Unity will concede individual accolades for a run at another state championship title for the coffers
Date: 11/4/2023
Location: Detweiller Park; Peoria, IL
Course: 3.0 miles
Race Time: 9:00a
Awards ceremony: 11:00a at the Detweiller Park venue
Weather forecast: 43F, coudy at race time
MileSplit IL 50 Rankings: Read Here
The qualifying teams: #1 Tolono (Unity), #2 Anna-Jonesboro, #3 Eureka, #4 Shelbyville, #5 Pleasant Plains, #6 Knoxville, #7 Peoria (Notre Dame), #9 Williamsville, #10 Palos Heights (Chicago Christian), #11 Glen Carbon (Father McGivney), #12 El Paso-Gridley, #13 Robinson, #14 Winnebago, #15 Champaign (St. Thomas More), #16 Seneca, #17 Toulon (Stark County), #18 Effingham (St. Anthony), #20 Pinckneyville, #21 Clinton, #22 Herscher, #24 Elmhurst (Immaculate Conception); Aurora (Central Catholic), Belleville (Althoff Catholic), Breese (Mater Dei), Chicago Latin, Duquoin, Elgin (Harvest Christian Academy), Lombard (Montini), Prophetstown, Richmond-Burton
--------------------------
Team Race Outlook:
The first of two three-peats will be on the line at 9:00a to begin the Saturday of title races at Detweiller. In 2021, the Tolono Unity Rockets upset Winnebago 126-138 with a pack effort- only Olivia Shike was all-state.
In 2022, Unity was instead wire-to-wire favorites and convincingly won their second state title more than 100 points clear of second place DePaul College Prep. Mackenzie Pound and Emily Decker were all-state, and Erica Woodard and Shike were in the top 40.
With all seven runners returning from that title team, Unity's path to the state title has remained clear. The top-rated crew enters the state meet undefeated against 1A competition and bears only a single loss (to 2A Washington at Metamora). The Rockets are Illinois Prairie Conference champions, Sullivan Regional champions, and convincing Decatur (St. Teresa) champions. With heads full of steam and two trophies to defend, what is there to slow down the Rockets?
The field needed to produce a worthy challenger desperately and did that they did, in the form of Anna-Jonesboro. The Wildcats have been wearing black and pink this year and have taken down every other 1A team convincingly, apart from Unity.
Freshman sensation Jadyn Gerardi has headed their attack this year, one of the five fastest freshmen in the state by three-mile time. Gerardi won three races this year and was third in a top-heavy Benton sectional field. Gerardi is set for her first potentially multiple all-state appearances and has been supported by sophomore Aleah Box.
The freshman class is strong for Anna-Jonesboro, with both Kinley Leek and Liz Hammer and Hammer contributing scoring performances for the Wildcats. Reese Jones, Zoe Jones, and Kenzie Miller rounded out that group at sectionals, and Reagan Jones may also be in the mix at state.
On paper, the title will be between these two teams, with Unity as the favorite. Unity knows better than to rest on their laurels--it was an upset that brought them their first trophy two years ago. Anna-Jonesboro sits at the intersection between a group from last year that was culture setting (led by the now-graduated Brodie Denny) and a young upcoming group. Still, they are eager to show their time has come.
Eureka leads the chase pack in an effort for the last trophy spot. Led by Meika Bender and freshman Bre Lehman, the Hornets assembled a string of solid victories around the second half of the season. Eureka took the notable Amboy Invite team victory and has won each weekend since then, but a gap back to their last three runners produced the closest gap that a team has been behind Eureka in some time.- that was preseason #2 Peoria Notre Dame scoring 19 points with one of their best races of the year at the loaded Elmwood Sectional. Meghan Zopel and Julia Mingus turned in all-sectional efforts to lead the Irish. Notre Dame's depth is a distinguishing factor for them over the field in this first year in the classification (a trophy would ensure their return to 2A in 2025).
That same Elmwood Sectional also qualified Knoxville, Pleasant Plains, El Paso-Gridley, and Williamsville. The Williamsville Bullets squeaked into the state meet by one point over 7th place Delavan in a heartbreaker for the Panthers, who had come on strong this season (Annabelle LaFary and Addelyne Nehmelman will represent Delavan). A surprising 1-2 Knoxville, punch of Emily King and Alyssa Higgins has made them one of the year's surprises, whereas Pleasant Plains has enjoyed the return of Abigail Wolters this year. Although Plains has struggled with consistency, they are firmly in this crowded trophy contention pack.
