2023 First to the Finish Invitational Meet Preview

By Michael Newman

The first big meet in the mecca of Illinois High School Cross-County at Detweiller Park kicks off with the First of the Finish Invitational with a new meet schedule. The first race starts at 8:00 AM with the Girls 1A race and continues with a race starting every 40 minutes. The Open Girls race starts at 12:00 PM. The Boys Open race begins at 12:40 PM. MEET INFORMATION

The weather looks great for Saturday meaning we could have some fantastic races taking place. 202 schools have entered in this meet. There are 104 ranked teams (ILXCTF rankings) among the six Varsity races that take place. 5447 runners are entered in the meet’s eight races.

Here is a look at each of the six Varsity races that will take place Saturday morning at Detweiller Park.

Class 1A Girls – 8:00 AM

Ranked Teams (20): #1 Tolono Unity, #2 Anna-Jonesboro, #4 Eureka, #5 Pleasant Plains, #6 Father McGivney, #7 Williamsville, #9 Peoria Notre Dame, #11 El Paso-Gridley, #14 Chicago Latin School, #16 Montini Catholic, #19 Marshall, #20 Marshall, #20 Elmwood, #21 Cambridge, #22 Aurora Central Catholic, #24 Clinton, #25 IC Catholic Prep, #26 Toulon Stark County,  #27 Seneca, #29 Stanford Olympia; Abington-Avon, Argenta-Oreana, Auburn, Beecher, Bloomington Central Catholic, Bloomington Cornerstone, Byron, Carlinville, Champaign Academy, Dakota, Decatur St. Teresa, Deer Creek-Mackinaw, Durand, Erie, Fairbury Prairie Central, Farmington, Forreston, Genoa-Kingston, Gillespie, Henry-Senachwine, Heyworth, Hinckley-Big Rock, Illini Bluffs, Johnsburg, Kewanee Wethersfield, Liberty, Maryville Christian, Monmouth-Roseville, Montini Catholic, Okawville, Oregon, Ottawa Marquette, Peoria Christian, Peoria Heights, Peoria Manual, Peru St. Bede, Princeville, Riverton, Rock Island Alleman, Rockford Christian, Rockford Lutheran, ROWVA/Williamsfield, St. Joseph-Ogden, Stanford Olympia, Tuscola, Urbana University, Westmont, Winnebago

Class 1A Runners to Watch – Mia Kotler, Chicago Latin School; Molly Farrell, Marshall; Louisa Wilson, Williamsville; Kate Foltz, Tuscola; Emily Downing, Cambridge; Jadyn Gerard, Anna-Jonesboro; Kennady Anderson, Kewanee-Wethersfield; Elana Rybak, Father McGivney; Kaitlyn Hatley, Father McGivney; Erica Woodard, Tolono Unity; Emily Decker, Tolono Unity; Mackenzie Pound, Tolono Unity, Savannah Fransen, St. Joseph-Ogden; Cecilia Hilby, Aurora Central Catholic; Sydney Gersten, Montini Catholic; Meika Bender, Eureka;  Ellen Anderson, Chicago Latin School; Evelyn O’Connor, Seneca; Lexi Lord, Clinton; Nellie Melick, El Paso-Gridley; Addie Symonds, Elmwood; Arianna Neisen, Liberty; Caroline Tepe, Okawville; Madeleine Fox, Marshall; Julia Mingus, Peoria Notre Dame, Caroline Willenborg, Pleasant Plains; Abigail Wolters, Pleasant Plains; Morgan Capriola, Winnebago.

Race Notes – Mia Kotler made some noise in her opening race last week at Hinsdale Central running 17:05 to win ahead of a tough field. She will be one of the favorites in this race and could possibly run under 17-minutes. There is deep talent in the first race of the morning. There are 10 runners that could place among the top five finishers. Katie Foltz destroyed a good field at Charleston and will be among the leaders. Louisa Wilson finished third at state last fall. She easily won a race on her home course and will be expected to be up front. Molly Farrell started out strong this fall and should be in the top five. Elana Rybak’s first race at Mascoutah on August 26 gave her a 17:35 win. Rybak and Kaitlyn Hatley will be among the front runners. Emily Downing finished ahead of Kennady Anderson at Wetherfield’s home meet on August 28 and will be in the front. Keep an eye on freshman Jadyn Gerardi. She was the #1 runner for Anna Jonesboro at Murphysboro a week ago and could be a bug surprise in this race. Also watch for Cecilia Hilby and Sydney Gersten to possibly sneak into the top 10.

