Today is a great day. Do you want to know why? Not only is the sun shining and the birds chirping, but we have officially started the 2024-2025 Track Season! I know you all have been waiting months for track season to start again, so I can officially pronounce, it’s Track Time!

Once again, My name is Adam, and I’ll be your webmaster extraordinaire throughout this season. You may remember me from last season, but I’m back and better than ever to help share all the excitement of this upcoming season!

We started it off with a bang at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Illinois for the Titan First Chance Meet on Saturday, 12/7. Now enough said, let’s get into the events!

We’ll kick things off with the sprint events, starting with the Men’s 60m Dash. What can I say? It is only the first meet of the year, and the incredible Tyler Klein has already won his first meet. His time of 6.93 put him in 2nd place in the prelims, where he went on to improve on his time to drop a 6.87 in the finals, securing him an amazing 1st place finish overall, congrats! Close behind was Austin Eckels, whose time of 7.08 placed him in second place in his heat, and brought him to a 10th place finish overall! Andrew Mclauchlan made his club debut with a speedy time of 7.47, a great start to the season. Veteran Matas Carmichael showed he’s going to be a formidable foe this season with a time of 7.65. Head Coach Ryan Fredericks took a break from the mid-distance to run a shorter distance, coming in at a 7.72. In a race for the ages, our next three athletes all finished within 0.07 seconds of each other, Ryan Pearlman led the pack with a 7.75, followed behind by Roel Boon with a 7.76, and Kamil Kotarski closed out the pack of great times with a 7.82. Edison Zhu wasn’t far behind, coming in with a speedy time of 7.91 to start the season. To close it out, no better way than to end with a tie, with both Tyler West and Sean Hudson running an awesome 8.22 to get things started.

No track meet would be complete without a hurdles event, especially the 60m Hurdles! Matas Carmichael led us in this event with an awesome time of 9.38, a great way to start the season, and an easy 10th-place finish overall! Kamil Kotarski wasn’t far behind, coming in with a speedy 9.64 to get things started. 

Increasing the distance a bit, it’s 200m time! On the women’s side, Vicky Klein Gebbink set down the handball and picked up spikes to make her track and field debut running a speedy 29.38 during her first-ever track meet!

On the men’s side, it was again Tyler Klein leading the pack, with an incredible time of 21.93 to earn him a 2nd place overall finish, what can’t he do? Austin Eckels had a great race to kick things off, running a speedy 23.08 to claim 1st place in his heat and 5th place overall. So, in a fun twist of fate, all Illinois runners except for TK raced against each other in 2 entirely Illinois heats, providing a great level of friendly competition among the athletes. Coming close behind Austin in that first ITFC heat were Darryl Boston Jr, taking a break from his awesome Instagram takeover to drop a 24.09 for his club debut, and Ryan Fredericks close behind, coming in at a 24.45. Roel Boon led the second ITFC heat to victory with his great time of 24.90 to start the season. Kamil Kotarski was right on his tail, coming in at a super 25.39. Salvatore Sgro closed out the first ITFC heat with a great time of 25.97 to put his mark on his club debut. Arjun Appel was up next in the second heat, with an awesome time of 27.04. Sean Hudson was close behind, coming in at a speedy 28.15 to get his season off to a great start. Tyler West closed it out for us, running a 28.75 to mark a successful club debut!

In an indoor track classic fashion, it was time for the 300m race. Matas Carmichael was the only one brave enough to race it on the men’s side, running a great time of 38.20.

Keeping with the sprints brings us to the Women’s 600m dash. Lenny Sterritt made a big splash for her club debut, running a time of 1:50.22 to score her 4th place overall!

The men’s side did not disappoint, with a few incredible races. Henry Hornbrook kicked off his season with an awesome time of 1:27.57, winning his heat by 0.3 seconds and coming in for a 1st place overall finish, wow! Max Boughner also had a great race, running a time of 1:35.90 to win his heat and come in 7th place overall! Jason Yang wrapped up these awesome performances with a speedy time of 1:42.88 for a great mark in his first track meet!

