Head Coach: James Milner

Last year's finish: State Championship- 28th place

Key returners: Anthony Garcia (Jr.), Jack Wolstenholm (Sr.), Kolton Naramore (So.), Mason Van Denend (Sr.), Aiden Pantojas (Sr.), Camden Frankino (Sr.), Aidan Berglund (Sr.), Ryan Metzdorf (So.)

Outlook: The Wolves return four starters led by Anthony Garcia, who finally enters the upperclassmen stage. He ran 15:10, which was one of the top times as a sophomore. He will be accompanied by teammate Jack Wolstenholm, who clocked the same time at the state meet (97th place). Two other Wolves produced times under 16:00 with Mason Van Denend and Aiden Pantojas. The Wolves will have plenty of opportunities to compete against some quality teams and improve their stock.

Head Coach: Eric Wiegmann

Last year's finish: Hinsdale Central Sectional- 9th place

Key returners: Amilo Rajandram (Sr), Langston Ellis (Sr), Carter Hennessy (Sr), Jonathan Ophus (Sr), Arlo Reddy (Sr) 

Outlook: Last year, Coach Wiegmann knew it was another set of growing pains his team needed to endure and mature for the future. The Dolphins weren't too far out of qualifying for the state meet out of the rugged Hinsdale Central Sectional. "We are looking to build on last year's success and earn a spot to Peoria in November," said Weigmann, who returns five of his top seven runners.

Amilo Rajandram is the Dolphins star runner and a two-time all-state performer (22nd in xc, 6th in the 3200m). He has proven over the past year that he is a state title contender. Teammates Langston Ellis and Carter Hennessey will be determined to get their teams on the Detweiller starting line in nearly 10 years.

Wiegmann adds: "The team has been training together throughout the summer to improve pack time. This is a tight group of friends who look out for one another and may be the most experienced Dolphins team in a while. Our level of success will depend on the progress of our 5-10 runners."

Head Coach: Tom Root

Key returners: Varun Dhanasekaran (Sr.), Ryan Scott (Sr.), Dominic Voth (So.), Sanath Sarma (Sr.), Matias Carvajal (Sr.), Will Schneider (Sr.), Kyle Kroupa (Jr), Caden Carver (Jr)

Head Coach/assistant coaches: John Taylor/Chuck Hoff, Roy White

Last year's finish: State Championship- 11th place

Key returners: Cian Scanlon (Sr), Ryan Zartler (Jr), Andrew Nilson (Sr), Gavin Hoff (Sr), Jaxson Oldenburg (Jr), Luke Simone (So), Colin White (Jr), Domenico DiSalvo (Sr)

Newcomers: Q Purdom (Fr)

Outlook: Cian Scanlon and Andrew Nilson are the top returners and the only two under 16:00, clocking 14:48 and 15:07, respectively. There have been noticeable improvements from others such as Ryan Zartler and Gavin Hoff. "The core of our Running Knights put in the necessary Summer miles," stated Coach Taylor. "We are looking forward to seeing how our Knights put it together for the season and post-season."

Key returners: Collin Frye (Sr), Gavin Cook (Sr), Brendan Tremblay (Sr), Alex Czerwionka (Sr), Lucas Runtz (Sr), Nathan Looby (Jr), Gabriel Szfranko (Sr)

Outlook: The Red Hawks return six of their top seven starters from the postseason. This bunch could be one of the state's biggest surprises. Collin Frye competed in the state meet and later parlayed that into a solid track season. Following him were Gavin Cook (15:32), Brendan Tremblay (15:42), and Alex Czerwionka (15:52) -- all under 16:00. The scoring split appears to be favorable; it's a necessary component in determining team cohesion and success.

Head Coach/assistant coaches: John O'Malley. Jeff Jonaitis, Chris Buechner, Charlie Tarjan, Ann Marie McGuire. Devin Conroy.

 Last year's finish: State Championship- 9th place

Key returners: Brayden Gaffud (Sr), Gavin Crotty (Sr), Mitchell Cerva (Jr), Michael Krupa (Sr), Ron Rolla (Jr) 

Outlook: The Eagles are dialed in, stated Coach O'Mallye recently. "The guys are brilliant at executing workouts and staying emotionally disciplined in uncomfortable moments. They're one of the most consistent working groups we've had. This work will need to translate to race day confidence and bold decision-making."

