Hello Everyone! It’s finally time, cross country season is back!! To start the 2025 season, IXC headed to Shelbyville, Indiana, for the Grizzly Invite. We had a huge group of 53 runners signed up for this race. Unfortunately, with the races beginning so early, and us losing an hour due to the time difference, we needed to leave the armoury at 5 am. Sleepy-eyed and tired from our various amounts of sleep, we hopped into our cars and drove to the meet. Sorry to all the drivers who had to stay awake while their passengers napped (Except Alex Herrera, who proudly told me he stayed awake to keep Ethan Company). We finally reached the meet, set up the tent, and prepared for the races.
Our women’s team ran their warmups, put their bibs on, and we now race-ready. Our mighty team of 13 ladies were ready to show up and dominate this 5k. After a team huddle and a pep talk from Coach Ethan, they got in the box and waited for the gun. Finally, it went off, and the amazing performances started. The first to cross for the Illini was Joy Dudley, quickly followed by Carly Shipman. These two had amazing races and finished together with times of 20:12 and 20:13 in the 5k. Next up was Evelyn Rowan with a swift time of 20:32. Not only did she perfectly plan the team’s travel to the meet, but she also perfectly planned her race with an impressive time. After Evelyn, we had Samantha Anderson with a fantastic time of 21:05. After Sam, there was a race to the line between Lenny Sterritt and Anika Lovisa, with Lenny barely edging out Anika. Both finished with a time of 21:29; however, Lenny’s was 0.14 seconds faster. What a great race and finish from the both of them. Rounding out the top seven was Emma Bergmann, who made it to the finish line with a speedy time of 21:55. Next up was Jocelyn Cielo-Grande, who made her IXC debut with a time of 22:27. What a fantastic first race! We also had a pack of new runners after Jocelyn, with Dana Reed finishing with a time of 22:40 and Charlotte Kroll with a time of 22:42. These freshmen really showed everyone that the team’s future is bright. Following right behind the freshman pack was Lia Tondeva, who ran a time of 22:52. Lia was very excited for the season to start and showed it by running an amazing race. Annika Luthe crossed the line next, finishing in a stunning time of 23:18. The final runner for our astounding women’s team was Mira Bhimani, who had a wonderful finish in a prompt 24:17. The team took 4th overall at the meet, being a great introductory meet for some, and a fantastic rust-busting meet for others.
After cheering on the Women’s team, running warmups of varying distances, and putting their spikes on, the Men’s team was ready to race. With a huge group of runners, they made their way to the line and took up 3 whole boxes. Anticipation was high, the gun went off, and the racing began. First to finish for the men was Percy Moser, who took 3rd overall and set a new 5k club record at 15:54. Percy’s high-mileage summer training paid off for him. Next up was Coach Ethan Forsell, taking 7th place overall with a time of 16:14. Luckily, Ethan’s Achilles survived another week so he could have an amazing race. Rounding out the top 10 was freshman Jeremy Perez, racing a mighty time of 16:19. But Jeremy wasn’t the only freshman to break into our top 7 racers, as Blake Salbilla was right behind him with a time of 16:28. Freshmen really are getting faster every year! We had a big pack of racers up next, with Simon Hildy leading the pack with 16:37. I (Max Maloney) followed also with a 16:37. Alex Herrera and Albert Szeczyk also quickly finished with times of 16:39 and 16:41. This group saw each other a lot during the race and kept switching places back and forth. It was a close race for all 4 of them. Jensen Bidmead was up next with an amazing time of 16:58, staying under the 17-minute mark. Everett Sinson, another amazing freshman, finished next with a swift time of 17:11. I can’t wait to see all these Freshmen keep up the good work once we start running 8ks. The Dynamic 705 duo of Alex Demas and Walter Chang worked together for a quick finish of 17:25 and 17:27. Our next runner was the freshman Cole Payne, who ran a 17:37 for his first race as an Illini. Cole has been putting in the work during practice, which has helped him out for this race. Steven Roberts and Kyle McCoskey finished together with times of 18:04 and 18:06. The grad student and freshman combo both had a fantastic race. Not only do we have another duo of Zach Coren and freshman Liam Grady both running 18:18, but right behind them is the duo of Morgan Frederick and Max Boughner. They ran 18:25 and 18:26. The team did a wonderful job sticking together and using each other to race better. Following Max was Brenden Graven with a time of 18:39, who told me he had no comments at all about the race. Nick Kwentus finished next with 18:47. He got some extra sleep in the car, which helped him run a great time. Freshman Kaj Armendinger was next with a great first race, finishing in 18:55. Sophomore Ryland O’Hanlon and Junior Alan Gu had a quick finish with times of 19:19 and 19:22. Aidan Farrell and Aden Velijacic had a battle over which way is the proper way to spell their name. Aidan Farrell won the battle with a time of 20:47, beating Aden’s time of 20:53. I’m excited to see how this battle of the names continues over the season. Avery Bennett was the next finisher, racing a swift 21:23. The men’s final racer was Daniel Mend, finishing with a quick time of 26:50. Overall, the Men’s team raced very well today, taking 3rd place at the meet.
Overall, the morning was a great success. Both our Women’s and Men’s teams looked very strong, and we had an amazing showing. I’m so excited to see how this season progresses, and more importantly, to see how everyone improves during the season.
Thank you to everyone who sent me pictures during the meet!
Congratulations to everyone,
Maxwell Maloney
Photo Link – I have more photos, but I bought the wrong cord for my camera, so I can’t download them. Once I download them, I’ll put them on the album.