Cross Country

Downers Grove North's boys cross country team, ranked No. 1 since preseason, ran away with a dominating repeat Class 3A state championship, while in a tight 3A girls race York took second and Downers Grove North third. And Benet's Finn Richards won the Class 2A boys state title.

Batavia sophomore Avery Hacker enjoyed a happy return to the Class 3A state cross country meet Saturday, finishing an All-State eighth to lead the Bulldogs to fifth place. Meanwhile in Class 2A Kaneland's Evan Nosek took third, becoming the Knights' first four-time All-Stater.

Sandwich junior Sunny Weber wasn’t taking any chances at the halfway point of the Class 2A girls cross country state race Saturday. Weber became Sandwich’s first individual state champion with a big personal-record as well. In 3A, Yorkville's Owen Horeni was an All-State 17th.

The IHSA Class 1A State Cross Country Championships were held on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024 at Detweiller Park in Peoria.

The IHSA Class 2A State Cross Country Championships were held on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024 at Detweiller Park in Peoria.

The IHSA Class 3A State Cross Country Championships were held on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024 at Detweiller Park in Peoria.

Willowbrook senior Amelie Ojeda, who finished the 2.9-mile Legge Memorial Park course in 16:35.58 to win the Class 3A Hinsdale Central Sectional, becoming Willowbrook’s first girls cross country sectional champion, is the Suburban Life Athlete of the Week in an online vote.

The Morris Community High School cross country team left Morris Friday morning with a police escort on its way to the IHSA state championships for the second year in a row.

DeKalb's Jacob Barraza is the lone Class 3A entrant from the Daily Chronicle area at Saturday's state cross country meet. Sycamore and Kaneland qualified their boys teams for the 2A race and Spartan junior Layla Janisch will compete on the 2A girls side.

Oregon junior Daniel Gonzalez ran a personal record of 16 minutes and 32 seconds to qualify for state after placing 17th at the 1A sectional in Rock Island on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024. He was the eighth individual out of 10 to advance to state from the sectional. On the girls side, E-P senior Sarah Link (20:12) ran a PR and took 30th. Oregon (290) was 11th as a team, led by senior Ella Dannhorn’s 20:35, good for 35th place.

Fueled by a season-best 1:34 split between all-sectional Macy Dick and their No. 5 finisher and 1:39 to their No. 7 finisher, Oswego East placed fifth at the Class 3A Hinsdale Central Sectional and advanced to the state meet for the third straight year with a top-seven finish.

DeKalb's Jacob Barraza ran a personal record time in holding off Wheaton Warrenville South's Josiah Narayanan as boys champion, York swept the boys and girls team titles, York freshman Karlin Janowski won the girls race and Batavia boys and girls were second at Lake Park.

Willowbrook senior Amelie Ojeda, sidelined outdoor track season after being struck in the eye by an errantly thrown baseball, continued her return Saturday, becoming her school's first girls cross country sectional champion. Meanwhile Downers Grove North swept the team titles.

The Class 3A Lake Park cross country sectional was held on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024 in Roselle.

Here is a preview of the Rock Island Alleman Sectional including Amboy, Bureau Valley, Princeton and St. Bede runners

Yorkville junior Owen Horeni, who took second at the Class 3A Minooka Regional, leading Yorkville to second place as a team to qualify for sectionals, is the Record Newspapers Athlete of the Week in an online vote. Here is his Q&A with Joshua Welge.

Teams move on to race at sectionals on Nov. 2

Here is a preview of the Seneca regional including Amboy, Bureau Valley, Hall, Princeton and St. Bede runners

With Downers Grove North's girls cross country team winning the West Suburban Silver title for the first time since 1997, the Trojans swept the girls and boys team titles. Trojans' junior Philip Cupial and York freshman Karlin Janowsk were race winners.

Local runners compete in the Fox Valley Conference Cross Country meet on Saturday, Oct. 19,2024 at Hickory Nut Grove Preserve in Cary.

Maya Ledesma ran a Channahon Community Park course record, her 40-second win leading Minooka's girls to the Southwest Prairie Conference team championship. In the boys race, Plainfield South's Dylan Mahoney repeated as champion and Plainfield North edged South for the team title.

Downers Grove North junior Philip Cupial, who ran a personal record and course record 14 minutes, 24.09 seconds to win Naperville North’s Twilight XC Invite, leading the Trojans to the team championship, is the Suburban Life Athlete of the Week in an online vote. Read more him.