O'Malley's faith will be led by Brayden Gaffud and Gavin Crotty. They ran 15:06 and 15:14 last year, but getting under 14:50 is a real possibility. Several others will be in the low 15:00s by the peak of the season. "I really like this group and have a lot of faith in them given their consistent attention to detail for two to three years. They're going to be a high-quality varsity squad and will execute well at the state meet."

Head Coach: Ryan Counihan

Last year's finish: State Championship- 27th place

Co-head coaches: Chris Kuntz and Craig Lawrence.

Last Year's Finish: Lake Park Sectional- 12th place

Key Returners: Jack Barbieri (Sr.), Blake Bouris (Jr.), Jaxson Gucwa (Soph.), Connor Hulett (Jr.), Ben Kluckhohn (Jr.), Frankie Krone (Soph.), Matthew Lisowski (Sr.), Liam Meyer (Jr.), Joseph Mowrer (Sr.), Daithan Narayanan (Sr.), Logan Noel (Jr.), Lucas Wolfram (Jr.)

Outlook: "We are very optimistic about this squad," said Coach Lawrence. "This team is extremely dedicated and very tight-knit. They have made some big jumps since last cross country season, and they are hungry." Pack running is a hallmark of our program, and this group has embraced that tradition, according to Lawrence.

More from Lawrence: "It will be fun to see this team continue to improve over the course of the season. With athletes stepping into larger roles and providing strong leadership across all grade levels, it has been a fantastic summer. We revamped some of our strength training program and capitalized on the momentum of our breakthrough track season to set a strong foundation for this season."

"We are exactly where we want to be with our training. Our big focus this summer has been 'pack running'--learning to work together as a unit. This team-first approach is going to be a major key to our success in both training and races this season. We respect the athletes and amazing coaches in our tough conference, so it is always a fun challenge to compete at our conference meet. Beyond the conference meet, the team has set appropriately high goals for the postseason."

Head Coach: Chris Muth

Last year's finish: State Championship- 21st place

Head Coach/assistant coaches: Andy Derks, Roxanne Hall, Emilie Hatzl, Kyle Bender, Emily Brodko

Last year's finish: State Champions/ Nike Cross Nationals- 12th place

Key returners: Dominic Frigo (Sr), Liam Beavers (Sr), Dominic LaMontagna (Sr), Zach Bucsanyi (Sr), Laye Vishwakarma (Jr), AJ Hartmann (Jr), Karl Miller (So), Biruk Melak (Jr), Mitchell Rudland (Jr), Austin Krumin (Jr), Chase Hemmers (Jr), Jack Honiotes (So), Oliver Smith (Jr)

Newcomers: Aarav Sharma, Lucas Kaczmer, Parker Muck

Outlook: The storyline here is that the Tigers have lost a tremendous amount of talent due to graduation. It will be a rebuilding process for a program that's been the gold standard for a significant period.

"We bring back a team full of developing guys who not many people know about because they did not get many varsity opportunities last year," said Coach Derks. "We've got a really strong top three at this point, led by Dominic Frigo, who ran on our state/ NXN team last year. He, along with Liam Beavers and Dominic LaMontagna, gives us a really strong trio. After that, I think our strength will be the competition within our team for the 4-7 spots."

Zach Bucsanyi, AJ Hartmann, Karl Miller, and Laye Vishwakarma will be expected to develop this season. "I think we will be a team that gets better and better throughout the season as guys get more varsity race experience," added Derks. "It's an exciting mission to prove that the PNXC program is more than just that good class from last year. As a coach, it's fun to see a new identity and personality emerge in the team, and the guys are already surprising me with their willingness to train at a high level. I'm really curious to see what happens and to have a fun season with these guys."

Head Coach: JB Hanson

Last year's finish: State Championship- 4th place

Key returners: Karanveer Patil (Jr.), Luke Marshall (Sr.), Carson Porter (Sr.), Luke Firkin (Jr.), Jacob Hinojosa (Jr.), Sebastian Kaczmarski (So.), Camden Niemiec (Jr.), Zachary Riske (Jr.), Nicholas Smith (Sr.)

