Strong race fields plus great conditions guarantee some fast racing in Palatine

Photo: Clayton Mendez on his way to a meet record in last year’s Boys 1600 Meter Run (Laura Duffy Photo)

By Michael Newman

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You can’t single out just one race that will be the best at Distance Night in Palatine beginning at 7 p.m. Saturday at Chic Anderson Stadium on the Palatine High campus.

Palatine Coach and Meet Director Chris Quick has put together another great field of high school runners for the fourth edition of this meet. Girls 800 Meter Run Indoor National Champion Roisin Willis travels from Wisconsin to run in the 1600 Meter Run against a talented field headed by another freshman Katrina Schlenker. The Boys 1600 Meter Run should be just as strong with All-Americans Drew Bosley from Wisconsin and Carter Cheeseman of Texas heading that event.

Admission for spectators is by donation of a used pair of running shoes or $5 to Special Olympics.

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Here are previews of each of the six events that will take place. A Distance Medley Relay will also take place just before the Main Card of races begins at 9 p.m.CDT.

2018 Meet Results

HEAT SHEETS

Girls 800 Meter Run

Meet Record: 2:10.70 – Rachel Hickey, LaSalle-Peru, 2018 

Preview – It could be tough to get close to Hickey’s meet record on Saturday night. This race comes down to see who wants to push the pace early. Claire Hill of Naperville North pushed the pace indoors at North Central College in February on her way to running 2:11.61. We saw Marne Sullivan of New Trier stay with Katelynne Hart at Illinois Top Times with a pace similar to what Hill ran. There can be no holding back in this race if both runners want to dip under 2:10.

Mikenna Robinson of Neuqua Valley ran 2:15 indoors and will look again to step into the spotlight in this race. If she is close to the front heading into the final 200-meters, she has the best finish in this field. Olivia Schmitt of Lakes Community had a breakthrough race when she ran 2:13.83 at Arcadia (CA) two weeks ago. Could she be the surprise in this field?

Do not count out Clinton’s Payne Turney in this race. The Class 2A runner has stepped up her racing especially during the indoor season when she won this distance and the 1600 at Illinois Top Times in a span of an hour. She ran 2:15.59 in the ITT race. That time should drop even lower on Saturday night.

Aubrey Anderson of Lakeland WI ran 2:17.15 at WISCO Mile last June. It will be interesting to see if she is in the hunt for the title. She has the ability to accomplish that.

The conditions make it possible to get close to the record. The first 400-meters need to stay between 63 to 64 seconds for a record chase to happen.

The first two sections of the race hard to determine. The fields are evenly matched. Lauren Huber of Glenbard East and Breena Shreeves of Knoxville head that field. Section 1 is wide-open with Trinity’s Alexis Cohn the top seed.

Boys 800 Meter Run

Meet Record: 1:54.86 – Arthur Santoro, Jones College Prep, 2017 

Preview – This field does not have the power that previous DNIP fields had. The race could come down to two runners to decide the winner. Grant Jensen of Prairie Ridge has the big meet race experience winning the Illinois Top Times 3A race. In that competition, Jensen held back the pace and moved the final 300-meters of the race. In other races, he has pushed the pace from the start. He may have to do that in this race if he wants to win.

The reason being is that we have Riley Wells of Rockford Christian in this field. The 2018 champion in this meet has one of the best finishes in the state able to move out of tight spaces in a race in a single bound. Wells cannot get into trouble positioning in this race or else it could be trouble catching Jensen. Then again, Wells treasures those moments.

It is hard to say who will be leading the pack behind these two runners. It could be a trio of Wisconsin runners led by indoor state champion Aaron Leverson of Janesville Craig WI. Michael Parduhn of Mundelein and Dawson Rogers of Salt Fork lead the Illinois contingent.

Jeremy Roe of Huntley and Timmy Wade of Plainfield South are the only runners seeded under 2-minutes in Section 1. That will change after the conclusion of this race. The 12 runners in Section 2 are separated by only a second. Aidan Donohue of DeKalb leads the group. It could be Michael Varzino of Metea Valley, the DVC indoor champion, the runner that wins this section. However, too close to call in that race.

Girls 3200 Meter Run

Meet Record: 10:40.09 – Melissa Manetsch, Libertyville, 2018 

Preview – The meet record set last year by Melissa Manetsch should fall Saturday night considering the field and the excellent weather conditions that are expected. Alex Morris of Naperville North and Emma Watcke of Hinsdale Central raced against each other twice at this distance during the indoor season. Watcke stayed close to Morris at Batavia Distance Madness before moving in the final 400-meters to take the win running 10:37.96. The circumstances changed in the 3A race at Illinois Top Times when Morris made a concerted effort to push the pace at 1600-meters for the next 800-meters. Morris broke the race wide-open as she ran 10:31.18. We know that Morris will take the lead from the start. The question is who will go with her?

