Distance Night In Palatine Preview

If you run distance, the prestigious Distance Night in Palatine is the place to be this weekend. Every year, we see the best times in the state at this meet and this year is going to be no different. We will see elite competition in all events, and not just from Illinois athletes. We’re going to break down each event and talk about who we think is going to pop off in Palatine.

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Girls Mile - Middle School

This could potentially be one of the best middle school 1600m races in state history with almost every major name in the state being in the field. Molly Mocko of St. Petronille is the name that everyone will be looking at. She ran 5:02 at New Balance Indoor Nationals and could potentially be on sub 5:00 watch here. She is only a 7th grader as well which would be an amazing feat if she accomplishes it. Berrit Shure of St. Benedict is getting used to running the 1600m again. She is off to a slow start in the event, but has ran 2:16 in the 800m this year already. Chloe Wettstein and Abigail Kocher of Lake Zurich South, Lennox Szymonik of Hampshire, and Madeline Serur of Arlington Heights Thomas had a great battle a few weeks ago at the Prairie Derby Showcase in the Illinois Running News Mile! They will be looking to build off that contest here. With 17 athletes seeded under 5:30, this is expected to be an excellent race.

Boys Mile - Middle School

There are 7 athletes in this field with PRs under 4:50 in the 1600m. This is one of the best 1600m races that you will see all year. Abram Garcia of Polo and Ethan Carter of Dixon Reagan will led this contest with both athletes having All-American status from New Balance Indoor Nationals. They both have 4:34 PRs and will look to potentially break 4:30 here. Alrik Swan of St. Matthias has had an awesome IESA career as he sports a 4:40 PR from the State Meet last year. He has the ability to hang with Carter and Garcia as he will try and challenge for the win. Ryan Patrick of Williamsville is a very intriguing name in this race as he ran 4:41.84 in a solo effort at his home track. He could potentially hang with the top group here. Alonzo Bautista of Hampton and Phoenix Viger of Aux Sable were 2nd and 3rd in the Illinois Running News Mile at the Prairie Derby Showcase. They will look to try and dip under 4:45 here.

Girls 800m - Undercard

Kicking things off with a good one, the undercard 800 is going to be wildly entertaining. All 16 girls in this heat are seeded within 1.5 seconds of each other which makes for a crowded and fun race to watch. Margaretha Grabske of Hersey is the heavy favorite in the field. She ran 2:16.77 last season and her PR sits almost 4 seconds ahead of the rest of the field. She is seeded at her indoor season best of 2:20.44, expect her to be far under that mark. After her, you’ll see a whole bunch of girls who will look to run under 2:20. Eloise Graft of Naperville Central ran 2:21 last week at Bruce Ritter, she looks like she could move under 2:20 this week. She was a part of the relay that took sixth last year at state and she continues to be a valuable relay runner for the Redhawks. Morgan Dewey of Eau Claire Memorial (WI) has the 400 speed to be a factor in this race, her PR of 2:21.49 is likely going to drop here. Similarly, Adrianna Del Ponte of Lincoln Way Central has strong enough 400 speed to carry her to a sub 2:20. She ran 1:00 at top times and has an 800 PR of 2:20.76, she will compete for second as well. 

Girls 800m - Main Event

Hailing from Wisconsin, Charlize-Trinity McKenzie of Cedarburg is set on bringing home the dub. She is the returning WIAA D3 state champion in the 800 with a mind-boggling PR of 2:07.17. She took fifth in the 800 at New Balance Nationals during indoor and she won the Wisconsin indoor state championships with a 7 second gap over second. When she made the trip to palatine last year, she only lost to the great Ali Ince, and Ali Ince was one of the best 800 runners in the nation. She is absolutely dominant and you should expect her to get the win. Behind her, we’ll see some big names play chase in an attempt to take her down. Annika Swan of St. Ignatius is the best we’ve got as far as middle distance running in Illinois, she will be the closest thing to McKenzie. Swan ran 2:13 last week at the Schaumburg invite and she has been right around 2:13 multiple times throughout indoor. Her aerobic capacity is stronger than anyone else in the field with a mile PR of 4:44 and 2 mile PR of 10:25. This aerobic strength will be her biggest weapon against McKenzie, she would do well to make moves in the middle of the race. Emily Stecky of DePaul Prep is likely the best pure 800 runner from Illinois in this field. She ran 2:13.03 during indoor and she actually beat Annika Swan in the 800 at the GCAC championships. She’s improved a lot during indoor and this will be a chance to prove that her hard work has paid off. Keira Jenke of Benet Academy is another pure 800 runner who could make some noise here. Jenke dropped a whopping 7 seconds in her 800 during indoor, capping out at a scorching 2:12.78. Given that her time drops have been so recent, she should be used to running in a pack, which gives her an advantage in such a crowded event. I think she has a shot at second place and I’m excited to see what she can do. She’s also looking for her get-back on Erin Hinsdale of St. Francis. Hinsdale beat Janke at the ESCC indoor championships in the 800, 2:13.77 to 2:13.89. It was a very close race and this will be a good rematch to see how they match up in such a loaded field. 

