Runners plan for everything. The night before, they carefully pack their uniform and supplies for every eventuality. They obsessively review their race plan and rehearse contingencies and counter-contingencies. The bib is pinned precisely; the jersey is tucked neatly; the spikes are laced tightly. And then the gun goes off, and everything is chaos. As the saying goes, races are not run on paper, and our Sectional race was full of surprises. For the second straight year, we were proud and fortunate to leave Stuart Sports Complex as champions. But while the results were the same, our script was an improvisation from previous races. Take Jackson Jett (1st, 15:12). Over the past four years, the hard-charging senior has run races that seemed like instant-classics, but in the same season will throw in a clunker that fades from the memory faster than a David Spade movie. But Saturday, following the example of teammates Jake McEneaney and Matt Milostan, he won his first Varsity race. This was Jackson’s most complete performance from gunshot to chute, and he seems to be peaking at precisely the right moment. Or consider Scott Anderson (8th, 15:30). In a season frustrated by injury and stride irregularities, Scott has lived with uncertainty from week to week about whether his body will respond to his commands. Everyone knows what Scott can do, yet, like last year, we waited anxiously to see his Sectional results. Seeing him returning to form has been one of the highlights of a dizzying season. Then there’s Jeremy Hayhurst (11th, 15:36). Going into 2016, no one was talking about Hayhurst as a top-5 finisher at Sectionals, yet with each race he has stubbornly inserted himself into the conversation, bringing his times down week by week through sheer force of will. No one knows what he’s capable of at this point, yet no one is willing to bet against him. The rest of our team submitted similarly quixotic results to greater or lesser degrees. Matt Milostan (2nd, 15:19) reminded Josh Mollway (3rd, 15:20) of his lethal kick. Ryan Kennedy (14th, 15:43) was hampered by a cold, while Jake McEneaney (16th, 15:48) was hampered by dehydration. Each of these athletes had carefully readied themselves for the moment, familiarizing themselves with every jot of the race. Yet like every other runner in the race, the 15 minutes between those three miles was a great unknown. And that--ultimately-- is the thrill and terror of racing. Because it’s out of our control. Because anything can happen. All that you have is the intensity of your preparation, the fervor of your faith, and the tenacity of your bonds. Next week, there’s a great cliff at the edge of the starting line. We’ve done everything imaginable to ready ourselves. Now all that’s left is the leap. Results Daily Herald Article It’s fitting that the Cross Country State Series parallels the browning of the leaves. In the long yawn of summer, legs feel loose and shoulders are light. But as the ground turns hard and the air crisps, a runner’s gaze sharpens and his breath goes hard. Gone are the airy July runs. As the Starks of Game of Thrones would say, “Winter is coming!” With the senior valediction of Conference behind us, we focused our attentions on the Regional Race. Returning to the Kress Creek Farm in West Chicago, our squad hoped to repeat the results of the previous year, where alumni Aidan Livingston led the Wildcats to a 7th straight championship. Frontrunners Jake McEneaney and Jackson Jett earned the day off, throwing JV stalwarts Ryan Kennedy and Tyler Bombacino into a fierce melee that would feature several probable all-state athletes. However, it was sophomore Zach Kinne who took the race out hardest in the first two miles, flanked by senior speedster Matt Milostan. The pack cruised through the mile with seven under 5:00 and through the two mile mark with all under 10:00. In the end, it came down to a final kick by Milostan (1st, 14:50) to claim the Regional Championship, his first victory as a Varsity athlete. Kinne (3rd, 14:51) closed hard behind him, with senior Josh Mollway (5th, 15:11) breaking into the top 5 soon after. However, the strongest races may have come from Kennedy (6th, 15:12) and Bombacino (9th, 15:17) who both ran enormous PRs to score for the team. Seniors Jeremy Hayhurst (15:18) and Scott Anderson (15:19) streamed in a few ticks later, allowing us to join the Girl’s Team as Regional champions. Cross country runners look almost comical in mid-October: thin, naked legs supporting narrow torsos in the brisk fall wind. But our advantage lies not in the training with which we’ve prepared those legs so much as the layers of with which support we’ve surrounded them. This past week, for instance, we were hosted by Naperville Running Company, which leant us space to train and commune. We were fed and cheered repeatedly by generous parents on Saturday, Monday, and Friday. We were treated by alumni families—the Duncans and the Peters—who have stood by our program for more than a decade, reminding class after class that NVXC is a family bound by values. And our band of brothers—freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors—continues to train, resolved to put in their miles to support and inspire the week’s chosen seven.
