2026 Weekend Rundown: XC Season Week 1

The first weekend of cross country action is officially upon us! Illinois Running News will be providing coverage of multiple major invites across the state of illinois. The following 5 meets will all have coverage produced by Illinois Running News at. Sit back and enjoy reading about where we will be this weekend.

EIU Showdown

Writer: Sydney Cine

Boys Teams: 3A - #3 Downers Grove North, #12 Naperville (Neuqua Valley), #20 Plainfield North, Algonquin (Jacobs), Bolingbrook, Highland Park

Girls Teams: 3A - #15 Plainfield North, #25 Downers Grove North, Algonquin (Jacobs), Bolingbrook, Naperville Central, Naperville (Neuqua Valley)

Boys Individuals: 3A - #14 Grayson Meek (Jr., Naperville [Neuqua Valley]), #15 Jesse Gudauskas (Sr., Naperville [Neuqua Valley]), #20 Stephen Cox (Sr., Downers Grove North), #23 Isaak Stein (Sr., Downers Grove North), Dom Frigo (Sr., Plainfield North), Liam Beavers (Sr., Plainfield North)

Girls Individuals: 3A - #7 Marlie Czarniewski (Sr., Plainfield North), #8 Macy Ermitage (Jr., Downers Grove North), #10 Lennox Szymonik (So., Algonquin [Jacobs]), Charlotte Danahy (Jr., Naperville Central), Laurel Eager (So., Plainfield North), Olivia Eager (So., Plainfield North)

Outlook: With several of Illinois’ top-ranked 3A runners and teams heading to the starting line, the EIU Showdown, hosted by Neuqua Valley High School, is shaping up to be one of the early

competitive meets of the season. While the season is still young, this weekend’s meet could offer an early glimpse into how the rest of the 2026 season may unfold. On the girls’ side, Plainfield North (3A #15) brings a strong team of individuals like senior Marlie Czarniewski (3A #7), who finished ninth at state last year, alongside sophomore sisters Laurel and Olivia Eager. Downers Grove North (3A #25) brings junior Macy Ermitage (3A #8), a 2025 third-place state finisher, who will go up against Czarniewski for the potential win. Also joining the top competition on the course this weekend is Lennox Szymonik (3A #10) from Algonquin Jacobs, who finished tenth as a freshman. Lastly, joining the top individual competitors of the weekend is Charlotte Danahy, a junior from Naperville Central. Bolingbrook High School will also be among the teams competing at Neuqua Valley this weekend. For many runners, the EIU Showdown will mark their first race of the 2026 season. Moving along to the boys’ side, Downers Grove North (3A #3) holds a historically exceptional cross-country team. DGN’s top runners this weekend are seniors Stephen Cox (3A #20) and Isaak Stein (3A #23), who are closely seeded. Neuqua Valley, currently holding onto their No. 12 team ranking, will also be making their way to the course this weekend with junior Grayson Meek (3A #14) and senior Jesse Gudauskas (3A #15). Plainfield North, the 2025 state champions and currently ranked twentieth in 3A, will be represented by Dom Frigo and Liam Beavers, who are top senior individuals for the Tigers. Algonquin Jacobs, Bolingbrook, and Highland Park will also be amongst the teams competing at Neuqua Valley this weekend. With so much talent this weekend, the EIU Showdown will be a close matchup amongst some of Illinois’ top teams and runners.

Normal West Invite

Writer: Jacob Cranford and Gracie Van Hoof

Boys Teams: 3A - #1 Plainfield South, #16 New Lenox (Lincoln-Way Central), 2A - #6 Washington, #14 Metamora, Bloomington, Canton, Champaign (Centennial), Champaign Central, Chicago Heights (Marian), Dunlap, Minooka, Mt. Zion, Normal (Calvary Christian Academy), Normal Community West, Rock Island, Pekin, Peoria (Richwoods)

Girls Teams: 3A - #9 Minooka, 2A - #9 Springfield (Sacred Heart-Griffin), #19 Bloomington, #21 Mt. Zion, Canton, Champaign (Centennial), Champaign Central, Chicago Heights (Marian), Dunlap, Metamora, Normal (Calvary Christian Academy), Normal Community West, Pekin, Peoria (Richwoods), Washington

Boys Individuals: 3A - #16 Elliot Batz (Sr., Rock Island), 2A - #9 Ben Gorsage (Sr., Washington), #13 Zach Born (Sr., Metamora)

Girls Individuals: 3A - #20 Natalie Nahs (Sr., Minooka), #24 Paige Joachim (Sr., Minooka), 2A - #21 Lorelei Hulsing (So., Bloomington), Morgan Coker (Sr., Pekin)