Head Coach/assistant coaches: Matt Zaluckyj/Michael Martinez/Joe Ahlgrim/Anthony Destephano

Last year's finish: State Championship- 12th place

Key returners: Jack Jennings (Sr), David Moore (Sr), Bryden Li (Sr), Nihal Kalsi (Sr), Carter Bartkus (Sr), Nakul Shah (Sr), Aarush Mallu (Sr), Will Gaan (So), Colin Finn (So)

Newcomers: Emilio Palmer (Fr)

Outlook: "We had a large group put in a great summer of training after making significant strides during the track season," Coach Zaluckyi leads off. "Our top seven will be senior-heavy, but our underclassmen have made big improvements since last season, and there are a handful who I think could crack the lineup by the end of the season."

Jack Jennings is a prime figure in leading his teammates emotionally, along with David Moore. Jennings may be the top overall runner in the classification, and Moore ran 14:38 at Detweiller at Dark in late July. The key will be getting a closer at the fifth spot. Zaluckyi adds: "As long as the boys continue to focus on their daily goals, they will be ready to run their best late in the season."

Head Coach/assistant coaches: Matt Sloan/ Mike Stokes, Dan Dziubski, Adam Palumbo, Jamie Klotz, Mike Richardson, Brian Loring, Shawn Lucas, Greg Harper, Erik Saszik, Tyler Polak

Last year's finish: 10th Place Hoffman Estates Sectional- 10th place

Key returners: Tristan Daley (12), Will Chiang (11), Nicolas Hampton (11), Martin Issa (11), Lucas Rincon (11), Sebastian Vining (11), Carter Hollis (10), Maxwell Overstreet (10)

Newcomers: Charlie Wheat (11), Conor Boyd (10), Cormac Kelly, Henry Stallsmith (10), Liam Turnbull (10), Stuart Weisberg (10)

Outlook: The already-outstanding Trevians coaching staff has increased by two men. Former Chicago Payton coaches Dan Dziuski and Adam Palumbo bring their talents to the Northshore. You can bet return on investment will be paid in earnest by the end of the season.

Despite finishing a disappointing 10th place in last year's sectional final and missing the state meet in almost 20 years, the optimism for this season is high. "One of the good things about being the youngest varsity team in New Trier history last fall is that you return key runners," remarks Coach Sloan. "Our distance squad showed marked progress during the track season, and the summer training has built off that positive momentum. It has been consistent in all facets as we've worked to develop the aerobic engine."

Martin Issa returns as the top returner, clocking 15:11. Following him closely will be William Chiang, Tristan Daley, and Sebastian Vining. "The boys are fit and are demonstrating a great synergy in how we are attacking each day," adds Sloan. "We are prepared to seize the opportunities that eluded us last year as we missed the state meet for the first time in 14 years. We are excited to test ourselves and see how we stack up against the great competition in Illinois."

Head Coach: Mike Glosson

Last year's finish: State Championship- 3rd place

Key returners: Gabriel Gronski (Sr.), Luke Carlson (Jr.), Johan Gonzalez (So.), Maxwell Sternburgh (Sr.), Santiago Arroyo (So.), Connor Rugg (So.), Jeremiah Esposito (Sr.), Kass Kurzynski (Jr.), George Koroulis (Sr.), Nick Price (Jr.), Matt Lammersfeld (Jr.), Collin Musolf (Jr.), Johan Morrison (Sr.)

Outlook: Kudos to the Huskies for earning a trophy last year against some of the toughest odds against them. They were able to envelop a strong sense of teamwork followed by several outstanding individuals. This year it will be more of a developing cast leading the way. Gabriel Gronski ran 14:49; he will be looking for all-state honors. Luke Carlson and the youngster Johan Gonzalez will be key figures.

Head Coach/assistant coaches: Bronco Meeks, Sean O'Connell

Last year's finish: State Championship- 20th Place

Key returners: Edward Polaski (Sr), Aaron Kernler (Sr), Matt Guiry (Sr), Will Polaski (Sr), Peter Day, Brayden Korn (Jr), Jeremy Shillair (Jr)

Newcomers: Freshmen Colin Hacker, Cooper Wiese, and Reid Lauffer

Outlook: This will be a senior-laced unit and ready to shine at the highest level this year. "This season we bring back a significant amount of experience," said Coach Meeks. "We return five of our top seven from last year. Added to that this year is a very strong group of young guys. We feel we have the ability to be a very competitive team this year at all levels." Eddie Polaski just missed all-state honors last year (14:42), and five other starters are under 16:00, which provides a solid baseline for the Bulldogs.

