2021 First to the Finish Invitational - Race Previews

 

 

By Michael Newman

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Welcome back to Detweiller Park!

 

All roads lead to this fabled Illinois course for Saturday’s First to the Finish Invitational. The first race is at 9:00 AM with the Girls 1A race. Races start every 40 minutes after that. The 1A and 2A races will go in the morning with open races at 11:40 AM and 12:20 PM before the 3A races early in the afternoon.

 

The course should be fast with the first real cross-country race in this venue since the IHSA State Meet in 2019. The weather could be a concern with temperatures near 90 degrees by early afternoon.

 

The weather could determine if teams’ run their full squads. It is an ACT testing Saturday where we could see some teams missing key runners.

 

96 teams that are ranked by ILXCTF.com are in this meet. The 2A Boys race at 11:00 AM have the most with 20 teams in that field.

 

Here are some of things to watch for in the six of eight varsity races that will take place on Saturday.

 

Live Results Link | Meet Homepage | Box Assignments

 

 

Class 1A Girls – 9:00 AM

 

Teams (18 Ranked) – #1 Winnebago, #4 Eureka, #5 Tolono Unity, #7 Wheaton Academy, #8 Urbana University, #11 Stanford Olympia, #12 Bloomington Central Catholic, #14 Father McGivney, #15 IC Catholic Prep, #16 Rock Island Alleman, #17 Seneca, #21 Williamsville, #22 Rock Falls, #24 Clinton, #26 Rockford Christian, #27 El Paso-Gridley, #28 Byron, #29 Elmwood;  Anna-Jonesboro, Argenta-Oreana, Aurora Central Catholic, Beecher, Bloomington Cornerstone Academy, Bluford Webber, Cambridge, Carlinville, Champaign Academy, Chicago University, Cullom Tri-Point, Dakota, Decatur St. Teresa, Deer Creek-Mackinaw, Durand/Pecatonica, Erie, Farmington, Freeburg, Genoa-Kingston, Hamilton-West Hancock, Henry-Senachwine, Illinois Valley Central, Johnsburg, Kewanee Wethersfield, Lawrenceville, Liberty, Macomb, Marengo, Monmouth-Roseville, Montini, Oneida ROWVA, Ottawa Marquette, Peoria Christian, Peoria Manual, Pleasant Plains, Pontiac, Prairie Central, Princeville, Rockford Lutheran, Roxana, Steeleville, Stockton, Toulon Stark County, Tremont, Trenton-Wesclin, Westmont. Individuals: Flora, Illini Bluffs, Judah Christian

 

Runners to Watch – Anna Perry, Eureka; Kate Ahmari, Urbana University; Marissa Roggensack, Winnebago; Carly Manchester, IC Catholic Prep; Grace Erb, Winnebago, Kaylee Woolery, Winnebago; Elena Rybak, Father McGivney; Abigail Wolters, Pleasant Plains; Louisa Wilson, Williamsville; Lily Lebo, Wheaton Academy; Lizzy Szynal, Westmont, Graziella Narcisi, IC Catholic Prep; Aleigha Garrison, Judah Christian; Nora Brady, Bloomington Central Catholic.

 

Race Notes – 18 ranked teams are in this race. It is hard to dismiss #1 Winnebago as the favorite in this race. They have held this position since the beginning of the 2019 season and are not willing to give it up anytime soon. The Indians did not run their full line-up at Oregon last. They did last Tuesday on their home course in a 2.05-mile race led by Marissa Roggensack. Kaylee Woolery, Grace Erb, Rennie Rittmeyer, and Sophia Martino give the team a solid first five. Katie Erb has not raced yet this fall. She could be ready to go on Saturday. #4 Eureka started out strong at Metamora on August 31 led by the individual win from Anna Perry. The Hornets ran a 55 second split from their second to fifth runners in that race. They could make it snug for Winnebago. #5 Tolono Unity team depth could be a difference maker this week. In their opening race last week in the rain at Chrisman, the Rockets had their top 7 runners within 56 seconds of each other in a flighted race. A trio of sophomores, Erica Woodard, Olivia Shike, and Reagen Stringer will need top 20 finishes along with a 40 second slit for this team to surpass Eureka. #7 Wheaton Academy has started out the season strong and would like to continue that trend on Saturday led by Lily Lebo. #8 Urbana University and #11 Stanford Olympia have the talent to finish in the first four teams.