Outlook: The Normal West Invite is one of the most exciting opening-weekend meets in Illinois, bringing together a loaded field at Maxwell Park featuring top talent from Classes 2A and 3A. While No. 1-ranked 3A Plainfield South will hold out its top six, several strong programs will have an opportunity to make an early-season statement in the team race. Don’t count out the cougars though as they have excellent depth in the 2026 season. The individual field is headlined by returning 2A All-Stater Ben Gorsage, who placed 10th at last year’s state meet before winning the 3A 800-meter state title, and Zach Born, a 12th-place 2A State finisher who captured the 2A 800-meter championship last spring. Landon Harris, who ran 14:40 to finish fifth at FTTF last fall, and Bloomington sophomore Eli Hartman, coming off an impressive freshman campaign, add even more intrigue to an individual race filled with returning talent. With several top teams battling without Plainfield South’s front seven and four standout individuals ready to make an early statement, Normal West should provide one of the first major tests of the 2026 Illinois cross country season.

The Normal West Invitational will provide one of the first major tests of the 2026 season, bringing together a strong girls varsity field led by 3A #9 Minooka, 2A #9 Springfield (Sacred Heart-Griffin), 2A #19 Bloomington, #21 Mt. Zion, and several other competitive programs. Minooka will be led by 3A #20 Natalie Nahs and #24 Paige Joachim, while 2A #21 Lorelei Hulsing headlines Bloomington and Pekin’s Morgan Coker adds another potential individual title contender. With Minooka, Bloomington, Dunlap, Mt. Zion, Washington, and others battling for position, the team race should come down to which squads can build the strongest packs behind their front runners, while Nahs, Joachim, Hulsing, and Coker will look to make early statements in the individual race.

Clinton “Light It Up” Invite

Writer: Jackson Summy

Boys Teams: 2A - #7 Mahomet-Seymour, #12 Olney (Richland County), #19 Normal University, 1A - #5 Clinton, #8 Monticello, #10 Bloomington Central Catholic, #12 Delavan, #17 Downs (Tri-Valley), Altamont, Argenta-Oreana, Auburn, Bloomington (Cornerstone Christian Academy), Cerro Gordo-Bement, Decatur (Eisenhower/MacArthur), Fairbury (Prairie Central), Gillespie, Havana, Heyworth, Deer Creek-Mackinaw, Maroa-Forsyth, Mattoon, Moline, Niantic (Sangamon Valley), Paxton-Buckley-Loda, Pontiac, Quincy (Notre Dame), Rantoul, Riverton, Rochester, Shelbyville, Springfield (Lutheran), Stanford Olympia, Stillman Valley, Sullivan, Tremont, Urbana University, Villa Grove, Fisher, Racine Case, Washpoint-Lowburn, Mattoon (St. John’s Lutheran), Jacksonville (Illinois School for the Deaf), Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley, Flanagan-Cornell

Girls Teams: 2A - #3 Mahomet-Seymour, #12 Normal University, #18 Rochester, 1A - #4 Shelbyville, #8 Pleasant Plains, #10 Clinton, #17 Urbana University, #18 Monticello, #25 Sullivan, Altamont, Argenta-Oreana, Auburn, Bloomington Central Catholic, Bloomington (Cornerstone Christian Academy), Cerro Gordo-Bement, Decatur (Eisenhower/MacArthur), Delavan, Downs (Tri-Valley), Fairbury (Prairie Central), Gillespie, Havana, Heyworth, Deer Creek-Mackinaw, Maroa-Forsyth, Mattoon, Moline, Moweaqua (Central A & M), Niantic (Sangamon Valley), Olney (Richland County), Paxton-Buckley-Loda, Pontiac, Quincy (Notre Dame), Rantoul, Springfield (Lutheran), Stanford Olympia, Tremont, Villa Grove, Warrensburg-Latham, Fisher, Racine Case, Washpoint-Lowburn, Mattoon (St. John’s Lutheran), Jacksonville (Illinois School for the Deaf), Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley, Flanagan-Cornell

Boys Individuals: 2A - #5 Quaid Berger (Jr., Olney [Richland County]), 1A - #3 Eli Anderson (Jr., Monticello), #5 Coriell Green (Sr., Delavan), #10 Cayden Bostic (Jr., Clinton), #12 Keegan O’Brien (So., Maroa-Forsyth), #14 Holden Gerdes (Sr., Fairbury [Prairie Central]), #18 Nicholas Jelinek (Sr., Bloomington Central Catholic), #25 Tim Sikorski (Jr., Monticello), Judah Dicks (Jr., Olney [Richland County]), Adam Smigielski (Jr., Mahomet-Seymour), Tate Bode (Sr., Mahomet-Seymour), Tayten Gergen (Jr., Mahomet-Seymour)