Head Coach/assistant coaches: Grant Baganz/ Dave Ashton, Steve Stack, Jeff Couch, Luke Laboe

Last year's finish: State Championship- 16th place 

Key returners: Derek Williamson (Sr), Manny Najera (Sr), Toby Silder (Jr), Chase Gewin (Jr), Alexander Hostetler (Jr), Jack Anderson (Jr), Nick Norberg (Jr), Moiz Hameed (Sr)

Newcomers: Henry Golbach (Fr), Gustavo Bacellar (Fr) 

Outlook by coach Baganz: "We are a deep team, and we expect to be among the top teams in the State when it's all said and done. Our strength should be in our pack, with very strong runners all the way through 7 and even beyond. That said, it will depend on many things, including maintaining a healthy, hungry, humble, and motivated mindset. It will also depend on factors such as being fully coachable, having a patient, big-picture mindset, and how we come together, team chemistry, and such. We will have to see what happens, but all of the ingredients are there."

Head Coach/assistant coaches: James Janota, Mike Kennedy, Jared Righter, Michael Rossi

Last year's finish: State Championship- 14th place

Key returners: Jesse Gudauskas (Sr), Grayson Meek (Jr), Reyaansh Bhagat (Sr), Tyler Rozycki (Sr), Joseph Clifton (Jr), Aidan Pour (Sr)

Newcomers: Jake Finke, Colin Rozycki

Outlook: "We have a young but experienced team who are committed to improving themselves through dedication and hard work. I'm excited to see what they can do this year with the leadership of our juniors and seniors." Leading the way will be Jesse Gudauskas and Grayson Meek; they are one of the state's elite duos.

Head Coach/assistant coaches: Jay Renaud and assistants Bryan Quesea, Dave Frintner, Tim Phillips

Last year's finish: State Championship- 7th place

Key returners: Landon Samp (Sr), Pierce Baker (Jr), Bobby Wintermute (Jr), Jack Aldworth (Jr), Patrick Rosean (Jr), Scot Fraser (Sr), John Duda (Jr), Nathan Santoro (Jr), Charles Zei (So), Nate Favia (Jr), Noah Jahn (Jr), Dylan D'Anna, Ethan Yonan.

Newcomers: Danny Brenner (Fr) and Wyatt Voyles (Fr)

Outlook: The Knights, on paper and in their initial appearance, seem like a prima donna squad. But in reality, they are a hard-hat and blue-collar group. Year in and year out, they get the job done. "Our goal is to have more fun than any other team while also living up to our standards," said Coach Renaud. "As long as we do that, the outcome is the outcome, and we will be happy on November 7. At the same time, our goal is to be better than our 2025 team." Landon Samp, Pierce Baker, and Bobby Wintermute will lead the charge this season for the Knights.

Head Coach/coaches: Stu Mendelsen/Nicholas Korhumel

Last year's finish: State Championship- 24th place

Head Coach/assistant coaches: Jim Westphal/Jim Kupres/Noah Lawrence/John Snee

Last year's finish: State Championship- 13th place

Key returners: Henry Miller (Sr), Johnny Krueger (Sr), Elliot Kotleba (Sr), Mark Dillenburg (Sr), Noah Mokhtarian (Sr)

Newcomers: Ian Maxwell, David Belgrad, Danny Brankin

Outlook:  "I would say we'll be as good as our pack is," said Coach Westphal. "We will not be very sharp early on, and our goal is to be running our best in mid-October."

Leading the core of seniors will be Henry Miller, Johnny Krueger, Elliot Kotleba, and Mark Dillenburg. Westphal adds: "Many of the juniors, now seniors, had productive track seasons, and hopefully they carry that momentum into the upcoming season. Overall, health will be the key, as well as the timing of when the group performs at its best."

Head Coach: Kevin Harrington

Last year's finish: State Championship- 8th place

Key returners: Samuel Hill (Sr), Logan Hitchings (Sr), Christian Enger (Sr), Miles Dill (Sr), John Tanig (Jr)

Outlook: The North Stars were a young and up-and-coming team several years ago. They proved true by reaching their full potential to date with a top-10 finish last year. Despite losing Lucas Reed and Matthew Russell to graduation, the North Stars appear just as potent. Sam Hill is a strong candidate for the state individual title, so having a golden lowstick is great for his team.  "I expect solid performances this year if we stay healthy," said Coach Harrington. "We will have good competition for our 6th and 7th runners and are looking to see who will make the jump."

