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2017 Naperville Twilight Invitational Girls PreviewPublished by
Could the team finish be closer in this year’s race?
By Michael Newman
Wednesday night’s Girls Varsity race could be closer than it was last year when the first four teams were within 13 points of each other. In that race, Naperville North edged Minooka by four points for the team title. The finish could be even closer this year. This meet serves as a mini preview of the state meet a month from now. Six of the top seven 3A teams in the state head this field. Nine of the 15 teams racing Wednesday night are ranked in the top 25 in the state. This all adds up to be the best Girls team race of the season in this state outside of the state meet itself. Weather could play a factor in this race. The Chicago area has had less than half an inch of rain the past month. The wet stuff is in the forecast Wednesday morning to soften up the course. It may not be a factor since the ground is so dry. That will not matter to the teams and runner competing in this night time spectacle. Host Naperville North is the defending champion and the team to beat in the Girls race after winning the Roy Griak Invitational in Minnesota almost two weeks ago. Yorkville could be the top team to knock off the Huskies. Don’t tell Downers Grove South and Glenbard West among others as they could be next in the standings. The individual race should be a doozy led by defending meet and state champion Katelynne Hart of Glenbard West. In last year’s race, Hart and her teammate Lindsey Payne started out slow and had to come from behind catching Minooka’s Emily Shelton in the last half mile to finish in the first two spots. Hart ran a fast 16:08 at Lake Park a month ago and could have another fast race in order Wednesday night. Hart’s winning time last year was 16:51 with Payne four seconds back. This race could be faster this year depending on the conditions of the course. Sarah Schmitt of Naperville North has improved over the last year having run 16:50 at Detweiller Park in September. She could be Hart’s chief competition in this race with her teammate Alex Morris close behind. Emily Shelton is back and can be challenging in the front. The talent in this field is exceptional. 18 runners were 18-minutes or faster in last year’s race. That could increase to 30 or more this year especially with the field increased from 10 to 15 schools. Downers Grove South, Geneva, Plainfield North, Downers Grove North, and Lane Tech are the new kids on the block in the Girls race. The first Girls race starts at 4:30 p.m. with the open race and continues with a Girls race every hour in the half hour in the order of Frosh Soph Girls at 5:30 p.m., Junior Varsity Girls at 6:30 p.m. and the Varsity championship race at 7:30 p.m. Here is a look at each of the teams that will be competing on Wednesday night.
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State Ranking – 1 Preview – The host Huskies come off a win in their last race at the high-powered Roy Griak Invitational on September 23. Sarah Schmitt finished fourth in that race and should be among the front runners in this race. Alex Morris finished 16 seconds behind Schmitt in that race and could challenge for a finish in the top five. Hannah Ricci will be a key runner for the Huskies. She finished she finished 36 second behind Morris in Minnesota. That gap needs to be cut in half to make this team tough to beat. Watch their fourth and fifth runners who could be Claire Hill, Wagner Osborne, or Sophia Bruce. The gap between Morris and third runner Osborne at Peoria on September 9 was 83 seconds. The gap between Ricci (third runner) and Hill at Griak was 68 seconds. In a high-quality race like this one, there is a nice comfort to have three talented runners in the front. But a gap between the top three and then the fourth and fifth runners of 60 seconds or higher could hurt the Huskies chances of repeating their 2016 win.
State Ranking – 2 Preview – This is one team that could win this meet. The Lady Foxes finished seventh at the Roy Griak Invitational without Emily Eberhart in their scoring five. Eberhart, who was the team’s top runner at First to the Finish on September 9, was forced to drop out of that race due to heat related issues. A healthy Eberhart for Yorkville could mean trouble for the rest of the teams. In their Peoria race, Yorkville had Eberhart, Alyssa Edwards, Olivia Borowiak, and Helena Kleronomos within 19 seconds of each other. A split like that would make the Foxes that much tougher. Yorkville’s runners were all over the course in Minnesota. Watch for that pack to come back. Their fifth runner, either Nicole Greyer or Mady Klebenow needs to stay within 20 seconds of their front pack for this team to take home the championship trophy.
