On Dec 4th, ITFC made their explosive return back to a track meet at Illinois Wesleyan University and the results definitely set the precedent for the rest of the season.
Field Events:
Starting things off jumping the spectacular freshman Tyler Klein dropped a 6.16m Long Jump for his very first time attempting the event. The Jumps Coach Jad Karajeh noted this was a very outstanding start of the season for him. Good job!
Being the sole representative for the Throws Squad Carley Polan threw a very impressive 9.65m only less than 1 meter away from breaking a club record!
In Men’s Triple Jump another ITFC Freshman Phillip Yu dropped an 11.30m, again noted by our jumps coach Jad Karajeh that this was a pretty good start to the season. We look forward to what Phillip does next!
Moving on, in the High Jump, returning for his second year Derrick Stokes jumped up with a 1.55m, pretty impressive and we are sure he’ll reach even newer heights this year. No pun intended.
Track Events:
Starting us off for the day in the dynamic 60m Hurdles, long time member PJ Coleman ran a 12.60 in the first heat, and following him in the second heat came the burning freshman talent Matas Carmichael who dropped a 10.42. The athlete stated he’s still recovering so he was actually holding back!
In the Women’s 60m Dash our two competitors’ Assistant Sprints Coach Rachel Sakwa and freshman Chaitra Niddodi showed us what they were working with, running 8.61 and 10.18 respectively. Nice performances from these two valued members of ITFC. Following that up in the Men’s 60m Dash we had a plethora of runners entering the fray to compete at IWU. Adam Adil ran a solid 7.24 and amazing freshman talent Jean-Christophe Raymond Betrand (who will be referred to as Chris Betrand for the remainder of this post), ran a pretty great 7.3. Right behind them Tyler Klein ran a smooth 7.34 and the endurance based freshman start up Kevin Saju ran a 7.37. Following up, these two bombastic freshmen Nic Soto and Jordan Dawkins ran a 7.58. Wrapping up Andre Ells ran a 7.79 and Matas Carmichael came back from his hurdles race to run a 8.18. Finally another freshman start up Yifan Cao finished up this section for ITFC by running a 8.85. The freshmen really showed up and showed out here, we are definitely proud of them all for sticking with the club and improving steadily.
Representing us in the 1 mile run our very own Wilma Rishko ran a 5.51.02, and placed second in this event throughout the entire meet. No small feat and very commendable.
Next up we had a race that’s unique to IWU, the 300m dash. This race only comes around once a year really so it’s always interesting to see the results of that one. This year we had the returning Junior Zoe Tsokolas wanting to dip her toe into the race and she came out with a nice 48.18. Matas Carmichael didn’t want to let this opportunity go to waste and he ran a 41.68. Adam Adil also wanted to try his hand at the race and managed to run a 37.12 placing an overall 3rd of the mens. This trio surely did not disappoint when it came to tackling this yearly race.
Straight doubling the distance ran we moved into the 600m run, where our Mid-Distance Coach Katherine Vande Pol breaks the current record of 1.41.81 with her new record of 1.41.18! What an achievement! Ella Chambers also does not disappoint with a 1.51.36. On the Men’s side of things Trevor Glancy ran a nice 1.29.56, Henry Hornbrook was right behind him running a 1.30.43. Following up Ben Baltz came in hot with a 1.34.13 and lastly, Denver Soekawan finished up this section with a strong 1.47.23.
Now dividing that 600m by three we head into my favorite, the 200m dash.The female cornerstone of the sprinters Rachel Sakwa heads us off by gliding in with a smooth 29.18. For the males Chris Betrand ran an outstanding time of 23 seconds and placed 3rd overall in the 200m dash, a very promising future indeed. Following up in comes Tyler Klein and Kevin Saju running very similar times of 23.78 and 23.79 respectively. Adam Adil ran a nice 23.84 and Nic Soto came in with a 24.33. These next three runners consisting of Andre Ells, Derrick Stokes, and Jordan Dawkins dropped a 26.09, then two 26.16s. Lastly, PJ Coleman and Yifan Cao ran a 28.70 and 29.47 respectively.
Next in the 3000m run we only had one runner, but that was none other than our Annie Brunton who not only ran a nice 11.42.05 but also deserves recognition for having another obligation, yet still being dedicated enough to the club to showing up and competing still.
Wrapping up our first meet of the season we had the coveted 4x400m relay. There was only one team of girls composed of Zoe Tsokolas, Wilma Rishko, Annie Brunton, and Katherine Vande Pol. They ran a very clean 4:40:28. On the men’s side of things, IWU actually put both our “A” and “B” teams in the same heat, by themselves. So we had the entire track to ourselves to duke it out and we performed better/competitively against some of the teams seeded higher than us. So that’s definitely a win for ITFC. In this corner we have our “A” team consisting of Trevor Glancy, Nic Soto, Kevin Saju, Tyler Klein vs the “B” team which included Henry Hornbrook, Denver Soekawan, Matas Carmichael, and Ben Baltz. These teams ran a 3:43.96 and a 4:06.87 respectively.
This meet showed us great promise for the future of the season, and to think we were able to see such performances for the very first meet is an extremely good omen in my book. The entirety of ITFC looks forward to seeing what each of our talented athletes can pull off next.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the season has officially come to a close. It’s been a wild ride, with lots of highs, a few lows, but overall it’s been a pivotal season for this club. For nationals this year, we travelled with 62 total club members, eight of whom were spectators. If I can do basic math, that means 54 men and women went out there and left it all on the course in a capstone race to close out their seasons. Take a seat, grab some popcorn, and prepare for a recap of the best weekend of the fall season, it’s a long one. I hope this reflection brings you joy, laughs, or maybe even a few tears (the good kind) and that you all enjoy my final writeup as your webmaster. Let’s get into it!
Race 1: Teamwork and Friendship Headline the First Race of the Day
The day was kicked off in the best way possible, with a super group of six ladies taking to the course in the women’s junior-senior-grad race. This group of six ladies have been consistently practicing and racing all season, and have really made their mark on this club and everyone around them. For many of them, this was their last cross country race for the club, and it won’t be the same without their wisdom and leadership. It’s a huge pleasure to have each and every one of you as teammates and friends. Before the race, Maddy Feehan asked me how fast I thought she could run. I told her 26:40. She was skeptical, and thought I was overestimating her. Turns out it was quite the contrary as her 26:35 earned her 16th place, just outside of All-American status in her field. Let’s get you healthy so you can crush some fast times on the track. Gabriela Aguilar-Ripley closed the last straightaway with some wheels to run 27:43, just outside of her official PR on a long course. What a way to finish the race and season! Coming through next was Zoe Jacquat who raced hard and worked with teammates around her to dip under 28 in 27:54. Zoe played a huge role in this awesome group of women who all worked together throughout the race. She was followed closely by Natalie Maguire who closed off her dream season with a really strong time of 27:56. Although it’s not a PR, which she’s set in every other race this season, the long course is partially to blame and she should absolutely be proud of all her progress this year. MaryBeth Feeley came through next in 28:03. During the nationals raps, MaryBeth was unroastable and only received compliments, which is exactly what she deserves. Congrats on a great season. Rounding out the first race of the day was Lauren Bartels, who ran 28:43 for her fastest time of the season, an awesome result on the long course. Thank you for all your leadership this year on the club and for all the times you’ve helped me do these writeups. We couldn’t have made this season happen without you. This race was super fun to watch, as all these women were super close together during the race and showed some awesome teamwork. It was a great way to set the tone for the day.