 

Anna Perry should be the individual in this race. It will not be a surprise if Kate Ahmari comes up with the win after strong wins at the Saber Korn Classic and then last week at Chrisman Cowchip. Carly Manchester has been one of the elite 1A runners in the state. I would keep an eye on her in this race.

 

 

 

Class 1A Boys – 9:40 AM

 

Teams (14 Ranked) – #3 Rockford Christian, #5 Stanford Olympia, #6 Decatur St. Teresa, #7 Normal University, #8 Elmwood, #9 Latin School, #12 Wheaton Academy, #14 Hamilton-West Hancock, #21 Williamsville, #22 Aurora Central Catholic, #23 Deer Creek-Mackinaw, #26 Eureka, #27 Freeburg, #28 Clinton; Anna-Jonesboro, Argenta-Oreana, Beecher, Bloomington Central Catholic, Bloomington Cornerstone Academy, Bluford Webber, Byron, Carmi, Champaign Academy, Chicago University, Cullom Tri-Point, Dakota, Durand/Pecatonica, El Paso-Gridley, Erie, Farmington, Father McGivney, Genoa-Kingston, IC Catholic Prep, Illinois Valley Central, Johnsburg, Kewanee Wethersfield, Lawrenceville, Liberty, Macomb, Marengo, Monmouth-Roseville, Montini, Oneida ROWVA, Ottawa Marquette, Peoria Christian, Peoria Heights, Peoria Manual, Pleasant Plains, Pontiac, Prairie Central, Princeville, Putnam County, Rock Falls, Rock Island Alleman, Rockford Lutheran, Roxana, Seneca, Steeleville, Stockton, Toulon Stark County, Tremont, Trenton-Wesclin, Urbana University, Westmont, Winnebago. Individuals: Flora, Galva Mid County, Judah Christian, Minonk Fieldcrest, Red Bud

 

Runners to Watch – Miles Sheppard, Hamilton-West Hancock; Akili Parekh, Latin School; Ben Gibson, Latin School; Sachit Muduli, Normal University; Brandt Henderson, Normal University; Thomas Harmon, Elmwood; Isaac Stanford, Flora; Noah Stout, Hamilton-West Hancock; Sheldon Powell, Wheaton Academy; James Stolfe, Aurora Central Catholic; Cannen Wolf, Liberty; Mason Stoeger, Minonk Fieldcrest; Nick Fehr, Red Bud.

 

Race Notes – This should be a wide-open team race. #3 Rockford Christian won at Oregon last Saturday. They have a strong front three with Weston Forward, Ethan Walsh, and Aidan Sosnowski. We will see if they cut down their top five split down from 95 seconds. #5 Olympia has been a surprise early this season. The Spartans had a top three split of 8 seconds last week at Normal and a 56 split overall led by Logan Demling and Owen Dare. That might be enough to win at Detweiller on Saturday. #6 St. Teresa stepped into the spotlight finishing second at Clinton on August 28. Caleb Kernaghan is a solid #1 runner. Their two to five split was under 60 seconds in that race. #7 Normal University finished behind St. Teresa in that Clinton race behind a 1-2 finish from Sachit Munduli and Brandt Henderson and will work on their packing in this race.   #8 Elmwood raced against Olympia at Normal and finished third. Thomas Harmon and Isaiah Hill give them a strong first two. Moving their pack towards the first two could be something to watch for. #9 Latin School has a solid 1-2 with Akili Parekh and freshman Ben Gibson. It is unclear if Ryan Hardiman will race. If so, Latin could be the team champions on Saturday. #12 Wheaton Academy and #14 Hamilton-West Hancock are teams that we could see in the top four.

 

It is hard to see anyone getting close to Miles Sheppard in this race. Sheppard has been winning by over a minute in low keyed races to start the season. The course should be fast. He could be under 15-minutes but how far under? Thomas Harmon and Akili Parekh appear to be the main runners to watch in the front along with Isaac Stanford.

