Batavia, led by its young core, hopes to get top-five finish at state cross country meet

Batavia coach Chad Hillman knew that the 2023 state experience would be a little weird for his group of girls.

After missing out on the state meet for the first time in seven years back in 2022, the Bulldogs found their way back to the state meet thanks to their talented group of underclassmen, to help them to an 18th-place finish at the 3A state meet.

This time around, however, the same group of girls are looking to make an even bigger impact at Detwiler Park.

With a majority of last year’s team returning, the Bulldogs are hoping to get a top-five finish in the Class 3A state race on Saturday.

“We mostly have the same group as we did last season, so they have that experience at state, which always help for prep,” Hillman said. “There are no surprises. We had a lot of first-time qualifiers last year, and having that state experience this time around makes a big difference. Now they can just focus on executing.”

Leading the way for the Bulldogs this season has been sophomore Avery Hacker, who’s established herself as the team’s top runner after being in the middle of the pack in her freshman season. Hacker’s consistently ran under the 18-minute mark this season, a feat she hadn’t managed in her first cross country season. Her personal-best time is a 17:04.9, which she ran for a third-place finish at the Naperville Twilight race.

After finishing 193rd in the state meet a season ago, Hillman said that she saw a change in Hacker during track season, and that change has helped her develop into a runner who’s posted the sixth-fastest time among Class 3A girls this season.

“She’s worked as hard as anybody that we’ve had over these last few years,” Hillman said. “I was just very excited about what she was able to do after she stepped forward in track and just let herself go and let her ability take over. That jump she made really translated into her realizing who she was and where she belonged.”

Hacker’s boost in performance also helped boost the performance of her teammates as well. Following closely behind her is a trio of runners in junior Madeline Cassidy and sophomores Gwendolyn Krodel and Claire Deppe, who all also got under the 18-minute mark for the first time this season.

Cassidy, who was the team’s top girl at state a season ago, has become a solid second runner for the Bulldogs in her junior season. While Hillman has known that she could run at this level since last season if she hadn’t gotten injured, he’s happy that she’s gotten a chance to show off her ability while being completely healthy.

“For her to be 100% healthy, it’s just great for her,” Hillman said. “She is an unbelievable kid, and to be able to step out and really maximize everything she’s got has been awesome. She has risen to a high level here in the last month, and really all season.”

Meanwhile, both Krodel and Deppe have been cases in which the runner’s confidence has been raised to an all-time high during their sophomore season. While Krodel has consistently been the number three runner, Deppe has seen a recent surge over the past month to give the team, as Hillman says, one of the best front fours in the state.

While the Bulldogs have no questions on who their front four will be, Hillman will be looking for a girl to step up to be the number five runner to step up at state. Senior Madison Wnek, who’s been a part of Batavia’s top seven for almost her entire career, has been the fifth runner for the most part, but junior Chloe Kammes also has a chance to step up as well after recording a personal-best at the state meet last season.

“We’re still trying to figure out who’ll round out the top seven this weekend,” Hillman said. “But from an experience standpoint and girls who have been through the trenches, we’re expecting Maddie and Chloe to step up and close that gap for us.”

Besides Batavia, two other teams are set to compete for the team title Saturday.

In Class 2A, St. Francis will be hoping to improve on its sixth-place finish as a team last season. The Spartans are led by the trio of sophomores Erin Hinsdale and Elena Mamminga, and junior Margaret Andrzejewski. Hinsdale and Mamminga have excelled so far in the post season, with Hinsdale winning the regional title and Mamminga placing second at both regionals and sectionals.

In Class 1A, Aurora Central Catholic will also be sending their team to try and secure a team title. Leading the way for the Chargers has been junior Cecilia Hilby. After finishing 16th at state a season ago, the junior has continued her success all season long, coming in with top-five finishes in all but one race this season, as well as the seventh-fastest 5,000-meter race in the class after running a 19:05.2 to take fourth at sectionals.

Along with the teams, seven individuals from Kane County schools will be racing for the individual title.

In Class 3A, four individuals will be taking to the line, led by the St. Charles North duo of sophomores Gwen Hobson and Julia Rodney. Hobson was the top runner from the area a season ago, finishing in 33rd in 17:45.59, while Rodney has excelled in her first cross country season, running a personal-best 17:30.4 in the Lake Park sectional to finish sixth. Also joining them is Geneva junior Sofia Borter, who’s making her third trip to state, and St. Charles East freshman Adley Wilson, who will compete in her first.

In Class 2A, three other local runners will be fighting for the individual title. Burlington Central senior Abigail Burke is coming off of a fifth-place finish at the Kaneland sectional after running a personal-best of 18:05.2. Also running in that race will be a pair of Rosary runners in senior Chiara Surtz and sophomore Caroline Goettsch, who were a part of the Royals’ state-qualifying team a season ago.