And with that, our season has come to an end. And what a season it was! This has been one of the most exciting seasons in all my time here at Illinois and it ended with a bang that I surely won’t forget. We had a huge crowd make a big sacrifice in their semester to make the trip all the way out to Virginia. 4 days of driving, sleeping in motels, and running out of gas all culminating in one last hurrah to close out the fall XC season. Take some time out of your own day and come with me as I recap the most exciting weekend of the semester. Let’s talk about some races!!
Race 1: Women’s Junior/Senior/Grad Race
The first race of the day was the Women’s Junior/Senior/Grad race, starting us on a spectacular note. This was the last club cross country race for those who ran it, and I’m glad to say that they left it all out on the course. It was a hot and humid morning as the women stepped to the line, but they competed well nonetheless. Lauren Brunk crossed the finish line first for IXC, running 29:17. This must’ve felt great for Brunk as she wasn’t able to compete last year, but managed to make it out this season and finish her career with a great race at nationals! Lauren Bartels took a break from being the best GMC either side of the Mississippi to run a time of 31:54. Although she wasn’t feeling great during the race, she battled all the way to the end, showing real toughness to push herself on a day that was hard on many. Congratulations on the career, Lauren! Anna Winnicki not only fought through the morning humidity, but she thrived in it! Anna closed out the IXC contingent in this race, running a 33:32 for her best race of the season! Way to finish Anna!
Race 2: Men’s Junior/Senior/Grad Race
Following up our upperclassmen women were our Junior/Senior/Grad men. This is another one of those special races, where many of those competing are making their final appearance for the club. It was a pleasure to see all of these athletes run, both today and throughout the time they have spent with the club. First to cross the finish line for IXC in this race was the one and only Arthur Mazzeo. Coming off a night where he finally broke his silence and let his thoughts be known, Arthur also broke his 8K PR, running a speedy 28:57 on a day where PRs were hard to come by. What a way to close out your time with IXC Arthur, congratulations. Our next finisher was Leyang Zhang, who was flying across the flat Virginia ground for a great time of 29:49 (They don’t call him Hawk for nothing!). This was another PR for Leyang, who has steadily improved this fall. Great job Leyang! Daniel Engel was next up for the gentlemen (what year is it again?!?!), completing his race in 30:02 for a season PR. Daniel has been a steady presence with the club since the first time I remember him running the old man’s race back in 2019 and it was great to see him compete one more time with the club. Next across the line was Philip Hu, running a 30:07 for the day. The result wasn’t what he wanted, but he has made great strides this season and is sure to make a splash next season as he continues to improve. Isaac Schifferer was the literal embodiment of leaving it all on the course, finishing in 31:43 and bringing things full circle by leaving his breakfast at the finish line. I hope Isaac enjoys his status as fastest runner in his house, he’s earned it after this season and a great career overall. In addition to being the most photogenic athlete in all of D4 club running, Henry Hornbrook ran a great race as well. Although the heat forced the shooting sleeves to come off, Henry was aerodynamic enough to finish his race in 32:30 with one of the best finishing sprints I’ve ever seen. Finishing just after Henry was your dear Webmaster, Tristan Taylor. I fell victim to Henry’s final burst despite knowing it was coming and thinking I had enough separation to avoid it. Even though I couldn’t hold him off, I managed a 32:35. Not how I wanted to go out, but I had a great time being able to run with these guys one last time and I’m proud to be their teammate. Yuki Mizuno was next up for the Illini, crossing the finish line in 33:22. He’s had a great season with the club and I can’t wait to see how he does next year! After Yuki came Andrew Stevenson, who has also had a great first year with IXC. Andrew was battling the heat the entire race and came through the finish in a time of 34:32. Andrew will be back next year and I have no doubt that just like this fall, he will continue to shave time off his PR and make his way under 30. The best Travel Coordinator in the game, Thomas Tran, followed closely behind Andrew with a time of 34:34. Not only did Thomas run a great race, he also managed to direct 53(!!!) people to and from lovely Mechanicsville, Virginia basically without a hitch. Please shower him with love the next time that you see him. Gabe Benson finished off a season of great improvement with one last good result, running a 34:46. He has made great strides this year, dropping 2 minutes off his PR from last season and will continue to be a great runner and teammate next year! Finishing off the race for the club was Ryan McClowry who ran a 39:53. Good way to close out the season Ryan!