Girls Individuals: 1A - #9 Kasyn Jibben (So., Havana), #11 Taylor Mabry (Sr., Monticello), #13 Leah Shoaff (So., Shelbyville), #18 Hazel Atkins (Fr., Shelbyville), #24 Hadley Fleck (So., Niantic [Sangamon Valley]), Macie Owen (Jr., Monticello), Julia Moody (Sr., Sullivan), Aubrey Peterson (Jr., Clinton), McKenna Beck (Fr., Clinton), Anniston Huff (Sr., Mahomet-Seymour)

Outlook: The Light It Up invite returns as one of the premier 1A/2A invites that the season has to offer and it’s a great way to kick off the season. Clinton hosts their prestigious invite on an extremely fast course, so we should see some extreme marks get posted this Saturday. On the boys side, 2A #5 Quaid Berger of Olney Richland County will be hoping to get a big win. Berger is one of the top juniors in the entire state and he’s coming off of a great track season, he should be primed and ready to throw down a great 3 mile. He took the win at Detweiller at Dark during the summer time with a mark of 14:28, which shows that his fitness is clearly in a place for him to dominate an early season invite. That being said, he should still see decent competition from the surrounding field. 1A #3 Eli Anderson of Monticello had a fantastic track season and will look to open up his junior season with a bang. Adam Smigielski of Mahomet Seymour just missed the preseason nod in the 2A top 25, he ran 14:48 at last year’s state meet and should be a top competitor in this race. 1A #5 Coriell Green of Delavan will also be towards the front, he is coming off of a great track season in the 800. 1A #9 Cayden Bostic of Clinton is another top ranked runner in 1A who should command respect in this field. On the girl's side, it’ll be a closer race up front between two different duos. 1A #11 Taylor Mabry and Macie Owen of Monticello will face off against 1A #13 Leah Shoaff and 1A #18 Hazel Atkins of Shelbyville, it should be a great clash between these pairs of teammates. Mabry saw huge improvement during the track season, running 5:07 and 11:08 for the 1600 and 3200. Owen is the top returner in the 3 mile out of the four, with a 17:24 from the St. Joseph Spartan Classic. Shoaff has some of the best range out of the four, with a 2:20 split in the 4x8 and an 11:13 in the 3200. Atkins is one of the top incoming freshmen in the entire state, she was the 2A IESA state champion in cross country with a wicked 2 mile of 11:25. It should be noted that this will be Atkins’ 3 mile debut, however she should still be in contention for a win. All four will be looking to capture a win here.

The boys team race will be relatively straightforward, as one of the top ranked 2A teams will look to dominate this race. 2A #7 Mahomet Seymour is the clear favorite coming into this race, this will be their season debut. They are the returning champions from this invite last year, and they return a bulk of their roster from last year into this year. With Adam Smigielski up front and Tate Bode and Tay Gergen supporting behind, it’ll be hard to challenge such a strong front 3. 1A #5 Clinton should be one of the top chasing teams. They have a strong pack supported by their lowstick leader Cayden Bostic, which makes them a big threat in this field. 2A #12 Olney Richland County will also put up a fight for a top 3 spot. They have the individual favorite, Quaid Berger, which immediately gives them the ultimate scorer. Along with Judah Dicks and Tristan Butler, this squad should have the firepower to compete with Clinton. 1A #8 Monticello and 1A #10 Bloomington Central Catholic will also be strong teams to keep an eye on. In the girls race, 2A #3 Mahomet Seymour will look to make it a sweep. The Mahomet Seymour girls have arguably the best depth in 2A this year, they have a super strong pack led by Annistan Huff and Paige Jansen, they should be looking to dominate in their season opener. 1A #4 Shelbyville will be another great team to watch in this race. The Rams have two elite runners in Leah Shoaff and Hazel Atkins up front, which is usually enough to get them towards the front in a race like this. 2A #12 Normal University will be right with Shelbyville, but they are structured more towards pack racing than the Rams. Normal U returns a ton of rising sophomores that were all outstanding on the grass last year, they should be able to keep their pack split small and challenge for a top finish here. 

CM Twilight

Writer: Jacob Cranford

Boys Teams: Alton, Bethalto (Civic Memorial), Bluford (Webber), Breese (Central), Glen Carbon (Father McGivney), Highland, Jerseyville (Jersey), Mt. Vernon, Carrollton, Centralia, DeSoto (MO), Festus (MO), North Point (MO), Troy (Triad)

Girls Teams: 2A - #22 Highland, Alton, Bethalto (Civic Memorial), Bluford (Webber), Breese (Central), Glen Carbon (Father McGivney), Jerseyville (Jersey), Mt. Vernon, Carrollton, Centralia, DeSoto (MO), Festus (MO), North Point (MO), Troy (Triad)

Boys Individuals: Grant Fink (Jr., Festus), Cruz Anders (Sr., DeSoto), Lucas DeClue (Jr., Festus)