 

 

 

Class 2A Girls – 10:20 AM

 

Teams (18 Ranked) – #1 Vernon Hills, #2 Grayslake Central, #3 Latin School, #5 Lake Forest, #6 Normal University, #8 Dunlap, #9 Mahomet-Seymour, #14 Metamora, #17 Dixon, #18 Wheaton St. Francis, #19 Nazareth Academy, #20 Payton Prep, #22 Morton, #23 Troy Triad, #25 Burlington Central, #26 Rockford Boylan, #29 Trinity, #30 Northside Prep; Antioch, Bartonville Limestone, Belvidere, Belvidere North, Bethalto Civic Memorial, Bremen, Canton, Cary-Grove, Champaign Centennial, Champaign Central, Charleston, Danville, East Peoria, Freeport, Galesburg, Geneseo, Glenbard South, Highland, Jacksonville, Jerseyville, Lemont, Lincoln, Maroa-Forsyth, Mather, Mattoon, Normal West, Olney Richland County, Ottawa, Peoria, Peoria Richwoods, Plano, Riverside-Brookfield, Rochester, Rochelle, Rock Island, Sterling, Streator, Sycamore, , Washington, Woodstock

 

Runners to Watch – Mia Kotler, Latin School; Bella Domier, Grayslake Central; Reina Hill, Vernon Hills; Colleen Zeibert, Rochester; Elia Ton-That, Northside-Prep; Zoe Carter, Normal University; Becca Heitzig, Lincoln; Anna Todd, Vernon Hills; Isabella Marasco, Lake Forest; Jocelyn Onstot, Cary-Grove; Sophia Lane, Lake Forest, Bryn Sato, Grayslake Central; Emma Smith, Dixon; Saniya Mathew, Dunlap; Isabella Anderson, Rockford Boylan; Ava Swiatek, Wheaton St. Francis, Rose Sheridan, Vernon Hills; Lily Baker, Sycamore, Colette Kinsella, Nazareth Academy, Emma Skinner, Morton.

 

Race Notes – This should be a fantastic team race with 7 top 10 teams in this race. #1 Vernon Hills ran strong races in the last week with their win at Lake County last Wednesday the one to look at. Their top three of Reina Hill, Anna Todd, and Rose Sheridan will need to stay close together again in this race. The team had a 78 second top five split at Lake County and 103 seconds last Saturday at Fenton. 75 seconds or under could get them the win. #2 Grayslake Central finished ahead of Vernon Hills at Fenton and have a solid top five led by Bela Domier and Bryn Sato. If not Vernon Hills in this race, then it is the Rams. #3 Latin School will be without their top runner Ava Parekh who is on a college visit this weekend. They do have super freshman Mia Kotler leading them. Hard to tell where the Romans will finish on Saturday. #5 Lake Forest ran their top runners Isabella Marasco and Sophia Lane down on the sophomore level last week at Hinsdale. There are no sophomore levels in this meet on this level. The Scouts do have the talent to finish in the top three. #6 Normal University, led by freshman Zoe Carter, was just moved back to 2A but have the talent to be among the top three in this race. #8 Dunlap has a good freshman group in their top five led by Saniya Mathew. Like Normal U-High and Lake Forest, this team has the talent to finish in the top five. #9 Mahomet-Seymour had a 6 second top five split last week in their win at Charleston. Ava Boyd was the team’s top runner and could be in the top 10 in this race.

 

With Ava Parekh not racing on Saturday, it opens this race up a little on who could cross the line first. Mia Kotler ran in the Sophomore race last week at Hinsdale and would have finished third overall. Kottler has the talent to run in the low 17’s in this race. Bella Domier should be right with Kotler in this race. Domier has great finish speed if this race comes down to a kick. This is a deep field behind these two runners with Zoe Carter, Becca Heitzig, Colette Kinsella, Emma Skinner, and Colleen Zeibert all capable of being in contention for the win. 2A 1600 Meter Run champion Elia Ton-That has yet to race this fall. If she races, I would keep an eye on her.

 

 

 

Class 2A Boys – 11:00 AM

 

Teams (20 Ranked) – #2 Grayslake Central, #3 Belvidere North, #4 Morton, #5 Deerfield, #6 Glenbard South, #7 Riverside-Brookfield, #12 Vernon Hills, #13 Wheaton St. Francis, #14 Metamora, #15 Kaneland, #16 Sycamore, #17 Woodstock, #18 Mather, #19 Dunlap, #22 Burlington Central, #23 Champaign Central, #24 Rochester, #25 Geneseo, #26 Cary-Grove, #28 Bethalto Civic Memorial; Antioch, Bartonville Limestone, Belvidere, Bremen, Canton, Champaign Centennial, Charleston, Danville, Dixon, East Peoria, Elmwood Park, Freeport, Galesburg, HL Richards, Highland, Jacksonville, Jerseyville, Lake Forest, Lemont, Lincoln, Maroa-Forsyth, Mattoon, Nazareth Academy, Normal West, Northside Prep, Oak Forest, Olney Richland County, Ottawa, Payton Prep, Peoria, Peoria Richwoods, Plano, Rochelle, Rock Island, Rockford Boylan, Sterling, Streator, Troy Triad, Washington.

