Above Photo: Whitney Young celebrates their first sectional championship in the program's history.

By Michael Newman

DyeStat Illinois Editor

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Marist Sectional

Read Eric Hofmann’s recap of the meet.

Niles West Sectional

#4 Glenbard West once again showed their internal strength as a team after finding out earlier this week that their #3 runner throughout the season Katie Hohe was diagnosed with mononucleosis and was ruled out for the season. The Hilltoppers stepped up for the win scoring 72 points behind another 1-2 finish by Katelynne Hart and Lindsey Payne. There was really no doubt who would win the individual title as Hart broke out to take the lead in the first 400 meters of the race. She went on to run 16:55 for the win nineteen seconds ahead of her teammate Payne (17:14). It was their pack that provided the support for the win as Chloe Connolly finished 18^th followed by Janie Nabholz (22^nd) and sophomore Nicole Kaiser who finished 32^nd.

#5 Wheaton-Warrenville finished second (81 points) behind top ten finishes by Allison McGrath (5^th) and Sara Atkins (8^th). #17 New Trier used a top ten finish by Caroline Fix (6^th) to finish third (103 points). #16 Maine South’s Maddie Dingle and Olivia Nizolek finished third and fourth helped their team get to Detweiller Park next weekend by finishing fourth (111 points). #21 York was the final team qualifier (124 points) behind a top ten finish by Sarah May (9^th) as well as a fourteen second split on their pack behind May

There was plenty of mystery during the Boys race as a pack led by Charlie Kern (York HS, Elmhurst) and Reese Jordan (Maine South HS, Park Ridge) went through the first mile in a controlled 5:00. The action started with a kilometer to go in the race as Jordan decided that enough was enough as he made a surge to separate himself from the rest of the pack. The move surprised Kern as he reacted a little too late. Jordan had the space he needed as he opened up five meters as the two entered the track. The gap never widened or closed as Jordan crossed the line (15:05) just one second ahead of Kern (15:06). Warren Blood (New Trier HS, Winnetka) finished eight seconds behind the duo in third.

#13 Whitney Young did what they needed to do up front putting three runners in the first fourteen to help the Dolphins win their first sectional championship with 97 points. A fifteen second split separated Keduse Worku (8^th), Sam Rivera (9^th), and Clayton Mendez (14^th). They had a forty second overall five man split as Charlie Nevins (31^st) and Anthony Tuman (36^th) were the team’s fourth and fifth runners. The margin between second and fifth place in the team standings was only separated by four points. #8 Maine South finished second (115 points) behind Jordan’s win and Tommy Brady’s tenth place finish. The Hawks had a 74 second split on their top five. #7 York was next with 118 points. The Dukes survived to make it next weekend’s state meet despite the fact that their normal #5 runner Ethan Kern was knocked down in the first 800 of the race as well as #3 runner Jackson Bode was sick most of the week but still stepped to the line to run Saturday. Kern and Sean MacGregor (7^th) led the way at the team ran a 64 second split on their top five. #14 Wheaton-Warrenville South had a nineteen second split on their top five led by Aleksei Sorokin (17^th) and Kyle Thompson (18^th) to finish fourth with 119 points. #10 New Trier finished fifth (119 points) led by Blood’s third place finish as well as a 53 second split on their top five.

Edwardsville Sectional

By the time the 3A Meet started around noon at SIU-Edwardsville’s Cross Country Course, the temperature had climbed to an unseasonably warm 79 degrees. It did not matter to #2 Minooka and #3 Yorkville as the two teams ran away from the rest of the field providing a dual meet type of atmosphere. O’Fallon’s Brooke Witzel and Nicole Greyer (Yorkville HS) pushed the opening mile as Minooka’s trio of Mackenzie Callahan, Ashley Tutt, and Emily Shelton decided to hang off the pace as the group headed into the hilly second mile of the race. Yorkville’s pack was close behind with Minooka’s Vivian Van Eck hanging close to them. Greyer took the lead just after the mile point. Minooka’s pack closed on her and took the lead at the two mile point. Callahan charged off into the lead and never looked back as Tutt and Shelton held their second and third spots. Callahan set a new high school 5k course record (17:55) winning by 32 seconds ahead of teammates Tutt (18:27) and Shelton (18:37). Van Eck passed Greyer in the final 200 meters to give Minooka the first four places. Sarah Weed finished 14^th to give Minooka 26 points and the sectional title. It was Yorkville’s pack that was next as Greyer (5^th), Alyssa Edwards (6^th), Maddie Dearborn (7^th), Alexis Grandys (8^th), and Olivia Borowiak (10^th) finished within 45 seconds of each other to finish second (36 points).

#22 Edwardsville qualified for Peoria by finishing third (100 points) led by Abby Schrobilgen (13^th) and Melissa Spencer (15^th) leading the way. O’Fallon finished fourth (124 points) behind Witzel’s 12^th place finish. Lincoln-Way East took the final qualifying spot by two points ahead of district rival Lincoln Way Central (154 – 156).

