High school girls cross country: Team preview capsules

Fox Valley Conference

Cary-Grove

Coach: Mark Anderson (15th season).

Last year's finish: Seventh in FVC Meet.

Top returning runners: Sarah Riley, sr.; Molly MacDuff, sr.; Sarah Caesar, jr.; Rachel Feuerhelm, jr.

Top new runners: Meghan O'Malley, jr.; Kasey Tasch, sr.

Worth noting: The Trojans would have finished higher last season, but an injury to top runner Morgan Schulz (Illinois) kept her out the second half of the season. … Caesar was 12th and Riley was 28th in the FVC Meet last season.

Crystal Lake Central

Coach: Brett Willhoit (first season).

Last year's finish: FVC Meet champion.

Top returning runners: Janine Orvis, jr.; Avani Flanagan, jr.; Debra Tomlinson, jr.; Katelyn Smith, so.; Maddie Hollander, so.; Kelly Doerr, jr.; Stephanie Doerr, so.

Top new runners: Mikayla Bertalon, fr.; Becca Orvis, fr.

Worth noting: Central finished second in the FVC Meet in 2013 by one point to Crystal Lake South and won the meet, over South, by 36 last year. … Janine Orvis, Tomlinson and Flanagan all finished in the top 13 at the FVC Meet and are back. … The TIgers have been to the Class 2A meet eight consecutive years, which is every year the IHSA has had three classes for cross country.

Crystal Lake South

Coach: Ken Greenfield (fifth season).

Last year's finish: Second in FVC Meet.

Top returning runners: Caitlin Bruzzini, jr.; Andie Kobrick, sr.; Jenny Luken, sr.; Ann Lewandowski, jr.; Kayla Ehrenhaft, so.

Worth noting: Kiley Britten (Seton Hall) was FVC runner-up, but is the long graduation loss from the Gators’ top five at the FVC Meet. … South won the FVC Meet two years ago and should be near the top again.

Dundee-Crown

Coach: Ty Carlson (fourth season).

Last year's finish: 11th in FVC Meet.

Top returning runners: Sylvia Waz, so.; Kayla Hostetler, sr.; Maggie Himmel, sr.; Arina Hurgoi, sr.

Worth noting: We’ve got a strong mix of seniors with lots of varsity experience and a sophomore class that stepped up well in the last third of the season. The senior girls have led the way with a strong summer. We hope to have a strong pack chasing returning all-conference runner Sylvia Waz.

Hampshire

Coach: Patti Nihells (12th season).

Last year’s finish: Ninth in FVC Meet.

Top returning runners: Elizabeth Evans, sr.; Morgan Richert, jr.; Sophie Oury, so.; Shayla Sotelo, jr.; Marie Mayer, jr.; Anna Wilson, sr.

Top new runners: Yesenia Gonzalez, fr.

Worth noting: Evans and Mayer were half of the Whip-Purs’ 4x800 relay team that reached the finals of the Class 2A track and field state meet. Richert and Oury finished 30th and 33rd at the FVC Meet last season.

Huntley

Coach: Bradley Gallaugher (sixth season).

Last year's finish: Fifth in FVC Meet.

Top returning runners: Kate Mitchell, sr.; Chloe Smith, so.; Jerissa Chan, sr.; Megan Hernandez, so.; Brooke Cirenza, so.

Top new runners: Lindsay Ferguson, so.; Mary Raclawski, fr.

Worth noting: Mitchell had a strong track and field season and Smith ran No. 2 for the Red Raiders most of last season as a freshman. … Ferguson was an accomplished swimmer for Huntley last fall, but after an injury came out for cross country and should help with depth.

Jacobs

Coach: Kevin Christian (ninth season).

Last year's finish: Third in FVC Meet.

Top returning runners: Kathryn Van Vlierbergen, jr.; Chloe Walsh, so.; Alex Lorenz, sr.; Bailey Zinger, jr.; Natalie Cook, sr.

Top new runners: Monika Ziemann, so.; Dani Gehr, sr.; Jessi Gessner, jr.

Worth noting: The best girls distance runner in Jacobs school history, Lauren Van Vlierbergen, graduated and now competes at Michigan. She was Class 3A state runner-up. … Kathryn Van Vlierbergen had a strong sophomore season and finished 22nd in the FVC Meet. … Zinger, as Jacobs’ sixth runner, was 37th in the FVC to give Jacobs a tiebreaker for third place over McHenry. … Alex Lorenz competes in triathlons most of the year and returns for her senior year. … Christian feels like the Golden Eagles will be tough if they can find a solid fifth runner.

McHenry

Coach: Jim Wheeler (35th season).

Last year’s finish: Fourth in FVC Meet.

Top returning runners: Katy Purich, sr.; Ellie Gioia, jr.; Kylie Medinger, jr.

Top new runners: Shania Kranz, jr.

Worth noting: Top runner Lauren Opatrny graduated and is running at Iowa, but Purich, Gioia and Medinger were among the top five runners last season. … Purich has been close to the top group in most races since her freshman season. Purich, Medinger, Kranz and Gioia qualified for the Class 3A Track and Field State Meet in the 4x800 relay.

Prairie Ridge

Coach: Amy Taege (second season).

