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Aurora Christian
Coach: Sarah Ross
Top runners: Seth Pennings, sr.; Jack Wayne, jr.; Owen Fenska, jr.; Matt Scudieri, so.
Top newcomer: Seth Attakora, fr.
Worth noting: Aurora Christian once again boasts a small team, but this season it will have a group filled with experience. The Eagles brought back all four of their runners from a season ago, including Wayne and Fenska, who both qualified for sectionals last year. Ross said she hopes the experience the four returners have will help each of them push for personal records and make an impact on the team.
“Their experience will set the example for the rest of the team on how to handle the varsity level,” Ross said. “Even though it is a small team, they are mighty and will be making an impact at meets throughout the season.”
Batavia
Coach: Bronco Meeks
Top runners: Francesco Benelli, sr.; David Bednarek, sr.; Eddie Polaski, so.; Alejandro Jacob, sr.; Ryan Widmer, jr.; Luke Gianfrancesco, jr.; Cody Rummel, jr.; Diego Gomez, sr.; Will Polaski, so.; Matt Guiry, so.
Top newcomers: Jeremy Shillair, fr.; Colin Cleghorn, fr., Brayden Korn, fr.
Worth noting: After qualifying for state as a team for the first time since 2017, the Bulldogs have hopes of making it back to Detweiller Park. Leading the charge this season is Benelli, Bednarek and Eddie Polaski, who are returners from last year’s top seven. Benelli, who was the Bulldogs’ top finisher at state last season, is coming off a track season in which he shaved more than 40 seconds off his sophomore best in the 3,200 and finished 11th at state. He could make a similar jump in cross country. Outside of those three, the team has some depth. Meeks said they have 11 runners who can make the varsity roster.
“This team has the tools to be one of the best teams we have had. It will not happen overnightm though,” Meeks said. “We will need to be patient and not get caught up in comparisons. Each team has their own journey. If we can stay focused on our journey, we will be successful.”
Burlington Central
Coach: Vince Neil
Top runners: Jayden Beecroft, sr.; Andres Quesada, sr.; Danny Burke, so.; Brandon Pflug, so.; Connor Polz, jr.; Gio Episcopo, sr.; Jason Davis, so.
Top newcomers: Dane Walikonis, fr.; Luke Episcopo, fr.; Venkata Anantha, fr.; Aadi Sheth, so.; Julian Onayemi, sr.; Marcin Placzek, fr.; Mateusz Placzek, sr.
Worth noting: The Rockets have a balanced roster in terms of newcomers and veterans. Central lost Ryan Kries, its only state qualifier last year, to graduation. Beecroft is expected to be the leader on the team and Neil is hoping to see progression in fellow senior Quesada and returners Burke and Pflug.
“The pack is going to be key for our success. Jayden will be our lead runner but if the team can keep it close with him, this team can be very competitive,” Neil said. “If we can continue to progress, our younger boys and newcomers on this team will get stronger as the season lengthens.
Geneva
Coach: Peter Raak
Top runners: Julian Hipp, sr.; Luke Gaston, sr.; Dominic Ross, sr.; Noah Martin, sr.; Ernie Bebe, sr.; Drew Hosman, sr.; Dominic Savarese, sr.
Top newcomers: Griffin Poterek, fr.; Kurt Borter, fr.
Worth noting: With a large group of seniors, Raak hopes this will be the season the Vikings make it back to state for the first time since 2017. Leading them on the course will be Hipp, who was only five seconds from qualifying as an individual last season, and Gaston, Ross, Hosman and Martin, who also were on varsity last year.
“This senior class has been working and building for several years to make a strong run into the postseason with the state meet being the ultimate goal,” Raak said. “This group of seniors has been extremely motivated and tightly knit on and off the track and this should carry them through the stresses that come with high expectations. They know that diamonds are formed under pressure.”
Kaneland
Coach: Chad Clarey
Top runners: Evan Nosek, sr.; Evan Whildin, jr.; Zachary Murdock, sr.; Liam Lentz, sr.; Joey Schuch, so.
