Team Outlook
Chatham-Glenwood was the preseason #3 team of swirling potential as a solid returning group was augmented by one of the deepest middle school teams ever (Glenwood Middle School ran away with the 2022 3A team title). It was challenging to rank the Titans higher than incumbent trophy teams Washington and Grayslake Central, who themselves returned almost their entire teams until they showed that the young group was ready to compete.
After the Titans defeated Grayslake Central at the First to the Finish Invite, they haven't looked back. Even facing a mix of downstate and upstate competition representing all three classes, Chatham-Glenwood, which has consistently been led by freshman Ali Londrigan and sophomore Ashlyn Chopra, has remained undefeated. They appear to be the clear favorites, having proved that they are consistent and disciplined, even running with no upperclassmen in their scoring five.
The last state final at Detweiller that Grayslake Central didn't win was in 2019. In 2022's mud, the Rams used all-state finishes from Jordan Sutter, Sarah Armstrong, and Ava Henne, as well as a top-30 finish from Bella Domier to hold off rival Lakes. Grayslake Central needed another athlete to step into the fifth spot to stay in title contention, and Sofia Witt answered that call had run 18:35 this year. Armstrong and Henne have been their most consistent front runners of late, but Domier has had her best cross country season in a few years and may be ready to join them at the front to give Chatham-Glenwood their best title defense. Grayslake Central won their second straight sectional at Woodstock, but only the second in program history.
The other sectional champions are the most apparent trophy contenders. First is Washington, whose team in 2022 resembled Glenwood's of this year. Their lone all-stater was Sophia Ramirez, who also grabbed an all-state spot in the 1600m in her freshman year. But a tight pack behind her helped the Panthers hold off Crystal Lake South, and six of those seven returned this year, with most of the pack Ramirez' classmates in the sophomore class, including Caylie Ahten, Madeleine James, and Jayne Hermann. Although Washington won the Geneseo Sectional convincingly, they did it without Ahten and Ramirez. Will they be ready to go on Saturday? If so, their depth and upside make them a co-favorite with Grayslake Central to challenge Glenwood if they falter.
The final sectional champion was Chicago Saint Ignatius, who won the Trinity Sectional with 43 points. Sophomore standout Annika Swan won her fourth race of the year and second sectional championship, and seniors Ella Hwang and Meghan Semmer grabbed their first and second all-sectional medals, respectively Lizeth Montes was right behind Semmer. The Wolfpack has demonstrated the deepest team in the class all season long, which is typical, but firming up a trophy will require one of the others to slide into that fifth spot. Ignatius has rotated their lineup the last few weeks, so that could be Courtney Beatty, Emma Valencia, Sarah Fitzgerald, or freshman Mary O'Reilly.
Some other teams to watch -
Crystal Lake Central - They finished runner-up to Grayslake Central at Woodstock, which would have seemed crazy to predict back in September. It was a slow burn back to health for the Tigers, especially for Hadley Ferrero. But Ferrero finished second at the sectional, and her season seems to have the opposite trend as her 2022 year, where she could not finish state. Her freshman sister Skyler Ferrero, vets Brynn Matthaei, Emma Macke, and Jacqueline Orvis were the runners who stepped up to get Central back to contention at the sectional.
Mt. Zion - The Braves were runner-ups to Glenwood. Despite the point differential, this was a strong performance after some scattered performances during the season. Renee Ballard has been the most consistent performer for the Braves, but the Camille Mavis/Avery Sommer/Ellie Fritzsche pack is the key for Mt. Zion if they are to knock on the trophy contention door.
Wheaton St. Francis - How about this group to be a wildcard? With a freshman class coming in from four different grade schools, their talented group stayed off the radar until a surprise fourth place at First to the Finish Invite. They return all-stater Margaret Andrzejewski, but a potent 1-2-3 freshman punch of Elena Mamminga, Alicen Sheldon, and Erin Hinsdale put St. Francis on the map immediately. Their prognosis back to the fifth spot hasn't been as solid this season, but Addy Wordekemper is another freshman who can make a big difference for the Spartans in that position.
