2026 Weekend Roundup: XC Season Week 5
Week 5 brings a number of exciting invites around the state. We break down all the big meets going on this weekend here! Enjoy this weeks edition of the Weekend Roundup!
Palatine “Meet Of Champions” Invite
Writer: Jackson Summy
Boys Teams: 3A - #4 Arlington Heights (Hersey), #5 Winnetka (New Trier), #7 Palatine (Fremd), #8 Elmhurst (York), #9 Mt. Prospect (Prospect), #10 Plainfield North, #11 Lake Zurich, #15 Park Ridge (Maine South), #16 Libertyville, #17 Naperville (Neuqua Valley); 2A - #1 Dixon, #3 Crystal Lake Central, #12 Crystal Lake (Prairie Ridge), #19 Aurora (Marmion Academy), #23 Vernon Hills; MO - #1 St. Louis University (MO); KY - #4 St. Xavier (KY); Barrington, Chicago (Jones), Chicago (St. Ignatius), Downers Grove South, Edwardsville, Grayslake Central, Hampshire, Mundelein, Oak Park (Fenwick), Oak Park-River Forest, Oswego East, Palatine, Plainfield South JV, Wilmette (Loyola Academy)
Girls Teams: 3A - #1 Mt. Prospect (Prospect), #2 Barrington, #4 Lake Zurich, #6 Arlington Heights (Hersey), #7 Plainfield North, #8 Winnetka (New Trier), #9 Chicago (DePaul), #11 Park Ridge (Maine South), #14 Edwardsville, #20 Elmhurst (York), #23 Oak Park-River Forest; 2A - #3 Crystal Lake (Prairie Ridge); KY - #1 Sacred Heart (KY), #5 Assumption (KY); Chicago (Jones), Crystal Lake Central, Elmhurst (Timothy Christian), Grayslake Central, Hampshire, LaGrange (Lyons), Libertyville, Lincolnshire (Stevenson), Lockport, Mundelein, Oak Park (Fenwick), Palatine, Palatine (Fremd), Plainfield South, Vernon Hills, Wilmette (Loyola Academy)
Boys Individuals: 3A - #3 David Moore (Sr., Palatine Fremd]), #4 Jesse Gudauskas (Sr., Naperville [Neuqua Valley]), #6 Patrick Hill (Jr., Elmhurst [York]), #10 Karanveer Patil (Jr., Lake Zurich), #12 Liam Beavers (Sr., Plainfield North), #17 Collin Frye (Sr., Park Ridge [Maine South]), #18 Sebastian Vining (Jr., Winnetka [New Trier]), #20 Gabriel Gronski (Sr., Arlington Heights [Hersey]), #25 Nicolas Hampton (Jr., Winnetka [New Trier]); 2A - #5 Bryant Lester (Sr., Vernon Hills), #9 Averick Wiseman (Sr., Dixon), #19 Ethan Carter (So., Dixon), #21 Dean Geiger (Sr., Dixon), #24 Chase Teresi (Sr., Crystal Lake Central); MO - #8 Jackson Miller (Sr., St. Louis University [MO]); KY - #1 Matthew Frick (Sr., St. Xavier [KY]), #21 Everett Derrick (Sr., St. Xavier [KY]); Jack Jennings (Sr., Palatine [Fremd]), Conrad Saner (Sr., Downers Grove South)
Girls Individuals: 3A - #1 Mia Sirois (Sr., Barrington), #2 Karlin Janowski (Jr., Elmhurst [York]), #4 Angelica Hil (Sr., Barrington), #5 Victoria Tarara (Jr., Barrington), #9 Marlie Czarniewski (Sr., Plainfield North), #11 Tessie Bradley (Sr., Park Ridge [Maine South]), #14 Jillian Crane (So., Winnetka [New Trier]), #15 Madeline Serur (Fr., Arlington Heights [Hersey]), #16 Amelia Kronforst (Fr., Mt. Prospect [Prospect]), #21 Caitlin Resac (So., Mt. Prospect [Prospect]), #23 Celia Blaylock (Sr., Lake Zurich); 2A - #1 Emaline Foster (Jr., Crystal Lake [Prairie Ridge]), #8 Viviana Tryfonopoulos (Sr., Chicago [Kennedy]), #15 Lyla Plaisier (So., Elmhurst [Timothy Christian]), #16 Estella Ollinger (Sr., Vernon Hills); KY - #3 Lucy Gaunt (So., Sacred Heart [KY]), #13 Libby Gipe (Sr., Sacred Heart [KY]), #19 Maura Ferguson (So., Assumption [KY])
Outlook: The Palatine Meet of Champions brings together some of the best teams in the midwest to compete against each other, there is a ton of talent ready to toe the line here. On the boys side, we’re going to see an electric individual race between some of the top runners in the state of Illinois and a few outsiders who will look to take a win. The top ranked athlete from Illinois in the field is David Moore of Fremd, who opened his season in dramatic fashion at FTTF. Moore ran a statement PR of 14:33 to take second at one of the biggest invites in the state, he’ll be a big name in this race. His teammate, Jack Jennings, will be making his season debut this week, he should also be a name to look out for here. Jennings came into the preseason as the #1 ranked athlete in 3A, he’ll be