Last year’s finish: Eighth in FVC Meet.

Top returning runners: Kate Ferguson, so.; Mady Gerlinger, sr.

Top new runners: Jena Berkland, so.; Maddi Carey, fr.; Nicole Dorn, fr.; Chloe Gale, fr.

Worth noting: Ferguson was 45th in the FVC Meet, the Wolves’ top returning spot from last season. … Prairie Ridge has 17 new runners this year, so it will try to build for its future with young runners.

Woodstock

Coach: Jay Fuller (second season).

Last year’s finish: Sixth in FVC Meet.

Top returning runners: Kate Jacobs, jr.; Amy Zhang, sr.; Grace Beattie, sr.; Megan Hansen, sr.

Top new runners: Izzy Solberg, jr.; Maddy Neubauer, jr.; Sydnie Heidtke, fr.; Julia Walsdorf, fr.; Kayla Deegan, so.; Kylie Hagmann, fr.; Mads Scolio, fr.; Lauren Wietermann, fr.; Abby Primus, so.

Worth noting: Jacobs was 26th in the Class 2A State Meet, just missing All-State honors, and was fourth in the FVC Meet. She should be one of the area’s top runners this season. … With Jacobs, Beattie, Zhang and Hansen returning, the Streaks have a strong top of their lineup to go with upcoming young runners.

Woodstock North

Coach: Cas Creighton (second season).

Last year’s finish: Did not have full team for FVC Meet.

Top returning runners: Izzy Mazzanti, sr.; Amanda Valses-Garcia, so.

Top new runners: Fani Salgado, jr.

Worth noting: Creighton is excited that the girls team is double in size to a year ago. She sees potential and talent with the new runners.

Big Northern Conference

Harvard

Coach: Casey Seyller (second season).

Last year’s finish: Sixth in BNC Meet.

Top returning runners: Jordan Peterson, sr.; Catherine Austin, so.; Cythia Pelayo, jr.; Katie Wright, sr.

Top new runners: Maria Mercado, so.; Leah Brookner, so.; Kayla Austin, fr.

Worth noting: Peterson missed a trip to the Class 1A state meet last season after she grew sick during the postseason meets. She had been finishing in places all season that would have gotten her to state.

Johnsburg

Coach: Chris Setzler (21st season).

Last year’s finish: Eighth in BNC Meet.

Top returning runners: Ashley Molidor, so.; Felicity Westphal, so.; Tess Grimes, jr.

Top new runners: Mya Fettes, fr.; Katelyn Davis, fr.

Worth noting: Delaney Pruitt (16th in BNC) and Anna Fox (44th) were the Skyhawks’ top runners last year, but have graduated. Molidor was 51st in the BNC Meet.

Marengo

Coach: R.J. Meyer (seventh season).

Last year’s finish: BNC Meet champion.

Top returning runners: Taylor Conroy, sr.; Sarah Shefcik, jr.; Gretel Hoffmeyer, sr.; Hope LaSota, sr.; Kelsey Paprocki, sr.

Top new runners: Hannah Secor, so.; Brianna St. Clair, so.; Faith Malinowski, fr.

Worth noting: The Indians have won five consecutive BNC Meet championships, but BNC champion Kitty Allen, who also was fourth in the Class 2A state meet, and Kaylin Punotai (fifth in BNC) graduated. Ashlynd Broling, a junior, moved to Tennessee. … Conroy was 13th in the BNC and will return as the team leader. … Getting Hoffmeyer back, after playing club soccer last fall, will help the Indians. Meyer liked what he saw from St. Clair and Secor in their freshman season.

Richmond-Burton

Coach: Ryan Carlson (second season).

Last year's finish: Second in BNC Meet.

Top returning runners: Breanne Retherford. jr.; Emma Langlois. jr.; Amy Frisch, so.; Kinsley Johnson, so.; Gabby Ross, jr.

Top new runners: Maggie Piecz, jr.; Kelsey Christiansen, so.

Worth noting: The Rockets had an outstanding season with their second-place finish in the BNC Meet. Retherford (third) and Langlois (sixth) led R-B in the conference meet and return. … “We’re looking to replace our two seniors from last year build on our young team,” Carlson said.

East Suburban Catholic Conference

Marian Central

Coach: Amy Beattie (second season).

Last year’s finish: Seventh in ESCC Meet.

Top returning runners: Abigail Jones, jr.; Morgan Litterer, jr.; Karla Juarez, jr.; Monica Juarez, sr.; Nicole Lange, jr.; Grace Knudsen, so.; Shelby Truckenbrod, so.; Violet Ray, so.; Christina Merrill, so.

Top new runners: Mikayla Knuth, jr.; Sami Ackley, jr.; Laura Knapp, jr.; Catie Wember, so.; Molly Sullivan, fr.

Worth noting: The Hurricanes move up to Class 2A this season, but return most of a strong team to do it with. Marian lost one team member to graduation from a team that was 14th in the Class 1A State Meet. … Jones took sixth in state, while Truckenbrod and Knudsen’s progress as freshmen was key to Marian qualifying for state. … The Hurricanes won their regional meet last year.

– Compiled by Joe Stevenson, the Northwest Herald