Race 2: Old Big Dogs Learned Some New Tricks
The second race of the day was the men’s junior-senior-grad race, where the biggest of the big dogs took to the course. These upperclassmen races are always special, since it is often the last cross country race for the club for many of the people racing. This leads to big cheering just off the course and a whole lot of fun and making the most of the experience on it. As with the ladies, it’s been a pleasure to partake in this season with all of you, and you’ve all been great teammates. Leading the way for this race was team JV athlete Cade Baker who had one of the grittiest and fastest finishing kicks I’ve ever seen in an attempt to snag the last NIRCA paper in 15th place. He barely got outkicked by a real speedster and finished in 16th place with a time of 27:23.4, just off his PR on a very long course. How the tables have turned. He was followed by Spencer Nelson who had a solid race despite a busy day of coaching and handing out bibs. Spencer ran 27:41 to finish just inside the top 25. His coaching and leadership really made this season what it was, and led to tons of development and PRs on the team. You deserve a pat on the back, my friend. The next finisher was Alex Kogen who took the weekend off of being a full time Gies College of Business Student to blow off some steam by racing. Kogen ran 28:30, a great time for this long course. Rumor has it, he may be returning for grad school, so this may not be the last you see of this old brick collector. Finishing just a bit back was Jordan Meyer who ran 28:36 for his fastest race of the season. What is this club going to be without a Meyer brother. Not the same, that’s for sure. Jacob Fleck ran an official PR of 28:37 on this long course, finishing right with Jordan. You’ve earned a nice couple rounds of DnD to reward yourself for that awesome effort. Arthur Mazzeo ran 29:10 and deserves a nice break from running after running a marathon and a full cross country season. I’m glad you stuck around post marathon to train with us. Max Hartmann was right behind in 29:28 for a big improvement from regionals. It’s been great to see you return to running after a couple years off, stick with it! Club legend Liam Bots took a break from his usual tom-foolery to run 30:16 for his best time this season. Go help the environment with that CEE degree. Justin Baysore had a huge performance, running a PR of 30:47. I know it’s getting to be a bit of a broken record, but running a PR on this long course is a fantastic result. Vignesh Ravibaskar was feeling the hurt during his race, but held it together to run 31:19. Vig was only in this race due to a bit of sneaky number fudging, as he is actually in his second semester here and has a lot more running ahead of him. Tristan Taylor earned his promotion out of the open race and ran a season’s best time of 32:12. Congrats on filling out your paperwork this time, keep having fun with it next year. Beau Barber learned a thing or two about the cross country experience on this trip, and other than the painful race, he gave it a pretty stellar review. Always good to hear from the old track man. He ran a PR of 32:55, just sneaking under 33. Issac Shifferer took a break from beating up on the track team in sand volleyball to run an awesome time of 33:50, a season’s best time. Another man who is mostly track specific is Jacob Rubin who took a break from running mid distance to race an 8k. He ran 34:07.5 (decimal is important later) and looks to build on his fitness in track. The final finisher in this race for the Illini was John Feeley who ran a super fast time of 35:24 since he was running away from Stephanie Bartley who was attempting to arrest him for his NIRCA crimes. All jokes aside, congrats on an awesome career for the club Feeley! To those sticking around next year, continue leading this team in the ways you have been, and I hope you all enjoy whatever running you have left to do for the club. To those who raced their last cross country race for the club, you will be missed, and all your contributions are greatly appreciated. Thank you for everything you’ve done, you’ve all made this club better.
Race 3: The Women of IXC Teach us all how to Overcome Adversity
As the clock struck twelve, the atmosphere of the meet started to shift. It was time for the championship racing to begin. NIRCA is incredibly unique in that it has an extremely high level of competition while still maintaining the light-hearted fun atmosphere that should come along with being a part of a club. The dancing, cheering, and all around good time on the sidelines of the course accompanied by racing at a level as good and sometimes beyond high level collegiate programs really highlights this balance. As the women did their final runouts, the atmosphere took a slight shift towards a bit more of a serious mood. It was time to throw down.
Brisa McGrath put a big, fat exclamation point on her fantastic season with a statement performance to secure an all-American 22nd place in a time of 23:29, a solid PR, and on a long course too. This is a significant improvement from her performance freshman year, as she proved that she belongs with the best of them when it comes to high level racing. What a great way to represent the team and lead the rest of our ladies. Up next was Mikeelie Jensen, who had yet another really strong performance for a time of 25:53. It may not have been everything she hoped for, but you can always count on Mikeelie to leave it all out there, and that’s exactly what she did. This team couldn’t ask for anything more. Keep up with the grind, and the improvements will come soon! After a disappointing race at nationals in 2019, Brianna Legner felt as though she was graduating and leaving the club on a low note. Little did she know, she would later choose to return to grad school here and get another shot. This season has been pretty incredible for her, as she’s set numerous PRs and broke into the top 7. She closed out this season with a race to remember, running a big PR of 26:11. You have a lot to be proud of this year, what a big personal victory. Maggie Abbs was the next athlete to finish, running a time of 26:42, which is a PR over her race from Augustana by one second, which means a lot more considering the long course. Maggie has really established herself as a leadership figure on the club this year, and really showed her commitment to the club. I’m sure that will continue in the future. Up next was Wilma Rishko who ran a time of 27:15 to close out the scoring five for the ladies. She’s really made an impact on the team in her two years here, especially as a consistent presence during the challenging times due to COVID last year. Bridget Brokaw ran a time of 27:35 as she continues to increase her involvement with the team. It’s been great to see her racing these last few meets of the season and really fitting in well with those around her, and just being a positive presence all around. Closing out the top seven was Katherine Vande Pol who lived up to her reputation as a superwoman by racing in the championship race despite being fresh off of a pretty serious injury. Not only that, but Kat is also a specialist in the 400/800 on the track, and the 6k distance is longer than her preferred racing distance. She still went out and left it all out there, and looks forward to getting back to her preferred racing distances in track. As said in the title, these women have overcome some extreme challenges, including losing one of the best runners right before the meet. They were thrown many curveballs throughout the season, and were able to overcome each one as they came. Congrats on a great season!
Race 4: The Boys are Back on the Podium
As the seven men chosen to represent IXC in the championship race warmed up, expectations were high. Led by arguably the fastest distance runner in club history, and followed by a strong supporting cast, several with all American potential, everyone on the club knew we had a shot. However, from the view of NIRCA, this team was a bit of an unknown quantity. Based solely on regional results, our times and team average time simply didn’t stack up to the likes of Michigan, Pitt, or Northeastern. The men of IXC set out to change the script and show everyone what we are capable of. Here’s how it went down.
As expected, Eldon Warner stuck his mustache right in it and ran right on the shoulder of the leader for the entire race with the goal of bringing home the individual title. He ran the best cross country race of his career, matching his PR of 24:45 on a long course and securing a hard fought second place to an extremely talented Pitt athlete. That’s the best individual finish of any IXC man in history at the national meet, and set the tone for a great day. Bram Osterhout was our next finisher, running a huge PR of 25:37 and securing first-team all-American honors with a 12th place finish, by far his best finish at the national meet. An incredible performance from an extremely tough runner. Coming in closely behind Bram was Stephen Barretto, who had one of his best ever performances on the grass, running 25:49 on the long course for 18th place. How about that for a stellar freshman year! Stephen walks away from this season with all-American status and one of the best ever nationals performances from a freshman on the club. The next athlete to cross the finish line was clutch performer of the day Justin Ostrem. Justin was the only returner from the top seven at 2019 nationals, and his experience showed in a masterful race, working up through the field the entire time into 36th place with a finishing time of 26:10. Will Gravelle rallied late in the race to close out the scoring five in a time of 26:48 for 73rd place. Will has toughed out a hard few weeks post-marathon and came through with the performance the team needed to secure third place as a team with 140 points, behind champions Northeastern and second place Michigan. Following up to close out the top seven was yours truly, Jeffrey Hesselbein, and John Wiser, running 27:19 and 27:21. Sometimes in running, it just isn’t your day, and that was the case for both of us. It’s an unfortunate time for that to happen, but there’s a reason there’s seven runners and not just five. Part of being on a team is stepping up and doing the hard work when a teammate is struggling, in workouts and races. This top seven has exchanged good and bad days all year, with different guys stepping up in each race and workout. The championship race was no different. Going in, we knew in order to get a trophy Justin, John or I would have to step up and score low points as one of the top 5. Justin came through when John and I couldn’t, and played a critical role in the day’s performance. This was the men’s team’s first trophy since 2014, and on a personal note, I couldn’t be more proud to be a part of this group, both from a running standpoint and just because you all are awesome people. I’m really going to miss this next year.
Race 5: C-L-A—I-R-E
The penultimate race of the day was the women’s fresh-soph race, where the young guns duke it out over 6k. An unfortunate series of injuries and time conflicts led to the one and only Claire Casiello being the only athlete to compete in this race for the Illini. It’s ok, you get a whole paragraph to yourself and all the attention, so that’s a plus. Claire had her best race of the season, breaking through a bit of a racing barrier she had hit during the rest of the season. She ran a time of 27:12, 48 seconds faster than her previous PR on a long course. She showed some real toughness, moving up throughout the race and closing hard. Congrats on a great close to a great season, and thanks for representing the club well in this race.