looking to prove that true at Palatine. Both of them are going to see staunch competition from the #1 ranked runner out of Kentucky, Matthew Frick of St. Xavier. Frick just took 4th at the Southern Showcase last weekend, finishing in a blistering 15:04 5k. He was just 20 seconds behind the #1 ranked runner in the country, Marcelo Mantecon of Belen Jesuit, at that race, which shows just how good Frick can be. He should put up a great fight against Jennings and Moore, and he’ll be a big contender for the individual win here. 3A #4 Jesse Gudauskas of Neuqua Valley and 3A #6 Patrick Hill of Elmhurst York will be racing right with this front pack. Gudauskas and Hill finished right next to each other last week at the Richard Spring invite, and they are both in contention for a top placement here. Conrad Saner of Downers Grove South will also be making his season debut this week, which should add some excitement to the race. Saner came into the season as the #4 ranked athlete but then suffered an injury that set him out for the first few weeks. If he’s fully back into shape, he’ll be a top competitor here. On the team side, the top spot is expected to go to St. Louis University, who has burst onto the season as one of the top teams in the midwest. Led by superstar miler, Jackson Miller, they are the favorites entering this one. 3A #4 Hersey and 3A #5 New Trier are running several varsity runners down in the frosh races, so you’ll actually see 3A #7 Fremd and 3A #8 York duke it out for second. Fremd is currently ranked 7th without Jack Jennings in their lineup, which means they are due for a big jump in performance. York is still without Harrison Manternach, but their depth has allowed them to compete with the best teams in the state regardless. Manternach will be competing in the open race.
On the girls side, it’s going to be an epic matchup between Mia Sirois of Barrington and 3A #1 Karlin Janowski of Elmhurst York. Sirois is coming off of a legendary track season where she set the all-time state record in the 3200 at a mind-bending 9:44 and set a huge track 5k PR at U20s of 15:46. She is one of the top long distance runners in the entire country, but she’s also been sidelined with a small injury over the course of the last two weeks. In her absence, Janowski has been absolutely demolishing races left and right. Janowski ran 16:25 at the Richard Spring invite last week in a walk-away win over Kara Glenn of St. Charles North. Janowski is currently undefeated through week 4, but she’ll face her biggest threat to that streak here at Palatine. Regardless of the shape that Sirois is in, it is going to be a fantastic race here at Palatine. Sirois’s two teammates, Anjelica Hil and Victoria Tarara are both going to play big roles in this race as well. Hil got a huge win at FTTF in 16:50 and she’ll be looking to continue that here. Tarara finished with Sirois at FTTF, she’ll be looking to push up towards Hil this week. 3A #9 Marlie Czarniewski of Plainfield North will also be in the mix with Tarara and Hil. Czarniewski is on the same plane of fitness as Tarara and Hil, as her 3200 of 10:23 sits just between the two Fillies. She trailed both at FTTF, but she has her chance to get back and beat both of them this week. Miriam Eynon of New Trier is not listed in the entries. This could be a developing storyline to watch. On the team side, we’re going to see the two powerhouses clash with 3A #1 Prospect and 3A #2 Barrington coming together. Barrington’s strength in their front 3 is some of the best in the country, but their 4th and 5th runners trail far enough behind to actually give Prospect the favorite spot. Prospect’s depth is so unreal that they’ll be able to race Amelia Kronforst in the frosh races and still have enough firepower to compete with Barrington. With 3A #4 Lake Zurich racing most of their varsity down in the frosh races, that basically gives Barrington and Prospect the go-ahead to duel it out for first. The team finish is going to be incredibly tight between these two squads, it should lead to a dramatic ending.
