Most of the action this weekend will be wrapped up by the early afternoon throughout the state. But, across state borders, in the waning hours of October 5th, a host of Illinois athletes will close out the weekend representing the state once again at the Nike XC Town Twilight Invitational, hosted at the LaVern Gibson National cross country course in Terre Haute, Indiana.
More than ever before, this acclaimed meet has drawn talent from across the country. Let's briefly examine which Illinoisans will be toeing the line and what to expect against some of the nation's best.
Race Schedule:
Friday (under the lights -updated September 25):
5:00 pm- COURSE OPENS
6:30 pm- College Open Women's 6k
7:15 pm- College Open Men's 8k
8:00 pm- High School Boys Open Red Race
8:30 pm- High School Girls Open Red Race
9:00 pm- College Championship Men
9:15 pm- High School Awards
9:45 pm- College Championship Women
Saturday, October 5 (updated September 25)
4:45 pm- COURSE OPENS
6:00pm-JV Boys 1
6:30pm-JV Boys 2**Results from JV Boys 1 and JV Boys 2 will be combined for results.
7:00 pm- JV Girls 1
7:30 pm - Boys 1
8:00 pm- Open Boys 2**Results from Boys Open 1 and Boys Open 2 will be combined for results.
8:30 pm- Open Girls Blue Race
9:00 pm- Race of Champions Boys
9:30 pm- Race of Champions Girls
9:55 pm- Awards
Dylan Maloney finished third at the 2023 Nike XC Town Twilight meet.
Boys' Race of Champions
Illinois Teams Entered: 3A boys #4 Plainfield South, #5 New Trier, #6 Lyons Township, #7 Fremd, #13 Prospect, O'Fallon; 1A boys #13 St. Joseph-Ogden, #18 Notre Dame de la Salette
Four of the top seven teams in 3A make their way to the Boys' Race of Champions, gun time at 9:30 EST/8:00 CST. The fourth-ranked Cougars of Plainfield South were runner-ups to Carmel, IN, in 2023, their first appearance at the meet. South continues to progress after a few weekends in September without their full lineup and is Illinois' best shot at knocking off some of Indiana's best teams. They re-match for a third time against New Trier and Fremd, who were also at the Palatine Meet of Champions. New Trier was without Ben Crane (Sr.), and Fremd aims to get back on track after being ranked #2 earlier in the season but found themselves behind the curve at Palatine. Their MSL rivals, Mt. Prospect, are in the field as well.
Sixth-ranked Lyons Township runs its second consecutive meet in Indiana (last week, it was runner-up to Carmel at the Culver Academies Invitational) and was one of the bigger movers in the 3A rankings this week, jumping from tenth to sixth. O'Fallon is also in the field and hopes for a bounce-back performance, perhaps replicating its early-season success at Granite City. O'Fallon was very successful at Nike XC Town in 2023, finishing ninth.
The race of champions marks the first competitive appearance for New Trier star Ben Crane in three weeks. After convincing wins at Red Devil and First to the Finish, Crane opted for training weeks and did not compete at Palatine in preparation for this meet. This is Crane's debut at Nike XC Town, but he has experience at LaVern Gibson, where he finished ninth at the 2023 NXR Midwest regional meet in 15:01, within ten seconds of national meet qualification. Crane has his work cut out against a stellar field highlighted by Evan Noonan (Sr.) of Dana Hills, California, and TJ Hansen (Sr.) of Freeland, Michigan. However, he should be a member of any breakaway group early in the race.
The 2023 Nike XC town meet was a signature race for Dylan Maloney (Sr., Plainfield South). Maloney ran 14:57 to finish third and lead South to a runner-up team finish in one of the best individual performances for an Illinois athlete throughout the full season. Maloney is just a week removed from a course-record race win at Palatine in 14:28, breaking Josh Methner's five-year-old mark. Replicating his performance from last year would a major momentum shifter in Maloney's favor as he, Crane, and a few other pursue the 3A state title.
In 2023, Isabella Keller (2621) bade her time and moved up to finish third. Girls' Race of Champions
Illinois Teams Entered: 3A #4 Prospect, 1A #9 Peoria Notre Dame, #25 St. Joseph-Ogden, Olney Richland County
The Prospect Knights have owned this meet for the last two years. In 2022, the eventual state champion Prospect girls won Nike XC Town with a dominating 34-point performance, placing four girls in the top 10. In 2023, the Knights defended their title, putting three in the top 15 and scoring 91 points over Noblesville, IN's 133. Prospect returns, but winning a third time in a row will be very challenging, with Noblesville, Carmel, and some formidable teams taking aim. Prospect will have two runners toward the front in Meg Peterson (Jr.) and Veronica Znajda (Sr.), and Ireland Wildhart (Sr.) has also been consistent. Still, Prospect will continue to learn about the rest of their varsity pack this weekend.
Peoria Notre Dame remains a trophy contender in a very open 1A title hunt. After staggering good performances across each of their September races, it must put a complete team effort on a course at once. The St. Joseph Ogden girls also travel to XC Town one week after hosting their home road race.
Olney Richland County girls are in the championship field, but are not ranked got placed in the race over some ranked Illinois teams including Belleville Althoff Catholic, Urbana University, and St. Anthony (who had to split their varsity runners between the Championship and Open races).
Illinois has had the bronze finisher in this meet for the last two years. In 2022, it was Tatum David. In 2023, Isabella Keller (So., Effingham St. Anthony) announced to the country what Illinois already knew: Keller is a national force to be reckoned with. Only Zariel Macchia and Nicki Southerland defeated Keller, making Keller the top returner in the field. However, Keller is far from the race favorite since the meet has attracted the Timpview star tandem of Lily Alder (Jr.) and Jane Hedengren (Sr., BYU commit), ranked #5 and #6 nationally by Milesplit. Keller is #17 in the same rankings. Alder and Hedegren were recently in the headlines for their strong performances at Woodbridge, but Hedegren is best known as a national Mile champion. Keller also will be out in the front with Crescent Valley, OR's Emily Wisniewski, #12 in Milesplit's rankings, and committed to running for national champion NC State in 2025. Don't forget about Virginia commit Abby Faith Cheeseman (Sr., Tennessee), ranked #8.
A strong performance in the top five or better for Keller would be a statement on behalf of all of Illinois. Still, more importantly, it would be a statement on her behalf as once again a legitimate national contender this fall.
Keller's team is entered in the meet, but most of her teammates will be running in the Open race prior to the Race of Champions. However, she will have Aubrey Denning (So.) along her side at the starting line in the Race of Champions.
Marshall duo Molly Farrell (Jr.) and Madeleine Fox (Jr.) are also entered individually. Farrell has finished in the top 10 twice in a row now, the only Illinois athlete to have that accomplishment at this meet. She hopes to best her 17:53 and 17:49 performances this year, as it certainly looks like that will be necessary if she is to finish in the top 10 again.
Annika Swan (Jr., Saint Ignatius) makes her XC Town debut as an individual. Swan ran her first race at Lavern Gibson in 2023 at the regional, making the second team all-Regional in 14th in 17:38. Swan has found herself in the bronze position at two major meets in Illinois, both just one spot behind Znajda, who, of course, will be leading her Knights in battle and aiming for her third straight top-15 performance. Meg Peterson can also achieve that in this race.