Minooka Jr. High honors girls cross country team

MINOOKA – For the last few years, the Minooka High School girls cross country program has been steadily improving to one of the top programs around.

Judging by what the Minooka Junior High team did this season, that trend should continue.

Minooka’s team finished third at the IESA Class 3A state meet at Illinois State University’s Maxwell Park over the weekend, and they were honored Tuesday at Minooka Junior High’s fall sports awards night.

The evening started with all of the athletes and parents from all fall sports in the gymnasium, where the girls cross country team was recognized in front of everyone, and then the many athletes with 4.0 grade-point averages were also honored and given a certificate.

When the sports divided up into separate groups to have their own honors, the cross country teams stayed in the gym.

First, the fifth and sixth-grade girls team was announced and given their honors, with coach Thomas Neisler pointing out that the team won every invitational it competed in this fall, by an average of 40 points. Next, it was the boys’ turn, as members of all four grades were introduced and honored by coach Mike Lanahan. He noted that this year’s team was the fastest he has ever coached, and eighth-graders Jacob Bieker (Most Improved) and Hector Ramos (Most Valuable) were honored as well.

Finally, it was time for the seventh and eighth-grade girls team to be honored for their third-place state finish, the best in school history since 1981, when the Indians also finished third.

Neisler pointed out that he was unable to attend the state race Saturday, as his wife had given birth to twin boys at 4 a.m. Friday morning. Lanahan and the girls’ assistant coach, Renae Batsch-Haaker, were in charge of the team during the state meet.

“This is a very good group of girls,” Neisler said. “They are hard workers. I knew I could also trust the other coaches. Coaches Batsch-Haaker and Lanahan obviously did a great job down there.”

Neisler is in his fifth year as cross-country coach at Minooka, and many of his former runners are now part of the high school team.

This year’s team at state consisted of Peighton McManus, Alyssa Hrusosky, Olivia Kics, Taryn Sandei, Morgan Tomaselli, Gabby Kics, Abby Rivara, Maddie Olenick, Nina Shanahan and Kaylee Ratcliff. Olenick was the top finisher at the state meet, taking 21st place overall and earning all-state honors. She also won the Most Valuable award at the banquet. Most Improved went to Sandei, who ran as a fifth-grader, took two years off and came back this year as an eighth-grader to be an integral part of the team.

Afterward, all the members of the team crowded around Neisler and hugged him before posing for photos with the state plaque.

“The thing I will remember most about this team is that they get along well,” Neisler said. “Not only when they are at practice and meets, but they hang out with each other outside of school. They are happy being with each other, and that’s not something you see real often, especially with a bunch of teenage girls.

“But, even though they are all friends, they are still very competitive with each other without causing friction in their friendships. That has been very nice to see. It’s a group we will miss, and we look forward to seeing what they can do once they get into high school.”