Spartan Classic
Writer: Clara Knutson
Boys Teams: 1A - #3 Clinton, #4 Monticello, #8 Toledo (Cumberland), #12 Williamsville, #17 St. Joseph-Ogden, #22 Shelbyville, #23 Downs (Tri-Valley); Armstrong, Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond, Bismarck-Henning-Rossville-Alvin, Carlinville, Champaign (Judah Christian), Champaign (St. Thomas More), Chrisman, Cowden-Herrick, Danville (Schlarman), Decatur (St. Teresa), Effingham (St. Anthony), Fisher, Fithian (Oakwood), Georgetown (La Salette Academy), Heyworth, Mackinaw (Deer Creek), Maroa-Forsyth, Marshall, Neoga, Paxton-Buckley-Loda, Pleasant Plains, Seeger, Sullivan, Tolono Unity, Tuscola, Urbana University
Girls Teams: 1A - #2 Shelbyville, #9 St. Joseph-Ogden, #10 Urbana University, #13 Williamsville, #14 Pleasant Plains, #16 Clinton, #25 Downs (Tri-Valley); Armstrong, Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond, Bismarck-Henning-Rossville-Alvin, Carlinville, Champaign (Judah Christian), Champaign (St. Thomas More), Chrisman, Cowden-Herrick, Danville (Schlarman), Decatur (St. Teresa), Effingham (St. Anthony), Fisher, Fithian (Oakwood), Georgetown (La Salette Academy), Heyworth, Mackinaw (Deer Creek), Maroa-Forsyth, Marshall, Monticello, Neoga, Paxton-Buckley-Loda, Seeger, Sullivan, Toledo (Cumberland), Tolono Unity, Tuscola
Boys Individuals: 1A - #1 Ryan Patrick (So., Williamsville), #2 Eli Anderson (Jr., Monticello), #4 Lucas Hollinshead (Sr., Williamsville), #9 Cayden Bostic (Jr., Clinton), #14 Beau Green (So., Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond), #22 Patrick McClure (Fr., Monticello), #23 Tim Sikorski (Jr., Monticello)
Girls Individuals: 1A - #2 Aubrey Denning (Sr., Effingham [St. Anthony]), #3 Leah Shoaff (So., Shelbyville), #6 Joelle Wilson (Sr., Williamsville), #8 Taylor Mabry (Sr., Monticello), #17 Madeleine Fox (Sr., Marshall), #21 McKenna Beck (Fr., Clinton)
Outlook: The boys race is going to be an exciting match up between 9 of the runners ranked in the top 25 of 1A. Most anticipated is the race between #1 Ryan Patrick of Williamsville and #2 Eli Anderson of Monticello. Both are coming off of great performances at the PND Richard Spring Invitational last week. Ryan Patrick placed 14th with a personal best of 14:52.3, followed closely behind by Eli Anderson at 20th with a time of 14:57.9. Other runners to watch are #4 Lucas Hollinshead of Williamsville, #9 Cayden Bostic of Clinton, #14 Beau Green of Arthur (A.-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond), #21 Colby Roedl of Toledo (Cumberland), #22 Patrick McClure of Monticello, #23 Tim Sikorski of Monticello, and #25 Cameron Roedl of Toledo (Cumberland). The team race should be primarily be between #3 Clinton and #4 Monticello. Clinton has a strong low stick in Cayden Bostic, but Monticello’s top 3 of Eli Anderson, Patrick McClure, and Tim Sikorski will be tough to beat. Some more teams ranked in the 1A top 25 set to race against each other are #8 Toledo (Cumberland), #12 Williamsville, #17 St. Joseph (S.J.-Ogden), #22 Shelbyville, and #23 Downs (Tri-Valley).
The girls race should be an intense competition between two of the the top 1A runners in the state, Effingham (St. Anthony)’s #2 Aubrey Denning and Shelbyville’s #3 Leah Shoaff. Aubrey Denning is coming off of an impressive victory in the 1A race at First to the Finish with a time of 17:39. However, Leah Shoaff has the superior season’s best at 17:30. Other runners who placed in the top 10 at First to the Finish, #6 Joelle Wilson of Williamsville, #17 Madeleine Fox of Marshall, and #8 Taylor Mabry of Monticello will also be contenders. Another girl to watch out for is #21 McKenna Beck from Clinton, who placed second behind Leah Shoaff at the Tuscola Classic last week. The girls team race will most likely be dominated by #2 Shelbyville, led by Leah Shoaff and Hazel Atkins. The team is looking to continue their undefeated streak so far this season. Other teams that could put down some strong results are #9 St. Joseph (S.J.-Ogden), #10 Urbana (University), #16 Clinton, and #25 Downs (Tri-Valley).
