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With outdoor track and field season about to toe the starting line, here are five Kane County Chronicle-area boys track and field athletes to watch for in 2025.
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Francesco Benelli, Batavia, senior
Event: Distance
Benelli had a drastic change from his sophomore to junior season on the track, dropping his personal-best in the 3,200-meter race from 9:56.11 all the way down to 9:13.40 at the state meet, finishing less than a second shy of earning All-State honors. He followed up the season by finishing 13th at the cross country state meet in the fall, and was named the Kane County Chronicle boys cross country runner of the year.
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Freddy Hassan, Kaneland, senior
Event: Jumps
Despite only having six weeks of training last season, Hassan, who also was an All-State honorable mention in basketball this winter, managed to finish last spring with a seventh-place finish in the Class 3A high jump, netting him All-State honors for the second straight season.
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Nathan McLoughlin, St. Charles North, senior
Event: Pole Vault
After clearing 4.80 meters to take fourth place in the Class 3A pole vault last season, the Western Illinois commit and reigning Kane County Chronicle boys track and field Athlete of the Year is off to a hot start to his senior season. McLoughlin has already cleared 4.88 meters (16 feet) at the Huntley Invitational, as well as set an indoor DuKane Conference record.
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Evan Nosek, Kaneland, senior
Event: Distance
Nosek earned All-State honors on the track for the second season in a row after taking ninth in the Class 3A 3,200 in 9:12.54. Nosek followed up his efforts with a third-place finish at the Class 2A cross country state meet in the fall, becoming the first Kaneland runner to earn All-State honors in all four cross country seasons in the process.
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Nathan Whitwell, Batavia, senior
Event: Sprints
Whitwell leads a deep group of sprinters on the Bulldogs’ roster. He qualified for the Class 3A state meet in the 100, 4x200 and 4x400 a season ago, one more event than in his sophomore season. Whitwell’s also coming off a football season where he earned All-DuKane conference honors after rushing for 1,737 yards.