State Ranking – 3 Preview – Regardless of whether the course has been flat or on hills, the Mustangs have been sneaky good this season and could pull the surprise in the order of a team win in this meet. Brenna Cohoon has been the leader of this team and could be among the top ten finishers in this meet. It is the pack behind Cohoon that makes this team tough. The split from Cohoon to the pack at the Roy Griak Invitational was 28 seconds. The split on the next four runners, led by Melissa Weidner, was only 26 seconds. The meet before at Peoria, the split from Cohoon to second runner Becky Versaskas was 35 seconds. The pack split was only 14 seconds. This team is good. Even if Cohoon finishes between eighth and 14th overall, they will need to have an overall split under 42 seconds on five to take home the top prize.
State Ranking – 4 Preview – The Lady Hilltoppers have had time to think of their last race at the Richard Spring Invitational on September 16 when they had the same point total as Wheaton-Warrenville South but lost on the sixth-runner tiebreaker. Glenbard West has the best top three group in the state as Katelynne Hart, Lindsey Payne, and Katie Hohe have finished in the top five in each of their three races. It has been the gap between the group and their next two scorers that has challenged this team. The split between Hohe and #4 runner Chloe Connolly was 60 seconds at Lake Park. The split was the same at Peoria but their overall split on their two through five runners was 125 seconds in Peoria compared to 91 seconds at Lake Park. Hart will be the favorite in the race with Payne and Hohe most likely in the top five. Keeping their two to five split under 85 seconds could give this team the win.
State Ranking – 5 Preview – The Red Devilettes are not a mystery team but one team that could disrupt the standings in the top five. Hinsdale is coming off an impressive win last Saturday at the St. Charles North Invitational where they placed their first three runners in the first six places. In that race, McKenna Revord ran 17:29 for the individual win with her sister Reilly 17 seconds back. Grace McCabe gives the team a strong third runner that could finish among the top 20 in this race. The key is getting their fourth and fifth runners closer to the front pack. In Saturday’s race, Lucy Fischer was 48 seconds behind McCabe. In their race before at the Flashrock Invitational on September 17, Fischer was 44 seconds behind. The gap needs to close to 30 to 32 seconds with their fifth runner right on Fischer’s shoulder for this team to push for a finish in the top three.
State Ranking – 7 Preview – The Lady Tigers have been one of the surprise teams so far this season and could be a surprise towards the front of the pack in this race. Maria Rucoba has stepped up as the team’s top runner and could be among the top finishers in Wednesday’s race. The injection of freshmen Becca Hauenstein and Samantha Poglitsch along with the improvement of sophomore Kaitlyn Nenninger have given South a strong pack behind Rucoba. In their win at the Richard Spring Invitational on September 16, Rucoba finished in the top ten with her teammates behind her with a nine second split from their second through fifth runners and 26 seconds back from their teammate. They will need the same kind of effort in this meet but with the pack 20 seconds or closer to Rucoba. They could finish in the top five with that type of race.
State Ranking – 9 Preview – It is hard to see where this team could place in this powerful field. They could finish as high as fifth or just clinging in the top ten. It will depend on their pack behind their front runner Emily Shelton who could vie for one of the top individual spots in this race. Vivian Van Eck is a strong second runner for the team. She will need to be within35 to 38 seconds of Shelton in this race for this team to challenge for one of the top spots. The rest of their top five spots are still evolving with Katelyn Gall, Emily Ellis, Amanda Wilson, and Julia Dames all capable of being the team’s third runner. Forget about the overall split on this team in this race. A key will be Van Eck finishing in the top 20 and then the pack behind her within 20 seconds of her and within 10 to 12 seconds of each other.
State Ranking – 14 Preview – The Redhawks do not possess the front runner that you will see in the front of the pack in this race. They do have a solid pack that could be dangerous and put them in the top half of the team standings in this meet. Meghan Donovan has stepped up as the top runner on this squad. In the team’s last race at the Naperville Girls Invitational in sweltering conditions on September 22, Donovan finished third while her teammates behind her ran an 18 second split on the second through fifth runners. That pack, led by Emily R Scott, could be a little closer in this race. Donovan could be among the top 25 runners in this race. Her teammates need to be within 15 seconds of her and staying within 20 seconds of each other to be among the top seven teams in this meet.