Next week returns us to the Stuart Sports Complex in Montgomery, the site of the coldest, harshest meet in our program’s history. The miles ahead are increasingly numbing, brisk, and arctic. But though we are bedecked in only a singlet and short shorts, our runners are insulated by our family. Tell winter we’re coming. Results Naperville Sun Article In a sport that’s governed by time, it’s always surprising how relative time can seem. Fifteen minutes can feel like a geolithic age within the heat of racing; it can pass like a hiccup once you cross the finish. Runners train to recognize what a five minute mile feels like but it feels like something else after you’ve already run two. There’s an unpronounceable gap between the clock and the body. The Conference Meet is special because we arrive and race with bodies in peak condition. Every muscle is set; every capillary is open. For all but twelve of our guys, the season ends in the chute, so they arrive prepared to push themselves through a hard 15-25 minutes, regardless of how it feels. The afternoon began with the Freshman/Sophomore Race. Our youngsters entered the meet coming off a pair of narrow victories the past two invitationals and eager to extend their streak to five straight conference championships. Hammering the mud-rutted trails and leaning hard into the turns, Rodrigo Alvarez-Gonzalez (2nd, 16:00), Chris Keeley (3rd, 16:02), and Michael Madiol (4th, 16:06) broke the lead chase pack in the last half mile. Nick Drechsler (7th, 16:20) put an exclamation mark on his season, and Michael O’Connor (17th, 16:37) finished a gutsy race on 1½ working hips. Matt Jett (16:37), Spencer Teske (16:40), and Jack Orengo (16:45) ran tall, and season’s best times came from Quinn Kennedy (17:26), Ramsay Johnson (17:27), Kevin Daneliak (17:29), Blake Storoe (17:46), Luke Huenecke (18:26), Dylan Bushelle (18:29), Sam Stuart (18:32), Josh Rodriguez (18:44), Rahul Kohl (18:47), Chris Guo (19:08), Aditya Sathyaprakash (19:17), Joey Spencer (19:29), Adam Gutierrez (19:38), Nate Spencer (19:45), Hadi Moukallad (20:27), James Teune (20:33), Kevin Shaffer (21:47), Ethan Smetana (21:53), and Trent Sebring (23:31). Coming off their seismic performance at Twilight, the Varsity squad was tasked with defending a decade-long championship streak at Conference. Few wildcats have ever prepared as intensely for battle than Jake McEneaney (1st, 14:51), who won his first ever varsity race to claim the crown as Conference Champion. He was trailed by sophomore Zach Kinne (2nd, 14:59), seniors Jackson Jett (3rd, 15:00), Matt Milostan (4th, 15:04), and Scott “Scandy” Anderson (6th, 15:17). “Captain” Josh Mollway (7th, 15:18) and Jeremy Hayhurst (8th, 15:19) closed out the race with a near-perfect score of 16, our third best conference finish ever. The highlight of the day, however, was the Open Race, which proved a fitting capstone to the high school XC career for many of our seniors. Ryan Kennedy submitted one of the most impressive races of the day, running 15:25 all by himself to claim the Open title. Fellow juniors Tyler Bombacino (2nd, 15:45) and Alex Johnson (4th, 15:59) finished shortly after, and a recuperating Josh Patel (13th, 16:27) and flinty Evan McVittie (16th, 16:34) sealed the team title. The ordinarily serene Erik Huenecke (16:39) thundered in next, and Alan Poe (16:44), Keanan Ginell (16:47), and Dakota Getty (16:48) shot into the chute seconds later. Several juniors ran sterling times, including DJ Sauer (16:57), Daniel Speckels (17:08), Quinton Quagliano (17:10), “Professor” Matt Lindell (17:34), Paul McIntyre (17:34), Michael Dy (17:43), John Kubicki (17:45), Austin Nguyen (17:53), Calvin McIntyre (17:58), and David Botos (18:10), and Blake Reichert (18:30). But the day belonged to the seniors, who made the most of their last trip around the field. Season highlights came from Joe Tarszowicz (17:17), Paul Neubauer (17:17), Isaiah Robinson (17:29), Wookie rights activist Rishi Pandey (17:40), Michael Vivo (18:00), Nick Mitchell (18:08), Nick Pemberton (18:28), Josh Covarubias (18:35), Jairaj Narendran (18:37), Homecoming luminary Sam Ellis (18:41), Cory Harland (18:42), Javed Mohamed (18:43), Garrett Hazdra (18:47), Mason Crockett (18:48), Soham Soha (18:54), Conrad Tkacz (19:14), Jake Anderson (20:08), Nick Beatty (20:10), Omna Berhane (23:39), and Shiv Nigam (23:58).