Run Down At The Oaks
Writer: Vinny Ciccarelli
Boys Teams: 3A - #12 Frankfort (Lincoln-Way East), #20 LaGrange (Lyons), #23 New Lenox (Lincoln-Way Central); Bolingbrook, Champaign (Central), Chicago (Brother Rice), Homewood-Flossmoor, Lemont, Lockport, New Lenox (Lincoln-Way West), Oak Lawn (Richards), Oswego, Plainfield Central, Tinley Park (Andrew)
Boys Individuals: 3A - #13 Brennan Monohan (Jr., LaGrange [Lyons]), Brendan Hanrahan (Jr., Frankfort [Lincoln-Way East])
Outlook: The Class 3A boys race brings together a deep field of teams, led by #12 Frankfort (Lincoln-Way East), #20 LaGrange (Lyons), and #23 New Lenox (Lincoln-Way Central) in the latest Illinois Running News rankings. The field also includes Bolingbrook, Champaign Central, Brother Rice, Homewood-Flossmoor, Lemont, Lockport, Lincoln-Way West, Richards, Oswego, Plainfield Central and Andrew, giving the race plenty of depth throughout the scoring pack. Individually, #13 Brennan Monohan (Jr., Lyons) and Brendan Hanrahan (Jr., Lincoln-Way East) are two of the runners to watch, with Hanrahan bringing state-level experience into the race. The latest rankings also show Lincoln-Way East, Lyons and Lincoln-Way Central all inside the 3A Top 25, making this a notable matchup between three ranked programs. With ranked teams spread throughout the field and top individuals competing up front, the race should provide an interesting look at how these teams stack up as the season continues toward the postseason.
Flyin Hawk Invite
Writer: Brodie Peterson
Boys Teams: 3A - #3 St. Charles North, #18 Batavia; Addison Trail, Algonquin (Jacobs), Aurora East, Aurora (Waubonsie Valley), Bartlett, Burlington (Central), Carol Stream (Glenbard North), Champaign (Central), Crystal Lake South, DeKalb, Des Plaines (Maine West), Elgin, Elgin (Larkin), Hoffman Estates (Conant), Norridge (Ridgewood), Park Ridge (Maine East), Plainfield East, Skokie (Niles North), Skokie (Niles West), South Elgin, Streamwood, West Chicago (Wheaton Academy)
Girls Teams: 3A - #10 St. Charles North, #13 Batavia; 2A - #15 Crystal Lake South; Addison Trail, Algonquin (Jacobs), Aurora East, Aurora (Waubonsie Valley), West Aurora, Bartlett, Burlington (Central), Champaign (Central), DeKalb, Des Plaines (Maine West), Elgin, Elgin (Larkin), Hoffman Estates (Conant), Norridge (Ridgewood), Park Ridge (Maine East), Plainfield East, Skokie (Niles North), South Elgin, Streamwood, Winnetka (New Trier) JV
Boys Individuals: 3A - #2 Samuel Hill (Sr., St. Charles North)
Outlook: This is going to be another weekend dominated by #3 St. Charles North as they are the top seed for this race. They’re season has been looking great so far, especially after 2 wins in a row over the 2A State Champs Dixon. Now, although they are ranked #3 in 3A, they could use this momentum to push them towards the top of the podium, rather than just a trophy. This weekend will be just another step in the ladder for them. Trailing is #18 Batavia. Being the only other ranked team in this field, they could secure a silver trophy with their top guys. However, an underdog story could take place this weekend if left unchecked. On the individual’s side, there’s only one true winner here, and that’s #2 Samuel Hill of St. Charles North. Going on his 5th straight win of the season, Hill could have one of the craziest seasons we have ever seen from an athlete. Now, it will depend on if he will compete in a higher stakes meet, or just wait for competition at the state meet to push his limits. An NXR bid could also be in the cards if he uses this meet to keep up his momentum. But for now, he will low-stick his team to another win for the season.
Another domination by #10 St. Charles North is expected to occur in the girl’s race as well. Led by low-stick #3 Kara Glenn, they could pull off a double win on the weekend for the St. Charles North squad. St. Charles North has been on an absolute monstrous run this year, especially coming off of Glenn’s track season success. But, this race will be a little tighter, as #13 Batavia and 2A #15 Crystal Lake South are going to put up a pretty decent fight. The Bulldogs will more than likely be led by their own low-stick in #7 Avery Hacker. This will be a great individual race to see, as both of these girls have the chance to compete for a state title down the line. With Crystal Lake South, they had a tough, rainy race last weekend against a lot of bigger schools. On the contrary, there are less schools here, but the competition and PR’s are going to be there for sure this weekend. Depending how either of these teams match up against St. Charles North could really open some eyes across the state. The biggest 2A statements are always made against 3A teams. This will definitely shake up the rankings depending on who comes out on top here both individual and team wise.