 

Runners to Watch – Wilson Georges, Bartonville Limestone; Brenden Heitzig, Lincoln; Yusuf Baig, Burlington Central; Bryan Vale, Grayslake Central; Trey Sato, Grayslake Central; Yonas Wuthrich, Morton; Josh Weeks, Morton; Evan Horgan, Belvidere North; Dale Johnson, Sterling; Cooper Marrs, Riverside-Brookfield; Caleb Walker, Glenbard South; Ian Barnes, Cary-Grove, Christian Phillips, Kaneland; Naif Al Harby Sycamore, Andrew Pace, Troy Triad.

 

Race Notes – The top 2A team in the state Mahomet-Seymour is not here for this meet. The next six teams in the rankings, however, will be ready to race here. #2 Grayslake Central finished third at Fenton last Saturday behind 3A schools Hersey and Oak Park-River Forest. Bryan Vale and Trey Sato lead the Rams who will have hopes of winning this meet. #3 Belvidere North has been impressive early in this season. Their last race on their home course on Tuesday had a 57 second split on their top five, only 28 seconds on the top four led by Evan Horgan. #4 Morton was ranked at top for the pre-season. The teams behind them have just caught up. It will not be a surprise if the Potters win on Saturday especially with their top three of Yonas Wuthrich, Cade Zobrist, and Josh Weeks all finishing in the top 10. #5 Deerfield finished 13th at Hinsdale with a 63 second split off their top runner Lucas Moskovitz. #6 Glenbard South had a 39 second split on their first four last week at Sycamore but then a three-minute gap from four to five. The addition of a pair of sophomore runners in the front group could make this team a challenger for the win. #7 Riverside-Brookfield has a pair of strong front runners but will need to close their split of over two minutes to be among the top three teams in this meet.

 

Just like the 1A race, this Boys race has a clear favorite. Wilson Georges ran under 15-mnutes three times last fall on this course with a 14:50 best. He could be way under that time on this fast course on Saturday. It will be wide-open after Georges with runners such as Cooper Marrs, Yusuf Baig, and Brendan Heitzig leading the pack behind Georges.

 

 

 

Class 3A Girls – 1:00 PM

 

Teams (13 Ranked) – #2 Naperville North, #4 Minooka, #6 New Trier, #8 Naperville Central, #13 Lyons Township, #14 Barrington, #15 Yorkville, #17 Libertyville, #20 Lockport, #21 Jacobs, #22 Batavia, #28 Metea Valley, #6-1A St. Joseph-Ogden (1A); Addison Trail, Benet Academy, Berwyn-Cicero Morton, Bolingbrook, Bradley-Bourbonnais, Buffalo Grove, DeKalb, Dundee-Crown, East Moline, Edwardsville, Evanston Township, Hampshire, Highland Park, McHenry, Moline, Niles West, Pekin, Rockford Auburn, Rockford Guilford, Rockford Jefferson, Rockton Hononegah, West Chicago, Wheaton North, Willowbrook.

 

Runners to Watch – Katrina Schlenker, Batavia; Lucy Westlake, Naperville North; Liv Phillips, Naperville Central; Catherine Sommerfeld, Lyons Township, Jocelyn Host, Minooka; Anna Hunter, Yorkville; Beatrix Gibson, New Trier; Sophie Golobitsh, Naperville North, Sheila Tucker, Libertyville, Bree Ponchak, Libertyville, Kelly Carpenter, Jacobs; Gabriella McCollom, Minooka; Scout Storms, Barrington; Kari Drage, Barrington, Kayla Shea, Lockport.

