Cross country: Willowbrook’s Ojeda counts another historic accomplishment, becomes school’s first sectional XC champ
Willowbrook senior Amelie Ojeda was building off her breakthrough 2023 girls cross country season with even more training and success on the track.
Practicing inside soon after the indoor conference meet, Ojeda was struck in her left eye by an errantly thrown baseball. Ojeda was sidelined the entire outdoor season recovering from the injury and a concussion.
”I was just in the wrong place, wrong time. The next thing I knew, I was on the floor,” said Ojeda, whose eye has nearly fully recovered. ”I persevered. Even though it did take away my track season, that’s why I put a lot of work into my cross season (since June). I thought, ‘Now I have to be extra serious because this is where it counts.’”
Ojeda counted another historic accomplishment Saturday by becoming her school’s first girls sectional champion at the Class 3A Hinsdale Central sectional at Katherine Legge Memorial Park in Hinsdale.
Ojeda, who finished in 16 minutes, 35.58 seconds for 2.9 miles, broke 17 minutes for the first time after becoming the program’s first girls regional champion Oct. 26.
For state Nov. 9 at Peoria’s Detweiller Park, Ojeda (37th in 2023) hopes to challenge the program’s highest finish (fifth).
”I want to do top five. I might as well aim for the top,” Ojeda said.
Meanwhile, both Downers Grove North teams continued trophy hopes after winning impressively.
The boys (38 points), defending 3A champions and ranked No. 1 all season, had junior Philip Cupial (14:07.37) and senior Grant Schroder (14:10.76) finish 1-2 and junior Will Surratt (fifth, 14:26.70) and senior Brady Travers (ninth) as fellow top-10 all-sectional individuals.
Cupial (seventh) and Schroder (10th) are the No. 3 and 6 returning 2023 state finishers.
”We’re just going to put ourselves up there (at state) and push the pace,” Cupial said. “Without Grant I don’t think I could push myself to my limits. It’s a good feeling knowing there’s someone that wants it as much as you.”
The Downers North girls (28) had five all-sectional performers – senior Alayna Todnem (second, 16:51.55), junior Lily Eddington (fourth, 17:09.07) and seniors Audrey Casten (sixth), Kenzie Willard (seventh), and Ava Gilley (nineth). The Trojans were second at state in 2023 and are ranked No. 2 to Barrington, third at state last year. Defending state champion York is No. 3.
”We definitely haven’t always had perfect years of feeling great,” said Casten, who ran injured at state last year. “At the point that we’re at, we’re feeling ready and excited with what that’s going to bring for us.”
The top seven sectional teams advance to state as well as the top 10 individuals not among those teams.Both sectional races featured seven top-30 ranked teams.
In the girls race, Naperville North (58), Naperville Central (123) and Waubonsie Valley (153) were second, third and fourth. Hinsdale Central (183) and Downers Grove South (184) were sixth and seventh.
The Huskies, fifth at state in 2023, can be top-five again behind their strong trio of senior Emma Berres (third, 16:58.79) and juniors Rianna Tandon (fifth, 17:16.24) and Shania Tandon (11th).
“We’re certainly better than a month ago,” Naperville North coach Dan Iverson said. “The focus always is to be better week to week. We’ll try to do that again (at state).”
Waubonsie’s team qualified for the first time in its 49-year history. Senior Lily Baibak (12th) and sophomore Mia Bertolini (14th) last year gave the Warriors their first multiple state qualifiers.
”(They) really kind of led our team and then everyone else got closer and closer. The teamwork was what just really worked for us this year,” Waubonsie coach Michelle Wicyk said.
Unranked Downers South edged eighth-place Neuqua Valley by 10 points. Nia Ortega (22nd) led three sophomore frontrunners for a lineup boosted by senior all-stater Holly Johnson’s return since the conference meet.
”From where we were at the beginning of the season, they’ve come a long way,” Downers South coach Doug Plunkett said.
Naperville Central’s Lola Satre-Morales (13th) and Hinsdale Central’s Lily Hodneland (15th) were their team’s top finishers.
Individual qualifiers included Neuqua’s Elizabeth Hall (10th) and Addison Guskey (35th), Metea Valley’s Kaylee Russell (23rd) and Glenbard East’s Teigan O’Donnell (24th).
In the boys race, qualifiers Neuqua (149), Naperville Central (166) and Naperville North (184) were fourth through sixth. Naperville Central senior Patrick Clune (4th, 14:23.89) and Neuqua freshman Grayson Meek (10th) were all-sectional.
Naperville North’s Jackson Truty was a team-best 22nd. Individual qualifiers included Downers South’s Conrad Saner (19th), Glenbard East’s Mason Hephner (23rd), Metea’s Ian French (24th) and Willowbrook’s Adriano Quintero (28th), the final qualifier by 3.25 seconds.
An all-state contender, Clune has improved significantly from 118th at state in 2023.
”I was always confident in track and always thought of myself as a middle distance runner,” Clune said. “With the help of my coaches, they’ve really instilled a confidence in me in the longer distances.”