Other teams to watch:
Winnebago - Winnebago is probably a year away from joining trophy contention, but they enjoyed a solid win at the Oregon Sectional over Seneca. Morgan Capriola (So.) is about to complete her first entire cross country season and is in the mix to add a cross country all-state medal to her cabinet that includes a leg of the 4x800m relay state title. They are in an excellent top 10 position.
Seneca - The Irish have bounced up and down the rankings this year, but finishing second at the Oregon Sectional bodes well. Evelyn O'Connor won the sectional title, beating a formidable Emily Downing (Cambridge) and Kennady Anderson (Kewanee Wethersfield). They're in the top-10 mix as well.
El-Paso Gridley - The Titans were once ranked #4 this season. They took a step back during conference season, however, with Nellie Melick out of the lineup. She returned and finished 35th at the Elmwood Sectional. If she can rejoin Caroline Wettstein in the potential all-state group, EPG can sneak up on some teams.
Palos Heights (Chicago Christian) - The Knights are rounding into form at the right time to be grouped in the top 10 and even top five. Grace Mullin finished third at the McNamara Sectional and had previously won two meet titles. Kaylee O'Sullivan was also all-sectional. A tight back of 3-6 within 25 seconds secured the title, and that pack included Kihra Moes, who had been running as the team's best runner early in the season.
Individual Outlook:
Before the season began, the girl's race already looked to be one of the most compelling individual fields. Sophomore Molly Farrell of Marshall rounded into her own during track, taking home her first state title in the 3200m. Chicago Latin junio Mia Kotler joined the 1A classification as Latin moved down from 2A. But the preseason coverage didn't figure that freshman sensation Isabella Keller of Effingham St. Anthony would have the impact that she has had.
By holding off Farrell for the win at the St. Teresa Sectional, Keller moved one step closer to remaining undefeated against Illinois competition and on Illinois soil. There have been a few close calls, including against Tuscola sophomore Kate Foltz at the St. Joseph-Ogden Spartan Classic. But she has run with the maturity of a seasoned veteran, and few races better demonstrate this than her only non-win of the season at Terre Haute, where she moved from outside the top-10 to sixth and eventually third during the middle kilometers. Read more about Keller's background and journey to the state meet here.
From a tactical standpoint, Keller has tended to be a little more conservative to begin, whereas some of her competition, like Kotler and Foltz, have demonstrated hot starts. Foltz's opening mile of 5:14 at the Peoria High Invite represents the fastest mile run on Detweiller so far this year. Kotler did not get to run at Detweiller Park despite Richard Spring Invite being on her schedule. Her best win was a sizable one over 3A co-favorite Liv Phillips of Naperville Central at the Red Devil Invitational. She has finished in the top five each of the last two years, and that streak almost certainly will stretch to three.
Running incredibly well at the right time but still seeking her first XC all-state medal is two-time 1600 state champion Elena Rybak of Father McGivney. She ran 17:11 at Detweiller in October to prove that she is ready to put a couple of difficult postseasons behind her. Her 2:11.4 800m best means she is one of the most dangerous finishers in the field, and this front group needs to be wary of a Rybak with a head full of steam on the final stretch. Rybak's sectional title was a dual with Ahry Comer of Pope County, who, in her senior year, is no stranger to state championship races and has proved she can win and finish high in pretty much any distance.
One spot behind Rybak at the Patriot Invite at Detweiller was Tessa Bowers. That 17:18 is her most robust cross country performance by a good margin, and she beat Molly Farrell in that process. Bowers has won three races this year, even though her schedule has been loaded against the best individuals in the class this season.
Kennady Anderson and Emily Downing each have flown under the radar a bit and may continue to be underrated entering the state meet after they finished behind Evelyn O'Connor at the sectional meet. Downing was a surprise 25th-place finisher in 2022, but top-10 should surprise no one. Anderson is the Lincoln Trail Conference champ and ran 17:33 at First to the Finish--but don't forget that she finished 17:45 in the slop in 2022 at state to finish fourth.
Other top returners from last year's state meet include Louisa Wilson (3rd, Williamsville), Kaitlyn Hartley (7th, Fr. McGivney), Miah Gilmore (10th, Murphysboro), McKenzie Pound (11th, Unity), O'Connor (12th, Seneca), Savanna Franzen (14th, SJO), Emily Decker (19th, Unity), Caroline Tepe (20th, Okawville), Sydney Gertsen (21st, Montini) and Vanessa Teel (23rd, Pinckneyville). Keep an eye on Gertsen, who was runner-up to Kotler by less than 20 seconds at McNamara.