Watching Joe Letourneau—a middle-of-the-pack runner who changed the NVXC culture with his humor and camaraderie—was one of dozens of moments of quiet revelation from the senior class. Letourneau ran himself to exhaustion, collapsing in the chute, only to be swarmed by his friends, his teammates, his brothers. They hauled him to his feet, holding on to one another—and the moment—for just a little longer. And ultimately, that’s the lesson of four years of Cross Country—time and distance are relative. When you’re a freshman, a five mile run can seem a vast desert, but a few trips through the calendar can shrink it to a patch of sand. And a high school career which began miles and years from fruition yields its harvest in too short a season. Runners know this, as do their fathers and mothers, brother and sisters. The race goes by quickly, and every second counts. As a general rule, runners are not nocturnal creatures. Running at top speed across uneven fields dappled by shadow and silhouettes invites rolled ankles, and increases the likelihood of collisions and pileups. Most runners’ entire metabolisms are built around mornings—the early practice, the race held before drawing the sun’s full attention. That’s what makes Naperville’s annual Twilight Invitational so electric—it combines an unnatural glow with an irregular schedule and a carnival atmosphere lifted straight from some neon Mardi Gras. With a whole day to build anticipation, our teams take the line in an unfamiliar situation, uncertain of what to expect. Though guided by towers of light, they are truly racing into the darkness. Fortunately, the results of the 2016 Twilight Invite proved incandescent. Our Freshman/Sophomore crew faced off against several teams that had bloodied them in the past—like Naperville North and Hinsdale Central—and some (like Glenbard West) whose reputation was growing more intimidating with each result sheet. This was the first meet we had our full complement of runners, and we were fortunate that this was the case as the race proved even more intense a scrap than Lockport. A resurgent Chris Keeley (6th, 16:16) led the way, summoning a fearsome kick to stride past teammates Rodrigo Alvarez (7th, 16:17) and Michael Madiol (9th, 16:20). Spencer Teske (16th, 16:36) continued to ascend, and Nick Drechsler (17th, 16:38) recorded another PR. Matt Jett (24th, 16:57) and Jack Orengo (28th, 17:02) rounded out the top 7, with Kevin Daneliak (17:35), Ramsay Johnson (18:02), Sam Stuart (18:46), Rahul Koul (18:55), Joey Klaips (18:56), Nate Spencer (19:54), and many others all running significant PRs. The J/V Race proved a showcase for one of our programs more diffident and dependable drones. Alex Johnson (1st, 15:59) led from gunshot to finish line, finally cracking the 16:00 barrier. Season’s best performances were also submitted by Dakota Getty (8th, 16:29), Alan Poe (11th, 16:30), Evan McVittie (17th, 16:37), and Josh Patel (18th, 16:39). Keanan Ginell (16:51) submitted his usual gritty, steady effort, while seniors Erik Huenecke (16:56) and Paul Neubauer (17:02) made the most of their last race under the lights. Season records were demolished by DJ Sauer (17:27), “Professor” Matt Lindell (17:29), Rishi Pandey (17:33), Isaiah Robinson (17:37), “Private” Austin Nguyen (17:41), Danny Speckels (17:46), Paul McIntyre (17:50), Joe Tarszowicz (17:55), Michael Dy (17:58), John Kubicki (18:00), and David Botos (18:21), among others. The lights glowed brightest on the Varsity Race, which was a heavily hyped, highly anticipated tilt between some of Illinois’ most decorated programs. After several weeks of split squads and injury rehabilitation, no one was certain how the team would race together. Yet it was evident early on that something special was unfolding, as a disciplined Jake McEneaney and an ambitious Jackson Jett surged into the lead pack. For both, it proved the most complete race of the season, but it was what followed that proved most exciting. For the second week in a row, Jake (14:49) finished second to a probable all-state athlete, only to pivot and watch a tight line of gold stream across the finish line. Jett (4th, 14:55), Josh Mollway (5th, 15:00), Zach Kinne (6th, 15:01), and Matt “Mongoose” Milostan (7th, 15:01) all finished within six seconds of one another (and all-state runner Blake Evertsen!). Most excitingly, a rehabilitated Scott Anderson (10th, 15:10) looked close to old form, and hot hand Jeremy Hayhurst (13th, 15:15) has never looked better. Sterling efforts by juniors Ryan Kennedy (15:24) and Tyler Bombacino (15:42) yielded season’s best marks, with hard-luck Bombacino PRing on a miserable blister (after previously PRing with a miserable cold). The results were eye-popping and exhilarating, but a full month away from the brightest lights of all. There is still much work to do.
