XC Team Strides For Another Terrific Season
On your marks, get set, bang! Cross Country season is officially off and running. Both the boys and girls teams are entering this season with a great outlook. In preseason rankings from Illinois Running News, the boys team is currently predicted to place 5th in the state, among top teams like Rockford Christian, Eureka, and Elmwood. Last season’s number one runner, Drew Cooper, is returning with newfound levels of discipline, striving to have his best season yet. Along with Drew, other key varsity runners, Israel Nowark, Weston Hodel, Luke Hinthorne, and Elijah Webster, are returning from strong summer training and are setting the bar high with their intense dedication as the team prepares for their first meet this Friday at Maxwell Park in Normal. Coach Jacob Ludy has shown confidence in the boys side and their training, and the expectations are through the roof for this season. In the preseason 2-mile time trial, the top 5 boys all ran for the fastest top 5 average in EPG history, with Drew and Weston both breaking the former fastest record for the boys.
On the girls’ side, they have a high preseason state ranking of 2nd. Some important returners are Caroline Wettstein, Verity Nowark, Sophie Hinthorne, Haven Miller, and Kiley Knapp. Audrey Roth and Elli Webster are two of the freshmen competing to make the varsity seven. Illinois Running News states in their preseason rankings that Audrey Roth is “expected to make an immediate impact” on our girls team. Kiley Knapp recently had a breakout season in track, running in the 4×8 and 1600 at IHSA 1A State Girls Track. She is only eight seconds away from our girls record in the two-mile time trial. Another runner who had an extraordinary track season is Haven Miller. Haven is frequently called a “beast” when it comes to the 800m race. Everyone is definitely on the edge of their seat to see how their times and efforts translate to cross country these next few months. One of the things that makes our team so successful is our depth of talent. Not only are our top seven excellent runners, but we have many extremely talented girls. Cross country is an amazing sport, but it’s really the community that makes it as great as it is. Senior Caroline Wettstein says, “Although cross country isn’t the easiest sport, being on the team makes it so much fun.” Drew Cooper would describe the team as “a positive, friendly group with a deep love for Lightning McQueen.”