Race 6: The Fresh-Soph Guys Knows how to Have Fun
Last, but surely not least, was the men’s fresh-soph race. This group consists of 18 of the most committed and enthusiastic members of the club, and they sure went out there and showed it, with some of the most enjoyable races to watch of the day. These guys are off to a great start with their club careers, and I’m looking forward to watching your progress from afar over the next few years. Kicking it off with a bang was Quinn Born, who hit his racing stride at just the right time, running by far his best race of the season in 26:59 on the long course for 7th overall, securing NIRCA paper. All while rushing a frat! Way to go! Behind him was future clubhaus boy Cadyn Grafton who paid the price for his fast start in a painful race, finishing in 28:06, a strong time for this course. He’s got a solid base going into the track season, where he is much more at home and looks to make a huge impact. My favorite race of the day to watch was Kyle Kenmotsu, whoclosed off his season with his strongest race yet in 28:26, slightly off his PR but comparatively better on the long course. Kyle had fun out there, playing to the crowd, and taking “reeling in the competition” to a whole new level. Keep up the good work! John Burns ran a PR of 28:41, and is another member of this group that is more suited to track. His base is strong and his dedication will carry him to be very impactful this spring. Up next was Aaron Lyubanski who closed out his season by achieving his goal of sub-29 in a time of 28:59! Talk about cutting it close, great work! Another future clubhaus member in Jack Mason finished next, running a time of 29:06 after fighting achilles problems and a busy schedule all season. With good health and a consistent practice schedule, he’ll be making his mark soon enough. Phillip Hu’s hard work this summer paid off as he ran two consecutive PRs in his last two races, closing this last one with a time of 29:14. Let’s see how much time he can drop this spring! Jason Palafox closed out his season with a PR of 29:28, a great time on this course. Mid-D will soon be blessed by Jason’s presence as he rejoins them for the spring season. Nolan Enright flashed the O for O-Block during the race, hyping up the crowd as he ran by. He ran a time of 29:39 to close off a great season as he established himself as a staple member of the club. Alex Wang was next, smiling throughout the race and moving up, running 30:13, almost a full minute PR. It was awesome to see him race with us these last two races, and hopefully we will be seeing more in the future. The next finisher was Vijay Shah who showed some extreme toughness to hold on to a hot pace for a fast time of 31:36. It was a tough season fighting off injuries, yet Vijay still pulled through for an awesome closing race. Griffin Rhode appeared to have his most fun experience in a race so far, running a huge PR of 31:58. That’s 35 seconds faster than regionals, what a great performance! Two more huge PRs back to back were Charley Hoppis and Nathaniel Lenning, running 33:49 and 33:54 respectively. Both of these guys have been super consistent and it’s paying off, as they have seen huge improvements on the course. Let’s see that carry through to track. Tom Bleasdale had one goal: run faster than Jake Rubin. His time of 34:07.4 was one tenth of a second faster than Jake’s time. And I thought Aaron cut it close with his goal. Good job Tom. Gabe Benson had his game face on and ate up the field the entire race, running a huge PR of 34:13 in one of the best performances of the day. All that hard work paid off for sure, congratulations! Up next was everyone’s favorite troop Brennan Taylor, who battled for a time of 34:23. You’ve made the brigade proud. Closing out the day was James Meadows, who sure knows how to close down a show. He ran yet another PR of 37:14 to close out an awesome season where he ran a PR in every(!!!) race. What a fun way to close out the best day to be an Illini. The future is bright!
The Final Farewell
Before giving my final thoughts, we had several people give up their weekends just to support their teammates. Special thanks to Bryan Himmel, Thomas Tran, Clare Oehler-O’Sullivan, Grace Gudwien, Lauren Brunk, Norb Nieves, Laine Hackmann, and Gabriel Inojosa for showing what it means to be good teammates, even when you can’t race. And an even more special thanks to Thomas and Bryan for handling all the logistics of this trip, it isn’t easy to coordinate a weekend getaway for a group of over 60 college students. Make sure to thank them if you haven’t. Thanks for sticking with this writeup until the end here. I know it’s long, but I wanted to make sure I covered a piece of everyone’s story. For those of you who, like me, are heading off to the real world next year, best of luck and thank you for your contributions to the team! For those of you who will be sticking around next year, I’m proud to pass the torch on to a group that I am extremely thankful to call teammates. I think back to something Muneeb said after racing with us at the first meet, that I also mentioned in the writeup. He said, “Love how IXC is always the same song, just different band members. Beautiful group.” Keep doing what you do, and I hope I’ve served the team well and done my part to play that song. See you on the track.
This Saturday is the big day. NIRCA Nationals. Everyone who has signed up and done their paperwork will get the opportunity to get out there and race against the best group of hobby joggers that exists. Pack your bags, get your sleep, do your homework, and prepare for one of the best weekends of your college experience. Here’s some important storylines to look out for this weekend.
1. NIRCA-Stache
Everyone knows, when it comes to men’s cross country, the championship mustache is a tradition unlike any other. In years past, there have been many NIRCA athletes who have excelled on the course and with their facial hair. The first case of the NIRCA-stache that I can remember was club legend Muneeb Ansari, whose legacy will be carried out by a few brave souls. JV athlete Cade Baker currently has the full entourage of facial hair, but will be trimming down to only the stache for his race, before going full baby-face. Coach Spencer Nelson has been working on his mustache despite Maddy’s protests and will wear it with pride as he and Cade try to be the best facial hair duo in the Jr. Sr. Grad. race on Saturday. Their girlfriends may not be thrilled with the mustaches, but boys just wanna have fun. Finally, Craig Engels lookalike Eldon Warner, sporting the mustache and mullet, will attempt to be the fastest mustached competitor out there (and just fastest overall) and look good doing it. That stache has been getting compliments all year, and I expect that to continue on Saturday as all the nerdy xc fanboys that make up NIRCA get the chance to watch him race.
2. Cheering Competition
It’s been sad to see this season not play out in favor of Grace Gudwien, Lauren Brunk, and Clare Oehler-O’Sullivan and unfortunately they will be sidelined on Saturday spectating. But for three of the most spirited teammates I’ve ever seen, this opens up a new opportunity for them. It may not be a competition to them, but I already know that they will be covering as much ground as possible (a bit tough on crutches but Grace will still make the most of it) and showing some of the best team spirit of any NIRCA ladies out there. Laine Hackman could also prove to be a fierce cheerer as well and provide some fantastic support to this emphatic group. Get out there and put the supporters of the other clubs to shame (especially Ohio State).
3. Nationals Raps
The old IXC tradition is to use the car ride to nationals to prepare a rap to perform in front of the team in the hotel the night before the race. This car ride is unusually short, so for the sake of time, this year you will be allowed to begin preparation for these raps ahead of time. Think of some teammates that could use a good roasting, make it rhyme, and boom! When we do superlatives at the end of the year, you will have the opportunity to crown the best rap performance of the year. Here’s some of the top contenders. Grace Gudwien has been doing it all year, commenting cute little poems on all the meet writeups. The real question is, does the cute, nice little poem writing translate well to rapping? We will find out Friday! Alex Kogen had one of the most shocking performances two years ago, it really was unforgettable. Rumor has it, he utilized a ghost writer, which cannot be proven. Will he return to perform another shocking rap? Will Nolan Enright channel his inner Pop Smoke and drop some fire bars that would make his musical hero proud? Could a freshman come out of nowhere and demolish the competition? All these questions will be answered on Friday.
4. The clash of intellectual titans
Bram Osterhout and Will Gravelle have been intellectually sparring on basically every easy run (and the occasional threshold). They cover a broad range of subjects, from economics, to the relevancy of certain holidays and beyond. This trend is expected to continue during the race on Saturday. If you are spectating and overhear a heated argument between the two of them at mile three, know it’s all in good spirits and part of their racing strategy. They will look to pull others into their argument and tire them out. At the same time, they will both still be attempting to win the argument. Who will win? Who will run faster? Only time will tell.
I’m really excited for this weekend, and I hope you all are as well. On top of these storylines, there are many more to follow. Everyone on this team has their own story, their own goals, and unique setbacks, struggles, and victories to reach them. Everyone’s story is important to them, and shapes who they are. Use your time in hotels and cars to learn about your teammates and their stories so that you can be a better teammate and best support them as they go about finishing the 2021 cross country season chapter in their story. And for each of you reading this, remember that although you may not be able to control everything about your story, you have the biggest influence on how it goes. The choices you make, the mindset you have, and the people you surround yourself with all change your story. Control what you can and get out there and make this the best possible ending for this chapter in your life.
As the sun rose up over the infamous arboretum hill, there was a palpable feeling in the air that just screams cross country. The leaves starting to change, the temperatures cooling down, and the impending sense of a post-season race combine to make an atmosphere that just can’t be beat. Race day temperatures ranged between 50º-55º, wind was basically nonexistent, and the sun occasionally peaked out from the clouds. A perfect fall weather day, and the course was in good condition, ready to be run on by some of the best athletes NIRCA has to offer. Before I get into the race recap I want to give a shout-out to the regional coordinator and JV athlete Cade Baker who successfully coordinated his first home meet, taking care of lots of logistics and making sure everything ran smoothly. Thank you for your work Cade, well done. Let’s get into it!
