By Michael Newman

DyeStat IL Editor

[email protected]

Palatine’s Meet of Champions will be that once again as 30 Girls teams and 31 Boys teams toe the line at Palatine’s Deer Grove East Forest Preserve. The first race starts Saturday at 9:00 AM. This could be one of the best fields that we will see individually in the Boys race this season. The Girls race should be just as good with Jocelyn Long and Brooke Wilson leading the way.

A big tip of the hat to Palatine Coaches Joe Parks and Chris Quick again assembling such tough fields for this meet.

Here is a look at each of the Varsity races.

Girls Race – 10:20 AM

Ranked Teams – 3A (8): #3 Yorkville, #7 New Trier, #8 Palatine, #9 Maine South, #16 Hersey, #17 York, #21 Stevenson, #23 St. Charles East; 2A (3): #3 Vernon Hills, #4 Crystal Lake Central, #6 Grayslake Central.

Out of State Teams – Assumption (KY), Daviess County (KY), Louisville Male Traditional (KY).

Outlook – Yorkville is the top ranked team in this field and the favorite to win the Girls team championship. In Peoria two weeks ago, the Lady Foxes lost to Naperville North by only one point having a 26 second split on their top four. What they will work on this meet is getting that five closer together led by Nicole Greyer and Alexis Grandys. It was 59 seconds on five two weeks ago.

New Trier has a good front two with Caroline Fix and Grace Fagan leading the Trevians. A pack of under 40 seconds could this team close to Yorkville. Host Palatine was a big surprise last week in Peoria when they finished third. They had the good front two last week with Danya Lloyd and Liz Lechowicz. Their split on five of 63 seconds needs to come down in order to finish among the top three teams. Maine South had Olivia Nizolek and Maddie Dingle in the top five last week in Peoria. The two will be among the front runners in the race. The Hawks could be in the top three if they can move their pack within 90 seconds of their front two.

The individual title could come down to two individual MSL rivals. Jocelyn Long (Barrington HS) has been undefeated so far this season including an impressive win two weeks ago in Peoria. She will be pushed by Brooke Wilson in this race. Wilson has won at Fenton and then last week at Libertyville. Her 17:18 that she ran to finish fourth at Lake Park shows that she could be Long’s chief competition.

The race winner could from out of state. Kaitlyn Macy (Male HS, Louisville KY) is coming off of a good race last week at the Trinity / Valkyrie Invitational where she finished fourth. You can expect her to be among the front runners. Maine South’s Olivia Nizolek and Maddie Dingle were in the top five last week in Peoria. I expect them to be challenging for the win. Isabelle Sparreo (Stevenson HS, Lincolnshire) is the defending champion in this meet. She did not have her best race last week at Peoria where she finished fourteenth. Watch for her to bounce back and be in the front on Saturday. Daly Galloway (Gardner-South Wilmington HS) finished 8^th in the 3A race in Peoria two weeks ago. She finished fourth in this race a year ago. Keep an eye on her on Saturday morning.

Yorkville should have three runners in the first ten. It could be Nicole Greyer, Maddie Dearborn, and Olivia Borowiak among others. I would also keep an eye on Sarah Barcelona (Lyons Township HS, LaGrange), Lauren Katz (Vernon Hills HS), Sarah May (York HS, Elmhurst), Maggie Scholle (Lane Tech HS, Chicago), and Isabelle Wolke (Christian Liberty Academy, Arlington Heights) that you will also see in the top ten.

Boys Race – 10:50 AM

Ranked Teams – 3A (11): #4 Lake Zurich, #5 Hinsdale Central, #6 Hersey, #9 Prospect, #11 York, #13 Palatine, #15 Marmion Academy, #16 Loyola Academy,

#18 Mundelein, #21 New Trier, #23 Oak Park-River Forest; 2A (3): #5 Grayslake Central, #6 Crystal Lake Central, #7 Prairie Ridge.

Out of State Teams – Brentwood Academy (TN), St. Louis University (MO), St. Xavier (KY).

Outlook – This race is loaded both with the team competition and the individual race. Lake Zurich is the top ranked Illinois team in this field and will look to bounce back from last week’s race at Peoria. The Bears have four runners that could be in the top ten led by Peoria individual race winner Brian Griffith. Their top four was spread out at Detweiller with a split on the four at 57 seconds. Watch for Matt Pereira, Kyle Griffith, and Patrick Burns to close the gap in this race. Hinsdale Central finished third at the First to the Finish Invitational two weeks ago and should push Lake Zurich. Blake Evertsen will be among the race favorites in this race. Hinsdale’s pack has been close to a minute behind Evertsen in the two meets this year but that pack has been within five to ten seconds of each other. If it closes the gap on Evertsen, this team could leave Deer Grove East with the team championship.

