We could be looking at one of Illinois greatest seasonal collection (Becca Atchley photo)
High School Name: Downer Grove North
Club Name: Downers North XC
High School Head Coach: John Sipple
School enrollment: 2206
Regular season finish: 3A State Champions
Entry To NXN: NXN MW Champions
FLO 50 Ranking: #3----> Full list
Key seasonal performances: St. Charles East Leavy Invite Champs, FTTF Invite Champs, Naperville Twilight Invite, West Suburban Silver Conference champions, Plainfield South Regional Champs, Hinsdale Central Sectionals winners, IHSA 3A State Champions, Nike Cross Nationals Midwest Champs
How good is this team: This is one of the elite teams in the United States. The Trojans are extremely well coach in the sense that they rely on each other to complete their tasks for each competition. There is not a true front runner among the group, but instead they are a collective force that will sting you to death like Killer Bees. Jacob Ridderhoff is the key spokesman but he would probably admit that being one of the guys is more important than individual success. The thought process is that the Trojans will be in the trophy mix on Saturday and will have a direct say in who earns any of the NXN hardware.
Opening thoughts by the coach:
Individual breakdowns:
Ryan Birkmeier (Sr) - Ryan quietly goes about his business (and I mean very quietly) and puts in the work necessary to improve over time. Ryan is the guy who will find the worst jokes funny and once he starts laughing he cannot stop. Big-Bad-Birk is one of the kindest people on the team but he gets his nickname from being a tough competitor while running/racing. Ryan is committed next year to Colorado State University!
Nick Chudzik (Sr) - The former hockey peewee standout transitioned into running tremendously well for us the last few years. His incredibly competitive nature is evident in how he goes about his business each day. He is able to #riseup to meet the level of his teammates and help push them to new heights. Nick also distinguishes himself as the loudest runner in the top 7 (i.e. surround sound coughing). Plus, the Loyola University commit is possibly one of the biggest Imagine Dragons fans out there.
Miles Christensen (Sr) - Miles truly has transformed over his time with us. He started out as a 95lb freshman who was running 20:06 for 3 miles and now he covers the same distance in 14:46! Miles is new to the top 7 this year, but it was evident that he was driven after last XC season (not finishing top 12) and that he was going to be a big boi member of the top 7 this year. His hair also has some serious flow and he clearly thinks that every good meal deserves to be accompanied by soup.
Brendan Lockerby (Sr) - Brendan has really embraced the amount of work that is needed to become a good distance runner and not just a "track guy". He has really matured and grown into a young man with a championship character and is possibly the nicest kid on the team. Brendan is really a "Mac guy" and loves all things apple. His love for universal sandbox and Kerbal Space Program - two video games, is like no other. Combine that with his obsession with cottage cheese, and you've got the perfect mid-distance xc runner. He has used his devices to create some of our team videos over the past few years, here is a sample of one - https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Sam McCool (Sr) - The University of Northern Iowa commit had a slow start to his cross country season. Sam was hurt with a stress fracture just two weeks into summer training and as a result he was slow to join the top 7 this year. But he has progressed nicely throughout the year and dealt with that adversity like a champ. You will never not see him racing without his headband. Also, he lives up to his last name on race day.
Jacob Ridderhoff (Sr) - Jacob is quite possibly the most competitive kid on the team and his competitive nature is truly a talent that sets him apart from others. He has transitioned well into our "number 1" runner and embraces the challenges that his teammates provide during races when they are trying beat him to the line. As a young runner, Middlehoff didn't always embrace the work that was going to be necessary, but as he matured as a person he realized the work that was necessary to achieve the goals he had set forth for himself and his teammates. His consistency over time has really paid off, and Middleton has done an amazing job.
Jack Roberts (Jr) - Jack is the lone junior of the group this year but was able to plug into a couple varsity meets last year to gain some valuable experience. He has the capacity to do the work and has improved tremendously since his freshman year when he "thought he was hurting" but then came to the realization that 9 mile prerace runs were not that big of a deal. But it was all just "bogus" and fake mileage anyway. In all seriousness, I am not sure I have enough of a word count to describe Jack Roberts and his incredible contributions to our team. Also, for any Shrek fan's out there, they based human-Shrek off of Jack