Cade has manners, so the ladies took to the course first. As I said earlier, the conditions were fantastic with cool weather and a course in good shape. The arboretum is well known as a slow course, but it’s one that our athletes have been running on all season in workouts. The ladies went out there and crushed it, conquering the hill and the competition, putting up some very fast times and a few PRs. Brisa McGrath led the charge for the Illini and for most of the race, really putting herself out there in an attempt to win. She came up just short, but took home a well earned 2nd place in a time of 24:00. Annie Brunton, running under a different alias, had one of the best performances of the day, running 26:12 for 22nd place overall in her first 6k for the club. It was a bit of a scare to see Grace Gudwien dealing with a lot of pain in her hip as she finished her race, and we are really hoping it’s nothing serious and she can race in two weeks at nationals. Grace’s toughness yielded a time of 26:20. Mikeelie Jensen continued her consistency as a staple of the women’s top 7 in a very well run race, finishing in 26:23 to put up low points for the team. Closing out the scorers for the team was Brianna Legner, who had an incredible race and ran a PR on the slow course of 26:42. Congrats on securing your top 7 spot for nationals! These awesome performances provided the women with a nice bit of hardware as they took home the trophy for the 3rd place team! These ladies exceeded expectations and really deserve the recognition for the work they’ve put in all season. Congratulations! You killed it.
Following closely behind Brianna was Maggie Abbs who ran an awesome race to finish in 26:48. Maggie and Brianna worked really well together throughout the race, showing some awesome teamwork. Up next was a duo of Bridget Brokaw and Wilma Rishko who showed some similar teamwork to race together and finish with speedy times of 27:07 and 27:09 respectively. Another duo, this time of grad students, finished right together. This time it was Natalie Maguire and Katherine Vande Pol. Natalie continued the best season of running she’s ever had with a PR of 27:41, while Kat took it carefully, easing back into racing after an injury, running 27:43. Zoe Jacquat seemed to enjoy her first race of the season and was caught smiling in a few pictures. She ran 27:52. Next was Kelly Bickhart who continued her awesome debut season with another great race, finishing in 27:54. Superstar seniors Gabriela Aguilar-Ripley and MaryBeth Feeley finished right together in great times of 28:14 and 28:15. Claire Casiello has been working super hard this season, putting in super consistent mileage. She had a solid race, running 28:54, as she looks for a big race in two weeks at nationals. Closing out this awesome group of women was Lauren Bartels, who has finally been feeling better after a long-lasting sickness. She ran a season-best time of 29:27. Awesome racing ladies! I’m really excited to see all your hard work this season pay off at nationals.
As the men’s team meandered over to the start line, expectations were high. Two years prior, they dominated this meet, putting six runners in the top ten, and securing a dominant win as a team. The pressure was on to repeat as regional champions and achieve a similarly dominant performance. Following warning commands at one minute, 30 seconds, 15 seconds, and 5 seconds, the air horn finally cried out to start the race, and they were off. Eldon Warner, sporting a fresh mullet, stole the show, won the meet, and the hearts of the fans cheering on the sidelines. He ran 25:43. Look out NIRCA. Next was Bram Osterhout who raced this meet a few times in his undergrad for WashU’s club. He set a big “P-Arb” and showed us what he’s capable of in his first race for our club, running 26:12 for an extremely impressive performance and second place overall. Stud freshman Stephen Barretto secured 5th place overall, running 26:28. He’s absolutely crushing his first season on the club and is looking for a fast time in two weeks. For weeks leading up to the meet, Cade told me over and over that he was going to give everyone who beat me a medal. Turns out he was right, as I, Jeffrey Hesselbein, got 11th place in 26:55, just getting outkicked at the line for the last medal. Oops. Closing out the scorers was Justin Ostrem who closed hard for 15th place in 27:03. Justin is hitting his stride just in time for championship season, and looks to have a big race at nationals. This year’s meet was much more competitive than two years prior, but the men did just enough to secure the victory as a team over Minnesota and Wisconsin, who both had really strong performances. This is an awesome group that’s been performing really well all season, and there are definitely some ambitious goals for the championship race at nationals.
Will Gravelle ran his first race since Chicago, and although he isn’t fully recovered yet, he still ran 27:18, an impressive time for the challenging course. Coach Spencer Nelson had his best performance so far this season, running 27:23 to close out the top 7. A few seconds back was the trio of Quinn Born, John Wiser, and Cadyn Grafton running 27:30-27:31 all together. Quinn absolutely went off, running significantly faster than he has all season on a slower course. John had a tough day, and had a mid-race puke but held on well. Cadyn continued his consistent season and should be knocking on the door of sub-27 at nats. Sawyer Madell has had a rough couple weeks with running, and still ran an impressive time of 27:50. Kyle Kenmotsu continued his consistent racing with a great arboretum time of 28:43. Alex Kogen ran 28:57 before going back to heckling his business 101 students. Arthur Mazzeo just snuck under 29 minutes in 28:59 in his first post-marathon race. John Burns showed his footspeed, closing super hard in the home-stretch for a new PR of 29:00. Jacob Fleck, Nolan Enright, and Jordan Meyer all finished together in 29:09-29:11, all of them showing out in some really strong performances. Aaron Lyubansky definitely felt at home on his former high school course, and had a strong performance for 29:16, knocking on the door of sub-29. Lake Zurich boy Jack Mason made his IXC debut, running an automatic 8k PR of 29:20. Jeffrey Lu also made his IXC debut and ran a great race for 29:42. Phillip Hu made his official IXC racing debut, running over a minute faster than his time trial on the course last year and dipping under 30 for the first time in 29:54. Closely behind him was Jason Palafox who also just dipped under 30 in 29:57. Max Hartmann returned to racing after a few years to run 30:16. The legendary Liam Bots ran his first race of the season in 30:46. It was yet another club debut for Alex Wang, who ran 31:11 for a PR. Vignesh Ravibaskar gutted out a 31:29 in a hard fought race. Justin Baysore ran his first race of the season and crushed it in an awesome time of 31:37. Griffin Rhode had one of the performances of the day as he ran 32:33 for a PR by almost 90 seconds!! Brennan Taylor had his club debut, running 33:39 before returning to his post as a troop. The next five finishers for the Illini came through back to back, led by Charley Hoppis who had his best race of the season in a huge PR of 34:09. Old track man Beau Barber decided to try cross country for the first time, and showed some old man strength to run 34:14. Esteemed Clubhaus member Tom Bleasdale was able to run his first race of the season in 34:22. Isaac Shifferer ran 34:25. You should see him play volleyball, it’s incredible. Nathaniel Lenning finished his first race of the season to run a PR of 34:33. John Feeley violated several NIRCA bylaws and will face NIRCA criminal trial. He ran 34:57. Gabe Benson ran 35:28. From puppeteering on Gravity Falls to running fast, he does it all. Closing out the day was James Meadows whoran another huge PR of 37:58 to end the meet on a high note.
Guys, this team is special. It’s become more and more clear as the season has gone on. The unique combination of skills and personalities makes practice the highlight of my day each and every day. Not to get too emotional, but as a graduating senior, there’s no other group I would want to have my last ride with. The days are counting down now, there’s only 2 weeks left until all our hard work culminates at nationals. It’s time to start thinking about and visualizing your race, and getting excited for the best event and trip of the semester. I know I’m excited. I’d also recommend talking to me or another board member/upperclassmen about the nationals experience to get an idea of how much the trip means and just how awesome it is. Until then, see you at practice!
The big dogs emerged from the jungle of Olivet hungry for a fast race and tough competition, and were treated to a delightful meet in Rock Island. The Brissman-Lundeen Invitational is a very high level Division 3 meet with some quality teams such as the University of Chicago, North Central, Augustana, and a few others. This meet was by far the most competitive field we have seen so far, and the fastest course as well. For many of our athletes, a lot of good training and hard racing finally came together to produce some very fast times and good results. Looking forward to our final two NIRCA meets, there’s plenty to be excited about, as our athletes are really coming around and hitting their stride at the right time. Let’s get into the recap!
I’m not sure who Brissman and Lundeen are, but I am appalled by their lack of manners. They did not follow the usual tradition of ladies first at the meet, so the men got out there first to set the tone for the day. As the race was beginning, a friendly cloud decided to help us out and shield us from the sun on an 85ºF day, cooling temperatures down immediately to much more comfortable levels. Debuting for the club was rodeo clown Eldon Warner, who exclaimed “YEE-HAW” in excitement to be racing at around 1k in. He’s kinda good at running, and ran a lifetime PR of 24:45 for 2nd place overall. I’ll let his time speak for him, but Eldon may be making some club history during his time here. Up next was the man who is going to beat Zach Levet in Chicago, Will Gravelle, who is super fit leading into the marathon, running 25:48, securing a T-shirt and bringing some more hype to our grad-student entourage. Coming in as the team’s 3rd runner for the second meet in a row was once again me, Jeffrey Hesselbein, running a 35 second PR in 26:27, finally securing the time I was hoping for. After pointing out which building is not his apartment, John Wiser had a breakout race, running 26:38 for a big time improvement from Aurora. Closing out the scorers for the Illini was busy bee Justin Ostrem, who didn’t quite get the result he wanted off the back of an exhausting, very busy week. 26:48 is still nothing to scoff at, and he’ll be performing at his best come postseason. As said earlier, this meet was much more competitive than the previous meets, but these guys held up to the higher level and secured a 4th place finish as a team, beating a few high-caliber programs. This was accomplished without two of our top runners who scored in the first two meets, so I’d say things are looking pretty good.