20 of the top 30 ILXCTF ranked Class 1A teams are in this race. All eyes will be on two-time Class 1A State Meet defending state champions Tolono Unity. It is hard to judge this team after running a flighted meet at Chrisman. They won 6 of the 7 flights led by Emily Decker and Erica Woodard. One of those runners could be in the top 10 individually. Unity could place their scorers in the first 40 places. Anna-Jonesboro has a top runner and a good pack behind her. That should be good to get this team in the top five. There was a 95 second split between Gerardi and Aleah Box in their first race last week at Murphysboro. Their split from Box to fifth runner Liz Hammer was 42 seconds. Not bad for a 1A race. The more runners in the field could close this gap for the Wildcats. Eureka had a good opener at Metamora two weeks ago and will pack it up behind Meika Bender. Pleasant Plains has Caroline Willenborg and Abigail Wolters that could finish in the top 20. They also have the pack that could put them among the top three teams. Father McGivney could have Elana Rybak and Kaitlyn Hatley among the top 15 runners in this race. Their third runner Jane Cummings could be among the top 50 runners. Watch to see where their fourth and fifth runners place to determine where this team finishes. With a race that has so many good teams, we may see any of the top six teams mentioned falling out of the top five. This meet is worth getting to Detweiller Park before 8 AM.

Class 1A Boys – 8:40 AM

Ranked Teams (17): #2 Tuscola, #3 St. Joseph-Ogden, #4 Peoria Notre Dame, #5 Pleasant Plains, #6 Aurora Central Catholic, #8 Eureka, #9 Clinton, #12 Elmwood, #13 Rockford Christian, #14 Montini Catholic, #15 Urbana University, #16 Erie, #18 El Paso-Gridley, #19 Stanford Olympia, #22 Winnebago, #26 Decatur St. Teresa, #30 Deer Creek-Mackinaw; Abington-Avon, Anna Jonesboro, Argenta-Oreana, Auburn, Beecher, Bloomington Central Catholic, Bloomington Cornerstone, Byron, Cambridge, Carlinville, Cerro-Gordo-Bement, Champaign Academy, Cullom-Tri Point, Dakota, Durand, Fairbury Prairie Central, Farmington, Father McGivney, Forreston, Galva-Mid County, Genoa-Kingston, Gillespie, Henry-Senachwine, Heyworth, Hinckley-Big Rock, IC Catholic Prep, Illini Bluffs, Johnsburg, Kewanee Wethersfield, Liberty, Maryville, Monmouth-Roseville, Normal Calvary, Okawville, Oregon, Ottawa Marquette, Peoria Christian, Peoria Heights, Peoria Manual, Peru St. Bede, Princeville, Putnam County, Riverton, Rock Island Alleman, Rockford Lutheran, ROWVA/Williamsfield, Seneca, Steeleville, Stockton, Toulon Stark County, Westmont, Williamsville

Class 1A Runners to Watch – Jackson Barrett, Tuscola; Josiah Hortin, Tuscola; Patrick Hilby, Aurora Central Catholic; Weston Forward, Rockford Christian; Isaiah Hill, Elmwood; Carson Maroon, St. Joseph-Ogden; Will Foltz, Tuscola; Nicolai Martino, Winnebago; Evan Cook, Decatur St. Teresa; Dylan Howell, Cerro Gordo-Bement; Andrew Elward, Peoria Notre Dame, Jack Willenbourg, Pleasant Plains; Drew Moser, Clinton; Nolan Ferris, Montini Catholic; Brady Monk, Eureka; Tim Starwalt, Byron; Dean Witzig, El Paso-Gridley; Ben Bohr, Aurora Central Catholic, Andrew Kurien, Rockford Christian, Cayton Cratch, Steeleville.

Race Notes – The Tuscola duo of Jackson Barrett and Josiah Hortin like to run together and could finish 1-2 in this race if they pull away from the field early, In steps Patrick Hilby who is running with more confidence after running 1:48 for 800-meters on the track last spring. Hilby does have that finishing speed to make things uncomfortable for the rest of the field. Carson Maroon, Weston Forward, and Isaiah Hill all have looked strong to start the season. They will be near the front in this race. Will Foltz will help Tuscola in the team race finishing in the top 10. It will be wide open for a top 10 finish. Drew Moser and Dylan Howell could surprise this field finishing in the top five.

