Last Friday IXC made their way out to beautiful Bourbonnais, Illinois in order to take on the Olivet Tigers and others at the Aspen Ridge Golf Course. After making a splash a few weeks ago in Indiana, we were ready to set our sights on some home state competition. This meet went much more smoothly for us as we didn’t have to contend with stifling humidity and last minute changes to the competition due to uncooperative weather. In fact, it was a sunny, low 80s Friday afternoon with a little bit of a breeze, tailor-made for some strong races. And oh brother, were there some good times over the weekend. Many of our runners had races to be proud of as we move deeper into the season.
Diving into the races, we were led off by the women today, again running 5k (I am very jealous). Our top finisher was Diane Makovic, making her IXC debut after a few weeks of crushing workouts and running a very speedy 19:46.30. After Diane, we had a powerful duo of Claire Casiello and Alyson Ficca competing together for most of the race. With a 20:38.40 and a 20:56.40 respectively, both women crushed their times from IU and Claire even ran a 5k PR! Evelyn Rowan secured herself a top 25 finish with a 21:54.10 and continued to prove that freshmen can make an impact right out of the gate! Laurel Pauza also ran her first race with the club, coming in at 22:38.80 and is looking set up to run well into the fall. The best GMC in all of NIRCA, Lauren Bartels, got off to a speedy start and managed to pick people off, throwing down a 23:49.00 in her first race this season. Mikeelie Jensen shrugged off her ankle struggles from the last race to run a 24:57.70 in a heroic bounce-back effort. Allison Kokal smashed 30 seconds off her time from the last race, crossing the line in 27:53.40. Elizabeth Coats made the upgrade from cheering to racing, running 28:42.90 to begin her career with the club. Also running her first IXC race and following close behind Elizabeth was Anna Winnicki, who ran a 28:47.00 to close a successful day for the IXC women. (We had an IXC alumni cameo from Grace Gudwien, who ran a speedy 21:07.90! Here’s hoping we’re treated to one of her famous poems in the comments.)
After the women set a high bar for the club, the men had a tough task ahead of them to match the effort. Thankfully, our gentlemen were up to the challenge and also had a great day of racing. Although they had to make the jump from 5k to 8k, the extra kilometers didn’t slow them down. Local vigilante and cleaner of the streets Adam Gorcyca led a tight pack of IXC runners, finishing in 27:01.10 himself. IXC Treasurer/MAD LIBS Connoisseur John Wiser followed Adam’s lead and came through in 27:05.60, starting this season right where he left off last fall. Justin Ostrem came through next, running 27:08.20 and continuing to prove that being in grad school doesn’t mean you’re an old man just yet. Head Coach Spencer Nelson had his steak and ate it too, finishing off our lead pack in 27:12.90. Commissioner Cade Baker took home a quick 28:02.40 despite a tough middle portion of the race (evidently not too tough for a come from behind win in fantasy *sigh* ). Nolan Enright continued his strong early season, running a cool 28:14.90. In a tradition like none other, freshman standout Mikey Smart found out what it meant to run 8k, starting quickly and finishing in 28:33.80. Kyle Kenmotsu followed soon after Mikey, coming through the finish in 28:48.70. John Burns managed a passing grade on his race, feeling good on 3/5 miles and running 29:29.60. Ending with a little blood on his foot, Philip Hu learned the importance of tying the chip onto your shoe properly, but managed to fight through for a 29:41.00 finish. Arthur Mazzeo and Patrick Tallon finished right on each other’s hip, with our favorite New Jersey resident just barely taking it over the Irishman, running 29:46.00 and 29:46.60 respectively. Gabriel Inojosa made his 8k debut with the club in track spikes, getting out quickly and crossing the line with a 30:06.50. Adam Lupatkin also ran his first 8k with us, getting out fast but managing to stay in it and running 30:12.30. Quinn Born continued to have a strong start to the season, running 30:47.50 as he looks to move up throughout the fall. Simon Hildy and Lukas Tichota came across the line in quick succession, both having conquered the 8k for the first time in 31:31.50 and 31:35.70. Aidan Farrell picked up the mantle of the Farrell family legacy here at IXC, making moves throughout the race for a 31:51.00 finish. Jordan Wilkerson followed closely behind him, debuting in 32:01.60 and making the race for best bromance interesting (Jordan/Aidan vs. Charley/James will be one to watch this fall, folks). Aidan Markiewicz followed a strong showing at IU with a strong 8k debut, picking people off and running 32:14.70. Yours truly, Tristan Taylor, started out the race hurting, but made sure to show off to the cameras and finish strong for a time of 32:51.30. Andrew Stevenson and Nick Kwentus ran strong races and fought each other down to the wire, finishing in 33:06.30 and 33:06.50 respectively. In yet another down to the wire finish, Griffin Rhode and Thomas Tran ran 33:36.80 and 33:37.80, showing that XC is always exciting (Shoutout Thomas for a great return to XC after a 2 year hiatus). Charley Hoppis justified his Flyers fandom, flying to a 33:43.10 finish after a good race. Nathaniel Lenning fought through a tough last 2 miles, making his way across the line in 34:10.20. Gabe Benson picked up where he left off at Nats, crushing his expectation of sub-36 by running 34:40.60! The Man Henry Hornbrook battled through some cramping to complete his first 8k in 35:14.30. Track star Denver Soekawan competed well, coming in right after Henry with a 35:20.80. Closing out the men’s race for us, James Meadows cashed in on his luck from the rabbit statue and came across in 39:36.00. (Another IXC Alumni cameo was made by Leonel Rodriguez, who cruised to a 31:36.20. We love seeing former runners still have love for the club!)
It was a great day of racing where we had a lot of goals met and some strong finishes that will carry us into the back half of our season. It’s always a good time showing off that D4 runners mean business and can make noise even when pitted against tough competition. As we still have yet to field a full strength women’s or men’s side, it’s looking like IXC is primed to make waves come the NIRCA postseason. I’m so excited for what this team can do competitively and I’m even more excited to continue taking in the great atmosphere the club creates on a daily basis. Congratulations to everyone who ran at Olivet, you guys are a special group of people that I’m lucky to be a part of.
P.S. Thank you to Nathaniel, Norb, and Gavin for the photography!
Onwards and upwards,
Tristan <3
Hello IXC, sorry about the delay,
But grad school is busy, what can I say?
Aspen Ridge Golf Course was the locale of the day,
With warm weather, green grass, and bright sunny rays.
It was great to see you all at Olivet,
Especially your quick races and a PR or two set.
Your great efforts may have left you kind of sore,
But you showed everyone to not mess with D4.
Both the men and women have teams to remember,
And I can’t wait to see y’all kill it in November.
Then I’ll be running for NU, but I cannot lie,
Deep down I’ll always be an Illini.