Hersey and Prospect faced off on Thursday in a high pressured dual meet with Prospect winning 27-28. Both teams will be fighting for the team title using tight pack running. Hersey looked good last Saturday at Peoria finishing fourth led by Jacob Krupa with Ryan Buch and Josh Methner close to him. The Huskies will need a split of 40 seconds or better to take home the team title. Prospect will rely on a tight pack led by James Riordan and Sean Sanaghan. They may not have a runner in the top twenty. They will have a split of 30 seconds or under which could be a difference maker in this race.

Palatine is coming off of a good race at Peoria led by Brian Leonard. Watch for the Pirates to take advantage of their knowledge of their home course to be among the top teams. New Trier is a team that I would keep an eye on. They did not have their full lineup in place two weeks ago in Peoria. They will be at full strength in this race led by Warren Blood and Patrick Norrick. Chicago Catholic League Rivals will be fighting for top ten finishes. Charlize Zimmer and Michael Ronzone will lead the Cadets with hopes of keeping their top five within 75 seconds of each other. Loyola will be led by Paolo Tiongson. They will need to lower the 90 second five man split that they ran last week in Peoria in order to place in the top ten.

Mundelein has been one of the surprise teams in 3A this fall. They will be fighting for a top five finish in this race led by Robert St. Clair and Ben Krauss. This sophomore dominated squad ran a 42 second split at Warren last week. That kind of split could put them among the top five teams. Grayslake Central has the heavy hitters up front led by Jack and Matt Aho and was within two points of Mundelein last week. Look for the Rams to lower their split from 120 seconds in this meet. York will look to better last week’s performance in Peoria. They could have Charlie Kern, Sean MacGregor, and Jackson Bode all in the top twenty in this race. The key will be finding a fourth and fifth runner for the Dukes.

The team champion could come from an out of state squad. St. Xavier KY looked tough last week in winning the Trinity/Valkyrie Invitational in Louisville. Their pack, led by Patrick Schaefer, had only a 29 second split on their top five and definitely a contender to win the team title in this meet. Brentwood Academy TN is a squad that could be among the top five in this meet. Carter Cheeseman and Davis Holliday give the team low numbers up front.  Their 87 second split on the top five at the Chickisaw Trails Invitational on September 10 could hold this team back from finishing in the top five.

The individual field is the best assembled race they we will see outside of the IHSA State Meet this year. Stating that this field is loaded is a gross understatement. Jack Aho (Grayslake Central HS) has won all three of his races this season including setting a new course record last week at Warren and will be among the front runners. Brian Griffith (Lake Zurich HS) looked great last week in running 14:34 on a soft Detweiller Park Course last Saturday. He will be among the front runners. Irwin Loud (Oak Park-River Forest HS) did not look at his best last week when he finished fifth last week at Peoria. Watch for him to bounce back and be among the leaders in this race. Blake Evertsen (Hinsdale Central HS) and Charlie Kern (York HS, Elmhurst) were separated by less than a second when the two raced Thursday in a triangular meet in Hillside. Both runners will challenge for the top spot in this race. Brian Leonard (Palatine HS) finished third last week at Peoria. He is having a great senior year and could be among the top five in this race. Kyle Griffith and Matt Pereira (Lake Zurich HS) did not have their best race at Peoria last week. They will rebound in this race.

Filip Pajak (Prairie Ridge HS, Crystal Lake) loves this course having finished third in this race a year ago. Watch for him to be in that front pack. Reese Jordan (Maine South HS, Park Ridge) finished second behind Soren Knudsen last week at Minooka. Don’t be surprised if he is among the top ten finishers. Other runners that I would keep an eye on include Matt Aho (Grayslake Central HS), Sean MacGregor (York HS, Elmhurst), Jeremy Adams (Jones College Prep, Chicago), Warren Blood (New Trier HS, Winnetka), Patrick Burns (Lake Zurich HS), Paolo Tiongson (Loyola Academy, Wilmette), Charlie Zimmer (Marmion Academy, Aurora), Alex Ratkovich (Cary-Grove HS), Cole Barkocy (Crystal Lake Central HS), and Shane Williamson (Vernon Hills HS).

When the course was lengthened to 3.0 miles from 2.95 miles, York’s Jack Driggs set the course record (14:30) in winning in 2010. With the field assembled for Saturday’s race, this record could fall.