2026 Pre-Season XC Previews: Middle School Girls Team
The Illinois middle school girls cross country scene continues to grow stronger every year, and the 2026 season is shaping up to be another exciting one. With returning state contenders, talented young runners, and several deep teams ready to make their mark, the battle for the top spots should be highly competitive throughout the fall. In this preseason ranking, we take a look at the Top 25 Illinois Middle School Girls Cross Country Teams entering the 2026 season. These rankings are based on returning talent, previous cross country performances, track results, team depth, and the potential each squad brings into the new season. While preseason rankings are never a guarantee of what will happen once the racing begins, they provide an early look at the teams we expect to be in the mix for state-level success.
Minooka
Head Coach: Thomas Neisler
Last Year’s Finish: State Champions @ IESA 4A State Championships
Key Returners: Elsie Thomas (8th), Rowen Slowinski (8th), Addy Vahl (8th), Gabrielle Hamilton (7th), Sienna Schmidt (8th), Colette Fulkerson (8th), Evelyn White (8th), Elyse Celeski (8th), Bridget Gritsuk (7th), Finley Myer (8th), Natalie Roberts (8th), Evelyn Hopkins (7th)
Batavia (Rotolo)
Head Coach: Kate Hillman
Last Year’s Finish: 2nd @ IESA 4A State Championships
Key Returners: Sam Deane (8th), Adrienne Castillo (8th), Rebecca Halsall (8th), Sarah Kennedy (8th), Audrina Korn (7th), Gloria Krodel (7th), Greysen Owca (8th), Gemma Lauffer (7th), Charlotte Costello (8th), Kaitlin Warnke (7th), Josie Alba (8th)
Metamora
Head Coach: Dakota Myers
Last Year’s Finish: State Champions @ IESA 3A State Championships
Key Returners: Rayleigh Reach (6th), Saige Potter (7th), Zoey Poignant (7th), Madison Sterr (7th), Olivia Russell (7th), Ruby Poignant (6th), Callie McDonald (8th), Katelyn Wilkerson (7th), Leah Woelfel (7th), Maddie McDonald (8th), Sloane Buerckett (8th)
Mt. Zion
Head Coach: Joe Fritzsche
Last Year’s Finish: 3rd @ IESA 3A State Championships
Key Returners: Adelyn Etherton (7th), Addison Bronson (8th), Emery Gibbs (8th), Paloma Knapp (6th), Harper Smith (6th), Rya Berry (8th), Sophie Baggett (7th), Rilyn Thrasher (7th), Slyvia Mavis (7th), Sofia Varela (8th)
Mt. Prospect (Lincoln)
Head Coach: Kelly Bailey
Last Year’s Finish: 4th @ IESA 4A State Championships
Key Returners: Alexandra Koulentes (8th), Julia Adamczyk (8th), Lily Ryan (7th), Whitney Kronforst (7th), Kendall Macak (8th), Avery Samp (7th), Norah Shanahan (7th), Skylar Belter (8th), Kenzie Marling (8th), Liv Blasi (8th), Karolina Bober (8th)
Shorewood (Troy)
Head Coach: Stephanie Oswald
Last Year’s Finish: 10th @ IESA 4A State Championships
Key Returners: Chloe Crim (8th), Evelyn Koulis (7th), Ana Grembowicz (8th), Paige Mertes (6th), Petra Garcia (8th), Annabella Butler (7th), Hailey Scanlon (7th), Nallah Castellano (8th), Kendall Billings (7th), Samantha Giese (8th)
Lemont (Old Quarry)
Head Coach: Taylor McCormick
Last Year’s Finish: 6th @ IESA 4A State Championships
Key Returners: Julia Farley (8th), Raye Pavlis (8th), Lexi Lewandowski (8th), Maura Power (8th), Sydney Abad (7th), Vasiliki Hatzidimitriadis (8th), Amelia Kubicz (8th), Gracey Earnest (8th), McKinley Wiles (7th)
River Forest (Roosevelt)
Head Coach: Louisa Starr
Last Year’s Finish: 2nd @ IESA 3A State Championships
Key Returners: Lilia Fobes (8th), Sloane Steinberg (8th), Mia Murphy (8th), Asha Lee (8th), Arabella Scott (7th), Evelyn Steinkeler (7th), Lila Mayeda (8th), Alexis Goerish-Glawe (6th)
Barrington (Prairie)
Head Coach: Shawna Stokes
Last Year’s Finish: 8th @ IESA 4A State Championships
Key Returners: Kate Kusmerz (8th), Natalie Birch (8th), Arabella McKenna (7th), Madline Juster (8th), Samantha Stoltmann (7th), Kayla Kiss (7th), Emma Slaters (7th), Natalia Sikora (7th), Zoe Ganas (8th)
Murphysboro
Head Coach: November Davison
Last Year’s Finish: State Champions @ SIJHSAA Class L State Championships
Key Returners: Harper Waddington (7th), Kendall Ellermeyer (7th), Tatiana Alexander (7th), Marlee Fleming (8th), Evelyn Xoxolta Garcia (7th), Heather Raines (7th), Mia Garcia (8th), Mikah Williams (8th), Annabelle Garcia (7th)
Johnsburg
Head Coach: Brett Smith
Last Year’s Finish: 7th @ IESA 3A State Championships
