Boys newcomer of the year: Evan Nosek

Evan Nosek shows grit and determination at the First to the Finish Invitational back in September

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There is always a bit of trepidation when the start of the school calendar begins, especially in this Covid-19 era. Coaches and fans alike usually need an entire season to determine if the freshmen class can be projected to be a good one.

This past season appeared to be normal in terms of meet formats, scheduling, and lineup dissertation for the big invitationals. From that emerged some very good names we may revere for years to come.

Freshman Dylan Maloney of Plainfield South came into the fray after having a successful middle school career in which he topped the mile in 5:05. He was able to parlay his talent in a three-mile personal best of 15:21. In addition, Maloney was an integral part of his team's 7th place finish at the 3A State Championship as he was 76th overall.

Freshman Zach Thoman of O'Fallon enjoyed his introductory season as the Panther's second man. Among his key highlights was finishing in the top 20 in all but two contests. Thoman's 88th place in the 3A state meet would have to be considered his top performance of the year.

Evan Nosek rated extremely high on all of the metrics. The Maple Park Kaneland freshman was his team's top runner and lead them to a fourth-place finish in the 2A state meet. Nosek's knack for taking veteran changes enabled him to place 21st individually in 15:17- top time for the class of 2025. In addition, Nosek was undefeated against his peer classmates this season.