This Friday, IXC will arrive at Masterson Station Park in Lexington, Kentucky for the Nationals race on Saturday. We will have nearly 70 runners spread throughout the Open 5k, Fresh/Soph, Jr/Sr/Grad, and Championship races. We have historically done very well at Nationals and are excited to continue that pattern as we come in with very talented girls and guys squads. Let’s take a closer look at who each race will feature….
Open Race (5k) – 8:00am
This year will see Abby Ludwig, Maia Haworth, Riley Maloney, Leah Ziolkowski, Adam Bruyere, Gaby Aguilera-Ripley, and Evelyn Hughes racing in the Open 5k. Go kick those parents’, alumni, and hobby joggers’ butts!
Men Jr/Sr/Grad (8k) – 9:00am
There are certainly at least a few key guys to look for in this race. The first of which being Coach Skogsberg as he hopes to prove he still has a great 8k race in him. Another is Alex Hanskat who looks to have a race without stomach problems. Muneeb Ansari is determined to break 30 this season and Lexington is where we’re gonna see that happen. Make sure you cheer your President on! Daniel Engel is ready for a breakout performance after lower mileage as he looks to go under 29 again. Jarod Meyer has gotten oh so close to breaking 28 and is excited to do that in Kentucky. After having his calves tighten up during Regionals, Matt Beckerman looks forward to pushing his limits as he shoots for sub 27 this weekend. Lastly, but not leastly, keep your eyes on Matt Dickinson as he aims for breaking 30 alongside Muneeb. This is a deep squad that will do damage on Saturday.
Women Jr/Sr/Grad (6k) – 10:00am
This race will feature strong ladies packing up and taking down other clubs, no doubt. Tiffany Yathaputanon will be giving it her all after chest pain has hindered some of her performances this season. Brianna Legner looks to improve even more after running a nearly 90 second PR at Regionals. Lindsey Schmidt ran an impressive debut 6k at Regionals, so look out for what she can do on Saturday. Maggie Madden looks at running a strong Nationals race after a consistent Regionals performance. Emily Condic will be aiming to get under 26 to best her performance at Regionals. Lastly, Adriana Miltko, like all of us, is just very hyped to race Nats and race as well as she can. Go get it, ladies!
Men’s Championship (8k) – 11:00am
This race will include Ryan Somerfield, Justin Ostrem, Josh Mollway, Brian Butcher, Jean Rasmusen, Leonel Rodriguez, and Josh Feldman. These guys have been grinding out tough workouts all season and working hard together. They plan on showing NIRCA why they should be feared.
Women’s Championship (6k) – 12:00pm
This race will feature Anneliese Schulz, Julia Schultz, Emma Burkhardt, Grace Gudwien, Mia Bertaud, Vicky Dent, and Noel Brindise. These women have incredible talent and potential. They smashed Regionals and are ready to prove they’re an elite group of runners.
Men’s Fresh/Soph (8k) – 1:00pm
We loving seeing so many underclassmen racing Nationals. Connor Farrell is definitely someone to look out for as he heads into this race as a favorite to do very well. Nikita Smyrnov and John Kellum are also people to watch for in this race. Jordan Meyer and Liam Bots have had strong seasons and will be looking to go under 29 in Lexington. Bryan Himmel looks at having a stronger race than he had at Regionals. Robert Chun and Sean Norris are coming off their first races and will be looking to drop times at Masterson Station Park. We have a deep group of young men that can do damage when they work together.
Women’s Fresh/Soph (6k) – 2:00pm
The last race of the day will feature our talented young women. Clare Oehler will be aiming at getting close to 25. Grace McDonough hopes to run free of pain. Zoe Jacquat looks to best her 32:57 performance from Regionals, and Natalie Maguire will be looking to get back under 30. Three of these four women will be running their first Nationals race! Yay for youth!
IXC will arrive in Kentucky ready to show off its experience as well as its depth. Our athletes are poised to run strong races at every level and prove why the Illinois Cross Country Club is a force to be reckoned with.
Seniors, enjoy the final hurrah of your time in the club. Enjoy the car rides, enjoy every moment with the team, enjoy the pain. You’ll be surprised how quickly you miss all of it.
Newcomers, take some time to look around and recognize how wonderful it is that such an event can be held for club teams from all over the country to come together and enjoy racing.
Come prepared Friday morning for an eventful weekend. Oh, and get plenty of sleep this week.
Until next time.