Boys 800m - Undercard

Austin Ward of Oswego East is stepping up from the sprints to steal a win in the Undercard. Ward might be the only athlete on these heat sheets that doesn’t compete in cross country, but that’s not going to stop him from running a blazing 800. He ran a 1:57.90 two weeks ago at the Stagg Invite which is about a half second PR for him. He runs the 400 in 49.34, but was moved up to the 800 last year to help his team snag all-state status. His 400 speed is far above anyone in this field, in fact, it’s faster than all of the Main Event athletes too. If he gets the job done, he should walk away with a new PR and a win. Following him, you’ll see Elias Ulmen of Homestead (WI) lead a pack of chasers. Ulmen ran 1:57.95 last year as a sophomore, he was 1:59 throughout the indoor season. This will be his first big race of the year, expect something big from him. The Sandburg 800 squad will compete with him as well. Matthew Miller and Jackson Cannelis are both seeded at 1:58 and both will benefit from the excellent competition here. Mason King of Herrin is also a name to watch for. He just recently helped Herrin run 8:03 which is a great time to be running for a 2A team. He has solid 400 speed as well, with a 52.89 open 400 PR. He’ll be a strong competitor, watch for him to make some moves. Most of the athletes in this race are going to be focused on chasing Ward, this pull effect will likely lead to PRs all around. 

Boys 800m - Main Event

I’m calling it now, there will be a new meet record set. Owen Horeni of Yorkville is the favorite in this race. The kid has a PR of 1:52.34 and is the top returning 800 runner in the state. He had the fastest indoor 800, running an 1:53.60 at New Balance Nationals. He’s got the fastest 400 PR out of any distance runners in the state, he ran 49.77 at a dual meet last week. Palatine races are famous for going out fast and he will benefit immensely from a fast opening lap. Even if it’s slow (which is highly unlikely), he’s tactically sound enough to squeak out a win in a sit and kick scenario. What will be interesting to see is who comes in second, because that’s where the real racing will happen. The dynamic duo of Chicago Payton, Preston Ellis and Tramonti Williams, are going to be dangerous factors in this race. Williams ran a groundbreaking 1:53.72 during indoor and he’s going to push up on Horeni towards the end. Williams has the best kick in the field and will be huge in the last 200. Ellis has been shockingly consistent at 1:55, hitting that mark 4 times in the last few months. Him and Williams have only raced in the open 800 together one time, I would expect his teammate to push him to a breakthrough. Wisconsin brings their elite to try and compete for a win as well. Spencer Alf of McFarland (WI) brings his PR of 1:54.27 to the table, he will strongly contest for the win. He was similar to Ellis during indoor, hitting 1:55 multiple times. His best event is by far the 800 and he will need his A game to beat this field. Sam Wollak of St. Charles East just earned a brand new PR of 1:53.64 and will be right up with the leaders. That 1:53 was the confidence boost he needed, he should be able to stick with this group. There is an insane amount of talent here, don’t be surprised if this is the fastest event of the night.

Girls 2 Mile - Undercard

Out of the Undercard events, this one seems to be the most spread out. There are 16 seconds dividing first from nineteenth, so it won’t be quite as close as some of the other races. In some ways, this is a good thing because it gives the athletes space to run their own race. This will allow for smarter racing and can lead to faster times, which is overall a positive. Elena Mamminga of St. Francis just returned to the track last week when she dropped an 11:19 at the St. Charles North invite. She was a blistering 17:02 during cross country season which she ran at the 2A state meet to take third. 11:19 looks like it was a warm up for what is coming, I would expect her to take the win here. Emaline Foster of Prairie Ridge will be another girl to drop big time here. She is more of a miler, but her 11:20 from last week at the Jody Gitelis suggests that she can step up a distance and still exceed expectations. She was the IESA runner up in the mile with a 5:12, which is still her PR. She will be a big factor in this race and will likely shatter her 2 mile PR. Adley Wilson of St. Charles East is the top seed with an 11:19. She ran 17:49 during cross country and her 11:19 comes from this year when she placed fifth at the DuKane County Conference Championships. The sister of former State Champion, Micah Wilson, will be looking to make a name for herself here.

