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2018 IHSA 2A Girls Cross Country State Meet PreviewPublished by
By Michael Newman
ILSPEEDRATINGS.COM 2A GIRLS STATE MEET PROJECTIONS
2A Girls Individuals to Watch Jenna Schwartz, Waterloo; Lianna Surtz, Rosary; Brooke Stromsland, Lakes Community; Ava Parekh, Latin School; Elizabeth Sims, Mahomet-Seymour; Madison Diercks, Belvidere North; Gianna Sagona, Belvidere North; Mackenzie Aldridge, Crystal Lake South; Rachel Richtman, Kaneland, Chelsea Gale, Prairie Ridge; Marianne Mihas, Latin School; Ella Bittner, Normal University; Kylie Hagmann, Woodstock. Overview – It comes down to four runners in what should be a fantastic race. Jenna Schwartz is the defending champion and is coming on strong at the end of this season similar to how she did it last year. Lianna Surtz ran 17:02 in the Richard Spring Invitational and has been hard to beat in her freshman season. Aspen Gordon defeated Brooke Stromsland by two seconds in Peoria at the end of September. Both runners are still running string since that race. The problem is that only one of these great runners can win this race. Conditions, if favorable, could see the winning time under 16:50.
2A Girls Teams to Watch Belvidere North was 30 points ahead of Vernon Hills in last week’s Woodstock North Sectional. The two teams meet again with the possibility of being closer together. Mahomet-Seymour is the hot team in this race and could be the team to finish with the state championship trophy. A detailed look at each of the qualifying teams are listed below
Belvidere North
Woodstock North Sectional Champion Overview – With the exception of one week in the rankings, Belvidere North has been the 2A team to beat this fall. The Blue Thunder showed they will be the favorite when they won the Woodstock North Sectional finishing 30 points ahead of Vernon Hills. North has the power in the front with Giana Sagona and Madison Diercks that could both finish in the top ten closer to the top five. Sydnie Elder will also be among the all-state runners in the top 25. A key for this team will be their fourth and fifth runners Caitlin Corso and Natalie Horgan. Corso was within 34 of Elder last Saturday. Horgan was within 32 seconds of Corso in that race. Both of those split need to be reduced for Saturday’s race. Elder within 30 seconds of Sagona and Diercks would help. Their overall split needs to come down to 95 seconds from 109 seconds for this team to take home another state title. Their power in the front could be the difference maker.
Mahomet-Seymour
East Peoria Sectional Champions Overview – The Bulldogs finished fourth in last year’s state meet with a place higher in 2018. After their sectional win last Saturday, Mahomet-Seymour is in the hunt for a trophy. Freshman Elizabeth Sims has been the team’s top runner all season and finished second in her sectional race. Sims could finish among the top 10 in Saturday’s state race. Brisa McGrath could be among the top 25 and will need to stay within 15 seconds of Sims. Keep an eye on the pack behind Sims and McGrath. The third through fifth runners, led by Grace Lietz, only had splits of 18 seconds in their regional race and 22 seconds last weekend. The pack was 36 seconds behind McGrath in the sectional race. Not much needs to be done between two and three keeping a gap at 28 to 30 seconds would be a difference maker. A 15 second split on three to five could put this team in the trophy hunt.
Vernon Hills
2nd – Woodstock North Sectional Overview. The Cougars were within Belvidere North at last week’s sectional race. When the two teams met at the First to the Finish Invitational in September, that margin was only 18 points with Belvidere North winning. What made it closer was the Vernon Hills had seven runners in before Belvidere North’s fourth runner. In the sectional race, Belvidere North had four runners in before Vernon Hills’ third runner while the Cougars had five runners in before Belvidere North’s fifth. The race was closer than it looked. Emma Wakefield and Emma Ray are the team’s top runners and could be among the top 25. The two were 16 seconds behind Elder. The team only had a 30 second split on their top five. Vernon Hills sixth and seventh runners were just two seconds behind Belvidere North’s fifth runner. The Cougars could surpass Belvidere North in this race. Four runners in front of Belvidere North’s fourth runner and seven runners in before North’s fifth runner makes this a closer race.
Burlington Central
Kaneland Sectional Champion Overview – One of the bigger surprises in the 2A sectionals was not that Burlington Central winning their sectional but how much they won by. The Rockets finished 60 points ahead of second-place Rosary. Central could be a team that could contend for a state trophy. Nia Rodriguez led a 27 second split on their top five runners with Erin Jossart and Brooke Barkocy less than 10 seconds back. Rodriguez could be near the top 25 in that race with five runners finishing in the first 60. That could put the team in contention for a top finish. The one thing to remember is what this team had an 83 second split in their conference race and 67 seconds at regionals. A race close to those margins in a big field puts this team between fifth and tenth. A race similar to last week puts them near a trophy.
