New Model Naperville Twilight Invite Will Be Interesting

There will be a nice mix of mainstays as well as new faces this evening

Top-ranked Naperville North has been proven up to this point as the best overall team in the state after defeating then 2A #1 Benet Academy several times very easily. The Huskies may be shooting to get back up the national charts, sitting in the 14th position is not very flattering. The weapons in Coach Dan Iverson's arsenal is crazy. Aside from front runners Maggie Gamboa and Audrey Mendrys, he can go to Campbell Petersen or Lucy Westlake. In all, there are five starters who have run under 18:00 this season. 

St. Charles East and Wheaton-Warrenville South may have the best chance to battle for second with Benet Academy. The Saints have a terrific tandem in Marley Andelman and Morgan Sandlund. They should cancel out Samantha Poglitsch of Wheaton South and turn matters into a 3,4,5 runner battle.

Of course, do not discount Benet Academy or Batavia albeit from a different section. The latter squad is led by Katrina Schlenker who appears to have her confidence in racing at a high level back. Teammate Jenna Schifferer will be a great compliment.

Individually, the battle for finish line tape will be a good one. Gamboa is undefeated on the season but by no means is she a slam dunk in winning the gold medal. Poglitsch, Schlenker, and even Rachel Price of St. Charles North is a contender. If we have a competitive early pace, look for a sub-17:00 clocking.