Suburban Life Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year: Hinsdale Central’s Aden Bandukwala

Hinsdale Central senior Aden Bandukwala joined elite company last boys cross country season by winning the Class 3A state championship as a junior.

“It changed (my perspective) a ton,” Bandukwala said. “It kind of thrusted me onto the winning scene. Now I have to be good, but in a good way.”

On Nov. 4, Bandukwala once again was great at Peoria’s Detweiller Park.  

Using two great surges, Bandukwala repeated as the state champion in a personal-best 14:13.6 for 3.0 miles. Bandukwala, also the Suburban Life Newspapers Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year for the second consecutive year, became just the third boys runner in the 2000s to win two state titles in 3A or AA.

“For sure, I feel very lucky. I was kind of given a good opportunity. I was put in the right spot. It was just my chance,” said Bandukwala, who will run collegiately at Duke. “Going in, I felt like I was the most experienced guy there because I had done it before. It also kind of set the standard for me all season. I kind of had to go out there and win.”

Part of second-place state teams the past two years, Bandukwala and senior Maxwell Lowe (33rd at state) led the Red Devils back to state with a relatively inexperienced lineup. They were important in Bandukwala’s state race preparation.

“Warming up with those guys, being on the line with them. It’s a totally different feeling than going there as an individual,” Bandukwala said.

“I think he drew some energy from that. And I think the team drew energy from Aden,” Hinsdale Central coach Jim Westphal said. “We had so many kids from that 2022 team graduate. He was a leader by his actions and his presence because kids knew he had been there. The other thing was what a great teammate he was. He’s so humble and unassuming that I think kids respect that.”

Around the midway point at state, Bandukwala was among the lead packs with no one taking command. Fourth after one mile (4:39.6), Bandukwala surged to a five-second lead by 2.0 miles (9:27.7). The potent kicker also gained separation. When Plainfield South senior Camyn Viger (2nd, 14:17.93) and New Trier junior Ben Crane (3rd, 14:20.16) threatened as Bandukwala anticipated with about 400 meters left, he surged again and eventually won by 4.37 seconds.

“I knew if anyone else was going to take it, it would be (Viger). I didn’t see him (earlier), but I figured he was going to come,” Bandukwala said.

“I thought it was a really courageous (second) move and I think it kind of broke their spirit. They closed and he had an extra gear,” Westphal said. “In the end, it was the two surges that really worked to his advantage. It’s not something we talked about. He may not have done that so much his junior year whereas he did more so as a senior with experience and just confidence as he got fitter and stronger as the season went on.”

Last year, Bandukwala memorably won state (14:46.15) by .31 in a dramatic sprint to the finish with Oak Park-River Forest’s Liam Newhart.

“I kind of felt that was my best racing strategy or savviness that I’d ever done up to that point and have done since,” Bandukwala said.

Using a mid-race surge like state, Bandukwala won Naperville North’s Twilight Invitational Oct. 4. He then swept the West Suburban Conference Silver Division title and all three postseason races. After state, Bandukwala qualified individually for the Nike Cross Nationals Dec. 2 in Portland, Ore. with hopes of a top-10 finish. He expressed disappointment with 35th.

“I had a rough start and then I wasn’t really able to recover,” Bandukwala said.

In 2022, the Red Devils finished second at state by one point to Plainfield South. At the Nike Cross Regionals, The Dale comprised of Hinsdale Central runners won the team title. The Dale placed eighth at nationals.

“I think all of us were really kind of inspired by that (state) loss,” said Bandukwala, 26th at nationals. “I kind of knew we were going to win at NXR just because of how fired up we were.”

Bandukwala senses the similar team camaraderie with future teammates at Duke, where he plans to major in economics.

“When they reached out to me (on Instagram), I was pretty excited because I was going to reach out to them at some point,” Bandukwala said.

All-Area boys team

Aden Bandukwala, senior, Hinsdale Central** Zach Bender, senior, Downers Grove North* Philip Cupial, sophomore, Downers Grove North Ryan Eddington, senior, Downers Grove North* Jaden Frederick, senior, Glenbard South Cillian Henning, senior, Lyons Township* Tim Jochum, senior, Glenbard South Tom Jochum, freshman, Glenbard South Maxwell Lowe, senior, Hinsdale Central Cooper Marrs, senior, Riverside-Brookfield*** Isaac Moss, senior, Downers Grove North Aidan Murphy, junior, Wheaton North Josiah Narayanan, junior, Wheaton Warrenville South Aiden Noel, junior, Wheaton Warrenville South Josh Poeschel, senior, Downers Grove South Finn Richards, junior, Benet Academy* Grant Schroder, junior, Downers Grove North Nick Strayer, senior, Lyons Township* Will Surratt, sophomore, Downers Grove North Caden Weber, senior, Downers Grove North**