The Marmion "Run So As To Win" Invite Looks To Provide A Great Opportunity To Compete

Race Schedule:

4:15pm - 5th/6th Boys and Girls

4:35pm - 7th/8th Boys and Girls

5:05pm - Boys Frosh/Soph

5:30pm - Girls Frosh/Soph

5:55pm - Boys Varsity

6:20pm - Girls Varsity

Boys Middle School Teams: #5 Batavia (Rotolo), Geneva North, Geneva South, Yorkville, Bethany Lutheran, Dekalb Huntley, Holy Angels, Wredling (St. Charles), St. Raphael, Immanuel Lutheran, St. Peter’s (Geneva), Aurora (St. Rita of Cascia), St. Patrick’s (St. Charles), Fred Rogers Magnet Academy (East Aurora), Simmons, Cowherd, Waldo

Girls Middle School Teams: #5 Batavia (Rotolo), #14 Wredling (St. Charles), Geneva North, Geneva South, Yorkville, Bethany Lutheran, Dekalb Huntley, Holy Angels, St. Raphael, Immanuel Lutheran, St. Peter’s (Geneva), Aurora (St. Rita of Cascia), St. Patrick’s (St. Charles), Fred Rogers Magnet Academy (East Aurora), Simmons, Cowherd, Waldo

Boys High School Teams: 2A - #7 Aurora Central Catholic; Aurora East, Aurora (Illinois Math and Science Academy), Aurora (Marmion Academy), Burbank (St. Laurence), Chicago (De La Salle), Chicago (DePaul College Prep), Chicago (Leo), Chicago (St. Ignatius), Chicago (St. Patrick), Elmhurst (York) JV, Lisle (Chesterton Academy of The Holy Family), Wilmette (Loyola Academy)

Girls High School Teams: 3A #15 Chicago (DePaul College Prep); Aurora Central Catholic, Aurora East, Aurora (Illinois Math and Science Academy), Aurora (Rosary), Burbank (St. Laurence), Chicago (De La Salle), Chicago (Marist), Chicago (Mother McAuley), Chicago (Resurrection), Chicago (St. Ignatius) JV, Lisle (Benet Academy), Lisle (Chesterton Academy of The Holy Family), WIlmette (Loyola Academy)

Boys Middle School Individuals: Luke Sarb (8th, St. Raphael), Drew Benton (8th, St. Raphael), Frank Sterioti (8th, Yorkville), Reid Lauffer (8th, Rotolo), Nathan Shillair (8th, Rotolo), Colin Hacker (8th, Rotolo), Jacob Calvario (8th, Geneva North), Gage Enos (8th, Rotolo), Grayson Ott (8th, Geneva South), Daniel Dempsey (8th, Geneva North)

Girls Middle School Individuals: #23 Aanya Patel (7th, St. Charles [Wredling]), Eme Helfer (8th, Rotolo), Devyn Korn (8th, Rotolo), Sam Deane (7th, Rotolo), Hadley Vaclavik (8th, Yorkville), Angelina Tanig (7th, St. Charles [Wredling]), Maya Lehan (8th, Geneva North)

Boys High School Individuals: 2A - #18 Jack Swiatek (Sr., Aurora Central Catholic), #23 John Reinbold (So., Aurora Central Catholic),Ben Bohr (Jr., Aurora Central Catholic), Michael Whitacre (Sr., Aurora [Marmion Academy]), Ethan Petrillo (Sr., Chicago [St. Ignatius]), Jonah Sartain (Sr., Aurora [Marmion Academy]), Liam Donehoo (Sr., Chicago [DePaul]), AJ Viveros (Jr., Aurora Central Catholic)

Girls High School Individuals: 3A - #15 Emily Stecky (Jr., Chicago [DePaul]), 2A - #15 Cecilia Hilby (Sr., Aurora Central Catholic), Macy Leahy (Sr., Chicago [DePaul]), Keira Jenke (Sr., Lisle [Benet Academy]), Ashlyn Willis (Jr., Lisle [Benet Academy]), Abigail Radich (So., Chicago [DePaul]), Isabella Brennan (Jr., Chicago [Marist])

Outlook: This fun weekday meet is set to provide plenty of excitement, with cool awards, the Dick Pond Shoe Truck on-site, and New Balance partnering with the event. A unique and exciting feature of this meet is that New Balance backpacks will be awarded to the top three finishers in each race, making for some great incentives for standout performances.

The action will kick off with the middle school races, which will be run as a combined boys and girls event. The team competition appears to be heavily tilted in favor of Batavia Rotolo, currently ranked No. 5 in the state for both boys and girls. On the girls’ side, Wredling, ranked No. 14 in Illinois, looks like the strongest contender for second place. Geneva North and Geneva South will also make their debut at this meet with live results, and there’s always a chance that one of them could surprise the field. Individually, the boys’ race should be the Jacob Calvario show. As one of the top individuals in the state last year, Calvario clocked a 10:56 as a 7th grader on this same course. After a strong track season that was highlighted by a 4:49 in the 1600m, he could very well dip into the 10:30s here. Luke Sarb of St. Raphael is no slouch either and should provide a test early. He’s been running very well this season and could challenge the 11:00 barrier.

On the girls’ side, the individual race looks to be a battle between Aanya Patel of Wredling and the trio from Rotolo. Patel placed second at the Kane County XC Meet with a time of 12:32, an impressive mark on the Northwestern Medicine course. She enters as the only ranked athlete in the girls’ field. However, Eme Helfer, Devyn Korn, and Sam Deane from Rotolo are close in ability and could each pose a threat. After strong performances at Kane County, the three appear interchangeable, and one of them may rise to the occasion to challenge Patel for the win.

The high school races also look to feature clear team favorites. On the boys’ side, Aurora Central Catholic enters as the heavy favorite. They are led by the formidable trio of Jack Swiatek, Ben Bohr, and John Reinbold, who may very well go 1-2-3 in the individual standings. Marmion Academy, the host school, will be looking to bounce back after a tough outing at Detweiller last weekend. For them to contend for second place, they will need to tighten their 1-5 split to under 50 seconds. St. Ignatius is another team that could battle for the runner-up position, with strong talent in Ethan Petrillo, Zach Tan, and Alrik Swan leading the way.

On the girls’ side, Chicago DePaul looks poised to take control of the race, especially if they run their full varsity lineup. Their top three of Emily Stecky, Macy Leahy, and Abigail Radich are expected to place in the top 10. Benet Academy is another team to watch closely, especially with the anticipated return of Keira Jenke. If they can keep their fifth runner closer to their fourth, they have the potential to sneak up on the field and contend for a top finish.

Individually, the boys’ race could shape up as a dominant performance from Aurora Central Catholic, with Swiatek, Bohr, and Reinbold likely battling each other for the win. Challenging them for top-five finishes will be Michael Whitacre and Jonah Sartain from Marmion, Ethan Petrillo and Alrik Swan from St. Ignatius, and Liam Donehoo of DePaul. The girls’ individual race promises to be an exciting showdown between Emily Stecky of DePaul, Cecilia Hilby of ACC, and Keira Jenke of Benet Academy. Stecky had a strong start to the season with a runner-up finish at the Fenton Early Bird Invite but didn’t perform as well at her home meet last weekend, possibly due to pacing duties. She’ll be looking for her first win of the season here. Hilby has been strong throughout the fall and recently placed 10th in the 2A division at First to the Finish, making her a legitimate contender. Jenke’s return will be closely watched, as this will be her first race since being carted off during the IHSA State Prelims in the 800m. A healthy Jenke could shake up the entire front end of this race and make it one to remember.