The championship race field is extremely deep with the top 11 runners with seed times under 11-minutes. 2A defending state champion Jenna Schwartz of Waterloo finished second in this meet last year. She could be near the front pushing the pace. Fatima Giron of Round Lake has been the breakthrough runner in this state during this school year. Giron ran 10:42.93 two weeks ago. Expect her to be near the front.

Don’t expect Abby Lopez of Argo to be near the front especially at the beginning. You will see her near the leaders at the end of the race. The junior likes to take the pace slow early in the race but moves in the second half when other runners are exhausted.

This could be the breakthrough race for Staunton’s Lydia Roller. The runner-up in last fall’s 1A State race ran 10:56.7 more than two weeks ago. She has the talent to be in the 40’s in this race. Emily Burns of Lake Zurich continues to surge during her senior season and could have a big race along with Laurel Moneysmith of Wheaton-Warrenville South and Aspen Gordon of Morton.

The conditions will be ripe for fast times in this race. We could see a time under 10:25 that will be needed to win this race.

Section 1 should be just as exciting with Lucy Westlake of Naperville North, Katelyn Robbins of Liberty, and Ashley Peterson of Lakeland WI to be the front runners. It may take a time under 11-minutes to win that section.

Boys 3200 Meter Run

Meet Record – 8:59.46, Clayton Mendez, Whitney Young, 2017 

Preview – This event is scary good. Scary meaning how fast this race could be. Three of the top four runners from last year’s race return led by defending race champion Josh Methner of Hersey. The defending 3A state cross-country champion has not really been pushed this season but still has an indoor 9:22 seasonal best. We did say the same thing last year and he pulled away to run 9:06.65 to win the title. Methner is running with confidence. An under 9-minute time could come from him.

Tommy Brady of Maine South finished third in this race last year and will look to make the step up for the title on Saturday. He ran 9:11 at Arcadia two weeks ago. He has a faster race in him. Stephen Moody of Glenbard West was sick of the end of the indoor season Last year’s fourth-place finisher runs the best when the pressure is on him. Watch for him in this race.

Jared Kries of Lincoln-Way Central is the break-through runner of this season after a sub-par state cross-country race. The reason that this race will be fast is that Kries will be up there pushing it and keeping the pace honest. He ran 9:10.59 to win the Illinois Top Times 3A race using those tactics. His time will drop even lower in this race.

Mathias Powell of Mahomet-Seymour wants to run under 9-minutes before his senior year concludes. This may be the race to accomplish that goal. The 2A state cross-country champion ran 9:10.13 at Arcadia (CA) two weeks ago. Guillermo Ibarra of Morton Township has taken the step up this track season after finishing 25^th in the 3A race last November at Detweiller Park. Ibarra running 9:11 just behind Kries exhibits that we could see faster times from him in this big race. Also watch for Garrett Dixon of Monticello and Dillon Blake of Mundelein. Both runners could go under 9:10 especially after strong races at Arcadia two weeks ago. Samuel Rivera of Whitney Young could be the surprise in this race. He has a 4:13 1600-meters from Arcadia two weeks ago. He has not run this race much. He did finish third at Detweiller last fall. It will be interesting to see how her performances as he moves up a distance.

The first section of this event should be fun to watch with Dawson Smith of Rock Falls and Ian Spears of Maine South the top seeds. Keep an eye on Owen Hays of Lyons Township. His best time of 9:43.72 has come in Frosh/Soph races. He could be pulled to a time under 9:30 in this section.

Girls 1600 Meter Run

Meet Record – 4:54.29, Megan Biddle, Hoffman Estates, 2016 

Preview – Youth will make its presence known in this race as two freshman head the field in what will be a record-breaking race. Batavia’s Katrina Schlenker already has an indoor 4:55.46 best on her resume. Schlenker likes to push the pace from the start. One of the reasons why we could see a winning time under 4:50.

This event got a huge boost when Stevens Point WI freshman Roisin Willis entered. We knew she was a special runner when she ran 2:09 in eight-grade. She served notice at the New Balance Indoor Nationals when she caught American 600-Meter indoor record holder Athing Mu in the final lap to run an incredible 2:05.70 to win the 800 Meter Run national champion. No doubt that we will see a fast time from her. How low under 4:50 is what we discover Saturday night.

Let’s not forget about defending champion Marianne Mihas of Latin School who won this race last year as a freshman. She is ready for a fast race running 2:13 at Arcadia. Campbell Petersen of Naperville North ran 4:57 indoors and is capable of running under 4:55 in this race. Freshmen Aly Negovetich of Grant Community and Ava Parekh of Latin School both have personal bests under five-minutes. How fast will they go in this race?