We can’t judge Tuscola’s performance from last week at Charleston when one second separated their top five runners. They are the class of this field. It would not surprise me if they win by 50-75 points. There are 19 ranked teams in this race. Six of those teams are ranked in the top 10 along with Tuscola. St. Joseph-Ogden has a good pack behind their top runner Carson Maroon. It is wide open with those five other teams. Aurora Central Catholic could be the surprise team in this race.

Class 2A Girls – 9:20 AM

Ranked Teams (20): #1 Washington, #2 Chatham-Glenwood, #3 Grayslake Central, #4 Dunlap, #6 Normal University, #7 Mt. Zion, #10 Morton, #11 Mahomet-Seymour, #13 Lake Forest, #15 Nazareth Academy, #16 Lakes Community, #17 Champaign Centennial, #19 Effingham,  #21 Antioch, #22 Champaign Central, #23 Metamora, #25 Lemont, #27 Dixon,#28 Urbana,  #29 Wheaton St. Francis; Belvidere, Belvidere North, Breese Central, Bremen, Burlington Central, Canton, Charleston, Chicago Agricultural Science, Chicago University, Chillicothe Illinois Valley Central, Columbia, Crystal Lake South, Danville, East Peoria, Evergreen Park, Freeburg, Freeport, Galesburg, Geneseo, Glenbard South, Herrin, Jacksonville, Jerseyville, Lawrenceville, Lincoln, Macomb, Marengo, Maroa-Forsyth, Morris, Olney East Richland, Ottawa, Peoria, Peoria Richwoods, Plano, Pontiac, River Forest Trinity, Rochelle, Rock Falls, Rockford Boylan, Sandwich, Sterling, Streator, Sycamore, Tinley Park, Troy Triad, Urbana, Wheaton Academy, Woodstock

Class 2A Runners to Watch – Becca Heitzig, Lincoln; Sundara Weber, Sandwich; Natalie Bierbaum, Normal University; Sophia Ramirez, Washington; Zoe Carter, Normal University; Paige-Erica Caruth, Lakes Community; Ali Londrigan, Chatham-Glenwood; Bella Domier, Grayslake Central; Ashlyn Chopra, Chatham-Glenwood; Makensi Martin, Morris; Abby Tudeen, Dunlap; Ava Henne, Grayslake Central; Jordan Sutter, Grayslake Central; Margaret Andrzejewski, Wheaton St. Francis; Madison Twarling; Lakes Community; Olivia Nordhielm, Washington; Lucy Schlachtenhaufen, Lake Forest; Ava Boyd, Mahomet-Seymour; Lana Alcorn, Normal University; Aleigha Garrison, Champaign Central; Piper Ipsen, Antioch; Abigail Burke, Burlington Central; Jessica Larsen, Effingham; Brooklyn Sweikar, Champaign Centennial; Katie Sell, Dunlap; Farah Scott, Champaign Centennial; Sophia Towne, Nazareth Academy, Niki Tselios, Lemont; Avery Braker, Morton; Audrey Heil, Metamora; Renee Ballard, Mt. Zion; Ariel Hernandez, Rock Falls, Marley Yau, Urbana.

Race Notes – The individual race in this classification is just as deep as the team race. Sundara Weber moved up to Class 2A after finishing second in Class 1A last year. Her track performances finished second in the 3200 Meter Run and third in the 1600 Meter Run in the Class 2A State Meet. Weber has won all three of her races so far this season and will be in the front in this race. Becca Heitzig has not raced “officially” yet this season. She did run with Lincoln’s Boys team at a meet at Carlinville on August 29. She did run 17:06 even though she was not in the results. We know she is in great physical condition making this race interesting. Natalie Bierbaum easily won at Clinton on August 26 to start the season and will be in the front in this race. Three runners that could challenge for top five finishes include Sophia Ramirez, Paige-Erica Caruth, and Zoe Carter. Ali Londrigan opened her high school career finishing second last week at Granite City. It will not surprises me if she is near the front in this race. Just like the 1A Girls race, this run is flooded with good runners.