Race 3: Women’s Championship
After opening the day with some great races from our elder athletes, it was time for championship racing to really begin. The excitement of the Junior/Senior/Grad races turned into anticipation as hundreds of NIRCA athletes spread themselves out around Pole Green Park to watch the top women duke it out. As she has done all season, Diane Makovic paced the IXC women with a time of 23:17. Diane is a known lover of variety packs and has certainly built her own variety pack of trophies, medals, and awards this season, capping it with a top-5 All-American finish! What a way to close out her first season with the club. Also capturing All-American paper was Laine Hackmann, who ran a great time of 23:47! Congratulations! Coming a long way from last year’s solo Fresh/Soph race was Claire Casiello, who ran a 25:29 to finish an amazing season for her. She worked well with her teammates and made her way through packs of runners for a gutsy race that she ran with pain in her quad. She’ll be back next year, looking to make a move for that coveted NIRCA paper. Freshman phenom Evelyn Rowan put a bow on an excellent start to her D4 career, coming through in 26:10. Evelyn has steadily improved over the last few months and should be a staple in the women’s top 7 over the next few years. Alyson Ficca finished soon after, running a time of 26:27 and she had a great time doing it. Alyson is a consistent feature of this team and I can’t wait to see her also become a consistent feature in these championship races as she continues to improve. Our dear leader, Maddy Feehan, was next for the women. Maddy has been waiting for her chance at the championship race since her freshman year and she finally got it, running a 27:19. She fought through a tough and hot race, closing her IXC career with one last strong performance. And finally, one of the only returners from last year’s women’s championship squad was Bridget Brokaw. Bridget ran a strong 27:52 and closed out a great day for our women’s squad. All together, these efforts amounted to 242 points and an 8th place finish, a huge improvement from 2021! These women managed to shave 365 points and 17 places from last year’s finish. It’s been an amazing year for our women and the future is looking bright as these runners grow and improve as a team!
Race 4: Men’s Championships
As has been the case this entire season, the women left the men with a tough act to follow. As has also been the case this season, the men were up to the challenge. Once again, our men were led by mustachioed Eldon Warner who truly battled his way to a 26:03 and a second top-5 finish in as many years at the championships. In the last XC race of a decorated career, Eldon left it all on the course and showed why he is one of the finest runners in IXC history. Ethan Forsell was next up, cruising to a 26:29 and the first of what should be many All-American finishes. Despite his freshman status, Ethan established himself as a certified Big Dog™ early this season and has shown why that’s the case every time he toes the line. Pop Tarts enthusiast Adam Gorcyca finished next, running 27:04. Another name to look out for as he has many years of great running ahead of him and will continue to make strides as he goes. Thomas Harmon came next for the men, running a 27:53. Another one of our quick batch of freshmen, Thomas will continue to make his way towards an All-American finish in the future as he figures out the 8k. John Wiser was the next of the returners from last year’s podium finish, running a 28:01. John ran a good race to finish out a strong season that included PRs and some tough battles. He’ll be back next year looking to go 3 for 3 in the championship race. Next up was Cade Baker, finally earning that promotion from junior varsity! It has been a long journey for Cade but he ended it on a high note, running 28:13. Varsity is a goal that most only dream of, but Cade made sure his spot was never in doubt this fall. Finally, Spencer Nelson, best coach in all of NIRCA, came across the line in 28:51. Spencer has been putting in the work all season, not just running great times, but making sure that everyone was able to run their best as well. Make sure to thank him for all the effort he puts into coaching this squad. The men’s team overall managed 207 points and a 4th place finish, just barely missing the podium by 8 points. Although they won’t walk away with a trophy this time, these guys left it all out there and should be proud of the seasons that they all had.
