3A Wheaton-Warrenville South Boys Is Stamped Pre-Season #1


The 2017 3A Boys State Championship Highlight Reel was something special

Boys preview #25 to #20

Boys preview #19 to #11

Boys XC Team Scores

Pre-Season Premium Boys 25 Individuals

Tony's Do's and Don't season guide sheet

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Head Coach/coaches: Brian Caldwell/Mike Kirk, Sean Senf
Last year's finish: State- 10th place
Key returners: Eddie Siuda (Sr), Nick Dziedzic (Sr), James Weigel (Sr), John Heneghan (Jr), John Norris (Jr), George Willer (Sr)
Projected top 7: Siuda, Dziedzic, Wiegel, Heneghan, Norris, Willer, Brock Royle (Sr)
Newcomers: Joshua Atlas (Jr), Tim Neumann (Fr)
Coach Caldwell's Outlook: We just did our first workout that gave us a quantifiable measure of where we are at this early in the season and it went pretty well. We compared favorably to the same workout a year ago by quite a bit. Early in the summer we were overcoming some lingering issues from track and some early summer nagging injuries, but the past couple weeks things are starting to click pretty well as we adjust to life without the incredible senior class we lost. In terms of talent and depth, we should be better than last year as we only had 4 seniors on our state series roster, but last year's senior group from top to bottom was really "all-in" and contributed mightily to our team culture. That's tough to replace, but we seem to be finding our identity this summer now. The motivation level is there as we are starting to realize that we have the potential to be a truly great XC team. We are hoping to win the WSC Gold Conference Meet for the 6th consecutive season and qualify for the state meet for the 2nd year in a row, a feat never accomplished in DGS history. If we are fortunate enough to race at Detweiler in November, we'll certainly be aiming to better our team finish of 10th last year to have the highest team finish in school history.

Head Coach/coaches: Head: Jim Westphal/Jim Kupres, Noah Lawrence, John Snee
Last year's finish: State- 4th place
Key returners: Alec Hill (Sr), Matt Kusak (Sr), Keegan Caveney (Sr), Piyush Mekla (So)
Projected top 7: Hill, Kusak, Caveney, Mekla, Charlie Carter (Sr), Nick Sutton (Sr), Chinmay Amin (Jr)
Coach Westphal's Outlook: This group is a hardworking and very committed bunch and will need to continue to work hard and stay healthy in the coming months. We are fairly inexperienced and will need a number of rising juniors & seniors to step up. We have many athletes who haven't competed or contributed at the Varsity level at this point and will need to do so rather quickly.


Head Coach: John O'Malley
Last year's finish: State- 9th place
Key returners: Nico Calderon (Sr), Sam Rodriguez (Jr), Ben Giblin (Jr), Will Giblin (Jr), Connor Devlin (Sr), Eddie Slack (Sr), Griffin Lehnhardt (So)
Projected top 7: Calderon, Rodriguez, B. Giblin, W. Giblin, Devlin, Slack, Lehnhardt
Coach O'Malley's Outlook: This team is special. They have been really effective in bonding with one another. I think this is a tight team and really fired up to rattle some cages. They have the potential to be a really strong team and one that I am most proud of. The key will be for guys to take a step forward and own the front of the race.


Head Coach/coaches: Bronco Meeks/AJ Freeman
Last year's finish: State- 23rd place
Key returners: Adam Kennedy (Jr), Chris Levario (Sr), Damian Rodriguez (Jr), Eamon Samsami (Jr) Projected top 7: Kennedy, Levario, Rodriguez, Samsami, Ryan Hamilton (Jr), Joe Knanishu (Jr), Reid Coyle (Sr)
Newcomers: Evan Rudek (Fr), Jonah Fallon (Fr)
Coach Meeks' Outlook:
This fall we return our top three athletes; two of the athletes, Kennedy and Rodriguez, were on our [All-State] 4x800 this past spring. They are currently running with much more confidence and we look for them to be our leaders. Chris Levario also returns after having a solid track season running 9:28 for 3200 this past spring. Eamon Samsami had a very solid sophomore campaign during cross country last year. He was our 4-5 most of the year. He battled through injuries during track. He is currently healthy, and we are excited to see continued growth from him this season.

We do lose a couple leaders in Sean Adams and Shane Knanishu. They were our 5-6 runners last year. We should have a few guys fighting to fill those vacancies. Reid Coyle struggled with a few injuries last year. He began last season with cracked ribs from wrestling and struggled with IT band issues after he was finally able to return. He begins the season healthy and should be a factor this year. Joe Knanishu struggled last year during cross country. After a stellar freshman year, Joe grew significantly during the summer of 2017. He struggled to put things together throughout the season. Joe was able to bounce back during track season. He was a part of our 4x800 that finished 8th during the spring. He has been building on his momentum from track during the summer. He is much more confident and determined going into the 2018 season. We have a good group of younger guys that have been working hard and could also be contributors. They are a fun group and are looking to build on their achievements from 2017 and from track.