8 of the top 11 teams in Class 2A are in this race. Any of the top four teams entered could end up winning the team title. Washington could have 2 runners in the top 15 with Sophia Ramirez and Olivia Nordheilm. The Panthers need to have a tight pack behind their top two runners. Chatham-Glenwood is young but deep in talent with three runners in the top seven being freshman. They responded at Granite City last week with a 62 second split on their top 7. That kind of race in Peoria gives them the team title. Defending two-time Class 2A State Champion Grayslake Central won at Lake County and came back three days later to finish behind York and Barrington at St. Charles East. 2-3 of their runners could finish in the top 15. Keeping all 5 runners within 60 seconds of each other put them in line for the win. Dunlap could have Abby Tudeen among the top 10 in this race. Their pack is equal to the other three teams in this race. Don’t be surprised if the Eagles win on Saturday. Races in this class all season will have questions asked on who the top team in Class 2A are. We will get an answer on Saturday that will last one week. It will be extremely close after the race is over at Detweiller Park.

Class 2A Boys – 10:00 AM

Ranked Teams (19): #1 Morton, #3 Normal University, #4 St. Ignatius College Prep, #5 Prairie Ridge, #6 Woodstock, #9 Glenbard South, #10 Grayslake Central, #12 Kaneland, #15 Chatham-Glenwood, #16 Mt. Zion, #17 Geneseo, #18 Washington, #19 Troy Triad, #20 Sterling, #23 Chicago Latin School, #27 Pontiac, #28 Lakes Community, #29 Burlington Central, #30 Sycamore; Antioch, Belvidere, Belvidere North, Breese Central, Bremen, Brother Rice, Burlington Central, Canton, Champaign Centennial, Champaign Central, Charleston, Chicago Agricultural Science, Chicago University, Chillicothe Illinois Valley, Columbia, Crystal Lake South, Danville, Dixon, Dunlap, East Peoria, Effingham, Evergreen Park, Freeburg, Freeport, Galesburg, Herrin, Jacksonville, Jerseyville, Lake Forest, Lawrenceville, Lemont, Lincoln, Macomb, Marengo, Maroa-Forsyth, Metamora, Morris, Nazareth Academy, Olney East Richland, Ottawa, Peoria, Peoria Richwoods, Plano, Rochelle, Rock Falls, Rockford Boylan,  Sandwich, Streator, Tinley Park, Urbana, Wheaton Academy, Wheaton St. Francis

Class 2A Runners to Watch – Ethan Hogan, Columbia; Dale Johnson, Sterling; Trey Sato, Grayslake Central; Julian Baker, Mt. Zion; Ishan Patel, Woodstock; Will Gelon, Prairie Ridge; Evan Nosek, Kaneland; Josh Weeks, Morton; Yonas Wuthrich, Morton; Matthew Conroy, St. Ignatius College Prep; Dylan Gehl, Geneseo; Jaden Frederick, Glenbard South; Ryan Kries, Burlington Central; Mason Hart, Normal University; David Valkanov, Kaneland; Drew Twyman, Troy Triad; Aryan Patel, Woodstock; Andrew Pace, Troy Triad; Ben Gibson, Chicago Latin School; Christian Harris, Morton; Van Schneider, Chatham-Glenwood; Aaron Conderman, Dixon; Jack Davey, Lemont; Aidan Lee, Pontiac; Naif Al-Harby, Sycamore; Gavin O’Connor, Brother Rice, Sam Tellefson, Washington; Rocco Cipolla, Evergreen Park.

Race Notes – This will be a great individual race, maybe the best of the 6 varsity races that will take place at Detweiller Park on Saturday morning. Ethan Hogan will race on this course once before we get to November. The weather will be conducive for some fast times. We will have to wait and see what happens with that. How do the performances from track transfer over to Detweiller Park on Saturday. We could get that answered by the first mile of this race. Hogan will be pushed in this race by Dale Johnson. The senior finished second at last year’s state meet, finished second behind Hogan at Charleston. Johnson has looked great in his first two races of the season. Let’s see how fast Hogan and Johnson push each other in this race. Trey Sato has also improved and could play a factor in this race. Sato in the last week won at Lake County and St. Charles East used wicked kicks to win both meets. Keep an eye on him in this race. Evan Nosek, Julian Baker, Ishan Patel, Josh Weeks, and Will Gelon all could be factors in the top five in this race.

