Lots of local runners set to compete in high school cross country finale
The final state series event in this altered fall season occurs Saturday. Glenbrook South High School will be fully represented.
The Titans' boys and girls cross country teams both qualified to compete on the final day of Illinois High School Association cross country, at the Class 3A Hoffman Estates sectional.
Girls flights begin at 8:50 a.m., boys at 1:30 p.m. There are five flights for both, with each qualifying team's No. 1 runner plus the top five individuals racing first.
Hoffman Estates hosts one of four sectionals in both Class 3A and 2A, with Class 1A running sectionals at five sites. This year will see no overall state championships due to coronavirus restrictions and IHSA scheduling.
At the Hoffman Estates regional on Oct. 24, Glenbrook South's girls squad, led by Molly Durow and Maggie Jortberg in fifth and sixth place, respectively, trailed only Prospect in the team standings.
In a nice bit of pack running, about 18 seconds separated Glenbrook South's top-20 finishers Jackie Milott, Maya Milecki, Alex Kleeman, Grace Tauber and Tara Wirtschoreck.
In the Class 3A Hoffman Estates boys regional, junior Brian Hiltebrand placed third overall to lead Glenbrook South. Michael Jerva finished 17th and Mrugesh Thakor, Cody Slutzky and Jayson Stamm came through together as the Titans became the fourth of five teams there to advance to the sectional.
It's the sixth straight season and the ninth time in 10 years that Glenbrook South's boys team has advanced to a sectional meet.
"Meaghan (Fastert, Glenbrook South girls coach) and I are really pleased," said Glenbrook South boys coach Kurt Hasenstein. "The goal at this time of the year is to get to run another week."
The Hoffman Estates sectional also receives runners from the Class 3A Loyola regional. There, Glenbrook North senior Natalie Sandlow, who came off the Central Suburban League South division title, placed 12th individually.
Spartans senior Nick Ihrke placed 22nd in the boys regional to join Sandlow as the sole Glenbrook North runners in their respective sectionals.
New Trier, pushed by Barrington in a 50-54 decision, won the Loyola boys sectional. Individual runner-up Nick Falk of New Trier finished 1.02 seconds after Lake Zurich's Jacob Myers, the winner at 15 minutes, 21.92 seconds. Finishing in fifth place as a team, Loyola's boys also advanced to the sectional. Spencer Werner led the way with a fourth-place time of 15:34.19.
Morgan Mackie, the fastest freshman girl at Hoffman Estates at 18:14.79, led Loyola to the team title. New Trier placed third and both teams will run again at Hoffman Estates on Saturday.
At the Class 3A Lake Park regional, Maine South's boys and girls teams both advanced to the Lyons sectional with respective second- and fourth-place team finishes. Running a time of 15:09.0, Maine South senior Matt Coyle placed fourth after a trio of runners from defending Class 3A champion St. Charles East.
Maine South's Maria Marcuci and Olivia DeLuca, who finished sixth and seventh last week at the Central Suburban League South division, again ran together at Lake Park, finishing in 15th and 16th place.
In Class 1A, Regina Dominican placed fourth at the Latin School regional to advance to the Harvest Christian Academy sectional in Elgin. Sophomore Muriel Reese was Regina's first finisher, in 14th place.