2026 Weekend Roundup: XC Season Week 4

We're already in week 4 of the 2026 cross country season! We break down all of the action going on this weekend in this weeks edition of the weekend roundup!

Dale Donner Invite

Writer: Ian Tancrell

Boys Teams: 1A - #2 East Dubuque, #14 Rockford (Lutheran), #15 Elmwood, Aledo (Mercer County) Amboy, Cambridge, Erie-Prophetstown, Forreston, Grannville (Putnam County), Henry (H.-Senachwine), Kewanee, Kewanee (Wethersfield), LaSalle (L.-Peru), Manlius (Bureau Valley), Mendota, Minonk Fieldcrest, Morrison, Mount Carroll (West Carroll), Oregon, Orion, Ottawa (Marquette), Peru (St. Bede), Princeville, Rock Falls, Rock Island (Alleman), Sandwich, Seneca, Sherrard, Somonauk, Spring Valley (Hall), Sterling (Newman Central Catholic), Stockton, Taylor Ridge (Rockridge), Tremont, Washburn (W.-Lowpoint), Westmont

Girls Teams: 1A - #8 Elmwood, #22 Tremont, #24 Cambridge, #25 Oregon, Aledo (Mercer County) Amboy, Cambridge, Erie-Prophetstown, Forreston, Grannville (Putnam County), Henry (H.-Senachwine), Kewanee, Kewanee (Wethersfield), LaSalle (L.-Peru), Manlius (Bureau Valley), Mendota, Minonk Fieldcrest, Morrison, Mount Carroll (West Carroll), Orion, Ottawa (Marquette), Peru (St. Bede), Princeville, Rock Falls, Rock Island (Alleman), Sandwich, Seneca, Sherrard, Somonauk, Spring Valley (Hall), Sterling (Newman Central Catholic), Stockton, Taylor Ridge (Rockridge), Washburn (W.-Lowpoint), Westmont

Boys Individuals: 1A - #13 Jacob Schroeder (Jr., Rockford [Lutheran]), #17 Kyle Enke (Sr., Rockford [Lutheran]), #19 Hunter Keyster (Jr., Princeville), #22 Peter Wagner (Sr., East Dubuque), Lucas Jackson (So., East Dubuque)

Girls Individuals: 1A - #7 Emalyn Miller (Jr., Aledo [Mercer County]), #12 Ell Law (Sr., East Dubuque), Jana Vande Kemp (Sr., Cambridge), Jessica Henderson (So., Tremont), Aeyln Anderson (So., Westmont)

Outlook: This year's boys team race promises a thrilling battle between two of the top teams in the 1A classification, East Dubuque and Elmwood. Rockford Lutheran will also be in the mix after a good showing at FTTF, with a 13th-place finish. This week, East Dubuque will be without their top runner Vinny Gullone, so we’ll see how they fend off the competition. In the individual boys race, things will be very competitive as no single runner stands out. Rockford Lutheran's 1-2 punch of Kyle Enke and Jacob Shroeder, who are both coming off of solid top 15 finishes last week, and Hunter Keyster, who closely followed them in placing 16th, are strong candidates. East Dubuque's Lucas Jackson and Peter Wagner, along with Elmwood's Danny Sharp and Cole Cahill, are likely to contend for the win as well. Top returner Henry Nichols, who opened his season up strong this year with a 15:54 after missing last year's track season due to injury, should round off the lead pack. 

In the girls' team race, Elmwood emerges as the favorite, having won last year and currently ranked 8th in their class. Led by juniors Mya Hill and Bristol Schmidgall, Elmwood picked up an early-season win at the IVC Invite along with their 7th place finish at Detweiler last week. Competing closely for podium positions will be Tremont, Cambridge, and Oregon. Tremont secured a victory over the other two last week, with an asterisk; however, as Cambridge was without their top 2 runners. Individually, the spotlight is on top runner #7 Emalyn Miller, who has run 18:28 this year, where she earned a notable win over #1 Kasyn Jibben at the Farmington Invitational. Right behind her is Ell Law, who shares the same SB and arrives with momentum following a 6th place finish at FTTF. Jana Vande Kemp of Cambridge, the top returner who finished 20th at last year's state meet and is a 3200 all-stater, should add excitement to the race along with Bethany Sennett, who previously ran a 17:46 last year but was not able to replicate that performance in her one race this year.

