Carson Vittorio

We are getting closer to the release of the 2026 IHSA Cross Country Regional assignments, and with anticipation building across the state, we decided to see what an AI-generated model would come up with. Using the official list of schools classified for each class, we had AI predict the Regional assignments based primarily on two factors: geography and numeric balance. The model prioritized keeping schools in geographically logical groups while also attempting to distribute teams as evenly as...

FTTF 1A Invite Writer: Brodie Peterson Boys Teams: #1 Eureka, #2 East Dubuque, #3 Clinton, #4 Elmwood, #5 Chillicothe (Illinois Valley Central), #6 El Paso-Gridley, #8 Delavan, #9 Williamsville, #11 Edwardsville (Metro-East Lutheran), #13 Herscher, #15 Rockford Christian, #16 Roxana, #17 St. Joseph-Ogden, #18 Murphysboro, #19 Fairbury (Prairie Central), #20 Rockford Lutheran, #21 Toledo (Cumberland); Abingdon-Avon, Anna-Jonesboro, Argenta-Oreana, Auburn, Aurora Christian, Beecher, Biggsville...

There are few meets on the Illinois cross country calendar quite like the First To The Finish Invitational. Every September, hundreds of runners make the trip to Peoria for one of their first major opportunities to race on the legendary Detweiller Park course. What makes the meet unique is the classification format, with the 1A, 2A and 3A teams separated into their own races. That gives fans an early opportunity to see how the best teams and individuals in each class stack up against one...