Erin Reidy of Downers Grove South has the potential to also run under 4:55 after running 2:11 for 800-meters and 4:58 for 1600-meters indoors. Isabelle Christiansen of Oswego and Katherine Olsen of DeKalb are runners to watch in the front. Sophomore Samantha Poglitsch of Wheaton-Warrenville South just missed running under five-minutes in this race last year. She ahs been running hot as of late. We should see her break that magical barrier. Brooke Stromsland of Lakes Community is the defending 2A state cross-country champion and has already run 10:45 outdoors. Yorkville’s Helena Kleronomos and Kailey Fox, along with Whitney Young’s Ella Behrens and York’s Sarah May are in this field. Any of these runners could dip under five minutes.

The three earlier sections in this event should also be watched for. Section 3 is loaded with Molly FitzPatrick of Barrington who ran under five-minutes as a freshman leading the field. Kate Dickman of Lyons Township and Fran Hendrickson of St. Thomas More should also be watched for.

Anne-Marie Jordan of Palatine ran injured and still qualified for the state cross-country meet. She seems to be recovered having run in relays for her team this outdoor season. It will be good to see her racing again especially on her home track. Sam Moreno of Yorkville and Amelia McLain of Benton also will head the second section. Julia Dames of Minooka, Maddie Miller of Edwardsville, and Mia Gianfrancesco of Batavia lead a strong first section that could see times go under 5:10.

Boys 1600 Meter Run

Meet Record – 4:08.64 – Sean Torpy Sandburg 2016; Clayton Mendez Whitney Young 2018 

Preview – The conditions look favorable for fast times in the final championship race of the evening. With the field assembled in this final section, a winning time of 4:05 to 4:06 could happen. Drew Bosley of Homestead WI is in shape for a fast race. The three-time cross-country All-American ran 8:49.28 for 3200-meters at Arcadia on April 6. Bosley also ran 4:08 for a full mile in winning last June at WISCO Miles. He is capable of one of those fast performances. Bosley finished fourth in this meet last year.

Thomas Shilgalis of Naperville Central earned All-American honors by finishing fifth last June at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals. Shilgalis ran 4:10 to finish third ahead of  Bosley in last year’s race and could go under that time in this race. Carter Cheeseman of Fort Worth Christian TX is not coming to the Lone-Star state to sight-see. The senior has a 4:11 personal best to his credit. This big race atmosphere should not be a problem for him. Cheeseman is a two-time Foot Locker Nationals All-American.

Andrew O’Keefe of Granite City may have the most confidence in this field. The senior just missed winning the 3A state title last May. He commanded the race in winning at Illinois Top Times in March. He has gone under 1:55 for 800-meters and ran 9:11 for 3200-meters last weekend. He has a dangerous kick that could be troublesome for the rest of the field if he is near the front entering the final lap.

Wisconsin runner Caleb Easton of Middleton ran 8:57 at Arcadia and ran 4:12 to finish second in his state meet last year. Rowen Ellenberg of Kimberly WI earned All-American honors at Nike Cross Nationals last December. He has a 4:12 best finishing behind Easton at state that could find himself under 4:10 at the end of this race.

Rory Cavan of Glenbard West has been hot on the track running 4:16 two weeks ago and defeating Shilgalis by nine seconds in the process. Keep an eye on him. Sean Maison of Wheaton-Warrenville South ran 4:16 in this race last year and should go under that time on Saturday. Brett Gardner of Lincoln-Way East ran 9:07 at Arcadia and 4:18 in this distance three days later. How fast will he be in this race? Zach Albrecht of Jacobs has a 4:13 best and could be a surprise in this race.

The first two sections of this event should be just as entertaining. Eli Ward of Waterloo and Greg Van Hollen of Barrington lead the field in Section 1. Brad Brodsky of Deerfield just ran 4:27 on Wednesday at Niles North. He should be watched for in this race.

The second section has talent with Andrew Englert of Lincoln-Way Central, Christian Knowlton of Plainfield South, and Ben Rosa of Lake Forest lead this field. 1A State Cross Country Champion Christopher Collet of Seneca is also entered in this race. Knowlton won Section 1 of this event in last year’s meet.

The Freshman 1600 Meter Run could get close to the 4:28.67 Meet Record set by York’s Ethan Kern in 2017. Ryder James of Paxton-Buckley-Loda and Wilson Georges of Limestone both have run 4:32 and could factor in the win. Fiker Rosen of Quincy ran 9:56 and 4:41 last week in Missouri. Watch for him in the front.