Larry Eddington Invite

Writer: Brayden Gaffud

Boys Teams: 3A - #2 Downers Grove (North), #14 Maple Park (Kaneland), #15 Aurora (Central Catholic), #22 Sycamore, Algonquin (Jacobs), Aurora (A.-Christian), Aurora (East), Burlington (Central), Dekalb, Elgin (Larkin), (Elgin St. Edward), Elmhurst (Timothy Christian), Freeport, Hampshire, Lisle (Chesterton Academy of The Holy Family), Machesney (Harlem), Morris, Plano, Rockford (Auburn), Rockford (East), Rockford (Guildford), West Chicago, Wheaton (St. Francis)

Girls Teams: 2A - #6 Wheaton (St. Francis), #12 Sycamore, Algonquin (Jacobs), Aurora (A.-Christian), Aurora (Central Catholic), Aurora (East), Burlington (Central), Crystal Lake (Central), Dekalb, Elgin (Larkin), (Elgin St. Edward), Elmhurst (Timothy Christian), Freeport, Hampshire, Lisle (Chesterton Academy of The Holy Family), Machesney (Harlem), Maple Park (Kaneland), Morris, Plano, Rockford (Auburn), Rockford (East), Rockford (Guildford), West Chicago

Boys Individuals: 3A - #12 Isaac Stein (Sr., Downers Grove [North]), #16 Steve Cox (Sr., Downers Grove [North]), 2A - #1 Cuyler Swanson (Sr., Morris), #9 Everrett Swanson (Morris), #14 John Reinbold (Jr., (Aurora [Central Catholic]), Ben Bohr (Sr., Aurora [Central Catholic]), Raymond Curran (Sr., Downers Grove [North]), Nolan Reutimann (Sr., Maple Park [Kaneland]), Bryan Lopez (Sr., Aurora [Central Catholic]), Luke Miller (Sr., Sycamore)

Girls Individuals: 3A - #18 Alexandra Schwantes (Sr., Dekalb), 2A - #8 Erin Hinsdale (Sr., Wheaton [St. Francis]), #10 Abby Yarusso (So., Wheaton [St. Francis]), #12 Lyla Plaiser (So., Elmhurst [Timothy Christian]), #20 Elena Mamminga (Sr., Wheaton [St. Francis]), Reese Long (Jr., Hampshire), Betzaira Valdez (Sr., West Chicago)

Outlook:

The Larry Edington Invite is sure to have some fast times, with some of the best individuals from both 3A and 2A competing here. Most notably, the boys race will be a blitz at the front. 2A’s top ranked XC athlete heading into week 4, Cuyler Swanson of Morris, is the favorite going into this race. He just earned a statement win at Detweiller Park last weekend, running a 14:33 on a humid FTTF day. It will be interesting to see him competing against teams and individuals in a class up. 3A #12 Isaac Stein and 3A #16 Steve Cox of Downers Grove North will be right up there to challenge him for the individual title. They both ran strong at the FTTF 3A race, which was after 12:00 on an 80+ degree day. Putting them and Swanson next to each other on the starting line will make for a competitive and fun morning. These are all proven athletes, who will be striving for all state in 2 months. Another guy that is interesting is Swanson’s Morris teammate and brother, 2A #9 Everrett Swanson. He ran 15 flat last Saturday, and if he can stick onto Cuyler for the back half of the race, then he could be challenging him for the individual title. On the team’s side, 3A’s second best team Downers Grove North should win this battle. They have a much tighter 3-5 split than anyone in the field, so if everyone is running full then expect them to be running away with the team trophy. Two other 2A teams worth noting are #14 Kaneland and #15 Aurora Central Catholic. These two placed 9th and 10th at FTTF, with only 5 small points separating their scores. They are sure to be battling it out with a fast-progressing season. 

Turning over to the girls side, 3A #18 Alexandra Schwantes of Dekalb is the top individual, who had the fastest time at the FTTF out of any girl in this field. She was also the only girl at Larry Eddington who broke 18 minutes at FTTF last week, so she can prove to run fast despite humid conditions. Following in pursuit of her will be the St. Francis teammates, 2A #8 Erin Hinsdale and 2A # 10 Abby Yarusso. They both placed top 10 in a stacked 2A FTTF field, and will be challenging and pushing Schwantes in the front pack. Included as well in the front pack will be 2A #12 Lyla Plaiser, a sophomore and leader of Timothy Christian. She placed second here last year, and is the top returner in this meet who is currently ranked in the Illinois Running News Top 25 Individuals. Another St. Francis runner to look out for is 2A #20 Elena Mamminga. Having 3 ranked runners is a strong feature for any team, and all of them will be fighting for 2A’s 6th ranked Wheaton (St. Francis) to help them earn a team title. The top team that will be challenging them is 2A #12 Sycamore. They are led by Kylie Kula, and with a 1-5 team split of 1:50 compared to St. Francis’s 2:30, it could be interesting if Sycamore can collectively race fast as a team, especially during the back half of the Larry Edington Invitational girls varsity race. 