Eldon and Will with their T-shirts
Cadyn Grafton rumbled in next, running 27:03 for a huge PR as he begins to hit his stride, nearly surpassing his season goal of sub-27. Head Coach Spencer Nelson is building confidence, running 27:16, just a bit off of his PR and closing out the top 7. The only club junior varsity runner in history Cade Baker continued the season of his life, running another PR of 27:20. If he keeps improving like this, he will NOT be promoted to varsity, but he will be a really good JV runner. Kyle Kenmotsu may not know Butch, but his consistency would make the legend himself proud. Kyle’s hard work was rewarded with a PR of 28:13. Following a questionable pre-race routine this week, Quinn Born had his best race of the season so far, running a PR of 28:27. Jordan Meyer’s mustache may prevent him from going within 100ft of schools, but he can run, and he did well, running 28:57, finishing his first race of the season. Former troop Vignesh Ravibaskar used his military expertise to edge out Nolan Enright, who’s tough upbringing in O-Block was no match for Vig’s marksmanship. They ran 29:14 and 29:15 respectively. Urbana local Aaron Lyubansky had a big breakthrough, running 29:31, as he looks forward to running on the home course at regionals. Dipping under 30 was boomer Jacob Fleck in his first race this season, running 29:58 and with some good consistency, that time is going to come down. John Burns is having some trouble navigating the 8k distance, he ran 30:45 and should have a huge breakthrough soon with the way he’s been training. Grad student Seth Westfall continued his campaign on the club with a very successful time of 32:22, before cheering on his wife in the women’s race. So cute. Mid-D specialist Benjamin Baltz successfully dipped his toes (figuratively, not literally Nathan Zachar) into the longer distances, running 32:30. Tristan Taylor upgraded from spectating to racing this meet, debuting for the season and running 33:49. Also running a really strong debut was good Newman boy Griffin Rhode, running 34:00. John Feeley ran a huge improvement from the last meet, hitting a time of 34:42, while discussing his nefarious agenda with other runners the whole way. Charley Hoppis and Isaac Shifferer finished right in a row, running 35:20 and 35:41 respectively. Charley deserves a special shoutout for running a PR by 3(!) whole minutes, as his consistent practicing and racing is paying off. Gabe Benson also knocked off a huge amount of time, running 37:15 to PR by over 2(!) minutes. Closing out the day was James Meadows who ran 39:00 for a PR and is really proud of how he raced. We are proud of you as well, James. Quick shoutout to Arthur Mazzeo as well, who raced the Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon this weekend and ran 2:48 in his first ever marathon! That was an awesome turnout and a crazy amount of PRs, well done out there boys!
The PRs and success did not stop there as the women took to the course. That friendly cloud that kept the temperature comfortable lingered throughout the meet, and the conditions were mighty fine for the ladies. The big meet atmosphere and fierce competition was at the same high level, and the course was fast once again. Setting the pace and leading the way for the women was Brisa McGrath, who ran a long overdue PR of 23:38 as she looks to make some NIRCA noise late in the season. Brisa showed her talent her freshman year, and has really taken it to the next level since that debut season. The author of fantastic poetic writeup comments Grace Gudwin fought through residual sickness and taking a tumble with 600m to go to run a time of 24:59. She’s hungry for more and definitely looks to be right up working with Brisa when she’s feeling better. Mid-D coach and overall superwoman Katherine Vande Pol ran her first 6k for the club and was very successful in an uncomfortable distance for a 400/800m runner, hitting a time of 25:31. Mikeelie Jensen displayed a lot of leadership and composure as she helped several women pace their race, and had plenty of success herself running 25:40. The final scorer for the women was grad student Kim Westfall, who ran her first 6k in 5 years and crushed it with a time of 26:25. I’m sure Seth’s cheering and support helped too; we love a supportive relationship. These women gave it their all, and fought some super tough competition to finish 17th as a team, which was an impressive feat against a field of this quality and depth. Looking forward to regionals at our home course, the ladies will be ready to rumble and hungry for success to defend our turf, and I’m sure we will see some impressive progress once we get to that meet.
Getting After it at the Start
Maggie Abbs was our next finisher, running a PR of 26:43 as she continues to establish herself as a staple and valuable member of our club. It was déjà vu out there for Brianna Legner as she ran a 1 second PR on the same course as her old PR 2 years ago, for a time of 26:45. Brianna surprised herself, as she wasn’t sure she was in PR shape, but it’s certainly a welcome surprise. Marybeth Feeley had an awesome day, running a PR of 27:22. Rumor has it she was discussing her wholesome agenda with runners the entire way, much to the chagrin of her nefarious brother. Natalie Maguire has earned herself the title (declared by me) of athlete of the meet. She ran a PR of 27:54. Natalie has seen the ups and downs of running over the past couple years, and she wasn’t sure she’d ever see the same level of fitness that she saw freshman year, but here she is, setting PRs. That’s what we are all about here. Claire Casiello followed up her first meet at Olivet with a debut in the 6k, running 28:00. She’s looking forward to getting more racing experience and we are excited to see how she improves. Running an IXC debut race today was Staci Strader, finishing in 28:33. A really strong start and automatic PR! It’s been a challenging, stressful week for Lauren Bartels, and after being uncertain about racing at all, she got out there and enjoyed herself, running 30:04. That sub-30 race is going to come soon! Once again, we had an awesome turnout this week and so many PRs for the ladies, soaking up the experience of a fast course and competitive atmosphere.
The Traditional Girls Pic
As the weekend has gone by, I’ve had a few conversations with Spencer about the trajectory of this team, especially in a competitive sense. We are both in awe of the progression of the men’s and women’s teams, and super excited about this group. We have rare levels of talent on the men’s side, and great leadership and inspiration on the women’s side. As the regular season comes to a close, I encourage everyone who has raced to take pride in what they’ve accomplished, and to stay excited about the postseason. Set some goals, and talk to a teammate about them. Most importantly, focus on building each other up. A positive atmosphere is one where people can thrive, and if we all pay attention to doing our part to uphold that, these positive trends and results will continue. We have a couple weeks now to grind out some more solid, consistent training before we are back at home in the NIRCA Great Plains Regional on October 23rd! Until then, see you at practice!
IXC was back in action on Friday for our second meet of the year at the Olivet Nazarene Tiger Invitational. Following some fantastic performances last week at Aurora, expectations were high and so were the temperatures. Near 90ºF temperatures made for jungle-like conditions, and while many thrived, a few casualties were incurred on the course due to both the weather and residual sickness that’s been spreading through our weakened post-COVID immune systems. Despite the adversity, there were again many standout performances and the meet was an all-around good time. Also, as the season progresses, more and more runners are hungry for some racing, so there were many season debuts this week and an all around good turnout on both the men’s and women’s side. Let’s go through and see how everyone did!
It was ladies first out on the course once again, with the women racing a very familiar 5k distance this week instead of the usual 6k. This distance is always a fun one to race, and is reminiscent of the old high school cross country days, where most of our team, being from Illinois, raced the three mile. This week, with many people recovered from the bout of back-to-school sickness, had a much better turnout for the women, with 13 speedy ladies taking to the course. Leading the way this week was the talented speedster Brisa McGrath who hasn’t been doing too many workouts, but showed just how far her base training can get her with a 13th place overall finish. Closely behind was senior superstar Grace Gudwien with a 15th place finish and 5k PR on the grass. The next runner for the Illini was Mikeelie Jensen, blocking out the haters and the sun with some race-day shades, finishing strong for 38th place overall. Wilma Rishko was fast on the track this spring and fast on the grass in her IXC racing debut, finishing in 47th place. Right behind was Kelly Bickhart who got out hard and fought through the pain for a 50th place finish, closing out the scorers for the Illini. The women’s team achieved a very strong 4th place finish as a team, and were just 5 points away from 2nd place. Just goes to show, every point counts. Overall, the women are on an upward trend, improving from last week. Things are looking up!
