcher, all who gained great experience last year and provide a strong foundation for our team this season.  We are excited to welcome Noelle Van Denend to the pack, and looking forward to having Jiana Busby back in the mix as well.  Dani Schmidt and Kaitlyn McCarthy have shown huge improvements this summer, and we have a lot of excitement and energy in our new athletes that we are excited to see come together as well.