Girls 2 Mile - Main Event

Mia Sirois of Barrington is on the hunt for a sub ten 2 mile and there’s a good chance she hits it here. She is one of the top distance runners in the country with a searing 3200 PR of 10:04. She ran 10:14 last week at her home invite and she was completely solo in that attempt. The meet record of 10:13 is certainly in danger, because this time Sirois won’t be totally solo. Ally Shutler of St. Ignatius will join her up front and will act as a pusher for Sirois. Shutler ran 10:20 at indoor champs to take second behind Sunny Weber of Sandwich. Shutler’s aerobic capacity isn’t on the level that Sirois is at, but she will be in range for at least the first mile. With Sirois going for 10 flat, Shutler will be dragged out to a pace that will lead her to a PR. Behind these two, there will be a strong pack of chasers. Veronica Znajda and Meg Peterson of Prospect will lead the group. They have very similar 3200 PRs, Znajda sits at 10:39 and Peterson sits at 10:44. Both are absolute units during cross country, both have sub 17 minute 3 miles. Both also have impressive 800 speed, both with PRs in or under 2:15. The versatility in both of these athletes is impressive, they could run the race in a number of ways and still be successful. Zoe Carter of Normal University will contribute to the pack. She ran 10:35 last year to take second in the 2A 3200 and she was 10:47 throughout indoor. She was also under 17 minutes through cross country, capping out at 16:49 to take third at the 2A state meet. Maya Ledesma of Minooka was another runner who was a powerful force through the cross country season. She ran 16:39 at the 3A state meet, directly behind Znajda. She ran 10:48 indoors and I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s under that mark. Molly Farrell of Marshall was 10:38 last year and she will be right with them as well. There’s a lot to be excited about in the Main Event 2 mile, you can count on some fast running.

Boys 2 Mile - Undercard

There are a ton of guys who will be looking to break the 9:30 border and snag themselves a state qualifying time. Ian French of Metea Valley is seeded first, he ran a big PR of 9:34 at indoor champs. He just recently ran his PR in the mile with a 4:27. This could be another breakthrough race for him, he could be under 9:30. Peter Kipp of Northridge Prep will look to join French. Kipp ran 9:35 last week at the Gans Zeedyk invite and he’s one of the top 1A runners in the state. He was a part of the Northridge Prep superteam that won the 1A cross country state title in the fall and he’s one of the stronger cross runners in the field. Another strong cross country runner would be Aaron Conderman of Dixon. Conderman was all state in 2A with a 3 mile of 14:52, he is seeded at 9:38. If his aerobic capacity is at the level it usually is, he will likely come away with the win. Sean Kaeb of Normal University is another guy to look out for. He ran 15:00 during cross country and ran 9:35 last year as a sophomore. Unfortunately, he doesn't run indoors so we have no idea what kind of shape he’s in. If he’s in shape, he’ll be in contention for a win here. Riley Wold of Buffalo Grove and Luke Atzman of Sandburg are two more strong cross country runners with sub 15 minute 3 miles, they could be in the mix as well. Atzman has been in 4x8 jail for most of indoor, he just recently ran his PR in the 2 mile with a 9:35 at Smith Strong. He probably has the fastest 800 out of this crowd and he will benefit a lot from a slow start and strong finish. Wold ran 14:53 during cross country and opened his outdoor season with a 9:36 3200. This race will have a huge pack and it’ll be down to positioning and patience to decide the winner. 