Minooka Flight Races

Writer: Sydney Cline

Boys Teams: 3A - #9 Plainfield (North), #11 Batavia, #12 Naperville (Central), #15 Park Ridge (Maine South), #18 LaGrange (Lyons), #22 New Lenox (Lincoln-Way Central), #23 Yorkville, #24 Wheaton (W. Warrenville South), 2A - #12 Darien (Hinsdale South), #13 Belvidere (North), Huntley, Joliet (West), Lockport (Twp.), Minooka, Villa Park (Willowbrook)

Girls Teams: 3A - #11 Plainfield (North), #15 Minooka, #23 Yorkville, Belvidere (North), Darien (Hinsdale South), Huntley, Joliet (West), LaGrange (Lyons), Lockport (Twp.), Minooka, Naperville (Central), Villa Park (Willowbrook)

Boys Individuals: 3A #8 Legend Alka (Jr., Villa Park [Willowbrook]), #9 Liam Beavers (Sr., Plainfield [North]), #10 Brennan Monohan (Jr., LaGrange [Lyons]), #14 Collin Frye (Sr., Park Ridge [Maine South]), #21 Dominic Frigo (Sr., Plainfield [North]),  #24 Aaron Kernler (Sr., Batavia), #25 Will Polaski (Sr., Batavia), 2A - #5 Judah Binger (Jr., Belvidere [North]), #19 Mesfin Diedrich (So., Darien [Hinsdale South]), Cian Scanlon (Sr., New Lenox [Lincoln-Way Central]), Carter Reichart (Jr., Yorkville), Ed Polaski (Sr., Batavia)

Girls Individuals: 3A - #9 Marlie Czarniewski (Sr., Plainfield [North]), #25 Natalie Nahs (Sr., Minooka), 2A - #13 Lilly Binger (So., Belvedere [North]), Athena Triner (Sr., Yorkville), Carolina Jorge (Jr., Minooka), Paige Joachim (Sr., Minooka), Olivia Eager (So., Plainfield [North]), Ayla Czarniewski (Sr., Plainfield [North])

Outlook: As the IHSA cross country season enters its fourth week, the Minooka Flight Races will bring together a competitive field this Saturday, September 19, at Channahon Community Park. With several ranked teams and strong individuals on both the girls and boys sides, this meet will provide another opportunity for quality competition early in the season. On the boys side, Villa Park (Willowbrook) brings junior Legend Alka (3A #8) to lead the competition. He finished 25th at the IHSA Class 3A XC Sectional last season, and it is apparent that he has made a name for himself and worked his way up the rankings early into his junior season. Plainfield North (3A #9) with senior Liam Beavers (3A #9) is another runner this season to watch out for as he has significantly made his way up the 3A rankings thus far. Plainfield North, the returning 2025 XC state champions, will fight to defend their title despite having a different team. Lyons Township (3A #18) with returning junior Brennan Monohan (3A #11), whose 2025 season was cut short, sits right alongside Legend Alka and Liam Beavers not only in rankings but as runners who have drastically increased their 3A rankings this season. These three will be names to watch out for this season. Sitting at 3A #14 is senior Collin Frye of Maine South, which is currently 3A #15 as a team. Closely accompanying Plainfield North’s #9 3A spot are Batavia (3A #11) and Naperville Central (3A #12). Some other teams joining the course this weekend include Lincoln-Way Central (3A#22 ), Yorkville (3A #23), Warrenville South (3A#24), Darien Hinsdale South (2A #12), Belvidere North (2A#13), Huntley, Joliet West, Lockport Township, and Minooka. On the girls side, four ranked individuals from the field will be names to watch. Plainfield North (3A #11) will be led by senior Marlie Czarniewski (3A #9), a Michigan State commit who finished ninth in the 2025 IHSA 3A State Championships and continues to establish herself as one of the top runners in the state. Minooka (3A #15) will also have the individually ranked senior Natalie Nahs (3A #25) up front, she should be vying for a spot behind Czarniewski. Other teams joining the field include Belvidere North, Hinsdale South, Huntley, Joliet West, Lyons Township, Lockport Township, Naperville Central, and Villa Park (Willowbrook).

