Scouting DuPage County girls cross country
Top teams: Glenbard West, Naperville North, Hinsdale Central, Naperville Central, Wheaton Warrenville South, Downers Grove North, Neuqua Valley, Glenbard South, Downers Grove South, York
Top athletes: Addison Trail: Rachel Baumgartner, sr., Nina Capvani, jr., Bianca Fernandez, sr., Jennifer Hurtado, sr., Yenni Ortiz, jr.; Benet: Anna Brown, jr., Amanda DeSitter, soph., Mary Kate Healy, soph., Taylor Horowitz, fr., Rachel Strons, soph., Julia Walchissen, jr.; Downers Grove North: Kaitlyn Bonfield, jr., Angela Budach, jr., Grace Maletich, jr., Emma Morovec, soph.; Downers Grove South: Jill Boyle, jr., Michaela Hackbarth, jr., Abby Kargol, sr., Amanda Thate, sr.; Fenton: Lea Cornejo-Perez, fr., Marisel Garcia, jr., Jessica McCauley, fr., Crystal Medrano, sr.; Glenbard East: Hannah Appleyard, sr., Allison Hanson, sr., Kelly Heniff, sr., Jayne Peters, jr., Yoselin Toledo, jr.; Glenbard South: Caroline Arlasky, sr., Becca Everhart, sr., Chloe Fry, sr., Abby Schlenker, soph., Jayme Schlenker, sr., Becca Sippel, sr.; Glenbard North: Ellie Castellon, soph., Jackie Dziewior, sr., Lisa Lubben, sr., Stephanie Nemeth, sr., Roshelle Rodriguez, sr.; Glenbard West: Lindsey Graham, jr., Lisa Luczak, sr., Kathryn Kenwood, jr., Jamie Nobholz, soph., Megan Ozog, sr., Grace Rogers, jr.; Hinsdale Central: Alexa Haff, soph., Camila Horowicz, sr., Emma Sullivan, jr., Annie Zaher, jr.; Hinsdale South: Laura Barranio, sr., Sarah Leganski, jr., Victoria Salazar, sr., Ema Slajute, soph.; IC Catholic Prep: Nicole Cadaoaf, sr., Nikko Eguia, jr., Arianna Estrada, sr., Claire Ryan, jr; Lake Park: Maggie Jung, jr., Julie Kupiec, soph., Hannah Morrison, soph., Lily Nikisch, jr., Allison Strachan, sr.; Lisle: Shelby Anderson, sr., Tiffany Compton, soph., Kaitlyn Stanley, sr., Kati Young, sr.; Metea Valley: Emily Blair, sr., Nicki Cast, soph., Leana Goldman, soph., Katie North, soph., Kyla Ohst, jr.; Montini: Lauren Denemark, jr., Madeline Jamrozek, sr., Emma Makowski, jr., Bianca Montecinos, sr., Giana Salzerun, jr.; Naperville Central: Katie Hoffman, sr., Nikky Hoffman, sr., Rachel Hoffman, sr., Isabel Lopez, sr., Ellie Marcet, jr., Maggie McClowrey, jr.; Naperville North: Elly DeTurris, sr., Emory Griffin, jr., Ella Guppy, jr., Claire Hamilton, soph., Judy Pendergast, jr., Kate Shannon, jr.; Neuqua Valley: Anastasia Bernat, sr., Caitlin Horn, soph., Julia Pena, jr., Lauren Penkala, sr.; St. Francis: Kate Beck, soph., Katie Martin, sr., Colleen McShea, soph., Shannon Moran, fr., Kristen Von Banpus, sr.; Timothy Christian: Hannah Bosman, jr., Megan Middel, jr., Nicole Terpstra, jr.; Waubonsie Valley: Hannah Born, jr., Lauren Deck, jr., Shaelyn Iyer, fr., Gabriel Pineda, jr., Cassandra Tsagaris, soph.; West Chicago: Ana Flores, sr., Michelle French, sr., Mae Elizabeth Gimre, sr., Emma McCarthy, jr., Shelley Parati, jr.; Wheaton Academy: Claire Castro, soph., Annika Pearson, sr., Gretchen Pearson, soph., AJ Setran, soph., Rebecca Smith, soph.; Wheaton North: Abby Haworth, soph., Jill Humecke, jr., Kathleen McGivern, sr., Morgan Moxley, soph., Bea Nottke, jr.; Wheaton Warrenville South: Sara Atkins, soph., Natalia Boetcher, sr., Stephanie Gorski, jr.; Kendall Laveen, jr., Allison McGrath, soph., Emma Schroer, sr.; Willowbrook: Grace Guthrie, soph., Shannon Jones, jr., Kimberly Leon-Cervantes, jr., Diana Marin, jr., Jocelyn Rodriguez, jr.; York: Daryle Mueller, sr., Kenia Sanchez, sr., Hannah Wahlgren, sr., Jessica Zollinger, jr.
