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The 2024 boys cross country season is underway. Here are previews of teams from around the Record Newspapers coverage area.
Oswego East
Coach: James Milner
Top returners: Nico Goduto, sr.; Eddie Bozett, sr.; Phoenix Scott, jr.; Jack Wolstenholm, so.; Mason Van Denend, so.; Logan Santos, sr.; Bradley Porter, sr.; Felix Pilny, jr.; Cameron Luthman, jr.
Worth noting: Oswego East, which qualified its team for the state meet last season, is a young team with state meet experience. The Wolves last season took sixth at conference, second at regional and seventh at sectional. Seniors Goduto and Bozett will lead the way. Goduto was 21st in conference, 10th at regional and 30th at sectional. Bozett was 23rd in conference, 17th at regional and 35th at sectional.
“We’ll need contributions from all age groups, seniors down to the freshmen,” Milner said. “They’ll look to develop as a team throughout the season and work on cutting down that 1-5 split. With a close 1-5 split this team will look for a strong finish in the tough SPC and challenge for a state berth.”
Plano
Coach: Andrew DeBolt
Top returners: Matthew Martin, sr.; Ryley Soloff, so.; Tyler Burris, jr.
Key newcomer: Alejandro Delgado, fr.
Worth noting: The Reapers are very young and DeBolt said are looking to develop together as a team. There will be freshmen and sophomores who will be running varsity from the beginning. Martin is Plano’s only senior and has stepped into a leadership role. Soloff took 29th and Burris 35th at the Kishwaukee River Conference meet last year. Soloff was 64th at regional, Martin 68th and Burris 72nd. Delgado, a freshman, was Plano’s top runner at the Morris Early Bird, running 17:49.
“Our goal is to develop these young kids and give them plenty of experience for the future,” DeBolt said.
Sandwich
Coach: Brian Long
Top returners: Josh Schaefers, sr.; Alex Walsh, jr.; AJ Parkison, jr.; Nolan Minard, jr.
Key newcomers: Logan Trigg, fr.; Lincoln Minard, fr.
Worth noting: Top runner Max Cryer graduated, but Sandwich returns much of the group that finished fifth in the Kishwaukee River Conference last year. Walsh placed 11th, Parkison 23rd, Schaefers 28th and Nolan Minard 38th at conference. After two meets, at Morris and Sycamore, Long said the team looks stronger than last year. Walsh has run close to a PR (17:19) and Parkison and Nolan Minard have run PRs in every race, 18:04 and 18:47 respectively. Trigg has jumped in as a freshman and has consistently been Sandwich’s third or fourth runner. Logan Minard ran a personal best at the Sycamore Invite and went sub-22 minutes.
“The majority of this boy’s group logged several miles over the summer. They are beginning to realize their potential as the season gets underway,” Long said. “As we progress throughout the season, we hope that we continue to trust our training, take advantage of every opportunity and hyperfocus on the little things that make the biggest difference. This team has a lot of untapped potential, and we cannot wait to see what they accomplish collectively.”
Yorkville
Coach: Chris Muth
Top returners: Owen Horeni, jr.; Brody Greyer, sr.; Ryan Rotramel, sr.; Adam Klemm, so.; Luke Summers, sr.; Walter Strait, sr.
Key newcomers: Carter Reichert, fr.
Worth noting: Horeni, the Record Newspapers Athlete of the Year in both cross country and track and field last school year, anchors the returnees from a Yorkville team that took 16th in Class 3A, a program record. The Foxes also took fourth in conference, third at regional and sixth at sectional. Horeni placed sixth at conference, 11th at regional, ninth at sectional and 58th at state. Rotramel was 29th at conference, Greyer 31st. Muth noted that Greyer has taken a giant leap forward in his training and will consistently be among the Foxes’ top two finishers throughout the season. Yorkville beat out Naperville Central and Minooka to win the season-opening Kailey Fox Invitational, with Horeni fourth and Greyer fifth. Riechert is an incoming freshman that should be watched as someone who could impact varsity by the state series.
“This boys team has taken a step forward from last year in their training and dedication,” Muth said. “The summer participation and consistency was outstanding and early season indicator workouts have shown solid improvements and depth to this team. In the past years we have been talented but thin with total numbers and this season our depth is there without the drop in talent. I believe we will be competitive in all of our meets this season and consistently improve with the competition to make varsity top 10.”
Editor’s note: Preview information was not provided by Oswego