 

Race Notes – The focus in this race should more be on the teams instead of the individuals. #2 Naperville North looked strong in their opening win last week at Pleasant Valley IA led by Lucy Westlake. They did this without one of their returning runners Sophie Gobolitsh in the varsity race. She won the Junior Varsity Race. Their top five split would have been only 41 seconds with her in the race. #4 Minooka won by four points at Hinsdale but did that without their top runner Jocelyn Host finishing the race. Their split would have been 67 seconds with her in the race. That split will need to drop if Minooka wants to claim the team title. #6 New Trier had a good race last week at Hinsdale led by a breakout race from Beatrix Gibson. Their top five split needs to come down for this team to win. #8 Naperville Central had a great race at Hinsdale and will look to repeat that effort this week. #13 Lyons Township won on their home course and could surprise some in this race. #14 Barrington and #15 Yorkville are teams that you should not count out in big meets like this.

 

If there is one runner that stands out above the rest, it could be Batavia’s Katrina Schlenker who has yet to race this season. She is on the team’s roster for this meet. If this is her first race of the year, then she could be the favorite. If no Schlenker, this race is wide-open. Lucy Westlake could claim the top prize. Catherine Sommerfeld was impressive on her home course last week and could leave Peoria with the win. Shelia Tucker and Beatrix Gibson are runners to watch. Liv Phillips had a good race at Hinsdale and could be the runner to surprise on Saturday.

 

 

 

Class 3A Boys – 1:40 PM

 

Teams (12 Ranked) – #2 Hinsdale Central, #5 Downers Grove North, #6 New Trier, #7 Neuqua Valley, #9 Edwardsville, #12 Waubonsie Valley, #16 Oswego East, #21 Minooka, #24 St. Ignatius, #27 Lyons Township, #28 Naperville Central, #10-1A St. Joseph-Ogden (1A); Addison Trail, Andrew, Batavia, Berwyn-Cicero Morton, Bolingbrook, Bradley-Bourbonnais,  Buffalo Grove, DeKalb, Dundee-Crown, East Moline, Evanston Township, Glenbard West, Granite City, Hampshire, Highland Park, Jacobs, Libertyville, Lincoln-Way Central, Lockport, Maine South, McHenry, Metea Valley, Moline, , Niles North, Normal Community, Pekin, Plainfield North, Plainfield South, Rockford Auburn, Rockford-Guilford, Rockford Jefferson, Rolling Meadows, Stevenson, Willowbrook, Yorkville, Zion-Benton

 

Runners to Watch – Daniel Watcke, Hinsdale Central; Nick Falk, New Trier; Roy Llewellyn, Downers Grove North, Zachary Balzer, Minooka; Oliver Burns, Plainfield North; Riley Newport, DeKalb, Caden Simone, Lincoln-Way Central; Noah Schalliol, Neuqua Valley; Quintin Lowe, Batavia; Karan Shetty, Downers Grove North, Charlie McLawhorn, Lyons Township, Aidan Gonzalez, Hampshire; Nate Wehner, Highland Park

 

Race Notes – #2 Hinsdale Central was dominating in their open meet of the season last week and should be in control on Saturday. Daniel Watcke will be one of the individual favorites. Their tight pack behind Watcke should be difference makers in this meet. #5 Downers Grove North will look to run down their conference rival in this meet. They have a tight pack in the front led by Roy Lewellyn. The team had a 50 second split on their top five last week. The key is three runners in before Hinsdale’s second runner and their fifth runner close to that Hinsdale pack. #6 New Trier was without their top runner Nick Falk last week. He is on their race roster for this meet. The Trevians had only a 22 second split on their top five at Hinsdale. Falk in the mix could have this team challenging for the win. #7 Neuqua Valley had a 57 second split on their top five last week at Hinsdale headed by Noah Schalliol. Tightening that pack up could get them in the top five in this race. #12 Waubonsie Valley could sneak up teams in this meet. The few that think that should look how well this team is running early this season. They finished second behind Downers Grove North last week at the Leavey Invitational with only an 18 second split on their top five. This is the kind of meet that the Warriors could thrive in. Getting their pack in before 30th place is something that could happen. #9 Edwardsville will not race their top runners Ryan Watts and Geo Patrylak in this race.  #16 Oswego East is not running their Varsity in this race. Look for big races from #27 Lyons Township, #21 Minooka, and #24 St. Ignatius in this meet.

 

Daniel Watcke and Nick Falk could be the runners to watch in this race if Falk runs. It could be wide-open after those two runners with Caden Simone, Oliver Burns, Roy Llewellyn, Karan Shelty, Charlie McLawhorn, and Riley Newport among the runners in the lead pack.