Outlook: Very little has changed in Class 3A girls cross country from last year. Glenbard West denied Naperville North a repeat state championship behind the incomparable Madeline Perez, who had able support from Graham, Luczak and Rogers. Perez, the all-time record holder at the state finals in Peoria, led Glenbard West to its first team state title by a girls program at the Glen Ellyn school in 30 years (volleyball) with her third-place result last fall after missing virtually the entire regular season with injuries. Naperville North was runner-up to the Hilltoppers. The schools enter the season as the consensus top-two programs in the state as graduation losses - typically unavoidable in most sports - are virtually non-existent to the programs' well-being. Glenbard West and Naperville North combine to return 12 of their 14 state competitors from last fall. "We have no illusions about how hard it will be (to defend our championship)," Glenbard West coach Paul Hass said. "It is going to be an amazing challenge for us. We are going to be pushed. Naperville North has so much depth." "As far as Glenbard West is concerned, they deserve to be (ranked) where they're at," Naperville North coach Dan Iverson said of the Hilltoppers, who enter the season minus only Perez (Georgetown) from last season. Graham, who backed up her all-state campaign as a freshman at Glenbard East two years ago before transferring to Glenbard West, enters the season with tremendous confidence after a near-flawless track campaign last spring. Perez, who also missed much of the regular season in track, defended her state championship at 3,200 meters to hand runner-up Graham her only loss of the season in the event. Luczak enters her final season with all-state credentials from a year ago; Rogers, Nabolz and Ozog are all capable of similar performances. "Dan always does such a great job," Hass said. "They will always be a threat."
Freshmen, more times than naught, can shift the cross country landscape to seismic degrees. Naperville North, which has DeTurris as its most accomplished runner coming back, has several ninth-graders who could alter the state rankings before the season is over. "I think they can be a force for us before the season is over," Iverson said of his talented crew of underclassmen to augment his returning state veterans. The Huskies' junior class is as potent as it is versatile. "Our challenges this year are very similar to last season, plus a few more," Iverson said. As potentially formidable as the last two state champions appear, there are several other local programs with designs of their own.
Hinsdale Central has all the tools to make a dramatic statement in the state series. The Red Devils not only possess the reigning state runner-up in Haff, but Zaher emerged from relative obscurity last spring to win the 1,600-meter run at the state track finals. "They're going to be very good," Hass said of his West Suburban Silver rivals. Naperville North, meanwhile, has only to look down the road to its sister school, Naperville Central, with DuPage Valley Conference traditional power Wheaton Warrenville South also in the mix for a state trophy.
Naperville Central also returns virtually its entire lineup from its state performance from last fall. The Hoffman triplets provide Aislinn Hicks' Redhawks with an enviable cushion. Katie Hoffman is yet another all-state returnee this fall. "Naperville Central and Wheaton Warrenville South are going to be right there," Hass said. "It's a tough girls field this fall," Hicks said. The Hoffmans appeared collectively invincible last spring with their brilliant showing at the DuPage Valley indoor track and field championship. But the girls were beset by injuries during the outdoor season; the siblings look to make amends this fall, though Katie is still recovering from a foot injury. "(Katie) is working her way back," Hicks said. "She is not quite race-ready yet. We've got some good depth back."
Marcet and McClowrey give Naperville Central additional firepower. WW South has both talent and depth across the board. The Tigers' Atkins is their top returnee, and WW South enters the season as one of three DVC programs ranked in the top six.
Metea Valley is a program to watch in its quest for state-wide legitimacy; the Mustangs won the Aurora City Meet on Saturday at Waubonsie Valley behind overall champion Goldman. Neuqua Valley is yet another program with quality runners returning from a state-qualifying program.
The two West Suburban divisions are once again primed for breakout performances on the state stage. In addition to Hinsdale Central, both Downers Grove high schools and York enter the season ranked in the dyestatil.com preseason poll.
Glenbard South battled two-time defending Class 2A champion Yorkville in both state series preliminaries a year ago. But the Raiders fell short of denying the Foxes a third straight crown, ultimately settling for runner-up. Yorkville was widely expected to move up to Class 3A this fall - especially after competing in track at that level the last two years - but the rest of the 2A powers in the state have to contend with the powerful Yorkville dynasty once again. "They are like six students away (from Class 3A)," Glenbard South coach Brian Webb said of his former Western Sun Conference rivals. "They are still the team to beat in 2A." The Raiders' bid to end the Foxes' state mastery was hurt when Diane Lipa, third last year at Detweiller Park, elected not to come out this season. Sippel, also top 10 for Glenbard South, will be expected to shoulder much of the burden.
Montini has made the state cut in Class 2A four consecutive years. "Our top three is very good," Montini coach Pete Connelly said of Makowski, Salzerun and Denemark. "(Our success) will depend on how the (Nos.) 4 and 5 step up. We will be good late, if we're good."
Hinsdale South and Wheaton Academy are other Class 2A programs to watch this fall.
Key dates: Sept. 6, Hinsdale South-Hinsdale Central Hornet-Red Devil Invitational; Sept. 6, St. Charles East Invitational; Sept. 6, Fenton Early Bird Invitational; Sept. 13, Peoria Woodruff Invitational; Sept. 13, Lake Park Invitational; Sept. 20, Peoria Woodruff Invitational; Sept. 20, Minooka Invitational; Sept. 26, Naperville Invitational; Sept. 27, Palatine Invitational; Oct. 4, Wheaton North Falcon Classic; Oct. 10, Elmwood Park Invitational; Oct. 11, Sterling Invitational; Oct. 17-18, Conference championships.
- Kevin McGavin