Byron'a Tim Starwalt finished third individually among 161 competitors

Runners competed in the annual Naperville North Twilight Cross Country Invitational on Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024 in Naperville.

Runners competed in the St. Charles North Cross Country Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024 at LeRoy Oakes Forest Preserve in St. Charles.

Cary Grove junior Jameson Tenopir used a big surge in the final mile to win the St. Charles North Boys Cross Country Invite, Huntley senior Tommy Nitz won the Peoria Invite, plus more scores and results in Saturday's Northwest Herald roundup.

Kaneland hosted the Eddington Invitational cross country meet on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024 in Maple Park.

Sandwich junior Sunny Weber, who won the Class 2A race at the First to the Finish Invitational meet in Peoria in 16 minutes, 50.70 seconds, is the Record Newspapers Athlete of the Week in an online vote. Here is her Q&A with Joshua Welge.

Westmont junior Kyla Babb, who took third place in the Class 1A race at the First to the Finish Invitational in Peoria in a personal-best time of 17 minutes, 29.3 seconds over 3 miles, is the Suburban Life Athlete of the Week in an online vote. Here is her Q&A with Joshua Welge.

Boys and girls Cross Country teams from Mendota, La Salle-Peru, Princeton, Newman, Amboy, Morris, Hall and Fieldcrest all competed during the Gary Coates Invitational Cross Country meet on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024 at Zearing Park in Princeton.

Wheaton Warrenville South senior Sy Narayanan, an All-State 12th at last year's state cross country meet, has his sights set even higher this season, while defending champion Downers Grove North is preseason No. 1.

Nathan Gabriel of Joliet Central took second place in the boys race, while Lemont's Hannah Farley finished second in the girls race at the 52nd annual Plainfield Central Wildcat Invitational on Saturday.

The 2024 girls cross country season is underway. Here are previews of teams from around the Record Newspapers coverage area.

The 2024 boys cross country season is underway. Here are previews of teams from around the Record Newspapers coverage area.

With five of the seven girls returning from last year's Class 3A runner-up, led by Lily Eddington, and the addition of IESA state champion Macy Ermitage, Downers Grove North enters the season as the state's No. 1-ranked team.

Batavia's girls won the team title at the Kane County Cross Country Meet, led by a first-place finish from Avery Hacker, and Kaneland's Evan Nosek won the boys race.

Local teams competed in the McHenry County Cross Country Invite on Saturday, August 31, 2024, at McHenry Township Park in Johnsburg.

Here's a look at the boys cross country teams from Amboy-LaMoille, Bureau Valley, Hall, Princeton and St. Bede

Here is a look at girls cross country teams from Princeton, Bureau Valley and Amboy co-op. The Tigresses return a strong group of runners led by sophomores Ruby Acker and Payton Frueh.

5 boys cross country runners to watch from Bureau Valley, Hall, Princeton and St. Bede for 2024

Recognizing girls from Bureau Valley, Princeton and St. Bede as the BCR's five girls cross country runners to watch this fall.

Seneca’s Gracie Steffes has signed on to continue her education at Ripon College in Ripon, Wisc., and her running career at the NCAA Division 3 level with the Red Hawks.

Fieldcrest's Tatiana Serna will continue her cross country career at IVCC.

Ottawa's Alexander McCalmont will continue his cross country career at IVCC.

Hinsdale Central senior Aden Bandukwala, who swept all three postseason races and repeated as Class 3A state champion, is the Suburban Life boys cross country Runner of the Year. His story, and the Suburban Life All-Area cross country team.

York senior Michaela Quinn, who overcame a badly sprained ankle to win the West Suburban Silver meet and led the Dukes to their second Class 3A state championship in three years, is the Suburban Life Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year. Her story, and the All-Area team.

Sandwich sophomore Sunny Weber is The Times Cross Country Runner of the Year

With state medals, personal records and more up and down the lineup, it was a standout year for the runners on the boys all-area team.

Swanson led all area runners at the Gary Coates Invitational, Three Rivers Conference, Class 1A Seneca Regional and Class 1A Oregon Sectional meets.

Longtime PHS coach Pat Hodge and program historian ranks Frueh and Acker as the best freshman duo in 40 years since Brenda Wesner and Kelly Bosworth ran together in 1983 and Becky Scott and Jennifer Knoshbin the year before in 1982.