Let’s turn the distance up a notch with the Women’s 1-mile run! Following her impressive 600m performance, Lenny Sterritt brought the heat again, destroying the competition with a time of 5:41.68 to claim 1st place overall, more than 8 seconds in front of second place, wow!

Keeping with the trend of Illini Domination, it was Maxwell Maloney, making his club track debut to run an incredible 4:36.30 to easily win his heat and come 1st place overall, Congrats! Fundraising Coordinator Extraordinaire Dakota Amar was not far behind, running a 4:38.12 to kick off his season, easily grabbing a 3rd-place finish! Morgan Frederick kept up the trend of dominant season openers with a time of 4:47.13, speedy enough to claim a 6th-place finish! Max Boughner closed it out for us, running an awesome time of 5:02.91.

The only brave soul, Laurits Stoffers was the sole Illini in the Men’s 3000m run, but that didn’t stop him from having a great race, running an 11:49.32 to start the season strong!

It’s relay time! For the men’s 4x400m relay, it was Darryl Boston Jr, Henry Hornbrook, Roel Boon, and Ryan Fredericks, running a great time of 3:38.48 to get a 4th place finish!

Hippity hoppoty, it’s jump time! For the men’s High Jump, Laurits Stoffers had an amazing day, setting a big PR of 1.75m (5’ 8.75”) to kick off the season! In the men’s Long Jump, Edison Zhu made his mark with a great jump of 5.41m (17’ 9”) for his club debut! In the men’s triple jump, Andrew Mclauchlan leaped to an amazing 12.05m (39’ 6.5”) for a strong start to the season, with Edison Zhu close behind with an awesome jump of 10.79m (35’ 5”)

Last, but certainly not least, it’s throwing time! In the women’s shot put, Ivy Del Real showed off her skills with an impressive throw of 8.98m (29’ 5”), starting the season off with a PR! 

On the men’s side, Georgios Avdis led the squad with an incredible throw of 9.78m (32’ 1”) to kick off the series of great performances! Next up was Sean Hudson, with an impressive throw of 8.60m (28’ 2.75”). Closing it out was Hayden Lewis, who had a great throw of 8.41m (27’ 7.25”) to get the season started!

Well, that about wraps up this meet. Although it had a smaller group of athletes competing, we still had many incredible performances and awesome ways to start off the season. Sadly we now head off to winter break, and won’t compete again for another month or so. Our next meet will resume in mid-January, feel free to check out the Instagram in the meantime for updates!

That’s going to be all for now, Have a happy and safe holiday!

Until next time,

I-L-L!

Meet Results: https://www.tfrrs.org/results/88039/IWU_Titan_First_Chance

IXC Community,

This is it. We have reached the end of our 2024 cross country season! I hate to be cliche, but it has flown by faster than any other season for me. Everyone should be seriously proud of themselves for their hard work this fall. I saw serious grit during both workouts and races. You all tackled repeats of all lengths and intensities with enthusiasm and bravery! Running up the Arb hill 12 times on a Friday afternoon is NOT most people’s idea of a good time, but I suppose cross country runners are inherently a little weird. Regardless, Coach E had a stellar breakout season leading this team! His workouts were highly effective (everyone PRed, and you said you weren’t going to fact check this recap) and pushed our athletes toward their goals.