As the clock neared 10 PM and we boarded our buses, we tried to enjoy the night for a just a few seconds more. For some of us, the season ends in ten short days; for a select few, there’s an impending date in November. We rode home together, singing and cheering, the bus’s headlights cutting shafts through the darkness. So much remains hidden, shrouded, and uncertain. But after tonight, the path forward shines ust a little bit brighter. Results DyestatIL Recap Video Jake McEneaney Interview FS Video Spikes and Flats Twilight Video NCTV Recap It was the best of (race) times, it was the worst of times; it was the course of hills and gullies, it was the course of straight lines and trapezoids; it was the epoch of steady deluge, it was the epoch of overcast-yet-calm skies; it was the season of mud-laden plodding, it was the season of quicksilver racing; it was the spring of PRs, it was the winter of “We’ll get ‘em next week,”; we got an apple at the finish line, we got a limp granola bar on the bus ride home; we were all going east to Lockport, we were all going two and a half hours south – in short, the Saturday was so far like any other Saturday of a suburban family, that it scarcely bears mentioning. Of course, if it’s a Saturday where we are fortunate enough to win one varsity race and finish 4th in another, a few sentences recalling the day seem appropriate. On October 1st, 2016, we split our squad between two races, with Coach Vandersteen leading a crew of seven back to Detweiller and Coach Janota marching the rest of our forces to Dellwood Park for Lockport High School’s annual Locktoberfest Invitational. The clouds opened early in Lockport, accelerating the schedule for what was already a tight and well-managed race. It’s hard to put into words the sight of 500 runners, muscles tensed, leaning across a painted line in a storm, waiting for a cannon blast, but if we had to pick one word, it would be epic. Peoria Invitational. Our focus for this meet was to give some underclassmen an opportunity to experience a varsity race. We had some guys run really well, especially since they got out way faster than they are used to doing. As Coach Hartner, my son, and I stood at the mile, we watched in amazement as freshman Rodrigo Alvarez and sophomores Michael Madiol and Chris Keeley came by the mile between 4:55-4:59. Considering all of their mile pr's are within 4-5 seconds of this, we wondered if they could hang on. Rodrigo and Michael both managed to do so and ran great races. Rodrigo pr'd by 30 seconds to record one of the fastest freshman performances in our history. His 15:49.6 ranks as #3 all-time. Michael ran almost a minute faster than his best, running 15:54.2. Chris did not fare as well. He has lacked training due to a shin stress fracture, and the fast pace was too much to handle for his current fitness. Once things started to spiral out of control physically, the mental side also took hold and he faded badly. However, we all know Chris will rebound and run much better in his next race when he is in control of the first mile. Speaking of sophomores, Zach Kinne recorded the 2nd fastest sophomore time in our history, running a solid 9th in 14:50.9. Only Aaron Beattie's performance in the 2007 State meet (14:46) is better. Zach has a huge upside, and once he starts to be a little more aggressive that 2nd mile, he will only lower this time. Our final three performances were recorded by a senior and two juniors. The only senior of this seven, Jeremy Hayhurst, continued his meteoric rise and finished 24th in 15:14.1. For a young man who could not crack 18:00 as a sophomore, this is truly an amazing performance. Junior Tyler Bombacino ran a better race than last weekend, and ran a pr of 15:36.5. Once we get him some rest, the faster-twitched Tyler will run the last mile with fresher legs, and run much faster. Junior Ryan Kennedy did not run the race he is capable of running. Luckily, there is nothing physically going on, and he has a pattern of running well at the end of the season. It is time for him to latch on to our pack and let them take him for a ride! We ended up finishing 4th as a team in this loaded invitational. Without five of our top eight guys, we are looking forward to putting it all together as we begin the last phase of our season. Overall Results Team Results
