Illinois Graduate Report: 1st Edition
Illinois has produced its fair share of great high school runners. Some of these runners carried their success into college, whereas others may have struggled at the higher level. Other runners may not have had immense success in high school but excelled in college and have begun professional careers. Today we're looking back at some of our sport's best runners and where their journeys have led them.
Josh Methner holds a household name in the Illinois high school running scene. As most people know, he holds the state record for the 3-mile with a time of 13:49, set on the historic Detweiler course in 2019. Additionally, he won 2 more state championships, the National Footlocker championship, and a 2nd place finish at NXN, only losing to Nico Young. In his freshman year at Notre Dame, he finished 36th at the national meet and was the 7th-highest freshman, only trailing behind notable runners like Charles Hicks, Cole Sprout, and Nico Young. This All-American finish highlighted his potential; however, Methner struggled with injuries for the remainder of his college career and was unable to return to his peak fitness level. Josh Methner has started his post-collegiate running career, recently running a half marathon in early May 2026 and completing it in 1:04:27.
Drew Rodgers is a great example of a “big fish in a small pond.” Rodgers attended Hersher High School located in a town with a population around 1,500. In his high school years, he racked up 5 state championships in Cross Country and Track, including back-to-back XC titles his sophomore and Junior years before graduating in 2022. After high school, Rodgers enrolled at the University of Missouri. In his freshman year, he won the USATF U20 Outdoor 5000m championship and set a season best in the 8k with a time of 24:14. He continued his excellence on the track, and in his senior season he earned a spot on the 2025 All-SEC First Team for the outdoor 5000m event and secured victory in the 2025 SEC Indoor 3000m championship race. At the Virginia Challenge, he claimed the win with a time of 13:41, becoming the school record holder in that event along with his 22:54 8k school record as well. He now attends University of New Mexico as a grad transfer.
Phil Cupial is the most recent member of the list as a 2025 graduate from Downers Growth North. Regardless, he is one of the most accomplished runners in Illinois high school history. During his high school career, he won the IHSA 3A cross country state championship with an impressive time of 14:03. Additionally, he secured 5 outdoor track state titles ranging from the 4x800m to 1600m. In his senior season, he competed at Nike Cross Regionals Midwest, where he took the win before racing at the National meet. In his final high school race, he competed in the New Balance Nationals Mile, where he capped off his season by taking home the win with a 4:01.15. In early October of last year, Cupial signed with the University of Virginia. He recently participated in his first collegiate race, where he ran the 6-kilometer distance in 18:36, taking home a 25th-place finish and contributing as the fourth scorer for the Cavaliers.
Dylan Maloney graduated from Plainfield South in 2025. During his time there, he was part of the 2022 Cross Country team championship. Individually, he achieved a 5th place finish in cross country and a 3rd place finish in the 3A 3200m state track event. While he may not have had the same level of high school success as some of the other runners on this list, he matched them in college. In his freshman year at New Mexico State, he finished in the top 5 for both the USA U20 Cross Country and USATF Outdoor 5000m championships. Before his sophomore year, he represented the United States in the U20 World Cross Country Championships, where he placed 53rd. Maloney later transferred to Iowa State, where he kicked off his season for the Cyclones by finishing 26th at their home meet and securing 3rd place at the Roy Griak Invite, setting a new personal record in the 8k by 33 seconds.
Dylan Jacobs is the oldest member of this list but the most successful regardless. Interestingly, in his high school career he only won one individual state championship, which was the 1600m. He had actually won Footlocker Nationals in cross country with 0 state titles to his name. Jacobs started his college career at Notre Dame, where in his freshman year he was a part of the DMR that took the national Championship. In his junior year at Notre Dame, he ran in the 10,000m NCAA championships, where he had an infamous fall in the race but came back and outkicked his competitors in the last 400m to win. To finish out his collegiate career, he won the NCAA outdoor 5000m championship and ran a second off the then-current NCAA 3000m record. Jacobs has since started his professional career, competing in the Diamond League and world championships, racing against the best competitors in the world.
Tatum David was nothing less than a star high school runner as she was awarded the Gatorade Player of the Year in her senior season at Olney (Richland County) after completing the 1600m and 3200m double at the state meet, setting a venue record before going on to place 2nd at both the Brooks Pr Invitational and New Balance Nationals with a time of 4:38 for the full mile. These feats earned her a spot at the University of Virginia, where she's had considerable success, highlighted by her steady linear improvements each year. Last year, as a junior, David earned All-American honorable mention in the outdoor 1500m and second-team All-American in the Indoor Mile. She has entered her senior year at Virginia but has yet to open up her season for the Cavaliers.
Judy Pendergast made a name for herself by winning the 2025 3A 3200m state championship. Later that November, she set a new state record in the 3A Cross Country state championship with a time of 15:53.8, a record she held until 2024 when standout sophomore Mia Siriois surpassed her mark by 0.4 seconds. Following her impressive state performance, Pendergast competed at NXN and New Balance Nationals, finishing in the top 10 at both events. Pendergast started her collegiate career at Harvard, before transferring to Oregon and eventually returning to Harvard for her junior and senior seasons. In college, she achieved impressive marks of 20:12 in the cross country 6k and 15:52 in the indoor 5k, a time that stands as the 4th fastest in school history. Judy Pendegast has since entered her 2nd year coaching for the Crimson in both Track and Field and Cross Country.
Olivia Borowiak had a less distinguished high school career compared to some of her peers, graduating without any individual state championships and achieving a highest finish of 48th at the Cross Country state meet. In her collegiate career at DePaul, she earned an automatic bid to the 2022 NCAA Cross Country Championships with her sixth-place finish at the NCAA Midwest Regionals with a time of 20:13.5 for the 6k. Additionally, she set marks of 15:52 in the 5k and 4:42 in the mile. Following her collegiate journey, Borowiak joined Minnesota Distance Elite and competed in the USA Cross Country Championships before joining Team USA and competing in the USATF championship 10K final, finishing 6th and completing a half marathon in an impressive time of 1:11:16 in Houston.