Now let me tell you how Nationals went! We left early Friday morning and piled into three vans. Huge shoutout to the Brokaw, Casiello, and Rosen parents for being our most dignified chauffeurs this weekend. Their generosity and patience was unmatched! We are so grateful for your time. After getting on the road, most athletes slipped back into sleep. This not only energized us but helped pass some of the time (10+ hours of driving alone). After a couple of hours, it was time for lunch. All four vans stopped at various Panera locations for some fuel and a nice stretch of the legs, then it was time to drive the rest of the way to Barkcamp State Park in my home state of Ohio! We stopped here and did a quick shakeout run/walk. It was severely hilly and rocky, but scenic nonetheless. Mostly, we were all desperate to get some blood flowing in the legs. Somehow the third van managed to arrive 45 minutes after the rest of us, taking a more leisurely approach to the travel day. They say it’s about the journey, not the destination, right? Post run, we got back into the vans and drove a few more hours before dinner. My van stopped at a traditional Italian joint somewhere in Pennsylvania, Maryland, or West Virginia. Only Max B. seemed to know what state we were in. Thank you Mario for the hospitality and the digestive issues. The Casiello van also stopped at an Italian place too, and the Brokaw bunch hit up Olive Garden. The theme was carbs I guess. Each group had a great time getting to know one another and reflecting on their exciting day in the van. We all eventually made it to the Days Inn (well into the night!). It was time then for some desperately needed showers (I’m talking about you Anna Z.!) Though it was late, we reconvened in one of the rooms for some inspiring words from Coach and the annual Nats Raps. The Raps spoke for themselves (vote Albert for best Nats Rap). There was a range of styles and rhyming schemes, but everyone that performed seemed to think their own rap was funny. Anna Z. and I gave it our all up there but the silence was deafening. We are already working on ours for next year though. Coach E, with his ego slightly bruised from all of the insults, mustered up the vocal strength to give a quick pep talk before we headed to bed. He told us we were ready for what the course had in store, but nothing could have truly prepared us for what lay ahead. I can’t say with complete certainty what everyone did in their rooms that night, but as far as I know, everyone fell asleep promptly, dreaming of Hershey bars.

The next morning, it was race day! The breakfast area was abuzz with excitement and nerves. We were accompanied by our friends at University of Virginia, so the place was completely swamped with orange and blue. We departed for Hershey Parkview course pretty early and got the tent and tarps all set up. We had a bit of time before our first race, so everyone got situated, made their first (of many) porta potty runs, and got their free swag from Bombas and LMNT!!!

She also noted that there was an Evelyn from another school nearby, so she received double the enthusiasm. Evelyn finished her race in 29:32. As a result of her being the first one to go, she then had to describe the course to the rest of us. She tried to be honest, but not discouraging, but there is no sugarcoating the volume and size of hills we had to scale.

The next race of the morning was the men’s Junior/Senior/Grad 8K. We had a solid turnout in this category. Finishing first and being our ONLY ATHLETE ON THE PODIUM (besides Diane) was Simon Hildy. Simon thought it was a fun race and enjoyed it even though most people hated it. He was stoked to receive a certificate for his time of 28:22.9. His name essentially has the word Hill in it so this performance checks out. Behind Simon was Quinn Born, who has completed one heck of an IXC career. He had been inspired by Hootie & the Blowfish playing at the hotel and by the porta potties. Quinn ran an awesome race, finishing in 28:52.2 and placing 14th. Much to his dismay, NIRCA only gave out certificates for Top 10. Quinn was robbed of a podium finish at his very last race. After a brief outburst of disappointment, he realized he doesn’t need a paper to signify his impact these last four years (Simon– I would hide that certificate if I were you). Thanks Quinn for being such a friend to everyone on this team! Behind Quinn was another senior, Gabe Inojosa. Gabe accomplished his goal of a jersey swap, so the day was a success. He also continued in his tradition of having his shoe come untied during the race. Even with a stop to fix this, he finished in 30:11.7. He felt that he ran well, though he did not escape his cursed laces. Gabe, you will surely be missed! Behind Gabe was Nick Kwentus, my new favorite YouTuber. Nick didn’t share much with me about his race (maybe he’ll spill in the next vlog?) but said he loved watching his teammates race from atop the large rock structure. I also enjoyed that. Nick finished in a time of 31:50.5. I bet the naps he took in the van contributed to that awesome time. Up next was Aidan Farrell. Aidan thought the hills sucked but made for an exciting last race of the season. Way to embrace the discomfort! He finished with a time of 33:09.6. Right behind Aidan was another senior, Henry Hornbrook. I am so glad Henry brought the Illinois flag, though it was substantially shorter than Virginia Tech’s which made me feel somewhat inferior… Henry donned his crown one last time, and though he told me the king got cooked by the hills, I still think his time of 34:13.1 was pretty impressive. He had a great weekend and the culmination to his IXC career. Way to go Henry!!

