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The class of 2029 of girls in Illinois is out of this world. We have seen many records go down this last track season at the Illinois Elementary State Association (IESA) Track and Field state Championships on the girls' side, and these fast times don't seem to be slowing down. It was tough to narrow it down to the elite selection. But here is my top Freshmen girls coming into the 2025 Cross Country Season.
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Author Brayden Domont strikes again with his unbiased penmanship. Enjoy!
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Before stepping on the Lake Zurich HS campus, Wettstein enjoyed an excellent track season to conclude middle school, but what we really need to examine is her stellar cross-country statistics. Wettstein was second at her state meet, behind only Graceleen Mabry, who is also on this list at the #2 spot. What really brought Chloe up to the #1 spot was her incredible 17:33 3-mile time at the Lake Early Bird Quad Meet! This is an excellent time for a freshman girl, especially for a first meet, where she might still be knocking the rust off.
Hersey's next star probably has the most impressive resume on here. She was runner-up at the USATF 13-14 Junior Olympic National Championship 4000m with a time of 13:39! Mabry completed a solid track season, taking second place at her state track final, running 5:17 in the 1600m. Once the heroin gets rolling in the season opener, we can start to see where she truly stands in terms of fitness.
Kocher joins teammate Chloe Wettstein to form an excellent tandem for years to come. She ran 14:38 at the USATF 13-14 Junior Olympic National Championship meet and finished 35th. Her 3200m track run this past June was Incredible. Kocher ran 11:14 at that meet, which is a huge PR for her and just a fast time all around. Her 800 times seem to be the best on this list, too. Running sub 2:25 in the 800M fairly consistently all year. For these reasons, she takes the #3 spot
There is a new sheriff in town at Illini Bluffs HS. Audrey Dickenson is ready to make a name for herself, as she had a great middle school cross country career. Dickinson was 2nd at her state meet, running 11:50 in the 2-mile. In addition, she clocked a 2:20 800m and a 4:47 1500m, showing the speed that she has over most other girls her age. She also ran 17:55 at the Farmington XC Invite a short time ago, showing that she still has a lot of endurance left. For these reasons, she is at the #4 spot.