Grace and Brisa leading the charge
Brianna Legner “wanted to run under 24 minutes.” She ran under 24, and under 23, and under 22 for a finish in 21:41. In her first race back from a long term injury, social coordinator and JuCo long snapper (2 star recruit) Maddy Feehan ran a super fast time in 21:50. Running her debut race was freshman Claire Casiello who raced well for a time of 22:09 and is looking forward to more races with the team! The nice twin in the naughty/nice duo that is the Feeley twins MaryBeth Feeley crossed the line next, right with freshman Laine Hackmann, in quick times of 22:21 for each of them. Up next was a duo of grad students: Natalie Maguire and Kim Westfall running right at 22:30. Natalie deserves a special shoutout as she ran a PR by 2(!) minutes. That’s a pretty astounding time drop, well done Natalie! Rounding out the women was GMC and D1 long snapper (5 star recruit) Lauren Bartels. She ran 23:26 for a PR on the grass in the 5k, despite some tough weeks with on and off sickness. Great racing out there ladies!
The women gave the men a tough act to follow, and the boys once again came through. Following a 1st place finish last week, expectations were high, even without a few of our top runners. Also, with our sights set on November 6th, many of our runners have been training hard and racing on tired legs. That being said, there are absolutely no excuses to be made, and fitness on tired legs is better than no fitness on fresh legs. The men went out there and proved that on Friday. Once again coming through first for the Illini and 5th overall was freshman phenom Stephen Barretto, who is quickly emerging as one to watch when championship season rolls around. Sawyer Madell, like last week, got out hard and paid the price, but it seems like this is a very successful tactic for him, as he improved his overall finish, achieving 7th place and running ~30s faster than last week. Coming in as the third finisher for the Illini was yours truly, Jeffrey Hesselbein, in 12th place overall. A very strong finish and a slight time improvement from last week, although not quite the time I wanted. Closely following and closing hard was another member of the star-studded freshman squad Cadyn Grafton in 16th place overall. A very good debut for him with a lot to build upon. Cade Baker came in prepared and executed perfectly, just like his trainer said, for another lifetime PR, first ever top 5 finish, and 17th place overall. He is having a season to remember, and with a lot of training still to be done, it looks like the best is yet to come. The Illini top 5 put in some very good performances and beat a lot of strong collegiate programs, but the Tigers at home in their own jungle proved to be too much for the big dogs to handle. We walk away from this meet with heads held high, having secured a dominant second place finish to a very good Olivet Nazarene team.
Cade and Cadyn working together to secure 2nd place for the team
Arthur Mazzeo came to the meet to run a tune-up race as part of the closing stages of training for the Milwaukee marathon and walked away with his first ever top 7 finish and a lifetime PR. Marathon fitness is an incredible thing. Alex Kogen ran another really good race to close out the top 7 in 41st place and finish off an exceptional start to the season. Close behind him was Nolan Enright improving significantly from last week with a 44th place finish. Quinn Born has bricks for calves and fought through some more tightness for a solid race to finish in 57th place. Finishing their debut races in the 8k were Aaron Lyubansky and Clubhaus pledge Jason Palafox in 68th and 71st places, respectively. Grad student Seth Westfall and mid-d man Jacob Rubin also ran their IXC debut races, ran together, and crushed it with 104th and 108th places respectively. Clubhaus member and local Urbana troublemaker John Feeley was next, toughing out the conditions for a solid 116th place. Closing out the day for the Illini were Charley Hoppis in his second race and ITFC track star from last spring Gabe Benson debuting on the grass, finishing in 119th and 121st places, respectively.
It was another successful and super fun meet out there for the squad, and it’s been a good introduction to racing early in the season. Next in the schedule for IXC is the Augustana Brissman-Lundeen Invite on October 1st to kick off spooky season. Until then, we will be back out on our runs, putting in the mileage, and doing some hard workouts as we prepare for championship season, which will be coming around in a little over a month!
It’s been a long two years, folks. The last time we ran a cross country race as a club was a full 664 days ago. We saw two classes graduate, and two classes join the club. It’s certainly been an interesting 664 days, filled with new challenges and lots of adversity. Yet here we are, back out on the course, doing the same thing this club has always done. Having fun and racing hard. Here’s some of the highlights from our first meet back in action!
This year’s Aurora Spartan Classic looked a bit different from previous years. In the past, we raced at Oakhurst Forest Preserve, on a very flat, fast course that would yield fast times and encouraging results. This year, the race was held at the Northwestern Medicine Cross Country Course. The board had no idea what to expect for this course, and we were certainly hoping for more fast times and good results, especially for our newcomers in their first 6k or 8k race. We were instead greeted with one of the more challenging cross country courses that I’ve personally ran on. Rolling hills throughout, and every bit of 6k or 8k and then some. If you raced, I encourage you to look back and reflect on how you competed and felt, rather than the time next to your name. If you had a good day, awesome! If you left the meet feeling a bit down in the dumps, keep your head up and look forward to the meets to come, where there will be ample opportunities for fast times.
As per usual tradition, ladies were first out on the course. We had 5 women compete out there, which is definitely lower than our usual turnout, yet still enough to score as a team. It was a tough week with heavy schoolwork and a lot of sickness going around, so most of the team was unable to make it out for this week’s meet. If you haven’t raced or come to a meet to spectate, I strongly encourage you to ask the ladies who were there at the meet about their experience. I promise you, even if you are new to running, or not confident in your fitness, that the whole meet experience is worth it. Just talk to those who were there, and take it from them.
Leading the charge out there for the ladies was Grace Gudwien, picking up right where she left off two years ago. She ran a gutsy race to finish 7th overall, an outstanding performance for her. Following behind her was the dynamic duo of Maggie Abbs and Kelly Bickhart, finishing 24th and 25th, respectively. These two were both racing their first ever 6k, and ran like lifelong teammates and experts at the distance, working together throughout the race to achieve a great result, both placing in the top 25! Up next was Clare Oehler, who seems to be always enjoying herself and smiling out on the course as she races. She was able to race really well despite feeling sick and picked up a 33rd place overall finish. Rounding out the women was Gender Minority Captain Lauren Bartels, who had a solid day out there, racing for a 44th place overall finish while “enjoying the challenge of the hills,” as she says. These ladies toughed out the challenging conditions for a 5th place finish as a team, despite lots of last minute dropouts due to sickness or schoolwork. Major kudos to them for getting out there and racing really well!
The men’s race was up next. Coming off the back of a big recruiting summer, there were definitely a few standout freshmen and sophomores that were looking to have a big race. This has also historically been a race that the men have dominated from a team standpoint in prior years, so we were looking to keep that ball rolling. Crossing the finish line 2nd overall and first for the Illini was freshman superstar Stephen Barretto. From the beginning of the race, Stephen made a decisive bid to win the meet, although he came up just short, he gave us a taste of what he’s capable of and set the tone for a big day. Following up next was the duo of veteran Justin Ostrem and his new apprentice Sawyer Madell, taking 7th and 8th respectively. Sawyer is another standout freshman who got out hard in a real gutsy race, and definitely learned that the 8k is a pretty long distance to run. Justin, with his experience, was a bit more calculated, and caught Sawyer around 6k into the race, and they worked together into the finish. Shortly behind them was a terrific triad of Jeffrey Hesselbein, John Wiser, and head coach Spencer Nelson, finishing in 10th, 11th, and 12th place, respectively. These three pushed the pace hard in the middle miles, picking off runners who got out too hard, moving from places 25-30th at the first mile to 10-12th at the finish. This big move was also a decisive moment in the team race, as these three passed all but two MSOE runners, who were in pole position to win the meet early into the race. Putting five runners in between their second and third runner sealed the team victory for the Illini, taking home a sweet plaque and achieving big dog status.
Cade Baker had himself a day, running a lifetime PR on a course that is definitely not made to PR on, and achieving a 19th overall finish, closing out the top 7 for this meet. Former treasurer Alex Kogen was next, finishing 28th overall in a very strong performance for him. Kyle Kenmotsu has been putting in work and mileage and it showed, as he looked real strong to finish in 31st place. Right behind him was Quinn Born who battled the challenging course and a whole lot of calf tightness to finish in 37th place, which is a good spot for him to build from. The next group of finishers for the Illini ran as a pack, and definitely learned some lessons in their first ever 8k race. Sophomore stud John Burns, GLR legend Vignesh Ravibaskar, and Pop Smoke fanboy Nolan Enright all finished in a row, in 68th, 69th, and 70th place. Keep an eye out for these boys, they are just getting started. Norb Nieves raced through quite a bit of adversity, and didn’t get the result he wanted with an 88th place finish, but when he’s healthy, look out. He’s got a lot in the tank. Rounding out our finishers were Charley Hoppis and James Meadows who raced really well for 111th and 115th place respectively. Nathaniel Lenning battled severe stomach problems for 4 miles, running really well, before having to step off to deal with that. Mad respect for putting in the effort despite feeling how he felt. Like I said earlier, this course was very challenging and slow, so in this writeup I am choosing to focus on how people raced, rather than times. If you want to see times, the results are linked on the “Race Schedule” page.