Soren Knudsen (Minooka HS) stayed with a pack of more than ten runners in the first mile of the Boys race. He made his move just before the end of the second mile and never looked back. He crossed the line in 15:48 to win by 19 seconds ahead of Evan Mitchell (Lincoln-Way West HS, New Lenox) and another two seconds ahead of third place Noah Healy (Lincoln-Way East HS, Frankfort). Minooka scored 89 points to win the sectional title as the Indians had a 22 second split from second runner Mark Dames to fifth runner Cody Hoshell. #25 O’Fallon had top ten finishes from Chris Conrad (5^th) and Joey Black (7^th) to finish second with 96 points. The Panthers had only a two second split on their three to five pack and an overall 39 second five man split. Edwardsville finished third (103 points) making their return to the state meet after a one year absence. Franky Romano led the Tigers placing fourth overall.  #16 Lincoln-Way East finished fourth (111 points) getting top ten finishes from Healy, Scott Platek (9^th), and Brett Gardner (10^th). Yorkville qualified for state placing fifth (129 points) getting a 34 second split on their top five off of Zack Price’s 12^th place finish.

West Aurora Sectional

There were no real surprises in both the Boys and Girls races as top ranked Neuqua Valley and Naperville North rolled to wins in their respective races. Sarah Schmidt ran 17:36 to win the individual title by seven seconds ahead of Oswego’s Isabelle Christiansen. Schmidt’s win as well as Naperville North placing four in the first eleven was enough to give the Huskies the win with only 50 points. Alex Morris finished sixth followed by Hannah Ricci (10^th), Claire Hamilton (11^th), and Gabby Champion (23^rd). #14 Neuqua Valley finished second (101 points) led by Caitlin Horn’s seventh place finish. #13 Geneva was four points back in third (105 points) behind the third and twelfth place finishes by Emily Eberhardt and Sophia McDonnell. #15 Metea Valley makes a return to Detweiller Park finishing fourth with 138 points. Leana Goldman led the Mustangs finishing eighth.  #19 Batavia used solid pack running and a 41 second split on their top five to capture the fifth and final qualifying spot with 146 points. Marygrace Golden (14^th) and Audrey Pellico (18^th) led the Bulldogs.

Jackson Jett and Jake McEneaney had control of the race upfront for the first 1 ½ miles as well as their Neuqua Valley teammates. Jett pulled away in the final mile to win the individual title (15:12) as the top ranked Wildcats scored 25 points for the sectional win placing five in the first eleven and their top seven in the first seventeen. Jett won by seven seconds ahead of teammates Matt Milostan and Josh Mollway. Scott Anderson (8^th) and Jeremy Hayhurst (11^th) were Neuqua’s other scorers.

#11 Marmion Academy finished second (105 points) led by top ten finishes by Charlie Zimmer (5^th) and Michael Ronzone (9^th). This is the second straight state appearance by the Cadets. #18 Geneva got top ten finishes by Tyler Dau (6^th) and Josh Rodgers (7^th) as the Vikings finished third (120 points). Naperville North surprised some by finishing fourth (129 points) using a 21 second split on their top five led by Matt Boelke’s 23^rd place finish. St. Charles East edged Waubonsie Valley for the final qualifying spot by six points (144-150). The Saints were led by the 12^th place finish by Jake Beno.

Waukegan Sectional

#4 Lake Zurich placed three runners in the first sixth to win the Boys Sectional title scoring 79 points. Brian Griffith pulled away from teammate Matt Pereira to run 14:51 for the win nine seconds ahead of Pereira. The Bears had a 77 second split on their top five with Kyle Griffith (6^th), Patrick Burns (19^th), and Jacob Bieniek (56^th).  #6 Prospect had a 24 second split on their top five as they scored 115 points to finish second behind front runners Jack O’Donnell (15^th) and Jack Terry (18^th). #5 Hersey finished one point behind Prospect in third (116 points) behind freshman Josh Methner’s eighth place and Jacob Krupa’s twelfth place finishes. Brianl Leonard finished third to help #12 Palatine return to the state meet for the first time since their 2011 3A title. The Pirates scored 142 points to place fourth. Highland Park had an 18 second split off of the 24^th place finish of Jonathan Rosenfeld to give the Giants 178 points and the final qualifying position.

There were plenty of surprises in the Girls race as two unranked teams made it to next week’s state finals. There were no surprises in the individual race in the front of the pack. Jocelyn Long (Barrington HS) won the sectional individual title (17:08) three seconds ahead of Prospect’s Brooke Wilson (17:11). Madison Marasco (Schaumburg HS) was another three seconds back in third. #9 Palatine, who started the season out of the top 25, received a 4^th place finish by Danya Lloyd and an 11^th place finish by Liz Lechowicz to help the Pirates capture the sectional title with 74 points. Lauryn Simons (18^th), Kate Lechowicz (19^th), and Anna Buckstaff (26^th) were the other scorers on a top five that had a 74 second split on the group.

#10 Hersey, led by Sarah Harden (8^th), Hailey Bowes (12^th), and Teagan Beckley (13^th) finishing among the top 15, qualified for state by finishing second (90 points). Stevenson surprised some by finishing third (143 points) behind Isabelle Sparreo’s ninth place finish. #18 Grant got top ten finishes from Danielle Osmon (7^th) and Eva Cardy (10^th) to help them return back to state with a fourth place finish (169 points). Schaumburg surprised some taking the final qualifying spot (170 points) ahead of #11 Prospect and #20 Barrington who both scored 170 points,