Race 5: Women’s Freshman/Sophomore Race
These Frosh/Soph races are maybe my favorite races to watch at Nationals. Most people have raced by this point and although they’re tired, the energy remains high to see the newest crop of future NIRCA studs. Though this race was delayed due to an ambulance hiccup, it was exciting nonetheless. Additionally, IXC put twice as many athletes on the line in this race as we did last year. Talk about growth! Shrugging off an unexpected extra hour of waiting time, Christina Li was our first finisher as she ran a 31:45. Christina has been putting in the work all season and it was awesome to see it end with a PR! Next up was Allison Kokal, who ran a 33:09. She fought hard despite the heat and delays for a strong time and will be looking to keep improving come track season!
Race 6: Men’s Freshman/Sophomore Race
Last, but certainly not least, was the men’s Frosh/Soph race. This race had our biggest showing of runners at nationals, with 13 men crossing the line for us. This is a great and exciting group who all have bright club careers ahead of them. Starting our finishers off with a bang was Mikey Smart, who ran a 28:33 to capture his first piece of NIRCA paper and a shiny new PR! Even though he was separated from his emotional support Ethan for this race, Mikey ran great and the best is yet to come for him. Simon Hildy came soon after Mikey, running a great race for a 29:10 and a huge 33 second PR. Simon has made huge improvements since August, shaving over 2 and a half minutes off his first 8k. Keep an eye on this kid for the future! Quinn Born and Kyle Kenmotsu finished neck and neck with each other in one of the most fun final sprints I’ve seen over the years, both finishing in 29:22. Although the official time was the same for both, NIRCA determined that Quinn managed to get the best of Kyle. Look out Quinn, Kyle will almost certainly be looking for revenge come track season. Nolan Enright kept it consistent, running a 30:04 to finish off a strong season as we move towards indoor season for track. Jordan Wilkerson ran a nice 30:37 and more importantly, clinched the victory in the season series between himself and Aidan Farrell with the final tally being 3-1. In all seriousness however, Jordan has had a great season and is consistently at practice and events and it has been great to see him so involved. Cadyn Grafton battled out there and came soon after Jordan, running a 30:43. Cadyn is another instrumental member of the club, coordinating social events and making sure we do fun things other than running. Give him some love next time you see him! After Cadyn came Nick Kwentus, who ran a 30:52 for a nice PR! Nick has dropped over 2 minutes from his 8k over the course of the season, making great improvements in his first season! A pair of Aidans finished next for the club, with Aidan Markiewicz and Aidan Farrell running 31:02 and 31:05 respectively. Aidan M secured himself a PR to end a great freshman season, big props to him! Aidan F also had a great season and will be studying the 2016 Cubs over the next year as he looks to close in on Jordan next fall. Jose Ocegueda Zuniga was yet another one of our runners to pick up a PR in this race, running 32:05 and dropping 45 seconds off of his previous best time. Gabriel Inojosa was next up, making his Nationals debut after injury held him out last year. It was an interesting race to say the least, running 32:38 despite losing a shoe in the middle of the race! Props to Gabriel for finishing the race with only one spike, make sure to double-knot them next year! Closing out a long day of running for the team was John Bledsoe, who finished his season with a time of 33:03. That time was a big improvement from his PR, shaving off almost 30 seconds. Way to close the season out John!
In addition to all the wonderful current IXC runners who put up great times at Nationals, alumni Grace Gudwien ran a 25:37 and Leonel Rodriguez ran a 32:16. Not only did they run great times, but made sure that this trip could happen for IXC, driving one of the vans all the way from Chicago to Virginia!
Alumni weren’t the only people who get a shoutout for driving however. This trip wouldn’t be possible without the parents who took time out of their lives to drive a bunch of rowdy college students halfway across the country. Big thanks to the Bartels family, the Nelsons, and my old man James “Big Jim” Taylor for being so great!
The shoutouts don’t stop there either as we had some spectators join us on the trip as well. Cassandra Warner showed us who the coolest Warner sibling is and Gavin Schroeder lent us his camera skills documenting the weekend! Be on the lookout for his work to drop soon!
It’s been a long write-up so I’ll leave you guys with just a few quick thoughts. It has been the greatest pleasure of my time in college to be a part of this team. I have made so many friendships and memories that I will cherish long into the future. I want to wish the best of luck to those of us who have run their final race with IXC and will be heading into the real world next year. I also want to encourage those who will be back next year to continue making the club such a wonderful group of people. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for you all.
With love,
Tristan <3