PND Richard Spring Invite

Writer: Jackson Summy

Boys Teams: 3A - #3 St. Charles (North), #4 Arlington Heights (Hersey), #6 Winnetka (New Trier), #7 Frankfort (Lincoln-Way East), #9 Elmhurst (York), #11 Hinsdale (Central), #12 Naperville (Central), #13 Chicago (Lane), #16 Naperville (Neuqua Valley), #17 Orland Park (Sandburg), #23 Wheaton (W. Warrenville South), #24 Chicago (Whitney Young), #25 Wheaton (North), 2A - #1 Dixon, #2 Deerfield, #4 Normal (University), #5 Mahomet (M.-Seymour), #7 Peoria (Notre Dame), #11 Chicago (Latin), #17 Marion, #18 Niles (Northridge), #19 Herrin, #23 Lemont, #25 Wauconda, Ames, Aurora (Metea Valley), Aurora (Waubonsie Valley), Barrington, Bartlett, Burbank (St. Laurence), Champaign (Central), Chicago (DePaul College Prep), Chicago (Jones), Chicago (Lake View), Chicago (Lincoln Park), Chicago (Marist), Chicago (Mather), Chicago (Mother McAuley), Chicago (St. Ignatius College Prep), Chicago (Wolcott), Chicago Heights (Bloom Twp.), Daviess County, Downers Grove (South). El Paso (E.P.-Gridley), Elgin, Fithian (Oakwood), Franklin Park-Northlake (Leyden), Geneva, Glen Ellyn (Glenbard West), Harrisburg, Highland Park, Hoffman Estates (Conant), Joliet (Central), Joliet (West), Lake Forest, Lake Zurich, Lisle, Lisle (Benet Academy), Lockport (Twp.), Mackinaw (Deer Creek-M.), Mason, Monticello, Naperville (North), New Lenox (Lincoln-Way Central), New Lenox (Lincoln-Way West), New Lenox (Providence Catholic), Niantic (Sangamon Valley), Niles (Northridge Prep), Niles (Notre Dame), Normal (Community West), O’Fallon, Oak Park (O.P-River Forest), Oswego, Oswego (East), Palatine, Palos Heights (Shepard), Palos Hills (Stagg), Pekin, Peoria (Richwoods), Piasa (Southwestern), Plainfield (Central), Pleasant Valley, Quincy, Rochester, Roselle (Lake Park), Schaumburg, South Elgin, Springfield, Springfield (Sacred Heart-Griffin), St. Charles (East), St. Joseph (S.J-Ogden), Taylorville, Toulon (Stark County), Waterloo, Webster Groves, West Chicago (Wheaton Academy), Williamsville, Wilmette (Loyola Academy), Wilmette (Regina Dominican)

Girls Teams: 3A - #1 Mt. Prospect (Prospect), #3 Chicago (Lane), #4 Glen Ellyn (Glenbard West), #5 St. Charles (North), #7 Arlington Heights (Hersey), #8 New Lenox (Lincoln-Way Central), #10 Lake Zurich, #13 Winnetka (New Trier), #17 Chicago (DePaul College Prep), #18 Downers Grove (South), #19 Downers Grove (North), #21 Elmhurst (York), #22 Orland Park (Sandburg), #24 Chicago (St. Ignatius College Prep), #25 Oak Park (O.P-River Forest), 2A - #2 Peoria (Notre Dame), #5 Deerfield, #9 Lemont, #19 Normal (University), #24 Rochester, Ames, Aurora (Metea Valley), Aurora (Waubonsie Valley), Barrington, Bartlett, Burbank (St. Laurence), Champaign (Central), Chicago (Jones), Chicago (Lake View), Chicago (Latin), Chicago (Lincoln Park), Chicago (Marist), Chicago (Mather), Chicago (Mother McAuley), Chicago (Whitney Young), Chicago (Wolcott), Chicago Heights (Bloom Twp.), Daviess County, El Paso (E.P.-Gridley), Elgin, Fithian (Oakwood), Frankfort (Lincoln-Way East), Franklin Park-Northlake (Leyden), Geneva, Harrisburg, Herrin, Highland Park, Hoffman Estates (Conant), Joliet (Central), Joliet (West), Lake Forest, Lisle, Lisle (Benet Academy), Lockport (Twp.), Mackinaw (Deer Creek-M.), Mahomet (M.-Seymour), Marion, Mason, Monticello, , Naperville (Central), Naperville (Neuqua Valley), Naperville (North), New Lenox (Lincoln-Way West), New Lenox (Providence Catholic), Niantic (Sangamon Valley), Niles (Notre Dame), Normal (Community West), O’Fallon, Oswego, Oswego (East), Palatine, Palos Heights (Shepard), Palos Hills (Stagg), Pekin, Peoria (Richwoods), Piasa (Southwestern), Plainfield (Central), Pleasant Valley, Quincy, Roselle (Lake Park), Schaumburg, South Elgin, Springfield, Springfield (Sacred Heart-Griffin), St. Charles (East), St. Joseph (S.J-Ogden), Taylorville, Toulon (Stark County), Waterloo, Wauconda, Webster Groves, Wheaton (North), Williamsville, Wilmette (Loyola Academy), Wilmette (Regina Dominican), 