Girls Individuals: Lucy Boyer (Sr., Festus), Bailee Tolbert (Sr., Festus)

Outlook: The Civic Memorial Twilight Invite is once again shaping up to be one of Southern Illinois’ premier opening-weekend meets, with top talent from both sides of the Mississippi River converging at the Bethalto Sports Complex. After last year’s memorable showdown featuring eventual state champion Max Weber and the Greer twins, this year’s individual race is wide open following the graduation of Weber, Landon Harris, and the Greer twins. Missouri powerhouse Festus adds another layer to the competition, led by Grant Fink, a ninth-place All-State finisher who also finished sixth in the two-mile at the Missouri state track meet, and De Soto standout Cruz Anders, who placed sixth at Missouri State last fall and owns track PRs of 4:21.13 in the 1,600 and 1:59.29 in the 800. Southern Illinois will counter with Glenn Collins, who finished fourth in the IHSA 2A 800 last spring in 1:52.53, Boden Duffy, the No. 4 freshman in Illinois at last year’s state meet after running 15:29.4, and the Knobloch twins, who enter with cross country PRs of 15:37.40 and 15:17.00. The team race is equally intriguing with an opportunity for Festus and several other programs to make an early statement. Festus returns six of seven from last year’s Missouri state runner-up team, although it will need to replace team leader Carson Driemeier.

The girls’ race brings another loaded field, with Missouri state champion Festus looking to begin its season with another team victory while Highland enters with plenty of momentum from a strong track season. Returning champion Emberlie Goins headlines the individual field after qualifying for the Illinois State Meet as a freshman in cross country and later qualifying in the 3,200 on the track. Festus’ Lucy Boyer also returns after placing ninth at Missouri State last fall and finishing fourth in the 800 at the Missouri state track meet. Highland will be represented by Katie Fenton, who was part of the Bulldogs’ state-qualifying team last fall before making significant progress as an 800-meter runner, and Rachael Reckman, who anchored Highland’s 4x800 to a 9:36.04 and split 2:18. With championship experience, breakout runners, and talented athletes from both Illinois and Missouri, the Civic Memorial Twilight Invite should once again provide a fast and competitive start to the cross country season.

St. Thomas More Invite

Writer: Clara Knutsen

Boys Teams: Armstrong, Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond, Champaign (Academy High), Danville (Schlarman), Donovan, Effingham (St. Anthony), Champaign (Judah Christian), Champaign (St. Thomas More), Clifton Central, Fithian (Oakwood), Gilman (Iroquois West), Westville

Girls Teams: 1A - #7 Effingham (St. Anthony), Armstrong, Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond, Champaign (Academy High), Danville (Schlarman), Donovan, Champaign (Judah Christian), Champaign (St. Thomas More), Clifton Central, Fithian (Oakwood), Gilman (Iroquois West), Westville

Boys Individuals: 1A - #24 Beau Green (So., Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond), Camden Bloemer (Jr., Effingham [St. Anthony])

Girls Individuals: 1A - #6 Aubrey Denning (Sr., Effingham [St. Anthony]), Callie Richarson (Sr., Fithian [Oakwood])

Outlook: The boys and girls races should be dominated by two major 1A frontrunners, #24 Beau Green of ALAH and #6 Aubrey Denning of Effingham (St. Anthony). Both are coming off of extremely strong track seasons, and well prepared to run some fast times. Green ran 9:49.40 in the 3200 at the IHSA 1A state meet, earning him a 9th place finish. Meanwhile, at 1A girls state Denning ran times of 2:15.62 and 5:04.01 in the 800 and 1600, respectively. However, not far behind these runners are other state caliber athletes. Camden Bloemer of Effingham St. Anthony), who qualified for IHSA 1A state in the 3200 this past track season, could make the boys race interesting. On the girls side Fithian (Oakwood)’s Callie Richardson, a qualifier for 1A girls track state in both the 1600 and the 3200, is also a contender.

In the team races, Effingham (St. Anthony) is set to win both the boys’ and girls’. For the boys, Effingham (St. Anthony) has two runners predicted to be in the front of the race, Camden Bloemer and Issac Tays, as well as two other returning 2025 IHSA 1A cross country state qualifiers, Elijah Whittier and Jonny Gannaway. Other teams to watch in the boys race are Armstrong and Champaign (St. Thomas More). The girls of #7 Effingham (St. Anthony) are predicted to win, despite their number 1 runner Isabella Keller out for the time being due to injury. They are returning to cross country with a 15th place finish from last year at the IHSA 1A state meet and 3 state qualifying returners, Aubrey Denning, Emeline Wines, and Taylor Denning. Some other teams to follow during the girl’s race are Fithian (Oakwood) and Armstrong.