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DeKalb
Head coach: Mike Wolf (26th season)
Last season: 10th place Class 3A Lake Park Sectional
Top returners: Jake Barraza, jr.
Top newcomers: Noah Thompson, fr.; Grady Fowler, fr.
Worth noting: The Barbs are returning Barraza, who qualified as an individual and took 27th in the 3A state meet last year. This year, coach Mike Wolf will be looking to Barraza to lead a team that is longing for depth in slots 2-5.
“I want to see our 2-5 runners get together and see how much they can improve together,” Wolf said. “[Senior] Riley Collins and [sophomore] Felipe Hernandez are much stronger than they were in track this past spring. I look for them to make noticeable improvements this season.”
Sycamore
Head coach: Mike Lambdin (25th season)
Last season: 10th place Class 2A Kaneland Sectional
Top returners: Naif Al Harby, sr.; John Cerny, sr.; Phoenix Calabrese, jr.; Corey Goff, jr.; Logan Jones, so.
Top newcomers: Josh Miller, fr.; Luke Miller, fr.
Worth noting: The Sycamore boys cross country team figures to be deep, considering its roster is up to 27. After making it to sectionals as a team last season, coach Mike Lambdin has his sights set on a trip to Peoria this year.
“We need to make significant gains if we are going to have a chance to compete with those teams at state,” Lambdin said. “As good as we look, there is still progress that has to be made if we are going to compete with those top teams in the area.”
Genoa-Kingston
Co-head coaches: Michael Franckowiak (fourth season), Grace Nelson (first season)
Last season: 11th place Class 1A Winnebago Regional
Top returners: Hawke Mitchell, sr.; Jarick Scott, sr.; AJ Sager, jr.; Quincy James, so.
Top newcomers: Gabriel Pena, fr.; Christopher Garcia, fr.
Worth noting: The Cogs are looking to make it out of a regional for the first time since 2018. While seniors Hawke Mitchell and Jarick Scott will be providing the veteran leadership, co-head coaches Michael Frankowiak and Grace Nelson hope that sophomore Quincy James can build off of an impressive and consistent summer program.
Kaneland
Head coach: Chad Clarey (29th season)
Last season: Interstate Eight Conference champions, 10th Place, Class 2A Kaneland Sectional
Top returners: Evan Nosek, jr.; David Valkanov, sr.; Evan Whildin, so.: Zachary Murdock, jr.; Collin Reutimann, sr.
Top newcomers: Liam Lentz, jr.; Johnny Neville, jr.; Lucas Fiedler, jr.; Jack Polloway, jr.; Nick Casey, jr.
Worth noting: A longtime powerhouse in Class 2A, Kaneland looks to make it back to state as a team under the leadership of veteran coach Chad Clarey. Clarey has a lot of depth this season, which means that he can let the incoming crop of freshmen gel together without pressure to run at the varsity level. Clarey said that the process is what will drive the Knights this season.
“Our team is going to focus on being intentional with all facets of our training, including all the extras that go into being a well-rounded distance runner,” Clarey said. “We are going to centralize our focus on leading with the right attitude and making sure our influence reflects the best parts of who we are as competitors, and human beings. Our sport is a vehicle for showing toughness, commitment, fortitude and courage. We will strive to model that daily. If we do the work, we will surrender the results to whatever they are meant to be.”