3A Girls-
The scene of a tightly packed cross country race is like no other (Steve Bulgarin photo)
On paper the girls teams appear to be extremely strong and may overtake the boys for notoriety when the season is over. Although the official preview is not ready, Naperville North appears to be the team to beat. The defending state champions that went on to place 10th at NXN return a boatload of talent including all-staters Sarah Schmitt, Hanna Ricci, and Alex Morris. Coach Dan Iverson's unit does not appear to be hurt by the graduation of Claire Hamilton. Schmitt, Ricci, and Morris all had wonderful spring seasons in which they broke 11:00 for the 3200m and earned more all-state hardware.
Could there finally be a chink in the armor of Yorkville? Remember when they won countless state titles in 2A and then moved up to 3A and gave the big girls a smack in the mouth without flinching? The Lady Foxes were good last and although they four starters back from the state runner-up team, they don't seem like a group on the outset that will be ready to challenge Naperville North.... Minooka loses just two girls from last year's third place trophy unit, but those two darlings happen to be Ashley Tutt and Mackenzie Callahan. They helped comprise part of the Indians "triplets" that dominated the top 10 in virtually every meet over the past three seasons. Now Emily Shelton is left to fend for herself... Downers Grove South had the best season in their team history when they placed 5th. The Mustangs will once again be a force with 6 of their top 7 back... there are so many good teams out there like Glenbard West, Lyons Twp, Hinsdale Central, and for thought provoking sake let's throw in O'Fallon.
Katelynne Hart and Lindsey Payne of Glenbard West proved to be the best distance tandem for the entire season last year. Payne did not seem to be fazed by the then newcomer Hart taking over the state and ultimately rising up into the national consciousness. Payne was state runner and the residuals led to a berth to San Diego for the Footlocker National Championship. Look for the more dominance this fall. The overall field is going to be great with 16 all-starters returning including the top 3 which Shelton proudly stamped her name into the archives.