Boys Individuals: 3A - #2 Sam Hill (Sr., St. Charles [North]), #4 Samuel Assefa (Sr., Chicago [Lane]), #8 Legend Alka (Jr., Villa Park [Willowbrook]), #13 Henry Miller (Sr., Hinsdale [Central]), Amilo Rajandram (Sr., Chicago [Whitney Young]), #17 Sebastian Vining (Jr., Winnetka [New Trier]), #18 Patrick Hill (Jr., Elmhurst [York]), #19 Gabriel Gronski (Sr., Arlington Heights [Hersey]), #20 Brendan Hanrahan (Jr., Frankfort [Lincoln-Way East]), #23 Miles Dill (Sr., St. Charles [North]), 2A - #2 Gabriel Greer (Sr., Marion), #3 Raphael Greer (Sr., Marion), #7 Liam Bettis (Sr., Taylorville), #10 Dean Geiger (Sr., Dixon), #13 Maxwell Kirby (Sr., Peoria [Notre Dame]), #16 Ethan Carter (Dixon), #18 Andrew Aldeman (Jr., Normal [University]), #25 Nico Rastatter (Jr., Chicago [Latin]), Karanveer Patil (Jr., Lake Zurich), Luke Marshall (Sr., Lake Zurich), Averick Wiseman (Sr., Dixon), Luis Coss (Sr., Chicago [Lake View])

Girls Individuals: 3A - #2 Karlin Janowski (Jr., Elmhurst [York]), #3 Kara Glenn (Jr., St. Charles [North]), #6 Miriam Eynon (So., Winnetka [New Trier]), #8 Macy Ermitage (Sr., Downers Grove [North]), #11 Ainsley Carter (Sr., Chicago [Lane]), #13 Jillian Crane (So., Winnetka [New Trier]), #15 Brynn Bartkus (Fr., Downers Grove [South]), #19 Adley Wilson (Jr., St. Charles [East]), #20 Mia Forystek (Sr., New Lenox [Lincoln-Way Central]), #21 Adelaide Galla (So., Mt. Prospect [Prospect]), Sienna O’Malley (So., Chicago  [Lane]), 2A - #4 Lillian Chaddock (So., Peoria [Notre Dame]), #6 Elayna Harker (Jr., Taylorville), #11 Azalea Modes (Sr., Deerfield), #16 Lydia Huffman (So., Waterloo), #19 Stella Martin (Sr., Deerfield), Allison Kalkwarf (Jr., Mt. Prospect [Prospect]), Samantha Lobacz (Jr., Mt. Prospect [Prospect]), Kaitlin Miazga (So., Mt. Prospect [Prospect]), Shayne Dietzen (Sr., Glen Ellyn [Glenbard West]), Julia Rodney (Sr., St. Charles [North]), Gwen Hobson (Sr., St. Charles [North]), 