Top newcomers: Carson Kaiser, fr.; Nolan Reutimann, so.; Sahel Torres, so.; Ricky Anderson, so.; Nathan Kowalczyk, so.
Worth noting: After a fourth-place state finish in Class 2A a season ago, the Knights are looking to keep the momentum going with another strong push for a team title. Kaneland returns five of its top seven runners from last season’s team with Nosek once again being a strong contender for the individual title. His sixth-place finish last year was the second-best mark among non-seniors behind only Benet’s Finn Richards and just in front of Geneseo’s Dylan Gehl. While the Knights lost key runner David Valkanov to graduation, Clarey hopes the addition of Kaiser, who was All-State twice at the IESA level, will help the group keep the consistency it needs for a title push.
“The team had a consistently good summer of training together. They are focusing on the positives of another year together,” Clarey said. “We have a good blend of runners from each class that will make up our varsity at the end of the season. They understand that in order to find the success they are looking for they will need to shrink the pack split down to about 75 seconds or better. This is the work we have cut out for ourselves.”
Marmion
Coach: Andrew Lifka
Top runners: John Daffenberg, sr.; Matthew Sullivan, sr.; Michael Whitacre, jr.; Joseph Dorando, jr.; Jonah Sartain, jr.; Sam Rowe, jr.
Top newcomers: Flynn Bennett, fr.; Caleb Brochtrup, fr.; Anthony Dorando, fr.; Evan Jarot, jr.
Worth noting: After finishing eighth as a team at the Class 2A state meet last season, the Cadets head into this season with a strong core looking to climb even higher. Daffenberg and Sullivan return as the top two runners once again with both boasting a 15:14 personal best. Whitacre also returns to the roster. Dorando, Sartain and Rowe look to fill in the spots as key contributors. With a season full of promise, Lifka said the theme for his Cadets squad will be “become,” which is based off the team’s mission.
“Last year’s team decided who they wanted to be, what the culture of our team should be and what they wanted to achieve as a team,” Lifka said. “This year is the sequel to those decisions made by the 2023 team. These Cadets want to BECOME an even better version of who they were last year as runners, leaders and ultimately men of faith.”
St. Charles East
Coach: Chris Bosworth
Top runners: Greyson Ellensohn, sr.; Michael Wilson, jr.; Ryan Tobin, sr.; Sam Wollak, so.
Top newcomers: Rich Meszaros, sr.; Dom Strada, fr.; Connor Stall, fr.
Worth noting: After losing four of their top five runners from a season ago to graduation, the Saints will hope to develop some of their younger athletes through consistent training to make it back to state as a team. Ellensohn is the only returner of the five who finished 14th as a team at the Class 3A state meet last year. He’ll look to build on a strong junior campaign. Wilson and Tobin also return to the varsity. Bosworth hopes Wollak and newcomers such as Strada and Timothy Christian transfer Meszaros can fill in the gaps with solid efforts on the course.
“One message I stressed this summer and early on in the season was the need to be consistent with training,” Bosworth said. “No matter the ability level, a distance runner will not reach their full potential without consistent training as a foundational component. The team is looking forward to creating their own journey this season.”
St. Charles North
Coach: Kevin Harrington
Top runners: Noel Sookswat, sr.; Lucas Reed, jr.; Brian Santos, jr.; Sam Hill, so.
Top newcomers: Evan Reck, sr.; Matthew Russell, jr.; Christian Enger, so.; Logan Hitchings, so.
Worth noting: After losing three of their top runners from a season ago, the North Stars will look to build up the young talent to make a run in the postseason. Leading the way will be Hill, who is the only runner on North’s roster to break the 16-minute barrier after running a 15:52 at the Richard Spring Invitational last season. Behind him will be Reed and Sookswat, who will be expected to bring upperclassmen experience to the team.
“This team is a book that has yet to be written,” Harrington said. “Having lost multiple athletes to graduation, we are returning with a very young crew. We are a legitimate team who can race together and be fast.”
Editors Note: Aurora Central Catholic and St. Francis did not provide information for this preview.