Normal University
2nd – East Peoria Sectional Overview – Don’t count the Pioneers out in Saturday’s state race. U-High finished only five points behind Mahomet-Seymour in last week’s sectional race. Remember, there are six teams that could contend for a trophy in Saturday’s race. U-High should be one of those teams in the hunt. Ella Bittner and Mackie Madix finished in the top ten last week and were within 11 seconds of each other. Both could finish among the top 20 in the state race. The team’s split on five was 78 seconds in that race, 75 seconds in their conference race. Lizzy Zacharias, the team’s third runner, was within 24 seconds of Madix at East Peoria. Zacharias within 15 second with the team achieving a 63 second team split puts the Pioneers in position to claim on of the three state trophies.
Crystal Lake Prairie Ridge
3rd – Woodstock North Sectional Overview – The Wolves have been on the move up the rankings during the season ending up third in the regular season rankings. Prairie Ridge, with the right race, could find themselves in the top five by the end of Saturday’s 2A race. Returning all-state runner Chelsea Gale is running strong at the right time and could be among the top ten individuals on Saturday. Michaela Pieroni and Carsen Forte give this team first three with either Pieroni or Forte a possibility of finishing in the top 25. What hurts this team is their fourth and fifth runners are almost two minutes behind Gale. Getting them 30 seconds closer puts the Wolves closer to being within reach of a state trophy.
Morton
4th – East Peoria Sectional Overview – One of the strengths of this team is their strength in the front. Aspen Gordon will be one of the individual favorites in Saturday’s race. Meagan Moreno and Emma Skinner, even though they were 55 seconds behind Gordon, could find themselves finishing in the top 25. What could hurt their team is the split from one to five is at 145 seconds. It is not a major factor number wise. The 68 seconds between Moreno last week and Adeline Smith could cause some problems in this race especially with the quality runners in that range. Morton is a solid team that should finish among the top 10. Closing those splits could move this team up higher.
Chicago Latin School
Fenton Sectional Champion Overview – A team that could sneak up on some this Saturday. They have flown under the radar in their two state series races being in a weak Fenton Sectional. Their times look good enough to finish in the top 10. Ava Parekh, a freshman, could be one of the runners to watch in the front in the state race. Her teammate Marianne Mihas is just as good. Parekh finished 14 seconds ahead of Mihas at Fenton. Both runners could finish in the top 10. That gap is close to 80 seconds from Mihas to third runner McKenna Fellows. The team’s split last week was 162 seconds. The low numbers from their front two bring the Romans into the top 10. One bad race from either of them knocks this team to between 10th to 15th.
Washington
3rd – East Peoria Sectional Overview – The Panthers ran their best race of the year to qualify out of a tough East Peoria Sectional finishing third. They will need a similar type of race at Detweiller Park to finish in the top 10. Five seconds separated Joy English, Jadyn Jacobs, and Brooke Evans in last week’s race. Jacobs has been the team’s top runner almost all season. It would not surprise me if she finishes in the top 25. The split on their top five was 54 seconds last week.
Chatham-Glenwood
Decatur MacArthur Sectional Champion Overview – The Titans will rely on tight pack running off their top runner Nia Gibson. The freshman could be among the top 25 in this race. Katie Curry was 22 seconds behind Gibson at Decatur. The pack behind Curry was only separated by 16 seconds. That pack was only separated by 14 seconds in their conference race. This team is deep with any of their remaining top seven able to step into the top five without missing a beat. Glenwood is a god bet to finish in the top 10. A great race by Gibson and the pack puts this team closer to the top five.
Aurora Rosary
2nd – Kaneland Sectional Overview – It will help that Lianna Surtz will be up front for this team supplying team low single digit points. The Royals have a good pack behind her even though Maia Italia was 113 seconds behind the freshman in last week’s race. The split on their second through fifth runners was 61 seconds. The split from the three to fifth runners in that race was only seven seconds. The pack moving to within 102 seconds with a 42 second gap on the group makes this team a good bet of finishing in the top 10.
Waterloo
2nd – Decatur MacArthur Sectional Overview – The Bulldogs are on the rise and just at the right time. Jenna Schwartz is the defending 2A state champion and will be in the front in this race. The team had a 48 second split on their second through fifth runners led by Sydney Haddick. The same principles apply to Waterloo as does Rosary. The pack needs to be within 100 seconds of Schwartz. Their pack split only needs to drop by 10 seconds to get this team as one of the top 10 squads.
Crystal Lake South
5th – Woodstock North Sectional Overview – This is not the same team that won at Peoria over a month ago. The top five split off Mackenzie Aldridge was 81 seconds in that race. Their split last Saturday was 137 seconds. Olivia Beckwith, who was the team’s second runner in the Peoria race, did not run at the sectionals and was the team’s fifth runner at regionals. If Beckwith is back to 100% healthy, that will make a difference to this team from making them a top 15 squad t a top 10 unit. Keep an eye on Aldridge who could be among the top 10 in the individual race.
