It was thicker than thieves three years ago during one section of the boys championship race.
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It has been customary in the Midwest over the past several years to view the Nike XC Town Twilight Invitational, hosted at the LaVern Gibson National Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Indiana, as the premier event to conclude the weekend's action.
Let's briefly examine which Illinoisans will be toeing the line and what to expect against some of the nation's best.
Schedule- Saturday, October 5
| 5:15 PM | Broadcast Begins | |
| 5:45 PM | JV Boys #1 | |
| 6:15 PM | JV Boys #2 | |
| 6:45 PM | JV Girls #1 | |
| 7:15 PM | Open Boys Blue Race #1 | |
| 7:45 PM | Open Boys Blue Race #2 | |
| 8:15 PM | Open Girls Blue Race #1 | |
| 8:45 PM | Open Girls Blue Race #2 | |
| 9:15 PM | Race of Champions Boys | |
| 9:45 PM | Race of Champions Girls |
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Key Boys teams entered: 3A: #2 Plainfield North, #4 Plainfield North, #5 Prospect, #7 Palatine (Fremd), Lagrange (Lyons), O'Fallon; 2A: #1 Peoria Notre Dame, #6 Morton, #8 Marion, #15 Normal University; 1A: #14 Effingham (St. Anthony, #17 Georgetown (De La Salette)
Forecast: This will be an opportunity for teams to gain some pre-NXN resume-building experience, as several top teams from around the state of Indiana and the Midwest are in attendance. For Plainfield North, this is a chance to test themselves against the MW Regional #1 team, Columbus North, IN, who have been lights out, thanks to the strength of senior leaders Denton Sluder and Jace Works. Individually, they could both finish among the top 15, which would be tremendous for their title hopes.
North and South are squaring off for the fourth time this year, and as we enter the final portion of the regular season, gaining a psychological edge is crucial. Prospect has been idle for several weeks on the invitational side of the game. The Knights will be trying to re-establish themselves as a cog in November's state trophy hunt. Add Fremd, and you will get a mini-state meet preview on foreign soil. One may ask, "Can Peoria Notre Dame's 'A' team mix it up with the big dogs?" If they can secure a top 10 placement, that would be a positive outcome.
It is going to be hard for anyone from the Land of Lincoln to break into the top 10 or run with this cast of favorites: Ruel Newberry, Dom Ellis (Kentucky), Luke Sievers (Missouri), Paul Van Laningham (Kentucky), and Owen Clemons (Tennessee).
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Key girls teams: #4 Prospect, #11 Chicago St. Ignatius; 2A: #10 Peoria Notre Dame, #12 Normal U High, #17 Morton; 1A: #12 Belleville Althoff, #16 Urbana U High, #19 Effingham (St. Anthony)
Forecast: Carmel, Indiana, is the defending champion and top team here and should walk away with the first-place trophy. But as far as the state of Illinois is concerned, we are going to receive our first true litmus test from Prospect. The Knights are expected to run their "A" squad for the first time this season. The young Knights could have been ranked #1 in the state based on a composite score. Now, team leader senior Meg Peterson will have the backing of the freshman trio of Adelaide Galla, Brooklyn Stocking, and Caitlin Resac. As for St. Ignatius, this will be an opportunity for the Wolfpack to regain its footing. They have been slipping behind the outstanding performances of sophomore Allison Shutler and senior Annika Swan.
Individually, Libby Dowty (Indiana) and Effingham St. Anthony junior Isabella Keller are ready to square off again. Both come in as high-powered as you can imagine, rocking and rolling to some impressive times thus far. Unfortunately, one will suffer their first loss of the season, but we can expect to see some of the fastest times on this course. Anya Zoeller (Indiana) has been running well, posting a PB of 16:53. She could catch the field slipping for the win if the opportunity presents itself.