Boys 2 Mile - Main Event

The returning state champ is in trouble, there are multiple guys who are capable of hanging with him who could unseat him here. Joe Bregenzer of Barrington ran 8:58 last year to win the 3A state championship in one of the most competitive, junior-led, 3200 races I have ever seen. He took fifth in the 3A state championships during cross country and he was dominant throughout the season. He didn’t run to his usual standard during the indoor season, but I wouldn’t accrue that to him being out of shape. He will be ready for this loaded field, but I’m not sure he can survive. Thomas Czerwinski and Quinn Davis of Plainfield North look fantastic right now, I wouldn’t be surprised if either one takes the win over Bregenzer. Czerwinski won a slightly tactical 2 mile at the Norm Armstrong invite, he opened in a 4:38 and closed in a 4:28 for a time of 9:06. While this isn’t a slow opening mile, it’s a little too pedestrian for Czerwinski. With guys like Bregenzer pulling him out fast, I wouldn’t be surprised if he runs even faster than 9:06 here. Quinn Davis has really expanded his range this season making him one of the most dangerous runners you can meet in a 2 mile. His indoor 800 PR of  1:56 and his 1600 of 4:15 show his speed has really taken a turn, he will have what it takes to beat Bregenzer in a late game kick. Alex Bendana of St. Louis University is another guy who will compete with Bregenzer. Bendana just recently ran 9:05 in the 3200 to take second at the McCullough Douglass invite. He was the number two for SLUH during the cross country season with a 5K time of 15:17 which equates to 14:40 for a 3 mile. He’s a strong aerobic runner and he will be able to hang with the leaders. it will probably be a decent gap from fourth to fifth, but that doesn’t mean the next group isn’t elite. Aiden Connors of Plainfield North leads the chase pack. He has been steadily dropping time off of his 3200 PR throughout the indoor season, this will be his first big race of the outdoor season. He capped out at 9:11 for 3200 indoors when he took fourth at indoor champs. The big difference that I’ve seen is the addition of a fast close to his race, which also makes him a dangerous runner. He will match up nicely with Greyson Ellensohn of St. Charles East, who is also known to have a strong kick. Ellensohn’s PR sits a little behind Connors, he ran 9:14 last season and 9:16 this indoor season, however he should be in shape to hold with Connors. Dylan Dominguez of Highland Park is another guy with a really good kick, he will fit in nicely with guys like Connors and Ellensohn. He is a big fan of the negative split, so don’t be surprised if he’s detached from the chase pack during the first half of the race. Make sure you keep your eyes on the freshman from Lake Zurich as Karenveer Patil is going to be a factor in this race as well. Patil will gun the pace out early to tire out the crowd, guys will have to put in serious effort to hang with him. Alex Rodriguez and Miguel Flores of Berwyn Cicero will do the same, both are in incredible aerobic shape right now. This race has a fun mix of tactics that will lead to some super fast times. 

Girls Mile - Undercard

There isn’t really a favorite, but there are a few girls who stand out above the rest. Avery Hacker of Batavia is a part of that group. She ran 5:15 indoors and will look to lower that time here. She was absolutely insane during cross country, she ran 16:52 at the state meet for an eighth place finish. Recently, she was a part of a 4x4 that ran 4:01.10 which suggests that she’s improved her speed. This is going to come in handy, because her competition comes in the form of two excellent 800 runners. Mary Laba of Prospect and Tessa Russo of Plainfield North will be biting at Hacker’s heels, either one of them could topple her. Laba ran 2:14.73 in the 800 at the Bruce Ritter invite, which had a slow start and a hot finish. She is comfortable pacing with leaders and waiting to make her move, she will contend for the win. Russo was nursing an injury for most of the indoor season, but she still had time to run a PR in the mile of 5:14. Her 800 PR sits at 2:17, which she split in the prelims of the 4x8 at state last year. She is a frequent contributor to the PN 4x4, she was a part of the squad that ran 3:51 two weeks ago. She’s got foot speed that matches Laba, it will come down to who wants it more. These three girls are going to lay down an insane mile, get ready for a fun race.

Girls Mile - Main Event

The freshman superstar, Klarke Goranson of Manteno, leads this star studded field. She ran a huge PR of 4:50 at the Meet of Champions during indoor season and she will be the lead horse in this race. She has the 800 speed to close hard, her PR is currently 2:13. It’s going to take some very tactical racing from the rest of the field to take her down, but it’s not entirely impossible. Kyla Babb of Westmont should step up to the challenge and compete with Goranson. Babb has a PR of 4:56 which she ran during a conservative race at indoor champs. She was coming off of her all time best in the 3200, which sits at 10:23. She has a sneakily good kick and could shock the crowd with a win here. Behind her, you’ll see Scout Storms of Barrington and Ali Londrigan of Chatham Glenwood fight for the third spot. Storms has been very consistent at 5 flat or under and she has solid 800 speed that will support her towards the end of the race. Her PR in the 1600 is 4:49, it would be truly legendary if she could return to that time. Londrigan just recently broke the 5 minute wall when she ran a fantastic 4:55 at the Capitol City Invite. She is on a hot streak right now and it could carry into a good race at Palatine. Don’t forget about Emma Berres of Naperville North, she could also slide up to the front. Berres is more of an 800 girl, but she still has a nasty 1600 PR of 4:56 which she ran last year. Her mile wasn’t quite on the level that these other girls were on during indoor, but I would expect her to at least be back under 5 here. 

