Illinois Contingent Goal Is To Dominate NXN Midwest

Nov 15, 2019

Illinois star Katelynne Hart of Glenbard West HS is ready to shine in her fourth straight NXN MW race

Girls-

It will be an easy task for the winning team much less than Illinois' best contingent to march into Lavern-Gibson and grab a charter to Portland, Oregon for the national final next month.

If there is any team that's a slam dunk, it will be Naperville North. The Lady Huskies live for this moment after winning three straight regional titles after coming off of successive 3A state crowns. Speaking of crowns, the Huskies won their fourth one in a row last weekend. The real deal to advancing on is completing a stout race from beginning to end. Junior Maggie Gamboa will give her team the best chance because she is a strong front runner and leader. The end result has been low scoring spreads ranging from 59 seconds to 1:15 in big competitions. Using the three-mile system, the Huskies ran 17:19 per girl average last weekend. Look for this mean canine group with Audrey Mendrys (Jr.), Lucy Westlake (So.), Molly Morton (Jr.), and others to do some major damage.

Nationally ranked Beavercreek, OH will pose a tremendous obstacle to Naperville North. The Beavers are undefeated on the strength of top runner Taylor Ewert (Sr.) who is also an individual threat. She is back by Savannah Roark (Sr.), Jodie Pierce (Sr.), and Juliann Williams (Jr.). This team is as strong as anyone in the nation 1-4... but the Achilles heel is the #5 spot and closing out races. Kendall Hobbs (Sr.) will need to run the race of her life in order to secure her team a victory over the Huskies.

Last year's national finalist Yorkville is running well at the right time. The Foxes trotted out another state runner-up finish to Naperville North last weekend. After a rocky start to the season which included a beating handed out by Beavercreek, Yorkville is a vastly different squad. They will be dangerous with Helena Kleronomos (Jr.) and Kailey Fox (Sr.) in the fold.

Others to watch include Hinsdale Central and Downers Grove South for possible at-large consideration.

Individual breakdown:

Katelynne Hart (Glenbard West IL)

Ranked 3rd currently by Milesplit National

Ranked 2nd at one point this year by Milesplit national
Undefeated this year
Has not faced any national competition yet this year
Won 3A State in 16:05
Won NXR last year in 17:14
11 state titles
3x defending NXR Champion
Took 16th at NXN last year
Took 2nd at Foot Locker Nationals last year

Zofia Dudek (Ann Arbor Pioneer MI)

Ranked 5th currently by Milesplit National

Ranked 4th at one point this year by Milesplit national
Beat Taylor Ewert at the MSU Spartan Invite on 9/13
Undefeated this season
Took 9th at NXR last year in 17:54
PR of 16:46 for 5K this season
Won D1 state in 17:00

Taylor Ewert (Beavercreek OH)

Ranked 6th currently by Milesplit National

Ranked 5th at one point this year by Milesplit national
Has been beat by Zofia Dudek at the MSU Spartan Invite
Season PR of 17:03
Took 3rd at NXR last year in 17:33
Already has run 17:11 at LaVerne Gibson this year

Erin Strzelecki (Fort Wayne Bishop IN)

Ranked 21th currently by Milesplit National

Ranked 20th at one point this year by Milesplit national
Season PR of 17:22
Undefeated this season
Won IHSAA State in 17:22
Took 8th at NXR last year in 17:54

Savannah Roark (Beavercreek OH)

Not ranked currently

Ranked 25th at one point this year by Milesplit national
Took 2nd at D1 state in 17:48
Season PR of 17:45 for 5K

Tatum David (Fr., Richland County IL)

Ranked 23rd currently by Milesplit National
Ranked 22nd at one point this year by Milesplit national
Undefeated this year
Freshman IL Record Holder 16:04
Won 2A State in 16:04

More insight to balance the palate-

It is going to be very difficult in securing an automatic spot to Portland after Hart and Ewert earn theirs. David has been nothing short of sensation in her first high school season. She dazzled the state championship onlookers last weekend with the fastest effort of the day- trumping Hart's going away party. If course conditions are in bad shape because of thawing melting snow, David will have to choose a tactic different than the cheetah one she deployed in Peoria. Last year's qualifiers Katrina Schlenker (So., Batavia) and Lianna Surtz (So. Aurora Rosary) are much improved and will be in mix as should

Boys-

It could be an Illinois sweep with St. Charles East, Wheaton-Warrenville South, and York. The Saints and the Tigers were head and shoulders ahead of the field last weekend at the state meet. In a field loaded with talent and depth, these two titans dueled to a 64-68 runoff. St. Charles prevailed on the strength of top-shelf racing led by Bob Liking (Sr.) and Micah Wilson (So.) who finished in the top ten. The Saints third runner, Aidan King (Sr.), placed in the top 15. Wheaton South, on the other hand, relied on a tremendous pack that kept the team in the race. The Tigers' first runner is William Hauenstein (Sr.) and he once again placed 8th overall. Long story short is both of these teams should advance to Portland barring a catastrophe.