Crystal Lake South - South has been a little more consistent than Crystal Lake Central but has traded places with their cross-town rivals in various meets since October began. The Gators, who experienced heartbreak finishing fourth in this race a year ago, are one of the safer top five bets, led by Abby Machesky. Olivia Pinta, Colette Bacidore, and Victoria Pinta have consistently scored, and freshman Lily Brooks has been improving recently.
Waterloo - The Bulldogs have one of the best top threes in Cameron Crump, Danielle Mudd, and last year's top runner Angelynn Kanyuck. Any of these three can finish all-state. The gap after these three will need to be overcome if Waterloo, like Mt. Zion, is to find themselves in a trophy spot.
Lakes - Lakes is a difficult team to project here. Last year's seventh-place finisher Paige Caruth, missed most of the mid part of the season and is returning to form. Madison Twarling and Brianna Gara have done great in her absence, but Lakes continues to look for more scoring depth to solidify their team placing chances. Hannah Rojas will improve their outlook from after sectionals.
Individual Outlook --
There is no runaway favorite for the individual race, but there is a front pack that has formed over the last few weeks, and some of the most familiar faces will find themselves at the front. The runner with the best record against 2A competition is Lincoln senior star Becca Heitzig, who is a well-known 800m state record holder but has fully invested in three-mile racing during this senior year (she has committed to Iowa State to run). Heitzig's best win was at First to the Finish Invite, beating conference rival Natalie Bierbaum of Normal U High and state co-favorite Sundara Weber of Sandwich, running 17:01.
Heitzig remained undefeated until her regional, finishing fourth behind Bierbaum, Zoe Carter of Normal U High, and Ali Londrigan. Heitzig's storyline for Saturday is impossible to ignore: not only is she Lincoln's best runner, but she is also their full-time libero. After helping Lincoln defeat Normal U in the sectional final, Heitzig has a volleyball match against Mascoutah the night before the race. Managing both competitions will be a unique challenge for Heitzig, who wants to better her third-place finish last year.
Bierbaum awaits her first IHSA cross country state final after not finishing last season healthy. She has been consistent and dominating, suffering losses only to Heitzig throughout the season (including sectionals) and Weber at the Peoria High Invite. She was the regional champ by 20 seconds. Bierbaum still seeks her first sub-1:00 performance, having run 17:01 at Peoria. She has the advantage of teammate Carter, running her best at the end of the season as well. Londrigan has pushed these two in the late stages of the year.
Weber is the classification leader in three miles with her 16:55 win over Bierbaum. Weber, a sophomore, also sports by far the best 3200 time in the field, running 10:31 in May as runner-up to Tatum David's state meet record performance. Outside of those mentioned already, Weber has beaten everyone and was clear of a good field at Woodstock. If there's a candidate to push the pace early, it is probably Weber, keeping in mind the fast kicks of competitors, most notably 2:08 girl Heitzig.
However, Trinity Sectional champ Annika Swan hasn't faced any of these individuals directly yet, so it is difficult to evaluate where she runs relative to these more familiar girls. Swan has won four races and has yet to lose to other 2A runners this year. Swan hasn't been challenged since the Richard Spring Invite, where she finished sixth in a personal Detweiller best of 17:22 against 3A runners. With track bests of 4:53 and 2:12, Swan profiles closer to Heitzig than Weber and adds a fascinating dynamic to the front-pack.
Watch closely Hadley Ferrero, the fourth-place finisher from 2021. She did not finish the state race last year. Although she was 30 seconds behind Weber at sectionals, she was her closest competitor. A flatter and faster Detweiller may bode well for Ferrero, who is eager to run closer to her potential.
Other all-state returners from last year include Henne, Caruth, Lucia Ton-That of Chicago Northside Prep, Ramirez, Armstrong, Makensi Martin of Morris, Andrzejewski, Izzy Bing of Carmel, and Sutter. Some new all-state contenders are Juliana Gamboa of Fenwick, Molly McGreal of Trinity, Emily Stecky of Depaul College Prep, Delilah Helenhouse of Benet Academy, Geneseo Sectional champion Niki Tselios of Lemont, Twarling, Lucy Schlachtenhaufen of Lake Forest and Illinois commit Ava Boyd of Mahomet-Seymour.