Girls cross country: Scouting the Fox Valley
Aurora Central Catholic The Chargers took third at regionals, third at sectionals, and 22nd in Class 1A as junior Cece Hilby (fourth in GCAC) placed 16th downstate. ACC only lost one key senior to graduation in Olivia Koral, and sophomore Ailidzie Perez (149th) was its No. 2 runner last year at state. Seniors Nicole Smith, Cayla Oldenburger, and Carolina Dervis provide a lot of great leadership with strong support from junior Bella Matty. The team lacks depth, but they still hope to return to state.
Aurora Christian The Eagles competed as individuals last year at the Class 1A Seneca regional, and sophomore Talia Cakmak was their top runner in that race. Aurora Christian lost senior Piper Rapinchuk to graduation, and the team will continue to try to improve this season in the Chicagoland Christian Conference.
Bartlett The Hawks took eighth place at the Class 3A St. Charles East regional on the Settler's Hill course as junior Alyssa Gregory and now graduated Kristin Farabaugh qualified for sectionals. Gregory got off to a great start to the 2024 season on Saturday when she placed fifth at the Elgin City Classic meet in 19:07.10. The junior trio of Emely Villafuerte, Venice Lopez, and Allie Fluder were Bartlett's second through fourth runners in its opening meet.
Batavia The Bulldogs placed second at regionals, sixth at sectionals, and 18th in Class 3A with no seniors. After being Batavia's seventh runner at the state meet, sophomore Avery Hacker took first place at the Kane County meet last weekend. Junior Madeline Cassidy (82nd at state) is a proven runner along with sophomores Clair Deppe (88th), and Gwendolyn Krodel (123rd). Other keys are Madison Wnek (139th), Olivia Gebhardt (177th), and Nora Koziol as the Bulldogs look to finish much higher at state.
Burlington Central The Rockets placed ninth in the FVC, fourth at regionals, and 14th at sectionals before senior Abby Burke placed 37th in Class 2A. Seniors Teagan Cathcart and Sophia Arnold are key returners as is junior Emie Davis. Sophomores Lydia Rickard and Marlee Christiansen will be joined by the freshmen pack of Callie Pflug, Sophia Monaco, Valentina Klassy, and Julia Haacker. Coach Vince Neil expects the team to be very competitive when the state series rolls around.
Cary-Grove The Trojans placed eighth at the Class 3A Grant regional as junior Olivia Parker and now graduated Katie Aniolkowski qualified for sectionals. Cary-Grove placed fifth last weekend at the McHenry County meet behind Parker (15th), senior Claire Brown (23rd), junior Julia Valaitis (25th), and junior Molly Sarr (34th). Juniors Rebecca DeKett and Lilly Vitullo were the Trojans' fifth and sixth runners in their first meet of the season.
Crystal Lake South The Gators placed third in the FVC and third at sectionals before taking eighth in Class 2A. Senior Olivia Pinta will be CLS's leader after taking 31st place in the state followed by junior Victoria Pinta (113th), sophomore Lily Brooks (143rd), junior Laynie Ripley (159th), and sophomore Cece Piemontese (173rd). Junior Kelsey Kos and sophomore Sedona Semradek will help CLS at state. Freshmen Caroline Lucas, Reagan Marsett, Kiera O’Leary, Emme Reall, and Ellie Starnes could make the varsity.
Dundee-Crown The Chargers took 10th place at the Class 3A Palatine regional as they lost two of their top four runners to graduation. Dundee-Crown opened the new season last weekend by taking sixth place at the Kane County meet. The Chargers have a very young squad this fall which was led by the sophomore trio of Delilah Kissane, Ashley Leon, and Gabriella Lindholm in their opener. Juniors America Carmona and Jane Larsen are other key runners as is freshman Maggie Firek.
Elgin The Maroons placed eighth at the Hampshire regional as sophomore Teagan Culver qualified for the Class 3A Lake Park sectional. Elgin opened the new season last Saturday by taking fifth in its own Elgin City Classic meet where Culver took seventh. The Maroons' young lineup also features juniors Emma Valdivia, Tala Okasha, and Natalia Hernandez Rivera. Sophomore Dafne Ruiz was Elgin's No. 5 runner last weekend.
Geneva The Vikings placed sixth at regionals and 15th at the Class 3A Lake Park sectional before junior Sofia Borter placed 95th at the state meet. Geneva's young squad had no seniors at sectionals, but junior Taylor Peahl was its No. 2 runner followed by sophomores Mira Meyers and Juliet Whiston. The Vikings also have junior Gretchen Drexler and senior Rachael Rudigier returning with postseason experience under their belts.
Hampshire The Whip-Purs placed fourth in the FVC, second at their own regional, and eighth at the Class 3A Lake Park sectional. But No. 1-runner and state qualifier Hudson Szymonik (120th) transferred to Jacobs for her senior year leaving a void at the front of the pack. Junior Annabelle Haskins was easily Hampshire's top runner last weekend at the Kane County meet followed by junior Tassa Papadakis, and senior Hannah Jones. Junior Kaley Byhre, senior Kassidy Papa, and sophomore Cami Shaw were the 4-5-6 runners last weekend.