Boys Mile - Undercard

This is the fastest Undercard event out of the six, which is odd because it also happens to be one of the younger Undercard events out of the evening. More than a third of the fast section are sophomores, and there are only 6 seniors total. There are 17 boys in the fast section and they are only separated by 1.73 seconds. It’s gonna be full of gutsy racing and wild moves, and it usually ends up being the most enjoyable event of the night. It’ll be almost impossible to win this race wire to wire, the only name in the field who could do it is Bryant Lester of Vernon Hills. The super sophomore ran 4:23.89 during indoor when he destroyed his heat at Batavia distance madness. He’s more of a 3200 guy, with a PR of 9:25 which he ran at a random quad meet during indoor season. He’s fantastic at opening up his kick early and I think this guy has what it takes to win. He will get competition from Finn Kelly of OPRF. Kelly ran 4:23.91 at Smith Strong last week and will be a guy to watch for at the end of the race. He likes to sit and kick, so you probably won’t see him for the first few laps, but he'll definitely be there at the finish. Cooper Summy of Lakes is another guy who likes to wait until the last second to make his move. He ran 4:23.25 at McHenry with a closing lap of 60 seconds. The sophomore split 1:59.3 at indoor champs in a crucial 4x8 leg, and he was the main factor in the Lakes’ win that day. Him and Kelly will be eating up spots in the final 200 like no other, it will be very interesting to see which one comes out on top. The top two seeds in the Undercard are teammates, Gabe Gronski and Elliot Baik of Hersey. Both of them have dropped big time in the last few weeks, they will look to replicate their 4:23s here. If you think you know who’s going to come out on top, you’re wrong. It’s anyone's game and it’s impossible to accurately predict the winner. It’s races like these that get the crowd on their feet, and I couldn’t be more excited to see who’s going to win.

Main Event

Some out of state talent is going to rock this field. Be ready for a three way showdown between Ben Crane of New Trier, Jacob Barraza of DeKalb, and Remy Strichartz of Kenosha Indian Trail. Crane has the best resume out of anyone on this list, here are some of his accomplishments. He is the 3A state champ in cross country with a 3 mile time of 14:03. He finished thirteenth at Nike Cross Country Nationals and sixth at the FootLocker National Championships. He has a shiny new 3200 time of 8:49 which he used to take 9th at Arcadia last week. Simply put, he’s an aerobic monster. He hasn’t run the mile since January, but he ran 4:11 to take third in the Misfits Hoka Mile. Even given all of that, I still think Strichartz will take this race. Strichartz was the indoor state champ in both the 800 and the 1600, running 1:55.60 and 4:12.03 on a 200 flat track. He was third in the mile in the WIAA state championship last year with a time of 4:12.52, which means he’s already dropped time off of his tapered 1600 PR. His 800 speed is what pushes him over Crane for me, he’ll be able to use that speed at the end to take the win from Crane. Jacob Barraza will be the only other guy to step up to Crane and Strichartz. He has the fastest PR in the field with a 4:11.32 in the 1600. He, similar to Strichartz, has better 800 speed than Crane, with a 1:56.93 PR. The problem is he’s been out for all of indoor with a quad injury and he’s just getting back into the swing of things. He finally returned to racing last week, where he won a tactical mile in 4:25. I have no idea what to expect from Barraza, but if it’s anything near his normal, he will challenge for the win. Following these three titans, guys like Dylan Maloney of Plainfield South, Jameson Tenopir of Cary Grove, Rory Gaan of Fremd, and Carter Hayes of Palatine will eat up the next few places. Maloney just narrowly missed breaking the 9 minute barrier at Arcadia two weeks ago. He made the 1600m State Final field last year and will be looking to be in the mix here. Tenopir was second at indoor champs with a time of 4:15.32. He is one of the most versatile distance runners in the state, with PRs of 1:56.28 and 9:22.92 that complement his mile PR nicely. Gaan is an elite 3200 runner who is stepping down to compete in the mile. He ran 8:59 at Arcadia and has a mile PR of 4:16, he will make some noise here. Hayes also ran 8:59 at Arcadia, he finished right in front of Gaan. His 800 PR of 1:53 combined with this 3200 range is going to lead to a blistering 1600. I wouldn’t even be surprised if he wins, the only thing holding him back is his PR. His current lifetime best is 4:17, which he used to take third at Batavia Distance Madness. He will have to take a big step up from that time if he wants to compete with this crowd, I think he can do it.