Dunlap
5th (TIE) – East Peoria Sectional Overview – The Eagles just made it back to state tying with Metamora for the fifth spot. Macy Priess has been a rock for this team as their top runner. She should be among the top 20 in this race. Dunlap had a 68 second one through five split at East Peoria. Getting Sierra Cenek to within 30 seconds of Priess and a top five split at 58 seconds moves this team closer to the top 10 teams.
Metamora
5th (TIE) – East Peoria Sectional Overview – Metamora qualifies for state for the second time in three years after tying with Dunlap. The last time that the Redbirds qualified as a team before 2016 was in 2008. Katie Lalumandier and Tessa Schwazentraub have been the team’s top runners this fall. Schwarzentraub was 19 seconds ahead o Lalumandier in the East Peoria race. Metamora ran a 72 second season best on their home course in early 72 seconds. It was 88 seconds last week. The splits should tighten up for this team on Saturday.
Grayslake Central
4th – Woodstock North Sectional Overview – The Rams were one of the five surviving teams out of the Woodstock North Sectional last Saturday. They could finish somewhere in the mid-teens in this state race. Central ran their best split of the season (32 seconds) in their sectional race led by freshmen Bryn Sato along with Grace and Caroline Kokkin. The three could be among the top 60 in this race. Their top four runners are either freshmen or sophomores. This state experience on Saturday will pay off in dividends for this team in future years.
Maple Park Kaneland
3rd – Kaneland Sectional Overview – The Knights made it out to state on their home course but could have trouble making it int the top 10. I could see a finish from 10th to 15th from this team. Rachel Richtman has been running strong throughout the season and could be among the top 15 individuals. Olivia Franklin is the top runner in their pack. The top five split was 147 seconds, the best of the season for Kaneland. Dropping it another 25 seconds could get this team closer to the top 10.
Lemont
4th – Kaneland Sectional Overview – Kaylee Politza has stepped up as the top runner for most of the season. The freshman should be among the top 40 individuals in this race, but it would not be a surprise if she is in the top 25. Marlin Schiffman was behind Politza by 70 seconds last week, 50 seconds in their conference race. The team had a 120 second split last week. Decreasing that split to under 101 seconds could move the Indians into the top 15 squads.
Highland
3rd – Decatur MacArthur Sectional Overview – Highland should stay be among the top 20 teams in this meet led by strong front running from Jessica Borror and Grace Meyer. The two were separated by 13 seconds last Saturday in Decatur. Their split in the last two races on the top five has been 51 and 52 seconds. Borror or Meyer in the top 60 long with cutting that split only moves this team up higher.
Arlington Heights St. Viator
2nd – Fenton Sectional Overview – The Lions will look to finish in the top 15 in this meet with a top 30 finish from Katie Castelli and solid pack running behind her. Their top five split dropped 15 seconds from regionals to sectionals. The second through fifth split of 81 seconds off second runner Payton McDonnell keeps this team near the first 20 spots. Cutting that gap under 57 seconds gets this team to a higher place.
Mt. Zion
4th – Decatur MacArthur Sectional Overview – The Braves had a 47 second split on their top five but only a 25 second split within their first four runners to get them to the state meet. It is the first appearance to the finals since 2011. Taylor Fox and Emma Mallory have been the team’s top runners through the second half of the season. Getting their top runners in between 65 and 70 could place this team into the first 20 teams.
Carbondale
5th – Decatur MacArthur Sectional Overview - The Terriers snuck up on some capturing the final qualifying spot out of the Decatur MacArthur Sectional. Anna Schurz and Madeline Prideaux finished with the same time to lead Carbondale to a 141 second top five split. A similar race from the two this weekend could get the Terriers into the top 20 teams.
Wheaton St. Francis
5th – Kaneland Sectional Overview – Even though the team ran a split 37 seconds slower than their race at conference, the Spartans still made it to state finishing fifth. Madeline Andelbradt was the team’s top runner in the sectional race 18 seconds ahead of Gabby Hernandez. The split on five in their race last Saturday was 95 seconds.
Chicago University
3rd – Fenton Sectional Overview – The Maroons used a top five finish from Amanda O’Donnell to get this team back into the state meet with a third-place finish. The split on the pack that was 84 seconds behind O’Donnell was at 62 seconds. O’Donnell could be among the top 45 runners in Saturday’s race.
River Forest Trinity
4th – Fenton Sectional Overview – Kate Foley led Trinity to a fourth-place team finish at Fenton’s sectional to and the state meet. The team had a 160 second split off Foley with Alexis Cohn 21 seconds behind their teammate. Both runners could be among the top 80 runners in this race.
Chicago Solorio Academy
5th – Fenton Sectional Overview – The fifth-place finish from this team put them into the state meet lineup for the first time in the program’s history. The Sun Warriors only had a 26 second split on their top four runners led by Guadalupe Martinez. Solorio was only 13 points behind Trinity in their sectional race. They could finish ahead of their sectional rival in this race. More news |