Lockport Invitational The Freshman/Sophomore Race began the festivities, fitting into their box without frontrunners Chris Keeley, Rodrigo Alvarez, Michael Madiol, or Michael O’Connor, dispatched to Peoria or the injury report. It fell to our second pack to try and keep the scores low, and on a grueling 5k spread out over a considerable field, the race came down to a single body. Steady-Eddies Nick Drechsler (5th, 17:36) and Spencer Teske (6th, 17:36) had their best races of the season, finishing 0.2 of a second apart. They were trailed closely by a stubborn Matt Jett (13th, 17:49), whose race almost perfectly mirrored his older brother’s. Human-whimsy Jack Orengo (25th, 17:59) fell behind early, but kept he himself close enough to the lead pack to stave off oblivion. However, the day’s heroics belonged chiefly to Blake Storoe (71st, 18:58), who kicked down two competitors before outleaning a third at the finish. As it turned out, the Sophomores defeated Wheaton North’s squad by a single point, a stirring reminder that amidst 5,000 meters and 500 bodies, every place and second counts. Kevin Daneliak (75th, 19:00.0), Quinn Kennedy (78th, 19:00.7), Erik Thompson (93rd, 19:13.5), Joseph Klaips (129th, 19:45), and Luke Huenecke (131st, 19:45.6) rounded out the team’s efforts. Less than a half hour later, the Varsity Race was underway, the rain steadier and the hills slicker. Senior Jake McEneaney (2nd, 16:02) broke his pack in the third mile, while Jackson Jett worked his way up (16:24) to a 5th place finish. Josh Mollway-- whose breakthrough race came a year before at Dellwood-- finished 11th in 16:36. Junior Alex Johnson (40th, 17:08) muscled through a chase pack, while the redoubtable Evan McVittie (66th, 17:28) closed the door, beating a competitor by less than half a second. While not as close as the Freshman/Sophomore Race, the Varsity tilt also required a second pack to race with aggressively and uncomfortably. Dakota Getty (86th, 17:41), Alan Poe (89th, 17:44), Erik Huenecke (92nd, 17:47), Keanan Ginell (107th, 17:57), and DJ Sauer (112th, 18:02) met that challenge. By the time of the Open Race, the trails of Dellwood had dissolved into streams the color of oatmeal and melted chocolate, pockmarked by 1,000 sets of spikes. Yet in the slowest of conditions, our Open runners still recorded some of their best races of the season. Senior Josh Patel (13th, 18:26) triumphantly returned to the lineup, while classmate Paul Neubauer showed greater grit and patience (21st, 18:43). “Professor” Matt Lindell (18:49) broke through in 23rd, while fellow junior Austin Nguyen (27th, 18:53) proved himself a happy warrior. Other noteworthy efforts were submitted by Danny Speckels (18:56), John Kubiki (19:07), Ramsay Johnson (19:13), Calvin McIntyre (19:31), Michael Vivo (19:49), Sam Stuart (20:22), Jairaj Narendran (21:04), Javed Mohamed (21:59), and Luke Janek (23:47). After two weeks of split squads, different schedules, and separate buses, we eagerly anticipate Wednesday’s Twilight Invitational. We have yet to see how our full lineup fits together at any level. It’s time to start putting these disparate chapters into one volume about one team, telling one story. If these early sections are any prelude, 2016’s book could potentially end with a far, far better race than we have ever run, leading to a far, far better bus ride than we have ever known. Results |
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