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St. Charles East starts season with a bang

Mike Arenberg might be in his first year as St. Charles East girls cross country coach, but he knew he was stepping into a good situation.

The veteran coach helped out with the Saints girls track and field team last spring. He worked with the 3,200 state champion relay that played a big part in helping St. Charles East take third in the state in Class 3A.

Some of those key runners from track also are making an impact this fall in cross country, and the Saints couldn't have got their season started in much better fashion than winning the Jeff Leavey Invitational Saturday at Leroy Oakes.

St. Charles East won going away with 58 points ahead of Batavia (90), Barrington (96), Geneva (99) and York (123) in the 12-team field.

Anastasia Honea is one of those runners, a sophomore who finished as the Saints' No. 3 runner Saturday and 12th overall.

"She's a great track runner and she's starting to understand she can run cross country," Arenberg said.

The Saints were led by senior Torree Scull who passed Batavia freshman Emma Stephens in the final seconds of the race to take third overall. Fellow seniors Anna Arrick and Jordan Luedtke finished 13th and 24th, respectively.

"My seniors Torree and Jordan have been two very good captains," Arenberg said.

Scull has been running at or near the top of the St. Charles East lineup since she was a freshman. Her four years of high school have gone by about as fast as she covers a cross country course.

"It's definitely weird being a senior," Scull said. "I honestly don't feel like a senior. It seems like just yesterday I was a freshman not really knowing what I was doing."

The Saints will be tested again this weekend when they run against a strong field at Lake Park.

Instant impact: Four of the top 11 runners Saturday were freshmen, including Barrington's Jocelyn Long in ninth, Stephens and Marygrace Golden from Batavia in fourth and 11th, respectively, and runner-up Audrey Ernst from St. Charles North.

Ernst's reputation proceeded her this fall. North Stars coach Shari Hayes has known her since Ernst was in fourth grade and started attending St. Charles North running camps. Ernst also has made a big name for herself in triathlons, and even opposing coaches knew of her from junior high races.

"We knew the freshman from St. Charles North would be that good," St. Charles East coach Mike Arenberg said. "I watched her junior high races. I knew that girl would come in and be all-state her freshman year."

"All her ability and training is based on what she does with her triathlon coaches," Hayes said. "I'm not taking credit for her.

"She's just incredible. I don't know what else to say about her except she's good. She's the real deal."

Ernst said the cross county races are about the same distance as most of the running she does in triathlons. She finished second at the U.S. youth national triathlon championships this summer and also finished second in her 13-15 age group at the age group championships in Milwaukee to qualify for the worlds next September in Chicago.

"Mainly I work on swimming and biking and running when I can," Ernst said. "Biking is one of my favorites. Through that I have learned to run. I have been working on all my events."

Ernst looked like a natural Saturday, running stride for stride with Jacobs senior Lauren VanVlierbergen for the first two miles before finishing nine seconds off her pace. VanVlierbergen took fourth in the state last year and is thought by many to be the No. 1 or No. 2 runner in the state this year.

"I just tried to go out and have fun and see what she can do," Ernst said. "A mile and a half into the woods I was just trying to keep where I was but she's just such a great runner, she pulled away from me. She kept pushing the pace and I eventually died out a little and she got in front of me. It was ally fun to be able to finish where I finished."

Ernst's runner-up finish Saturday to one of the state's best followed a victory in her first invite last week at Elgin.

"I never thought I could do this well," Ernst said. "It's just a fun time. I love it."

Waiting game: That group of freshmen doesn't include a pair from Geneva that Vikings coach Bob Thomson said could be in his top seven by the end of the year.

Thomson's philosophy is to let his newcomers start the year running with kids their own age.

"Even when we won the state title we had (Kelly) Whitley didn't run (varsity at the start)," Thomson said. "They are nervous already today for their first big meet, then to put them in a varsity race? When you look back on the season, you were third (at an early-season invite) that you cold have won that meet if you put them in? That doesn't really matter."

Thomson also said he is encouraged by the numbers who came out for his boys program.

"We've got some new faces," said Thomson. "We're young. It's one of the biggest we've ever had numbers wise. We just have to develop the talent now. If the kids are willing to run I think we can do that."

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