Head Coach/coaches: Dave Ashton/Grant Baganz, Keven Keogh, Steve Stack, Jeff Couch, Matt Laboe, Donna Wandke
Last year's finish: State- 15th place
Key returners: Thomas Shilgalis (Sr), Seth Klein-Collins (Sr), Jack McCowin (Sr), Aaron Benson (Sr) Projected top 7: Shilgalis, Klein-Collins, McCowin, Benson, Nethan Ramachandran (Jr), Patrick Spisak (Jr), Tyler Evans (Sr)
Key additions: Matthew Berryman (Fr), Nicholas Keeling (Fr), Paul Villasenor (Fr)
Coach Ashton's outlook: We are a deep and talented team capable of seeing 35-40 guys sub-17. We are also establishing goals for every level. Our top 4, led by Thomas Shilgalis, looks to be very solid, with a bunch of guys challenging for the remaining top spots, and possibly breaking into our top 4. We humbly, but confidently, expect to be among the top teams in the state, although we certainly realize how deep our state is and how challenging the road ahead will be.


Head Coach: Paul Vandersteen/Jaime Janota, Mike Rossi, Mike Kennedy, Kris Hartner, Jared Righter
Last year's finish: State Runner-Up
Projected top 7: Keeley, Madiol, O'Connor, Jett, Teske, Vasant Fong (So), Dovalovsky
Key additions: Nicolas Dovalovsky (So)
Coach Vandersteen's Outlook: Everyone was sorry to see senior Zach Kinne relocate to Pittsburgh this summer, both because of his friendship and the inspiration and talent he's leant this program. But a team is more than one runner, and the lessons of Zach's example--consistent industry, unflagging courage, and unbridled love for running--are the bedrock values of NVXC. Ultimately, his teammates are excited to compete, to show the state that there's no break in excellence, and to honor their friend's standard.


Head Coach: Kyle Nugent
Last year's finish: State- 7th place
Key returners: Rory Cavan (Sr), Stephen Moody (Sr), Will O'Brien (Sr), Ian Repking (Sr)
Projected top 7: Cavan, Moody, O'Brien, Repking, William Hohe (So), Bennett Fate (Sr), Colin Hess (So) Coach Nugent's outlook: This team is based on very strong leadership from our seniors. Many of our seniors have been competing at the varsity level for two or three years already, and they have gained valuable experience over that time. In addition to these seniors, our varsity team will likely consist of several sophomores and maybe a junior or two. For the most part, we have reached our goals this summer. We had high attendance throughout the summer, which is always good to see. We focused on being consistent with our training and maintaining good health. So far, I think we have done that. This team has great potential. It is one of the most talented and hard-working teams that I've ever coached at Glenbard West. The key this season is consistency, both in training and racing. If we can stay consistent and enjoy the day to day journey, I think we will have a successful season.


Head Coach/coaches: Kevin Young/Greg Moehrlin
Last year's finish: State- 8th place
Key returners: Josh Methner (Jr), Max Svienty (Jr), Ryan Buch (Sr), Thomas McCarthy (Sr)
Projected top 7: McCarthy, Josh Harden (Sr), Buch, Svienty, Methner, Colin Safford (Jr), Jason Palafox (Jr) Newcomers: Conner Oiler (Fr), Harrison Gillespie (Fr)
Coach Young's Outlook:
Big changes from last year's team! After having a large senior group graduate, our team is quickly being filled by guys who want to make their mark in the state. There are only three seniors on this year's squad, so lots of guys are going to be fulfilling roles they haven't seen yet. We've got some low sticks on this squad, but just like every other successful team, our success will be dependent on the middle of the pack!

Josh Methner is definitely the competitor who the guys have come to depend on in the biggest of situations and I don't see why that would change. Seniors Ryan Buch, Thomas McCarthy, and Josh Harden are leading by example and chipping away at the summer mileage to be ready for a huge cross country season. Max Svienty, who ran a 9:28 3200m as a freshman and 9:38 last year, is looking to get after it and have some fun running fast times this cross season. Some other workhorses from the middle of the pack this year are junior Colin Safford, sophomore Quinn Born, and freshman Conner Oiler. I'm very proud of the work our guys are putting in to continue the success of our program and look forward to seeing these guys grow as a pack of huskies! I anticipate some rotation within our top seven this year, but the seven guys on the starting line in the postseason will be representing the hard work of all the Huskies.


Head Coach/coaches: Kurt Rutz/Nathan Sweet
Last year's finish:  State- 12th place
Key returners: Robert St. Clair (Sr), Dillon Blake (Jr), Aidan Afonso (Sr), Michael Parduhn (Sr)
Projected top 7: St. Clair, Parduhn, Blake, Afonso, Dario Carrillo (Sr), Carter Schorr (Jr), Sean Finerty (Sr) Newcomers: Schorr, Trevor Werner (Jr)
Coach Rutz's Outlook: Only a late-season injury to #1 runner Mikey Parduhn kept us out of the top 10 at State. Our State performance [last year] left us hungry for more [this upcoming on the grass], and with the returning experience on the team, we seek to improve greatly on last year's finish. Several individuals who spent some/most of last year injured appear to be healthy and could make an impact on the team. Juniors Carter Schorr (2:02/4:46) and Trevor Werner (2:02) look to be healthy at last and ready to contribute. Senior Sean Finerty has had a great summer so far and has a strong chance to make the top 7. Sophomore Elian Salgado (4:37) has looked good, and can't be overlooked. We should be deeper than we've ever been before and hope to improve on our strong finishes last year at the Palatine Invite (2nd), Peoria Invite (2nd), Sectionals (4th), as well as State.