Spring title falls to Conant's Dale
PND Richard Spring Invite
Boys race: Conant senior Zach Dale entered the season as one of top returning runners in Illinois, and on Saturday at the Peoria Notre Dame Richard Spring Invitational he lived up to his billing.
Dale cruised to the title in 14:29 on the state course at Detweiller Park. Close behind him in an impressive second-place run was Hersey senior David Rodriguez (14:34).
Dale's mark is the second-fastest time on the state course this season. McHenry senior Jesse Reiser holds the top mark, having won the First to Finish meet the previous weekend in 14:20.
Sandburg, ranked No. 3 in the Illinois Track and Cross Country Coaches Class Poll in Class 3A, took the team title with 64 points, followed by Mahomet-Seymour (192 points) the No. 2 team in the Class 2A poll.
Loyola (207 points), Hersey (220 points), and York (234 points) rounded out the top five in 63-team field.
Rodriguez showed he also belongs as one of the elite runners in Illinois, as the senior led Hersey to a impressive fourth-place team finish. Senior Josh Plischke (15:12) gave the Huskies a 20th-place finish.
Senior Kyle Monahan (15:08) finished 16th place in helping Barrington take seventh.
Senior Graham Brown (15:06) and sophomore Brian Leonard (15:09) took 13th and 17th place for Palatine, which finished in 14th place.
Girls race: Junior Lindsay Graham took second in 16:51, leading defending Class 3A champion Glenbard West to the Peoria Notre Dame Richard Spring Invitational title with 70 points at Detweiller Park.
The Hilltoppers, ranked No. 1 in the ITCCCP, placed four runners in the top 14.
No. 5 Palatine also had a strong showing, placing five runners in the top 26 to take second with 80 points. Junior Kelly O'Brien (17:34) paced the Pirates with a sixth-place finish. Senior Megan Beach (17:55) and senior Amy Kieliszewski (18:00) led the second wave, finishing in 11th and 13th place.
Junior Sam Lechowicz (18:14) and senior Kara Burton (18:22) finished the scoring for the Pirates with a 24th- and a 26th-place finish. Freshman Lauryn Simons (18:23) finished 27th for the Pirates.
Downers Grove North (168 points), St. Charles East (197 points), and Schaumburg (223 points) rounded out the top five in the 57-team field. Senior Erin Falsey (17:54) led Schaumburg in 10th.
Peoria Notre Dame junior Maryjeanne Gilbert won the individual title in an impressive 16:30.
Minooka Flight Invitational
Girls race: Host Minooka ran to the team title with 19 points nipping three-time defending Class 2A champion Yorkville (20 points) followed by Batavia (27 points) and Hoffman Estates (27 points)
Junior Meagan Biddle (19:06) finished seventh in the top flight for Hoffman. Senior Alondra Aguirre (18:33), sophomore Misbah Baig (18:49), senior Yazmin Nunez (19:03), and junior Reena Prabhu (19:22) all finished in second place in their respective flights to power the Hawks.
Sophomore Sydney Davis (18:36) finished 6th in the top flight to help Conant secure seventh place with 56 points.
Boys race: Neuqua Valley, ranked No. 2 in Class 3A, held off Yorkville, the top ranked team in Class 2A, 12-13 to win the Minooka Flight Invitational title.
Downers Grove North (31 points), Whitney Young (37 points), and Hoffman Estates (41 points) rounded out the top five.
Junior Bryan Gamboa (16:38) took 13th in the first flight and senior Matt Pedersen (16:28) added a sixth-place finish in the second flight to power the Hawks.
Senior Shujaat Sultan (16:16) took 10th in the first flight, helping Conant secure a seventh-place finish with 56 points.
Libertyville Invitational
Boys race: Senior Michael Anderson (16:17) took fourth place, leading Prospect to the Libertyville Invitational title with 42 points at Adler Park. New Trier (59 points) took second followed by Highland Park (96 points) in the 10-team field.
Highland Park's Brett Davidson won the individual title in 16:09.
Prospect had plenty of quality depth as junior Karson Lecomte (16:30) and junior Alex Hyde (16:33) claimed places 7 and 8. Junior Maxwell Crowninshield (16:41) and junior Matthew Cozine (16:46) completed the Knights' scoring in 12th and 13th.
Jacob Bonanotte (17:28) finished 30th in helping St. Viator to a seventh-place finish.
Girls race: Defending Class 3A individual champion Mimi Smith took first in 18:02, leading New Trier to the team title with 29 points at Adler Park ahead of Lockport (52) and Libertyville (78).
Senior Hannah Getschman (19:33) took 14th place, helping Prospect place fourth with 137 points. Sophomore Aileen White (20:21) gave the Knights a 24th-place finish.