Huntley The Red Raiders were FVC and regional champions, they took third at sectionals, and 14th in the state. Huntley returns nine of its top 10 runners, including sophomore No. 1 runner Haley Rahman (45th), junior Cori Kilivinger, sophomore Morgan Sauber, junior Aspen Maldonado, and junior Izzy Ciesla. Seniors Mackenzie Billard and Ava Berardi both ran at the state meet. They will be hoping to push the Red Raiders to a top 10 finish Nov. 9 in Peoria.
Jacobs The Golden Eagles placed sixth in the FVC and seventh at regionals as senior Bailey Schwartz and junior Rylie Warczak qualified for sectionals as individuals. Jacobs now has Hampshire transfer student and senior state qualifier Hudson Szymonik (120th in Class 3A) as its No. 1 runner. Junior Mackenzie Cronin and senior Kathleen Kania are back along with sophomore Amisha Schlicht. Jamie Lakeman, Megan Retzer, Arann Lehman, Matylda Maciejczyk, and Julia Felton will help to compete against the top teams in the FVC.
Kaneland The Knights placed fourth in their own regional and 13th at the Class 2A Woodstock sectional while graduating only one key senior. Kaneland has its top two runners returning in juniors Danielle Bower and Graycen Cole along with sophomore Nataile Atenco. The senior trio of Audrey Walker, Abigail Lechocki, and Abbie Mederich give the Knights six of their top seven runners back in hopes of making great strides when the IHSA state series rolls around.
Larkin The Royals placed ninth at the Class 3A Hampshire regional, and they only lost one senior to graduation. Junior Brinlee Jimenez qualified for the sectional meet last year, and she was Larkin's top runner last weekend at the Elgin City Classic in 17th place. Junior Makayla Preuss was the Royals' No. 2 runner at their opening meet followed by seniors Caitlyn Sweeney, Jumalay Bravo, and Hannah Castro.
Rosary The Royals placed third at regionals, tied for seventh with Lake Forest at sectionals, and took 15th at the Class 2A state meet. Rosary did lose two of its top three runners to graduation, but it does have key seniors Chiara Surtz and Ellie Gengler returning to help lead its pack. Sophomores Caroline Goettsch and Kayla Garcia also return with junior Ali Palmer to give the Royals five runners in their lineup with state meet experience.
South Elgin The Storm placed seventh at the Hampshire Class 3A regional as sophomores Maya Vodenik and Karla Diaz both qualified for sectionals as individuals. South Elgin's young squad has two freshmen in Caitlin Wennerstrom and Melody Guzman that have shown great potential for the varsity according to coach Jorie Bartholomew. The Storm is shooting to improve their regional place this fall and to get better in each and every meet.
St. Charles East The Saints took fourth at regionals and 14th at sectionals, but Marley Andelman (42nd in Class 3A) has graduated. St. Charles East's projected top returning runners are sophomore Nicole Mayer, senior Ellis Mueller, freshman Adley Wilson, freshman Leah Sutherland, sophomore Lilly Margewich, junior Amalia Im, and senior Katilyn Kreeger. Senior Kendall Crossen will add depth while Mayer and Mueller provide a strong 1-2 punch to help push the team back to sectionals.
St. Charles North The North Stars placed fourth in the DuKane Conference, fourth at regionals, and 11th at sectionals as sophomore Gwen Hobson placed 33rd in Class 3A. Senior Norah Dorrance placed 37th at sectionals, and she is supported by senior Tia Kilroy, sophomore Alyssa Oblak, and senior Alex O'Dell. Key newcomers are sophomore Julia Rodney (ninth in 4x800), sophomore Juliana Gonzalez, junior Elise Pimsner, and junior Sidney Lainio. North will push for a berth to the state meet on Nov. 9.
St. Edward The Green Wave does not have a lot of depth at all to fall back on in 2024. But the runners they do have got off to a great start last week at the Genoa-Kingston Kickoff meet. Freshman Hayden Poole took runner-up honors followed by junior Sophie Holland in third, and senior Liz Leadley in sixth. Harvest Christian Academy's Giselle Moret outdistanced Poole by 18 seconds to take home first place in that meet.
Streamwood The Sabres faced an uphill struggle last year as they competed mainly as individuals due to a lack of depth. Streamwood lost senior Reyna Saldivar to graduation, but Sophia Baumert put together a strong junior season with a ninth-place finish at the Class 3A Palatine regional. Then Baumert made a strong push for a berth to the state meet with a 28th-place finish at the powerful Hoffman Estates sectional only to fall just short of earning an at-large berth to Detweiller Park..
West Aurora The Blackhawks placed eighth at regionals last year with only one senior (Kendall Williams) in their top six runners. Junior Itzel Figueroa and senior Avery Littlejohn both qualified for the sectional meet as individuals while junior Abbey Hauser was West Aurora's No. 4 runner at regionals. Seniors Isabella Smith and Sofia Lara also bring postseason experience to the squad as the Blackhawks will push to reach sectionals as a team.