Head Coach/coaches: Kris Roof/Tony Jones, Adrian Barrientos, Jeff Jacobs

Last year's finish: State Championship- 10th place

Key returners: Samuel Assefa (Sr.), Quinn Anderson (Sr.), Miles Trost (Jr.), Kenneth Kristofic (So.), Dimitar Bratovanov (Jr.), Julian Minkov (So.), Demetrios Goritsan (So.), Xavier Reu (Sr.), Kian Lee (Sr.), Cole Magac (Sr), Malcolm Adams (Jr)

Outlook: The Champions finished the season among the top 10 schools, its first in decades. However, the desire for more has become an innate trait among the coaches and team members. Back on the scene is the two-headed monster of Sammy Assefa and Quinn Anderson. Assefa broke out on the scene in an astronomical way last year, placing 6th in a CPL league record 14:17. He followed things with a sizzling PB in the 3200m (9:00.37) as well as a 4th place finish in the state event. The individual goal is clear this year: State Title. 

Quinn Anderson caught an untimely illness (flu) at the absolute wrong time, the week of state. He was a shell of the 14:41 that he ran during the regular season. He redeemed himself in the spring, running one of the fastest 3200s in the state and earning all-state honors. Anderson and Assefa were the only duo to achieve this feat.

The Champions are more than two guys on the team. They have a formidable supporting cast featuring Miles Trost, Kenny Kristofic, and Dimitar Bratovanov. All of them are sub-16:00 performers and broke 10:00 in the 3200m. Add in the hotshot Julian Minkov, and this is a dangerous team. The Champions' returning eight, which includes Xavier Reu, are 15:53 or faster. Things will be all business this fall on the northside.

Head Coach/assistant coaches: John Sipple, Andrew Adelmann, Eric Buhot, Alexa Harris, Ethan Wood

Last year's finish: State Runner-Up

Key returners: Steve Cox (sr), Isaak Stein (sr), Dylan Wood (sr), Santino Anfuso (sr), Raymond Curran (sr), Henry Eide (sr), Jack Enright (sr), Luke Figliomeni (sr), Mark Krishnan (sr), Brendan Lynch (sr), Ryan Morton (sr), Johnny Newell (sr), Charlie Novotny (sr)

Newcomers: Jordan Brandt (jr) from Louisiana. 

Outlook: The Trojans are not going away despite graduating some major firepower in successive seasons. They return starters from last year. "This is going to be a very different team from the previous years," said Coach John Sipple. He and his coaching staff will emphasize having fun and managing the challenges within their control. "I really think that our leadership can be very strong and we have a young hungry crew that is going to be receptive to it."

The Trojans' racing style will not necessarily change, but the race execution plans will look different this year. This team will be very competitive, but we have a lot of guys who need to learn to race at the varsity level, and they gained a lot of that experience in the spring.

Head Coach /Coaches: Jason Crowe/Carson Vittorio and Kristen Heckert

Last year's finish: State Championship- 6th place

Key returners: Alex Batsala (Sr), Dylan Buturusis (Sr), Kellan Hernandez (Sr), Ethan Ensign (Sr), Atticus Stevens (Sr), Aiden Nissen (Sr), Asim Saba (Sr), Gio Acosta (Sr), Logan Capalbo (Jr), Carter Morgan (Jr), Michael Samayoa (Jr), Phoenix Viger, Josh Rico (So).

Newcomers: Patrick Ehrlinger (Jr), Ben Stevens (So).

Outlook: Last year was supposed to be a season where the Cougars earned a trophy. Unfortunately, an untimely finish by stalwart Dylan Buturusis prevented that. He is back, along with his partner in crime, Alex Batsala -- both sub-14:50 performers; they are going to give everything in their power to reach the mountaintop. Kellan Hernandez is another sub-15:00 club member; he will join them, making them seem like Voltron.

The next two or three can be decided by a number of guys: Ethan Ensign, Phoenix Viger, Atticus Stevens, and possibly Asim Saba. "This year's team is a lot of fun because they are a selfless group of guys that run and race for each other," Coach Crowe provides the rundown. "When we talk about our goals this season, many of them just want to compete and contribute to the team."