The team race is wide open with 19 ranked teams in this race. Morton has a solid first three with Josh Weeks, Yonas Wuthrich, and Christian Harris placing 2 in the top 10, 3 in the top 20. The three runners came in together last week giving Morton an impressive win at Galesburg. Keeping their top 5 split under 54 seconds could give them the team win. Normal University is up to Class 2A after finishing fourth in Class 1A the past two years. The Pioneers ran a 25 second split on their top five in their opening meet two weeks ago at Clinton. U-High may not have a runner in the top 15, but their pack running could take them to a win. St. Ignatius College Prep opened with a close win at their home opener at Lewis University last Saturday. Matt Conroy led the team last week and could finish in the top 10. Their top five split in that meet was 54 seconds. That pack and split need to get closer to Conroy for the Wolfpack to come back to Chicago for the team win. Grayslake Central did not have their best two races to open the season last week. The split off Sato will need to close down for the Rams to challenge for a top three finish.

Class 3A Girls – 10:40 AM

Ranked Teams (14): #3 Naperville North, #5 Barrington, #6 Naperville Central, #7 Yorkville, #9 Lyons Township, #12 Hampshire, #13 Minooka, #16 Edwardsville, #17 Wheaton-Warrenville South, #18 Batavia, #21 Plainfield North, #24 Metea Valley, #27 Wheaton North,  #30 Evanston Township; Addison Trail, Algonquin Jacobs, Argo, Berwyn-Cicero Morton, Bolingbrook, Bradley-Bourbonnais, Buffalo Grove, Deerfield, DeKalb, Dundee-Crown, East Moline United, Granite City, Highland Park, Libertyville, Lockport Township, Mather, McHenry, Moline, New Trier, Niles West, Normal Community West, Riverside-Brookfield, Rock Island, Rockford Auburn, Rockford Guilford, Rockford Jefferson, Rockton Hononegah, Stagg, Vernon Hills, Willowbrook

Class 3A Runners to Watch – Scout Storms, Barrington; Danielle Jensen, McHenry; Julie Piot, Naperville North; Nicole Poglitsch, Wheaton-Warrenville South; Maya Ledesma, Minooka; Rianna Tandon, Naperville North; Shania Tandon, Naperville North; Julie Bach, Normal Community West; Bailey Schwartz, Jacobs; Abby Lewis, Barrington; Emily Offutt, Wheaton North; Sophia Keeler, Yorkville; Ella Thompson, Edwardsville; Hudson Szymoniak, Hampshire; Alegra Triner, Yorkville; Kylie Simpson, Rockton Hononegah; Mia Sirois, Barrington, Julianne Melby, Lyons Township; Elsie Czarniewski, Plainfield North; Marlie Czarniewski, Plainfield North; Korima Gonzalez, DeKalb; Madison Popelar, Edwardsville; Avery Hacker, Batavia; Madelin Mellin, Bradley-Bourbonnais; Stella Davis, Evanston Township; Amanda Pocica, Stagg.

Race Notes – Most eyes will be on Lake Park for the Girls race at that meet. This meet has that equal anticipation when the gun goes off just after 10:40 on Saturday. Scout Storms controlled the race last Saturday at St. Charles East running 17:19 on the hills of Northwestern Medicine XC Course. She will be the runner to chaise in this meet. Liv Phillips ran 17:25 to finish second last week at Hinsdale Central and ran 17:21 on this course in July. She will be on a college visit and will not race on Saturday per her parents. Danielle Jensen could be the surprise. She dominated the McHenry County race two weeks ago. The confidence she has received from a good track season will help her this fall including at Detweiller on Saturday. Nicole Poglitsch opened some eyes in last Saturday’s meet at Hinsdale Central finishing fourth. It would not be a surprise for her to finish in the top five. Julie Piot did not race last week in Iowa but is entered to run on Saturday. If Piot does run, she could be among the top five in this race along with teammates Rianna and Shania Tandon. Keep an eye on Hudson Szymoniak who has a good start to her junior season. She has finished second at Kane County and Sycamore before winning last Saturday at Machesney Park. A top 10 finish on Saturday is within her reach.