Finally I’d like to mention a couple of club alumni who came out and raced as part of their marathon training programs, Leonel Rodriguez and former club president Muneeb Ansari. It’s always a pleasure to have a few club legends come out and race with us. I’d also like to mention the huge group of team members who took time out of their day to drive to the meet, watch, and cheer on their teammates. Bryan Himmel, Tristan Taylor, Mikeelie Jensen, Liam Bots, Tommy Gulumian, Maggie Kosterman, Maddy Feehan, Clara O’Sullivan, Cadyn Grafton, Connor Flynn, Thomas Tran, Lauren Brunk and Jack Mason all made the trip to cheer on their teammates and to get a taste of the meet day experience. Look out for them, as most of them will likely be racing in the coming weeks.
Towards the end of the meet, during the cooldown and after, I recall overhearing quite a few words of wisdom from people on the team that really sat with me. The first one was when I was cooling down with John Wiser, and we were coming up the hill and looking out over the sunset, and he made a comment about remembering to “take a mental picture.” I did both that, and took an actual picture.
As I reflect on the meet I can’t help but think about how important it is to embrace the moment, take it all in, and “take mental pictures.” Which leads me into my next takeaway words of wisdom, which came from none other than Muneeb. In his race log, he wrote “Love how IXC is always the same song, just different band members. Beautiful group.” As the years have gone by for this club, this has certainly proven to be true. The song we play is one of fierce competition, accompanied by fiercer friendship. There’s a reason over a dozen people made the trip just to be there, and it’s all a part of being on a team like this. It’s really unlike any other team I’ve been on, and it’s a legacy that we as a group should all be proud to carry on. This band plays a beautiful song. See you next week at the Olivet Nazarene Midwest Intercollegiate Meet!
The last 16 months have proven to be very challenging times for everyone. From a global pandemic to racial injustices, it is safe to say a lot has occurred. These times have shown us more than anything that we are more than an organization dedicated to running. While this is the core of what we do, our impact can and will expand far beyond the track or the field.
We as a club have taken a stand on issues surrounding racial injustices and have supported student-run initiatives to enact change within our direct communities and beyond. We as a club will continue to listen and are eager to utilize our platform to both educate and drive change.
2020-2021 Donations:
This year was a monumental year in terms of donations. Below is a running list of charitable giving we as a club partook in this academic year:
Through our July 2020 Virtual Bingo Fundraising event, we were able to donate a total of $1,365.40 split between the NAACP & The COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund for Native and Indigenous People. Though the ongoing pandemic separated many of us, this was a chance to use social media to not only stay connected but both promote the club and donate to some causes that could really use the support at that time.
In the middle of our season, we utilized our Spring Gear Catalogue to create 2 unique designs, one tailored to celebrating our rich club history and one celebrating our commitment to equality. These pieces serve as an outward sign of peace, love, and equality and we are eager to see them on the backs of our athletes as they compete and train. Partnering with a local printing shop we were able to donate $5 from each item sold which equaled roughly $100 donated to Black Lives Matter.
Our now second annual Virtual Race allowed for our athletes to not only remain competitive throughout the summer months but gave them something bigger than themselves to run for. The club, together, logged hundreds of miles in a short period of time and their efforts led to $1,168.79 being split and donated to Black Lives Matter, Stop Asian Hate, and the New American Welcome Center.
At the end of our season former President, Ciara Ward hosted a fundraiser where each member of the former board had the opportunity to donate whatever amount they so choose and she would match the donation amount. This fundraiser ultimately led to $410 being donated to the Equal Justice Initiative.
In total throughout this last school year we donated over $3,000 to some very noteworthy causes. We could not be more proud to share this information and want to thank each and every member of our club, past and present, for playing a part in making numbers like these a reality.
Forward Outlook:
We realize that our work is far from finished. Track and field is the core of what we do but is not at all a limiting factor as to what we are capable of accomplishing. Our club is composed of future industry leaders, artists, activists, and everything in between. Our actions will continue to reflect the diverse makeup of our organization. Thus, moving forward we want to do more. We will continue to utilize our platform to evoke change. Though these accomplishments from the year prior are noteworthy, they nearly serve as a benchmark for what the future should entail. No matter if it’s on the track or in the community, we’re just getting started. We plan on using our members to find more ways to get engaged within our communities and make a real difference. We wholeheartedly believe our efforts can leave a lasting impact as we are the generation that will change the world.
On Friday, April the 23rd, the running Illini traveled once again to Millikin University for the Big Blue Open. This meet had a 3:00 start time, providing our team with the opportunity to run under the light!
Field Events:
In the throws, we had two lone competitors on both the men’s and women’s sides. For the men, Senior Shantanu Amin held it down in the shot-put throwing 6.51 meters, which earned him a top 20 finish. For the women, Jenna Homan made it look too easy again. In the discus, she threw 28.43 meters and in the shot she threw 8.25 meters, capping off a legendary season for her.
In the jumps we had a group of strong ITFC record-holders take to the sky. In the high jump, our indoor record-holder Nick Hartmann jumped a 1.83m which was good enough for yet another top-10 finish for him. Veteran Jad Karajeh, our indoor triple jump record holder, took on the event outdoors and also got himself a top-10 finish on the day. Jad’s best jump was 12.26m.
Track Events:
The men’s 4×100 meter relay squads were the first ones to take the track for IFTC. The “A” team consisting of Adam Adil, Jimmy Hoffman, Andy Marszewski, and Jalen Frazier started off the meet with a bang, finishing the race in a time of 43.58 and a top 3 finish. The “B” squad also brought their A-game to the track. The team consisting of Matthew Steele, Andre Elis, Mason Rosenberg, and Shantanu Amin claimed 5th in the event and dropped a time of 51.68.
Switching gears here we shift our focus to the 1500 meter run. The women were up first and they certainly did not disappoint. The first to cross the line for the Illini women was Maggie Abbs. Maggie crossed the tape in a blazing fast time of 5:09.59. In heat two Katherine Vande Pol also took care of business, Kat ran a time of 5:15.02 taking first in her heat. Following up behind her was Clare Oehler running a strong time of 5:23.21. In heat 3 we had yet another heat winner in Angela Wu who ran a time of 5:43.19. Lauren Bartels followed close behind running a time of 5:59.90, smashing the 6-minute barrier. Closing out the event the right way on the women’s side was Natalie Maguire, running a time of 6:25.68. The cohort of 9 men’s distance boys looked to have some success of their own in the event. In heat 1 Distance coach and ITFC legend, Josh Mollway had himself a day taking second overall in the event, crossing the tape in a time of 3:58.09 breaking the 4-minute barrier with room to spare. The next 3 finishers for the Illini battled it out with one another. The trio of Secretary Spencer Nelson, Home Meet Coordinator Cade Baker, and mid-d guru Norb Nieves finished 10-13 in the event keeping things close by running 4:21.45, 4:21.77, and 4:21.85 respectively. Jason Palafox finished up strong for the orange and blue in the heat running a time of 4:28.19. In heat 3 Anthony Rizk was our next finisher in the event running a time of 4:38.92, taking second in his heat. We had two more men in the event break the 5-minute barrier for the Illini. Isaac Schifferer was our next finisher in the event running a time of 4:56.10. Finishing right behind him was Jacob Rubin who ran a great time of 4:58.20. Rounding out a more than a successful day in the 1500 was Gabe Benson who ran a time of 5:21.46.
Our next event on the track was the 400-meter dash. President Ciara Ward led the way on the lady’s side of the event, running a time of 1:07.16, more than good enough for first in her heat. Finishing up behind her was yet another strong member of the sprints squad in Rachel Sakwa running a time of 1:08.84. Zoe Jacquat was our sole lady in heat 3 and she showed out running a time of 1:15.01. The men also had three entries in the field who came to play. Mason Rosenberg’s comeback tour continued as he was our first to the finish running a time of 53.65. Another ITFC legend Beau Barber finished not far behind, running a time of 57.38. Finishing out the event for the Illini was Ethan Light who ran a speedy time of 58.43.
Staying with the shorter distance events we had the 100m dash. On the lady’s side, the versatile Katherine Vande Pol who started the day in the 1500, was first for the Illini women running a time of 13.37. A leader within the sprints squad Maria Becerra was the next to cross the line, finishing in a speedy time of 14.41. On the men’s side of the event, we saw a more than close finish for the Illini. In heat one, the duo of Jalen Frazier and Adam Adil tied, as the two ran an identical time of 11.15. Sprints coach Andy Marszewkski rounded out the heat running a speedy time of 11.28. In the next heat Senior Andre Elis Jr took care of business as our lone runner in orange and blue in the heat running a time of 11.83. In the following heat, veteran Matthew Steele also took care of business on his own running a quick 12.79. In the last heat of the day, Sandin Cuturic took second in the heat running a time of 12.73. Veteran Shantanu Amin continued his busy day running a time of 16.07.
