Jenna Lutzow has been real tough to solve among her peers (Mark Capapas photo)
-Lutzow missed her initial match up against Delaney Appino at FTTF but that's alright. They met at the Kaneland Invite a week later and she won by a dozen seconds. Lutzow is undefeated among the 2A ranks and appears unstoppable at this point. If any race comes down to closing speed, she would be odds on there as well with her great leg speed- see her 800m stats resume.
B. Delaney Appino (Sr., Rockford Boylan)
-Won the FTTF Invite with ease in early September, but did not see Lutzow. They did meet up later and Appino took her first and only loss of the season. Appino is a rising star in the ranks and should continue roll the remainder of the campaign.
C. Grace Breitbach (Jr., Peoria Notre Dame)
-For many of those outside of the Peoria metro area, the Breitbach name may not ring a bell. Last year in particular, it was hard gaining notoriety because teammate and superstar Maryjeanne Gilbert took all the headlines. Gilbert wound up as a multiple state champion and Foot Locker National runner up. There you go. Breitbach was second among 2A girls at the Peoria Richard Spring Invite which is a one class race that contains many of the state's best girls. Her best race was the second place finish in the Peoria Invite 1A/2A class race.
D. Jenna Schwartz (So., Waterloo)
-Strong resume hard to dispute with top five finishes in strong invites like the Peoria Invite and FTTF. Schwartz has maintained herself throughout the season with several first place finishes sprinkled in. She earned all-state honors with a 24th place finish last year. She should be at the top of the ladder this time around next month.
E. Kari Lalumandier (Sr., Metamora)
-Started the season off in bad shape with a 36th place finish at FTTF. She was not even her team's top runner in that race. Lalumandier rebounded with several top five finishers and won the Peoria Invite 1A/2A race on Oct. 1.