Naperville North, even without Julie Piot in their lineup, would still be the favorite for the team title in this meet. With Piot in there along with the Tandon sisters, the Huskies could have 3 runners in the top 10 and then a strong pack that could help them finish high in this meet. Barrington looked strong last week finishing second behind York and will be a factor in this meet. Storms, Abby Lewis, and freshman Mia Sirois all could be among the top 12 in this meet. Their fourth and fifth runners will need to move closer to their front three for the Fillies to challenge for the win. Naperville Central and Yorkville looked strong last week in last Saturday’s meets that they were in and could get close to the front on Saturday. There are 10 teams ranked in the top 20 in the state all that could be among the top five in the Class 3A race.

Class 3A Boys – 11:20 AM

Ranked Teams (14): #1 Downers Grove North, #3 New Trier, #6 Lyons Township, #7 Plainfield South, #8 Highland Park, #12 Plainfield North, #13 Evanston Township, #16 Naperville Central, #20 Deerfield, #25 Riverside-Brookfield, #26 Yorkville, #28 Lincoln-Way Central, #29 Batavia, #30 Glenbard West; Addison Trail, Algonquin Jacobs, Andrew, Argo, Batavia, Berwyn-Cicero Morton, Bolingbrook, Bradley-Bourbonnais, Buffalo Grove, Cary-Grove, DeKalb, Dundee-Crown, East Moline United, Edwardsville, Glenbard West, Granite City, Hampshire, Lockport Township, Maine South, Mather, McHenry, Metea Valley, Minooka, Moline, Naperville Central, Niles North, Normal Community West, Oak Lawn Richards, Rock Island, Rockford Auburn, Rockford Guilford, Rockford Jefferson, Rolling Meadows,  Stagg, Vernon Hills, Waubonsie Valley, Willowbrook

Class 3A Runners to Watch – Camen Viger, Plainfield South; Ben Crane, New Trier; Ryan Eddington, Downers Grove North; Caden Weber, Downers Grove North; Nicholas Strayer, Lyons Township; Cillian Henning, Lyons Township; Dylan Maloney. Plainfield South; Landon Harris, Granite City; Grant Schroeder, Downers Grove North; Cooper Marrs, Riverside-Brookfield; Quinn Davis, Plainfield North; Nate Wehner, Highland Park; Jeremiah Lanum, Bradley-Bourbonnais; Brian Hatoum, Highland Park; Owen Stahl, Plainfield North; Max Maloney, Lockport Township; Jake Younger, Yorkville; Owen Horeni, Yorkville; Hussein Almousawi, Bolingbrook; Dylan Cohen, Deerfield; Mohamed Abdullahi, Mather; Tyler Browning, Naperville Central; Jacob Barraza, DeKalb; Ben Perulfi, Edwardsville; Ari Elmayan, Niles North; Charles Blackmer, Vernon Hills.

Race Notes – Camyn Viger is the defending meet champion and will be the favorite in this race. Viger stayed with the pack in last year’s race and then pulled away to run 14:22.8 for the race win. Viger has already run 14:36 this season. He could surpass last year’s winning time on Saturday. Ben Crane made a move half way through his win last week at Hinsdale Central also running under 15:00. Let’s see how he races Viger in this race. Nicholas Strayer and Cillian Henning were within a second of each other in their home 1-2 finish last Saturday. He will be among the front runners on Saturday. Dylan Maloney could finish anywhere from 5 to 10 in this race. Landon Harris finished fifth last week at his home invitational. The freshman could finish in the top 10, but in what place?

Downers Grove North ran a 34 second split last week in their top seven runners last week in Wisconsin. Ryan Eddington, Caden Weber, and Grant Schroeder could be among the top 10 runners in this race. It could be 3-4 other runners that step in. The Trojans are extremely deep. A 30 second split on their top 5  could cement their team win in this meet. New Trier looked strong in almost winning last week at Hinsdale Central losing by two points to Hersey last week. The Trevians look strong through their top four runners. Moving their pack close to those four gets this team a top three finish. Lyons Township has the low numbers in the front with Strayer and Henning. The same applies for the Lions in this race getting their next four runners closer. Defending 3A State Champion Plainfield South has the solid top two with Viger and Maloney. They have the talent in their 3-7 pack but was 54 seconds behind their front two in the Plainfield City Championships last week. It’s getting that pack closer to Maloney to help influence the top of the standings in this meet.