Throw Back Thursday: 2026 Red Devil Invite

One of the biggest meets of the early 2025 Illinois cross country season took place on a chilly September morning at Katherine Legge Memorial Park, as more than 20 programs from across the state descended on Hinsdale for the 45th Annual Red Devil Invitational. The field was loaded from top to bottom. The boys race featured ranked programs including Prospect, Hinsdale Central, Palatine, Naperville Central, Batavia, Neuqua Valley and New Trier, while the girls field included Batavia, Prospect, Hersey, Minooka, Hinsdale Central, Glenbard West, Downers Grove South, Naperville Central and Wheaton Warrenville South. With that much talent packed onto the three-mile course, the Red Devil Invite quickly became one of the most competitive races of the first few weeks of the season.

The boys race produced an outstanding battle at the front. Neuqua Valley's Jesse Gudauskas and teammate Grayson Meek were among the early leaders, with runners from Hinsdale Central, Prospect, Deerfield, and Palatine also in the mix. As the race progressed, Palatine senior Alexander Krieg moved into the lead, while Hinsdale Central's Henry Miller, Prospect's Quinn Davis, and several others chased the leaders. By the finish, Gudauskas had claimed the lead and crossed the line in 14:48.14, earning the individual victory and setting a new personal best. Krieg wasn't far behind. The Palatine senior finished second in 14:50.59, while Meek completed the Neuqua Valley 1-3 punch in 14:51.22. Miller was fourth in 15:12.06, followed immediately by Naperville Central's Manny Najera in 15:12.43. The top seven runners all broke 15:20, with Prospect's Davis finishing seventh in 15:19.55. It was an impressive early-season display of depth, with some of the state's best runners separated by only seconds.

While Neuqua Valley grabbed two of the top three individual spots, it was Prospect that came away with the team championship. The Knights scored 69 points, putting together one of the strongest team performances of the day. Hinsdale Central finished second with 104 points, while Neuqua Valley took third. Naperville Central finished fourth. Prospect's strength was its ability to pack multiple runners near the front. Davis led the Knights in seventh, followed by Luke Robinson in eighth and Brody Cushing in ninth. That trio gave Prospect three runners inside the top nine and established the foundation for the team victory. Hinsdale Central, meanwhile, was led by Miller's fourth-place finish. Johnny Krueger was 11th in 15:29.85, Elliott Kotleba was 19th in 15:41.81, Michael Gamboa was 24th in 15:53.22, and Cole Levin rounded out the scoring five in 47th at 16:22.55. The Red Devils' five-man score totaled 104 points. The depth of the field was evident throughout the results. New Trier won the open boys team race, showing just how deep the meet was even beyond the varsity scoring groups.

The girls race was every bit as exciting. Meg Peterson of Prospect emerged victorious after a race-long battle with Glenbard West's Alexa Novak and a talented group of runners chasing behind them. Peterson crossed the finish line in 17:33, with Novak only five seconds back in 17:38. Batavia's Avery Hacker finished third in 17:40, making it one of the closest individual finishes of the weekend. Hinsdale Central senior Ella Satre finished fourth in 17:47.25, while Hersey's Gracie Mabry and Alexa Izenstark followed in fifth and sixth. The battle didn't stop there. Hinsdale Central's Lily Hodneland finished eighth in 18:16, while runners from Downers Grove South, Sacred Heart and Naperville Central were also part of the tightly packed chase group. Naperville Central sophomore Charlotte Danahy finished 12th, leading the Redhawks' effort. Five runners broke 18 minutes, while the top 12 were all under roughly 18:25 — an impressive level of depth for an early September race.

The girls team race belonged to Hersey. The Huskies scored 56 points, putting five runners inside the top 17 to defeat Glenbard West and the rest of the field. The performance was a perfect example of why cross country team racing is about much more than the individual winner. Peterson gave Prospect the individual championship, but Hersey's depth proved too much for the Knights and the other contenders. The Huskies consistently placed runners throughout the front half of the field and walked away with the team trophy. Glenbard West finished second, while Hinsdale Central placed third with 100 points. Satre led the Red Devils with her fourth-place finish, followed by Hodneland in eighth, Morgan Kohn in 23rd, Ally Furey in 24th and Marin Backus in 46th. That performance gave Hinsdale Central a strong showing on its home course, with both varsity teams finishing in the top three.

One of the best parts of looking back at an early-season meet is seeing which performances turned out to be previews of the rest of the year. Krieg's runner-up finish was another early indication that the Palatine senior was going to be a major factor in Class 3A. Gudauskas' 14:48 victory gave Neuqua Valley a major individual win, while Meek showed that the Wildcats had two legitimate front-end runners. Miller's fourth-place finish was the beginning of a strong season for Hinsdale Central, while Prospect's team victory showed why the Knights would remain one of the state's teams to watch. On the girls side, Peterson and Hacker immediately established themselves among the state's best, while Satre and Hodneland gave Hinsdale Central one of the strongest front-end combinations in the field. And the rest of the season would prove just how good many of these runners were.

At the time, the Red Devil Invite was only the second week of the season. Nobody knew exactly how the championship season would unfold, and many of the teams were still figuring out their lineups.

But the talent was already obvious. A thrilling boys finish. A three-way battle at the front of the girls race. A dominant Prospect boys team performance. A Hersey girls pack that overwhelmed the field. And more than 20 programs bringing some of their best runners to Katherine Legge Memorial Park. The 2025 Red Devil Invite was one of those meets that gave Illinois cross country fans an early look at the teams and individuals who would dominate the conversation later in the fall. One year later, we're throwing it back to September 6, 2025 — when the Red Devil Invite brought some of the best runners in Illinois together for one of the most competitive early-season meets of the year.