Upload a Photo Upload a Video Add a News article Write a Blog Add a Comment
Blog Feed News Feed Video Feed All Feeds

Folders

 

 

Downers North edges Neuqua Valley by one point at Naperville Twilight Invitational

Published by
Naperville Twilight Invitational   Oct 5th 2017, 3:59pm
Comments

Final half-mile surge by Shilgalis secures individual win.

 

By Michael Newman

[email protected]

 

Naperville – After the Boys Varsity race was concluded, Neuqua Valley Coach Paul Vandersteen was asked if his team was within 10 points of top-ranked Downers Grove North.

“Closer than that,” Vandersteen replied. “Maybe three or four points.”

It was even closer than that.

The two top boys teams in the state gave a preview to fans what the state meet will look like a month from now at Wednesday evening’s Naperville Twilight Invitational. It was a race of surges between the two teams in which Downers Grove North had the edge but just barely as they won 56-57 over Neuqua Valley.

This was the first time this season that Downers Grove North rolled out their entire lineup. They were missing all-state 3,200-meter runner Matt Moravec, who could be out for the season due to a stress fracture. The Trojans responded to the challenge even after one of their top five runners Miles Christensen was knocked down the first 100 meters of the race. Sam McCool, who has been slowly coming back from a summer injury, stepped up as the team’s fifth runner for Coach John Sipple.

“It was the first meet that we ran together. The first meet that we have run together in close to three weeks,” Sipple stated. “Miles (Christensen) got knocked down early and fought back to finish close to where we thought he would be. Sam McCool stepped up big-time. He’s back. It’s good to see him back in the fold. That helped us tremendously tonight.”

Consider the race a three-part act in a play. The first mile saw Downers Grove North get out fast to have a big team advantage. Then came Neuqua Valley in the second mile. This team likes to run the first mile controlled and then work their way to the front in the second mile. They did just that as they had a slight advantage at the end of the second-mile. The third mile was who was going to blink first. A Downers Grove North runner would make a surge that was responded by a move from a Neuqua Valley runner. Neuqua Valley finished with five runners in the first 20. Downers Grove North finished with their top five in the first 21 spots. How closer can you get?

“The competition was great,” Sipple added. “The last mile was close. It was just going back and forth. It was just a great day. The weather was awesome. I’m happy with the performance that the guys had. We are just coming out of a training block and came out and raced the way that they did. I am happy with the progression that we have and were we are heading.”

Downers Grove North had a 25 second split on their top five led by the fifth place finish from Jacob Ridderhoff (14:44.4). Ryan Birkmeier was next in placing eight (14:49.7) followed by Jack Roberts in ninth (14:50.0), Nick Chudzik in 13th (14:57.3), and Sam McCool in 21st (15:09.3). Christensen was only three seconds behind McCool after the fall as the team’s sixth runner.

There were no hung heads in the Neuqua Valley camp after the race. There was more of an air of anticipation of what lies ahead from this team. Five days before at the Locktoberfest Invitational, the Wildcats ran exceptionally well on the hilly 5k course. Their response in this race, their second in a week,

“We are really happy. We had a race on Saturday plus a long run on Sunday plus two runs on Monday. We definitely did not have our legs under us today,” Vandersteen said. “The guys came out and performed especially Alex Johnson. He was our fifth man today. The highest that he has been was our seventh or eighth man. We are only going to get better from here but you never know. I did not expect to be running with Downers Grove North at this point.”

Neuqua Valley had a 31 second split on their top five led by Zach Kinne’s second place finish (14:33.8). Ryan Kennedy was also in the top ten as he finished sixth (14:45.7). Then came the Wildcats pack as Chris Keeley (14th), Danny Winek (15th), and Johnson (20th) finished within five seconds of each other.

It was a fast team race. Even though North was on top by one point, Neuqua Valley had the time advantage due to Kinne being up front. The Wildcats ran a 74:23.6 total time on their top five averaging 14:52.8 per runner. Downers Grove North ran a team time of 74:30.7 averaging 14:54.2 per runner. That’s how close this race was. It was a matter of a pass here and there that gave the Trojans the team championship on this night.

The individual race was just as exciting. Kinne, Josh Rodgers of Geneva, and Thomas Shilgalis of Naperville Central, led the pack through the first mile in 4:41. After a lap around the Naperville North track, the three came back onto the course with an advantage that continued to grow. The lead traded off with Rodgers pushing the pace, then Kinne, then Shilgalis as they passed two-miles in 9:40.

Kinne needed to make some separation from the two since he does not have the kick to match the other two runners. As they entered the final kilometer of the race, Kinne made the first definite move opening a five to ten-meter margin on both Rogers and Shilgalis. It was then the Naperville Central junior that surged getting closer to Kinne. As they entered the stadium and before getting on to the track, Shilgalis made a big-time move pulling away from Kinne making sure he did not come back. Shilgalis crossed the line setting a new course record (14:27.2) six seconds ahead of Kinne. Rodgers finished third (14:36.6) five seconds ahead of Glenbard West’s Rory Cavan (14:41.7).

“Zach (Kinne) made his move early knowing that Josh (Rodgers) and I have good kicks,” Shilgalis said. “I came up on Kinne really fast before we got to the track. I did not know if he was expecting it. I knew I had to open it and get a margin. I’ve been passed up at the end of races before. I knew I could not let that happen again.”

Glenbard West ran its best race of the season to this point finishing third (97 points) behind top 10 finishes from Cavan and Stephen Moody (seventh). Hinsdale Central made it three WSC-Silver schools in the top four placing fourth behind the 11th place finish from Colin Yandel. Naperville Central (154 points) and Downers Grove South (155 points) finished fifth and sixth.

 

Meet Results Boys Race VideoMeet Homepage



More news

History for Naperville Twilight Invitational
YearResultsVideosNewsPhotosBlogs
2023   11 2 315  
2022 1 14 4 729  
2021 1 12 3 252  
Show 7 more
 
+PLUS highlights
+PLUS coverage
Live Events
Get +PLUS!