Buffalo Grove boys team picking up speed
Buffalo Grove’s boys cross country team continues to impress.
BG won its first ever Mid-Suburban East division title on Wednesday, and came back on Saturday to take second to Neuqua Valley at the Lockport Invite in the 20-team field.
Neuqua Valley, ranked second in the Illinois Cross Country Coaches poll, took first with 80 points, followed by No. 8 Buffalo Grove (88 points), No. 13 Hinsdale Central (99 points), and No. 4 Naperville North (114 points).
Buffalo Grove senior Jereme Atchison took first individually in 15:16 on the rugged 3.1-mile Dellwood Park course; that was seven seconds off the course record set by 2009 and 2010 Class 3A state champion Lukas Verzbicas of Sandburg.
Neuqua Valley senior Mark Derrick took second for the Wildcats
BG senior Taras Didenko (15:41) secured third place, followed by senior Dan Roe (16:10) and sophomore Steve Salvano (16:11) who took 14th and 15th place.
The Bison also received a big lift from Ryan Degelmann (17:10) who took 64th place.
Peoria Invitational
Senior J.P. Manzanarez (15:08) and senior Brendan Theilsen (15:13) took 13th and 15th place to lead Rolling Meadows to third place with 188 points at the Peoria Invitational on the Detweiller Course.
York, which did not run its top varsity lineup, won the meet with 117 points, followed by McHenry (158 points).
Decatur MacArthur senior Michael Clevenger, the defending Class 2A state champion, took first in a solid 14:20, nipping Edwardsville senior Garrett Sweatt (14:22).
Girls cross country
Junior Brooke Wolfe (16:59) took second place in leading Prospect to the team title at the Peoria Invitational at Detweiller Park.
Prospect, ranked 14th in the Illinois Cross Country Coaches poll placed four runners in the top 31 in taking the title with 129 points. No. 5 Downers Grove South (144 points) took second, followed by No. 13 Hoffman Estates (152 points), and Glenbrook North (237 points).
Glenbard East senior Lindsey Rakosink took the individual title, hitting the tape in an impressive 16:48.
Wolfe hit the mile mark in 19th place, but the Knights junior came on strong in the final mile.
Senior Laura Maibuecher (17:54) took 20th place for the Knights, followed by junior Lauren Poplawski (18:08), senior Kate Welch (18:14), and sophomore Rachel Henk (18:31) who took 29th, 31st, and 47th place to secure the title.
Senior Haley Goers (17:08) and senior Haley Worman (17:31) took third and eighth place to lead Hoffman’s attack.
Rolling Meadow sophomore Vanessa Sanchez (18:03) took 25th place for the Mustangs.
Wheaton North flight invite: Lake Park junior Kaylee Flanagan continued her impressive season by taking first place in the top flight of the Wheaton North Flight Invitational in 16:48.
Flanagan was followed by Naperville Central senior Amanda Fox (16:58). York’s Emma Fischer, Glenbard West’s Madeline Perez, and New Trier’s Courtney Ackerman.
Top-ranked New Trier won five of the seven flights to take the team title with 15 points, followed by No. 6 Glenbard West (35 points) and No. 2 Wheaton Warrenville South (36 points).