Boys Outlook: The boys race features some of the top 3A schools in the state, there should be fireworks in both the team race and the individual race. On the team side, we’re going to see 3A #3 St. Charles North and 3A #6 New Trier make their Detweiller debut. STCN has been tearing up their first few meets of the season, largely due to the dominance of their leader Sam Hill. New Trier grabbed a strong win at the Red Devil Invite, proving their worth in front of several other 3A squads. Both teams should be ready to compete at Richard Spring this week, there should also be a plethora of PR’s on the way. 3A #7 Lincoln Way East has been on the come up as of late, they should be right with the top two. LWE has a super young squad, led by Brendan Hanrahan, who has developed extremely well over the summer. If they have a good day, they could definitely secure a win here. 3A #9 York should also be right with the top group. York was the #2 team coming into the season, but after a close loss to Lincoln Way East last week, they’ll be looking for a redeeming race here. The top 2A team in the state is another team to look out for, 2A #1 Dixon is looking better than most of the 3A top 10. The dukes have been running really deep as of late, and the addition of Bentlee Lawrenz to the varsity roster should only bolster them here. Individually, there are a ton of talented runners that all have the potential to snag the victory. 3A #2 Sam Hill of St. Charles North has been putting up some serious performances through the first 3 weeks, it’ll be very interesting to see what he can do against closer competition. After a course record at Settler’s Hill and a dominant win at Harvey Braus, Hill should be on his way to a top 3 finish here with a solid PR on deck as well. 2A #2 and 2A #3 Gabriel Greer and Raphael Greer of Marion are looking to join Hill up front. The Greer’s have not ventured outside the southern Illinois circuits yet, so this will be their first time racing big names this season. They both have a season best of 14:35, I would expect that to get crushed here. 3A #6 Jesse Gudauskas of Neuqua Valley had a great season opener, he should be right with the top group here as well. Another name that should contend for a win is Karanveer Patil of Lake Zurich, who is finally opening his season. Patil is one of the most talented runners in the class of 2028, and he will look to make this race even more exciting. 2A #7 Liam Bettis of Taylorville has also been running solo to start the season, so we should get a good look of where he sits compared to the best runners in the state. There are a ton of other top runners in 3A, like #8 Legend Alka of Willowbrook or #13 Henry Miller of Hinsdale Central that should mix it up with the front pack here. 

Girls Outlook: The girls races are going to be close both individually and teamwise, we should see some great time drops all around. In the individual race, we’re going to see a familiar matchup between 3A #2 Karlin Janowski of York and 3A #3 Kara Glenn of St. Charles North. Every single time these two runners have raced this season, they have raced each other, and Janowski is currently 2-0 on Glenn. Janowski has defied the odds that were stacked against her preseason, the question is can she do it for the third week in a row? These two will be joined by Miriam Eynon of New Trier, who absolutely crushed the Red Devil invite in her season opener. Eynon got a 40 second win over some of the best runners in the state, including the state runner up from 2025, Avery Hacker of Batavia. With this being Eynon’s second race of the season, it’ll be interesting to see how she stacks up against Janowski and Glenn. 3A #8 Macy Ermitage of Downers Grove North should play a role in this race as well. Her best race of the season so far was last week at Lake Park, she should look to replicate that result coming into this week. Other ranked runners to keep an eye on are 3A #11 Ainsley Carter of Lane Tech and 3A #13 Jillian Crane of New Trier and 3A #15 Brynn Bartkus of Downers Grove South. All three have had solid season openers and will look to continue that momentum into Richard Spring. On the team side, it’ll be quite the race between a half full 3A #1 Prospect and a fully loaded 3A #3 Lane Tech. Prospect has delegated a few of their varsity scorers to the frosh race, so they’ll be running with a somewhat diluted varsity roster. That being said, Samantha Lobacz, Kaitlin Miazga, and Allison Kalkwarf are all incredible runners that should still push the Knights towards a win. That being said, it’ll be very hard to topple Lane Tech at their absolute best. LT has Ainsley Carter up front, who should be challenging for a top 5 spot individually, and then a strong pack of 3 after her. Their 5th runner will have to step it up if they want to match Prospect’s depth, but it should still make for a great race. 3A #4 Glenbard West has been throwing down without their expected #1 Molly Mocko, they will continue to be a threat in this race. 3A #5 St. Charles North was just behind GBW at Lake Park last week, their top 3 of Kara Glenn, Julia Rodney, and Gwen Hobson make for the most elite trio in this race. If their 4 and 5 can push their points down far enough, they should also be making a run for a top 3 spot. 

