Marmion among area squads pleased with its progress
Marmion cross country coach Bob Rebenstorf wasn't exactly sure how his team would perform coming into the 2008 season, although he knew they had talent and heart.
The Cadets have had the luxury of having two top runners in David Grange (class of 2007) and Josh Stein (class of 2008) the past two years, but they were never really able to close the gap - literally.
Marmion won the Charger Classic last weekend with 36 points, placing five runners in the top 14. Senior Andrew Larsen, a transfer from Montini, won the race 22 seconds ahead of his closest competitor, and the Cadets fifth runner was only 56 seconds behind Larsen.
Being able to run in a pack and closing the gap between their first and fifth runners is a luxury the Cadets haven't always had, but one that Rebenstorf is embracing this year.
"We've got a nice pack this year," Rebenstorf said. "I think that's been the big difference for us this year from years past. This is the deepest team I've ever had, so we're ready to go to war with some teams."
Fellow seniors Oscar Aguinaga and T.J. Hefferin placed fifth and sixth, respectively, and Rebenstorf likes the consistency he's getting from his two senior captains.
"They've been very consistent for us all year," Rebenstorf said. "I think Oscar had his best race of the season at Minooka two weeks ago. We're really happy with their performance so far for us this year."
West Aurora sophomore Steve Loran placed third at Charger Classic in a time of 14:58.6 to help his team place third overall as a team.
The Geneva boys team has also formed a nice pack. Only 24 seconds separated the Vikings first and fifth runners (Andrew Nelson, Kevin Sparks, Greg Adelman, Chris Higgins and Kevin McDowell) three weeks ago at LeRoy Oakes.
St. Charles North finished third in the same invite, and recently finished third again at the Mustang invite at Downers Grove. Juniors Beau Blakely (fourth) and John Georgeson (eighth) led the way for the North Stars.
St. Charles East finished second at the Mustang invite, placing three juniors in the top 11, including Jared Eads (first) and Mark Hayes (second) taking the top two spots. Brad LeDuc finished 11th.
Kaneland is currently ranked No. 7 by Dyestat.com in class AA competition, and is another team forming a strong pack with juniors Matt Ruesche, Edgar Valle, Dominic Furco and Logan Markuson, and sophomores Trevor Holm and Grant Alef.
Girls cross country
No area runners garner more respect on the trails than St. Charles East senior Lizzy Hynes and Geneva sophomore Kelly Whitley, but the Saints and Vikings both have other runners making their move.
While Whitley is currently ranked No. 2 in Class 3A by Dyestat Illinois, fellow Viking senior Sarah Heuer, a transfer who qualified for state at her former school in Minnesota, is ranked No. 17. Hynes is ranked No. 8 by Dyestat, but freshman Mallory Abel is ranked 21st after a surprising seventh place finish at Detweiller two weeks ago in the Peoria Notre Dame invite. The Saints placed fifth overall as a team.
Batavia placed 25th at Detweiller, getting a strong race from Alexis Sampson, who placed 32nd.
The North Stars finished second as a team at the Mustang invite two weeks ago, placing four girls in the top 14. Sophomore Erica Bauerback was fourth, while freshman Sydney Stuenkel was fifth. Freshmen Jessica Scheets (ninth) and Kali Venci (14th) also helped pace the North Stars.
West Aurora placed fourth this past weekend in the Charger Classic with three runners in the top 13. Sophomore Elisha Meyle (eighth) and seniors Charlotte Smith (14th) and Brittany Loza (15th) helped the Blackhawks finish with 96 points.
Class 1A Aurora Christian also raced at the Charger Classic and finished sixth overall. Freshman Sarina Oleson (13th) and senior Kaitlin Bellak (17th) led the way for the Eagles.
Kaneland is currently ranked No. 13 by Dyestat.