The next race was the Women’s Championship 6K. We unfortunately were down a few of our top runners, but still had a mighty pack of ladies in our box! Let me note that the course was a little long (~0.15 miles) so that we could run uphill a few more times. Finishing first was Claire Casiello, who has made me so proud this season! By the time I asked Claire for details about her race, she had already blocked it out. She said her paces ranged from 3K running down the inclines to half marathon pace going up. These paces averaged out to a finish time of 25:00.2. Well done Claire! She was sad this was her last race, and I sure am sad too! She has set such a great example for the power of hard work and consistency. Behind Claire was Madame President, Bridget Brokaw. Bridget couldn’t believe it was her last cross country race, but we all know she prefers track! She said she left it all out there and was grateful to have Lenny to run with when things got rough. She finished in 26:52.8. Bridget is a gem of a human and I don’t even want to imagine this team without her. Lenny finished just after Bridget in a time of 27:04.3. I am glad we convinced Lenny to make the journey East with us. Lenny also appreciated having Bridget right by her, and was motivated by trading off who was leading. I can’t wait to see the things Lenny will do in these next four years! I finished after Lenny in a time of 27:37.0. I will tell it to you straight- that was an abomination of a course. The flat parts were nice, but very brief and inadequate to recover. I also kept getting passed on the downhills by my teammates, but I ended up passing all of them in the end so who am I to complain. Next year I am locking in for XC, mark my words. I had such a last this weekend and have so much love for the IXC family! Behind me was Suhani Peramanu, who finished in a brisk 27:56.2. Suhani had negative expectations going into the race (thanks to our resident debbie downer, Evelyn), so she was ready for a challenge when the gun went off. It wasn’t as bad as she expected and had her garlicky pasta from the night before to power her up the hills. She overcame her beef with Anna Z.’s feet and the two finished nearby each other. Anna’s time was 28:08.4, an impressive feat (ha, get it?) considering the terrain. Anna said it hurt going down the hills just as much as going up them, but she thought it was kinda fun and as time went on afterward, she even found some retrospective appreciation for the race. Anna stirred the pot like she always does, making members of the team uncomfortable at times. We love her anyway. Up next was TBJ, who also may have just ran her last cross country race. Anna, we appreciate your sacrifices this weekend and it was great to have you on the team. Anna used the downhills to her advantage as much as possible, but this course was relentless and the motivation was low. Regardless, Anna told me she had such a blast and wouldn’t have traded it for the world. That concludes the results for the Championship race! Being down some athletes definitely hurt us (you know it’s bad if I am scoring) and we finished in 17th place. I am so proud of these women and all the others that have been involved this season.

Up next was the Men’s Championship race. The guys were stoked to get a taste of what Hershey had to offer. These poor fellas had to run up the steepest hill 3 times. Seriously, that’s a crime. Finishing first in a slight upset was Sam Lambert. Sam finished in 27:10.3, He surpassed coach in the last couple K, proving to all of us that we should never get too comfortable. Great race Sam! Coach E finished a super successful season with what he described as the worst race of his career. He took a learn as you go approach and it completely failed (failed is harsh terminology in my opinion). Still, he said he was super proud to have coached this season, and nearly teared up when reflecting on this last few months. He also offers congratulations to Sam for his ‘machine-like’ performance. Humble and proud. Coach finished in 27:15.8. Percy Moser crossed the line next. He described the performance as ‘no bueno’, likely due to the poor pre race meal options provided by the Brokaw bus. Hopefully he had enough Alice in Chains on the way back to drown out his sorrows. Percy finished in 27:28.4. I also need to mention that Percy had the most passionate Nats rap (feat. Connor Quadrini). Up next was the iconic Albert Szewczyk, who finished in 27:50.9. He told me he was surprised by the steepness of the hills, but still managed to clutch up and use the flat parts to regain his momentum. Albert was an entertaining addition to the Rosenmobile, though I never got to hear the lore he kept promising us. Maybe next year. Up next was everyone’s buddy, Easton Rosen. This was Easton’s last race with IXC as well. It could have been the nap on top of his pumpkin bread or Mario’s alfredo propelling him forward, but regardless, he said it went relatively well. Though the middle of the race felt like it was twice as long as it was, he still had expected worse out of the hills and found the run pretty bearable. Easton has been such a great addition these last two years and will be missed! Up next was another Rosenmobile passenger, Thomas Harmon. Thomas said it was a rough day ngl, but he will be taking time to reset ahead of track season. He still had a blast hanging out with his wonderful teammates all weekend long, and enjoyed getting to sit in the back row for every minute of the van ride. Rounding out the men’s team was freshman Max Maloney. Max finished in a very swift 29:01.3. Max thought the race was super tough and blames the flatness of Urbana. Overall, he still said it was a great experience and he’s happy he went.