Shorewood/Troy MS Invite

Writer: Vinny Ciccarelli

Boys Teams: #2 Arlington Heights (Thomas), #4 Channahon, #5 Mt. Prospect (Lincoln), #11 Joliet (Gompers), #12 Arlington Heights South, #13 LaGrange (St. Francis), #15 LaGrange (Gurrie), #16 Minooka, #18 Lemont (Old Quarry); Bednarcik, Bloomington, Bolingbrook (Brooks), Bolingbrook (Humphrey), Bolingbrook (Jane Addams), Bourbonnais, Braidwood (Reed-Custer), Buffalo Grove (Cooper), Buffalo Grove (Twin Groves), Chicago (Field), Chicago (Old St. Mary’s), Chicago (St. Benedict), Clarendon Hills (Notre Dame), Cross Lutheran, Darien (Cass), Edwardsville (Liberty), Edwardsville (Lincoln), Evanston (Haven), Evanston (Nichols), Frankfort (Hickory Creek), Frankfort (Summit Hill), Tinley Park (Grissom), Herscher (Limestone), Homer Glen (Homer), Hufford, Naperville (Jefferson), Kankakee, Lake In The Hills (Marlowe), Chicago (Lane Tech Academic Center), Lansing (Heritage), Lockport (Oak Prairie), Manhattan, Manteno, Millbrook, Mokena, Morris, Mt. Prospect (River Trails), Mundelein (Carl Sandburg), Plainfield (Murphy), Chicago (O.A. Thorp), Oak Park (Julian), Orland Park (St. Michael), Palatine (Winston), Peotone, Plainfield (St. Mary), Plank, Plano, Princeton (Logan), Queen Of Apostles, River Forest (Roosevelt), Romeoville (Lukancic), Romeoville (Martinez), Sandwich, Shorewood (Holy Family), Shorewood (Troy), Traughber, Willowbrook (Westview Hills), Wilmette, Wilmington, Yorkville

Girls Teams: #2 Minooka, #3 Mt. Prospect (Lincoln), #7 Arlington Heights (Thomas), #10 River Forest (Roosevelt), #12 Lemont (Old Quarry), #19 Yorkville, #23 Edwardsville (Lincoln), #24 Chicago (St. Benedict); Arlington Heights South, Bednarcik, Bloomington, Bolingbrook (Brooks), Bolingbrook (Humphrey), Bolingbrook (Jane Addams), Bourbonnais, Braidwood (Reed-Custer), Buffalo Grove (Cooper), Buffalo Grove (Twin Groves), Channahon, Chicago (Field), Chicago (Old St. Mary’s), Clarendon Hills (Notre Dame), Cross Lutheran, Darien (Cass), Edwardsville (Liberty), Evanston (Haven), Evanston (Nichols), Frankfort (Hickory Creek), Frankfort (Summit Hill), Joliet (Gompers), Tinley Park (Grissom), Herscher (Limestone), Homer Glen (Homer), Hufford, Naperville (Jefferson), Kankakee, LaGrange (St. Francis), Lake In The Hills (Marlowe), Chicago (Lane Tech Academic Center), Lansing (Heritage), Lockport (Oak Prairie), Manhattan, Manteno, Millbrook, Mokena, Morris, Mt. Prospect (River Trails), Mundelein (Carl Sandburg), Plainfield (Murphy), Chicago (O.A. Thorp), Oak Park (Julian), Orland Park (St. Michael), Palatine (Winston), Peotone, Plainfield (St. Mary), Plank, Plano, Princeton (Logan), Queen Of Apostles, Romeoville (Lukancic), Romeoville (Martinez), Sandwich, Shorewood (Holy Family), Shorewood (Troy), Traughber, LaGrange (Gurrie), Willowbrook (Westview Hills), Wilmette, Wilmington

Boys Individuals: #9 Austin Ryter (8th, Arlington Heights [Thomas]), #11 Samuel Pagnotto (8th, Arlington Heights [South]), #13 Nathan Erickson (8th, Arlington Heights [Thomas]), #14 Nolan Kardosh (8th, River Forest [Roosevelt]), #18 Peter Jezior (8th, Mt. Prospect [Lincoln]), #23 Nolan Bullis (8th, Channahon), #24 Luke Robinson (8th, LeGrange [St. Francis]), Matthew Jahnke (8th, Palatine [Winston])

Girls Individuals: #1 Stella Ciccarelli (8th, Mokena), #2 Alexis Garcia (7th, Chicago [Lane Tech Academic Center]), #5 Chloe Crim (8th, Shorewood [Troy]), #7 Julia Farley (8th, Lemont [Old Quarry]), #11 Nellie Patton (8th, Evanston [Nichols]), #13 Maddie Frey (8th, Willowbrook [Westview Hills]), #18 Vanessa Silva (8th, Bloomington), #20 Lydia Leffelman (8th, Arlington Heights [South]), #22 Alexandra Koulentes (8th, Mt. Prospect [Lincoln])