State Ranking – 21 Preview – The Tigers in their last race finished fourth last Saturday at the Peoria Invitational with top ten finishes from Juliana Stogsdill and Megan Patton. Stogsdill has a good chance to be among the top ten in this race with Patton possibly finishing between 15th and 20th. A big key for this team this fall has been the emergence of freshman Katie Nalley as the team’s third runner. She did not have her best race of the season last Saturday as the team’s seventh runner. If she is 100 percent ready to go on Wednesday, we could see her within 10 to 12 seconds of Patton. Three runners in the top 25 is reasonable for this team if they are all healthy and in this race. That happening could find North among the top half of the finishers.
Preview – The Wildcats could be a team that is a surprise in the top half of the standings but will need good pack running to achieve that. Julia Rushing has been the team’s top runner in their past two meets including finishing ninth in the championship flight last Saturday at the Wheaton North Falcon Classic. Keara Ginell gives the team a solid second runner. The re-emergence of Corina Pena, who was injured early in the season, and could challenge Ginell and Rushing for one of the top two spots. Their split on five will need to also be under 60 seconds for this team to challenge for a top ten finish.
Preview – The Vikings could have a statement race in their first appearance in this meet but that could only get this squad into the top ten. Geneva’s top three is strong with Sophia McDonnell, Taryn Christy, and Andrine Larsen on an average being within 10 seconds of each other this season. The addition of freshman Lauren Hasty to their top five could give Geneva a boost. McDonnell is a possibility in the top 20. The second through fourth runners for the Vikings need to be within 15 seconds of McDonnell and 10 seconds of each other. The split on their top five could be near 80 to 95 seconds. It needs to come down for this team to finish among the top ten in this meet.
Preview – This team does not have the superstar runner that you would see up front especially in this race. That could hurt their chances of finishing in the top half of the field. They do have a solid pack that could make things interesting for the other teams in this race. The Mustangs finished eighth in their most recent race at the St. Charles North Invitational last Saturday. They had a 34 second split on their top five led by Carly Cast. Kate Jordan, who was the team’s fifth runner in that race, has the team’s fastest time so far this year on a three-mile course (19:06 at First to the Finish). Metea Valley should have a split of 24 to 27 seconds on their top five in this meet. The key for them is their top runner finishing between 40th and 50th with that expected team split.
Preview – The Warriors are a young team that could have hopes of finishing in the top ten in this meet. Sophomore Ashley Heidenrich has been the team’s top runner all season. In the team’s last meet Saturday at the Wheaton North Classic, Heidenreich ran 17:54 for the 2.95-mile course to finish seventh overall in the championship flight. What could hurt this team is their five-runner split. In their last “team” race at the Richard Spring Invitational, the split on their first five was over three minutes. The split on five the week before at the Richard Spring Invitational was at 107 seconds. Heidenrich has a chance to finish among the top 20. Her team could finish in the top ten but only if their top five split is under 100 seconds.
Preview – This team started the season young and inexperienced. Their growth has been noticeable in the first month of the season as we get closer to the state series. This race will be another chance for improvement in their first appearance in this meet. Five of their top seven runners are either sophomores or freshmen. They are led by Ellie Gross who ran a seasonal best of 18:52 at Lake Park almost a month ago. We could see this team run a 40 to 45 second split on their top five. Doing that as well as having a runner in the first 50 could get this team near the top 10.
Preview – This Chicago Public League powerhouse makes their first appearance in this meet. Junior Camile Forte has stepped up as the team’s top runner having run 19:04 at Detweiller Park in the Richard Spring Invitational. She could be among the top 30 runners in this race. Sydney Varga, who ran right with Forte at the Wauconda Invitational could give the Indians a boost if she is close to her teammate. The split on their top five could be close to two minutes. Anything lower could push this team closer to a top ten finish. |