Key Returners: Sawyer Smith (8th), Elsie Eastland (8th), Ava Medina (7th), Reese Davis (7th), Reese Schreiber (8th), Josie Slama (6th), Mia Engel (8th), Isabella Paz (7th), Kinsley Hesemann (6th)
Dixon (Reagan)
Head Coach: Evan Thorpe
Last Year’s Finish: 4th @ IESA 3A State Championships
Key Returners: Tess McCommons (8th), Peninnah Wheeler (7th), Olivia Martinez (8th), Braelen Carter (7th), Ceclia Atkinson (7th), Sophia Robertson (8th), Ava Kemp (7th), Stella Arnold (6th)
Brimfield
Head Coach: Amy McKinty
Last Year’s Finish: State Champions @ IESA 1A State Championships
Key Returners: Maud Nelson (7th), Hattie Butterfield (8th), Jersey Hoerr (8th), Remi Cahill (7th), Clara Menold (7th), Emmie Soucie (7th), Sophia McKown (7th), Avery Kelly (6th)
St. Charles (Thompson)
Head Coach: Tim Ryan
Last Year’s Finish: 5th @ IESA 4A Settler’s Hill Sectional
Key Returners: Caitlyn Daniel (8th), Hailey Muehlfelt (8th), Addelyn Muehlfelt (8th), Grace DeSilva (8th), Kinley Rybaski (7th), Olivia Daniel (7th), Elizabeth Pfeiffer (7th), Emilia Shafi (8th)
Arlington Heights (Thomas)
Head Coach: Todd Slowinski
Last Year’s Finish: 4th @ IESA 4A East Deer Grove Sectional
Key Returners: Stella Schmit (8th), Isla Fox (7th), Maizie Camp (7th), Madelyn Milewski (8th), Lydia Vincent (7th), Megan Guthrie (8th), Lauren Cole (8th), Caitlin Goins (8th), Molly Bialko (8th), Sydney Bohenstiehl (8th)
Chatham (Glenwood)
Head Coach: Ryan Staley
Last Year’s Finish: 16th @ IESA 4A State Championships
Key Returners: Chloe Wietfeldt (8th), Dexyn Nishimoto (8th), Piper Shelbourne (7th), Reese Barton (8th), Abigail Andrew (8th), Chloe Allison (7th), Molly Jones (7th), Joy Suh (8th), Kenadi Young (7th), Charlotte Ghosh (8th)
Plainfield (Heritage Grove)
Head Coach: Marc Hudson
Last Year’s Finish: 2nd @ Paw Pac Conference Meet
Key Returners: Madeline Gatlin (8th), Sienna Prendergast (8th), Julia Gruszka (8th), Alice Eager (7th), Makenzie Bochenek (7th), Payton Ulaszek (7th), Harper Sarna (7th)
Key Newcomers: Madison Etienne (6th), Macy Prendergast (6th)
St. Charles (Wredling)
Head Coach: Scott Nold
Last Year’s Finish: 6th @ IESA 4A Settler’s Hill Sectional
Key Returners: Aanya Patel (8th), Erin Bosworth (8th), Angelina Tanig (8th), Olivia Bosworth (8th), Claire Lepe (7th), Penelope Quiroga (8th), Safiyah Sanusi (8th)
Wauconda
Head Coach: Erin Hlinak
Last Year’s Finish: 9th @ IESA 3A State Championships
Key Returners: Madelyn Held (8th), Hailey Held (8th), Brynley Coburn (8th), Alexa Held (8th), Cassadee Werdell (7th), Avery Olsen (8th), Natalie Adams (8th)
Lindenhurst (Millburn)
Head Coach: Joanne Browning
Last Year’s Finish: 8th @ IESA 3A State Championships
Key Returners: Katrina Mueller (8th), Eliana Dietrich (8th), Paige Zajac (6th), Alexandra Katris (7th), Morgan Ruggles (8th), Malia Sager (8th), Lucy Ward (7th), Taylor Pryor (7th)
Downs (Tri-Valley)
Head Coach: Ali Flessner
Last Year’s Finish: 6th @ IESA 3A State Championships
Key Returners: Kamila Trachsel (7th), Maelie Bunton (7th), Grayson Holt (7th), Kinzley LaBounty (8th), Carsynn Stielow (7th), Lillian Rodgers (7th), Katelyn Sunderland (7th), Zia Winters (7th), Sydney Nicholson (7th), Brooklyn Zwilling (8th)
Buffalo Grove (Cooper)
Head Coach: Tim Thiessen
Last Year’s Finish: 15th @ IESA 4A State Championships
Key Returners: Gabriella Jaworski (8th), Payton Raef (7th), Ariella Iwema (7th), Samantha Hardy (8th), Ella Kirzhner (7th), Fabiana Alonso (7th), Emme Keeley (8th), Kira Slonetska (7th)
Geneva North
Head Coach: Angela Rago
Last Year’s Finish: 7th @ IESA 4A Settler’s Hill Sectional
Key Returners: Amelia Yoo (8th), Ava Borter (8th), Kaytie Lehan (8th), Anna Zych (7th), Silvia Hurlbut (8th), Nora Smyth (8th), Josie Dwyer (7th), Eloise Dempsey (8th), Penelope Ingevaldson (8th), Grace Hood (8th), Ella Edling (7th)
Yorkville
Head Coach: Kate Calder
Last Year’s Finish: 12th @ IESA 4A State Championships
Key Returners: Hadley Vaclavik (8th), Stella Shaw (8th), Zuri Gawrych (8th), Brenna Fals (8th), Nora Meyers (8th), Brooke Fals (8th), Grace Roberts (8th), Kara Martin (8th)
Mahomet-Seymour
Head Coach: Lisa Martin
Last Year’s Finish: 5th @ IESA 4A State Championships
Key Returners: Tatum Kesler (8th), Penelope Rogers (7th), Naomi Dixon (7th), Sojo Price (8th), Taylor Caywood (8th), Lucy Smolich (7th), Piper Graham (7th), Rowan Gabel (7th), Ruby Millis (7th), Aili Monahan (8th), Andie McCoy (7th)