Outlook: The 2026 Shorewood Troy Middle School Invite will feature one of the deepest fields of the season, with nine ranked boys’ teams, eight ranked girls’ teams and 17 ranked individuals competing. On the boys’ side, No. 2 Arlington Heights (Thomas), No. 4 Channahon, No. 5 Mt. Prospect (Lincoln), No. 11 Joliet (Gompers), No. 12 Arlington Heights South, No. 13 LaGrange (St. Francis), No. 15 LaGrange (Gurrie), No. 16 Minooka and No. 18 Lemont (Old Quarry) headline the field. The individual race features No. 9 Austin Ryter of Arlington Heights (Thomas), No. 11 Samuel Pagnotto of Arlington Heights South, No. 13 Nathan Erickson of Arlington Heights (Thomas), No. 14 Nolan Kardosh of River Forest (Roosevelt), No. 18 Peter Jezior of Mt. Prospect (Lincoln), No. 23 Nolan Bullis of Channahon and No. 24 Luke Robinson of LaGrange (St. Francis), along with Matthew Jahnke of Palatine (Winston). Ryter, currently ranked No. 9, finished 38th at the 2025 IESA Class 4A State Cross Country Championships after running 11:34.9 in the state race. His Arlington Heights teammate Erickson is ranked No. 13 and also returns with state-meet experience, giving the No. 2-ranked team two runners inside the individual Top 15. Pagnotto, ranked No. 11, finished 71st at the 2025 Class 4A State Meet in 11:43.4 and will provide Arlington Heights South with another experienced front runner. Kardosh is ranked No. 14 after finishing 143rd at the 2025 Class 3A State Meet in 12:25.2 as a seventh-grader, while Jezior, ranked No. 18, finished 98th in Class 4A last year with an 11:52.3. Bullis, ranked No. 23, enters with an impressive track résumé after finishing second in the 1600-meter run at the 2026 IESA Class 3A State Track and Field Championships in 4:53.90. His performance gives No. 4 Channahon a major individual presence. Robinson, ranked No. 24, finished 19th at the 2025 IESA Class 2A State Cross Country Championships in 11:31.3, earning All-State honors while helping LaGrange (St. Francis) finish third as a team. Jahnke, meanwhile, finished 81st at the 2025 Class 4A State Meet in 11:45.9 and enters as an unranked runner with previous state experience. On the girls’ side, No. 2 Minooka, No. 3 Mt. Prospect (Lincoln), No. 7 Arlington Heights (Thomas), No. 10 River Forest (Roosevelt), No. 12 Lemont (Old Quarry), No. 19 Yorkville, No. 23 Edwardsville (Lincoln) and No. 24 Chicago (St. Benedict) headline the team field. The individual race is led by No. 1 Stella Ciccarelli of Mokena, followed by No. 2 Alexis Garcia of Chicago (Lane Tech Academic Center), No. 5 Chloe Crim of Shorewood (Troy), No. 7 Julia Farley of Lemont (Old Quarry), No. 11 Nellie Patton of Evanston (Nichols), No. 13 Maddie Frey of Willowbrook (Westview Hills), No. 18 Vanessa Silva of Bloomington, No. 20 Lydia Leffelman of Arlington Heights South and No. 22 Alexandra Koulentes of Mt. Prospect (Lincoln). Ciccarelli enters as the No. 1-ranked runner after finishing second at the 2025 IESA Class 3A State Cross Country Championships in 11:46.1. She followed that with a record-setting 2026 track season, winning the IESA 4A 1600-meter state championship in 5:08.48 and running 2:23.61 in the 800. She also placed first at the USATF Region 7 Junior Olympics in 11:04.01 before finishing sixth at the 2025 Cross Country Nationals in 11:29. Ciccarelli has already opened this season with a 12:08.7 two-mile performance at the Manhattan Invitational. Crim, ranked No. 5, won the 2025 Class 4A seventh-grade state cross country championship in 11:49.5 and finished second overall in the Class 4A race. She later won the 2026 IESA 4A 800-meter state title in a class-record 2:19.49. Farley, ranked No. 7, finished third at the 2025 Class 4A State Cross Country Championships in 11:50.2 and ran 5:14.60 in the 1600 at the 2026 state track meet. Patton, ranked No. 11, has shown major track development, running 2:24.90 in the 800 and 5:16.29 in the 1600 at the 2026 state track meet. Frey, ranked No. 13, finished 15th at the 2025 Class 3A State Cross Country Championships in 12:30.0. Silva, ranked No. 18, placed 18th in the 2025 Class 4A State Meet in 12:11.2, while Leffelman, ranked No. 20, finished 92nd in 13:07.3. Koulentes, ranked No. 22, brings one of the strongest returning state performances, finishing seventh in Class 4A last season in 11:58.5 before running 5:17.91 in the 1600 at the 2026 state track meet. With so many ranked teams and individuals carrying strong state-meet and track credentials, the Shorewood Troy field will provide an important early-season test for some of Illinois’ top middle school runners.