Lengthening things up here we move onto the mid-d favorite 800m run. Our fastest finisher of the day on the women’s side was Wilma Rishko who took second overall in her heat running a 2:38.79. Our next two finishers came from heat one. Veteran Mikeelie Jensen finished in a swift time 2:39.17, good for yet another top 10 finish overall for the Illini. Our next finisher was MaryBeth Feeley who ran a time of 2:40.19. Grace McDonough was our next finisher out of heat two, the senior ran an impressive time of 2:49.80. Rounding out the event for the Illini was Emily Kamuth who closed out the event for the ladies running a 2:54.40. In heat one of the men’s 800, it was all orange and blue. Finishing second overall in the event was Jaden Thompson who ran an amazing time of 1:55.08, good for 2nd overall in the event. Jeffrey Hesselbein finished not too far off in a time of 2:02.51, finishing 5th overall in the event. Henry Hornbrook also had himself a day, finishing in a time of 2:08.24. In heat two Gabe Benson was our lone wolf in the heat, which seemed to be no problem at all as he finished in a time of 2:36.26.
Under the lights came the 400m hurdles. Derrick Stokes crushed it as our sole competitor in the event running a time of 1:05.50 for a top 15 finishes overall.
More sprinters made their way back onto the track for the 200m dash. On the lady’s side, MaryBeth Feeley continued a successful day as she ran a time of 29.28. Maria Becerra also had yet another good showing on the track as she finished up next in a time of 29.30. The men looked to put up numbers of their own in the event. Adam Adil led the way for the sprints boys running a 22.95 while taking 5th overall. In the heat prior, Jalen Frazier and Jimmy Hoffman duked it out running a 23.01 and 23.18 respectively. Finishing not far off in heat one was Andy Marszewski running another sub 24 time for the Illini, finishing in a time 23.43. Veteran Mason Rosenberg finished up next running a time of 24.02. Rounding out the event for the Illini was Andre Elis Jr. who ran a speedy time of 24.70.
Going the distance here we have the 5000m run. On the lady’s side, Grace Gudwein has been bringing it every single meet in this event and capped off the season by running a 19:18.92 and was the event champion in the event. On the men’s side Travel Coordinator Justin Ostrem was the first runner in orange and blue to reach the tape in a time of 16:19.86. Finishing next was Connor Farrell in a time of 16:31.26. The duo of Ostrem and Farrell both finished within the top 10 overall.
In the last track event of the day, we have the iconic 4x400m relay. The women were up in the event and each of our lady’s squads was in heat one. The “A” squad quartet of Katherine Vande Pol, Maggie Abbs, Rachel Sakwa, and Ciara Ward ran a time of 4:28.43 and placed 4th overall. The “B” squad consisting of Clare Oehler, Angela Wu, Wilma Rishko, and Grace Gudwein also had a strong finish to the day, placing 7th overall with a 5:01.22 finishing time. The “C” squad consisting of Natalie Maguire, Grace McDonough, Lauren Bartels, and Emily Karnuth also showed out for their last event of the day running a time of 5:21.96, more than good enough for 8th place. The men also had quite a few teams in the field. In heat one there was a heated battle between the “A” team consisting of sprinters: Jimmy Hoffman, Adam Adil, Andy Marszewski, and Jalen Frazier, and the “B” squad consisting of a mix of sprinters and distance runners: Josh Mollway, Henry Hornbrook, Jeffrey Hesselbein, and Derrick Stokes. The “A” squad came out on top this go-round running a time of 3:37.86. The “B” team finished up right behind them running a time of 3:38.55. As if that wasn’t exciting enough, we had two more entries in the event as the “C” and “D” squads took on heat 2. The “C” squad of Cade Baker, Spencer Nelson, Beau Barber, and Cody Lund kept things quick by running a time of 3:49.04. The “D” squad of Norb Nieves, Ethan Light, Jason Palafox, and Jacob Rubin finished strong as they came together to run a speedy time of 3:57.21 and brought this meet and season to a close.
This meet brought to an end one of, if not the most unique seasons in program history. Thank you to the board and each of you for supporting and making this all possible. As we move into the new normal way of life, we want to be able to get as many of our student-athletes back running, jumping, and throwing.
Official Results: https://results.shazamracing.com/meets/8752
On April 10th, 2021 The Illinois Track Club hit the road once again. This time around the team traveled about 3 and a half hours to Fort Wayne, IN to compete in the Warrior Opener hosted by Indiana Tech University. This meet provided the team with a chance at some elite competition from a range of divisions and conferences throughout the area. The team not only had to deal with the fierceness of the competition but also Mother Nature as steady rain lingered throughout most of the meet.
Track Events:
The meet got off to a quick start as athletes and coaches were eager to beat the incoming rain. As a team, we kicked things off with the 5000m run. We had two athletes compete in separate sections. Brisa McGrath competed in the earlier section and started the day off for the orange and blue by taking home first in her heat, dropping a time of 19:11.57. Later in the day Grace Gudwien also took on the 12.5 laps and ran a 19:19.54, this was an improvement from her first try at the event at Millikin a few weeks prior.
As the rain still held off our team got a rare chance to run several 4x800m relays. On the women’s side, the team consisting of Mikeelie Jensen, Wilma Rishko, Maggie Abbs, and Annie Brunton ran a 10:29.10, placing top 10 overall in the event. The men looked to have success of their own in the event and that they did. The men’s team consisting of Norb Nieves, Jason Palafox, Cade Baker, and Jacob Rubin also produced a top 10 finish, while running a quick time of 9:16.87.
The 3000m steeplechase combines distance, hurdles, and the elements. None of those things seemed to impact Nikita Smyrnov. He stole the show, ran a 10:05.55, and was the event champion.
In the 400m dash, we let the competition know we did not come to play. On the women’s side, Katherine Vande Pol was the first to the finish for the Illini running a time of 1:00.03, inches away from breaking the 1-minute barrier. Rachel Sakwa was the next to cross the tape running a time of 1:07.18. Rounding out the event for the ladies was the strong Annie Brunton running a time of 1:09.74. The men’s duo of veterans Andy Marszewski and Mason Rosenberg held their own. Sprints coach Andy Marszewski ran a time of 51.12 placing him within the top 15 overall. Mason Rosenberg continued his comeback season by running a 53.92.
Keeping on with the sprints theme, we move on to the 100m dash final, which was originally scheduled to be a prelim but to beat the rain was changed to a final. We had two core members of the sprint squad kick things off for us in the 100. Webmaster Jalen Frazier ran a time of 11.23 placing him just outside of the top 20. Sprints coach Andy Marszewski had yet another outstanding performance on the track running an 11.67, concluding a short day for him at the track.
The distance squad graced the track yet again for the 1500m run. On the women’s side, we had 5 ladies compete and placed quite well. The first runner to finish this go-round was Clare Oehler-O’Sullivan running an elite time of 5:28.43. Coming up right behind her was Mikeelie Jensen keeping things neck and neck here by running a 5:29.03, smashing the 5:30 threshold. Our next finisher was the talented Wilma Rishko running a time of 5:37.50. Right behind her was Angela Wu finishing in the top 40 in a fast 5:46.53. Rounding us out for the ladies was Lauren Bartels running a time of 5:59.17, breaking sub 6 minutes. On the men’s side, we had two very strong competitors. Nikita Smyron continued his successes from the steeple earlier running a time of 4:14.08 placing just outside of the top 10. Norb Nieves recovered from the 4x800m relay and dropped a 4:28.33 solo.
Shortening things up again we have the 800m dash. We had 2 entries on both the men’s and women’s divisions. Maggie Abbs was our first finisher in the event, placing 22nd overall and running a 2:32.57. Annie Brunton was the next up and she ran a 2:42.02 making it look effortless. On the men’s side, phenom Jaden Thompson kicked off his freshman campaign running a 1:56.58 and took 4th overall in the process. Jeffrey Hesselbein left his mark on the track by running a 2:02.32 in the event, claiming a top 25 finish.
Amid the ongoing rain came the 200m dash. Katherine Vande Pol had no issue managing the rain and ran 28.07. Rachel Sakwa also took the time to shine even on a cloudy day by running a 30.16. On the men’s side, they also had two competitors in the field. After a good showing earlier Webmaster, Jalen Frazier ran a 23.21. Mason Rosenberg also made his way back to the track and dropped a 25.08 capping off a rainy day in Indiana.
Official Results: https://www.tfrrs.org/results/68104/Warrior_Opener/