The final race of our day was the Men’s Freshman/Sophomore race. We had good turnout here as well, with Connor Quadrini finishing first. Connor chose the ignorance is bliss mindset when preparing for this race and opted not to look at the course map. Where and how he went askew, I do not know, but he somehow cut off part of the course. Between the hours of 8 am and 3 pm he could not carve out time to get it together, and blames his teammates for their lack of guidance. He left Hershey with a great story to tell. His time was 28:31.1 (officially!). Up next was Morgan Frederick, who somehow PRed by 3 seconds. How he did that, I do not know. I believe this was our only PR of the day, so major kudos to Morgan! He finished in a time of 29:07.7. Just behind him was Jensen Bidmead, who ran an impressive 29:08.8. Jensen told me the race was extremely hard, but he almost cooked. We will look out for that next year. Behind Jensen was Zach Coren. Or wait, was Zach first? I hope they gave the bibs to the right people. Just kidding! Great race, Zach! He finished in a time of 29:51.9. He was proud of his control on the hills, though they were still brutal. Zach had a great weekend just like everyone else! Up next was Alex Demas, who penciled in time to race amidst his nap/ ignore everyone schedule. He thought the experience was horrible and his back hurt from carrying the team for so long. Alex was a ray of sunshine in the Rosenmobile and I am missing our laughs together. Up next was Brendan Graven, who crossed the line in 31:34.6. Brendan did not particularly enjoy this race, probably because it wasn’t held at the Arboretum. Bring it home for us next year. Robert Henkel and Max Boughner were next. Robert just barely eked out the win with a time of 33:54.6. I stand corrected on my previous statement; Robert also PRed! Robert had a fun time during the race, though he would have preferred not to inhale dust at the bottom of each hill. Robert will be poised and ready to show those hills who’s boss if we ever return to Hershey (please NIRCA, somewhere closer next year). Max Boughner finished in 33:55.5, ending his first ever cross country season on a great note. Fun fact, Max mostly eats milkshakes and refuses to eat Taco Bell and Chipotle. Don’t take him there! Max capped off his season with what he called his best effort to date. Great job Max, and thanks for the Instagram follow!

After awards, we headed over for some sweet fun at Hershey World or whatever it’s called. The World of Chocolate ride was a major hit, and many of us loaded up on chocolate and candy for the ride home. After that, it was dinner nearby, then a 2.5 hour van ride to our next hotel. Saturday night consisted of either immediate sleep, or cards and slushies in the lobby. The next morning, we left early for the rest of the long trek back to Champaign. Overall, it was such a great weekend of racing and bonding with the team. Though the course wasn’t the fastest, it was a true test of the human spirit. Some of us got better grades than others. Thanks again to all parents who drove and members of the board who made this weekend happen. I am sad this season has ended, but grateful for all of the memories I made.

Phew, that was a lot. I am sure most of you just search for your own names, but I hope you enjoyed that recap and my others this season! It has been such a joy getting to serve as Webmaster this fall. I am not sure what the future holds, but I will maybe be back next season for more. If not, I am sure the torch will be passed to a tech-savvier, funnier, more enthusiastic individual after me. Regardless, you all are in good hands.

Peace, love, and prosperity,
Emma Berg

PHOTOS: https://photos.app.goo.gl/m3k53YGPYqNgez4n7

Dear loyal readers,
WE RACED REGIONALS! No, we did not get to host this year (sorry Brendan), but we were very excited about racing in a new place. Our regional meet was held in Iowa City, a short 3 hours and 40 minutes from Champaign. The physical distance between us and the course meant this was an overnight meet, so we left on Friday afternoon and began our drives out West. Nearly every car stopped at an Olive Garden along the way, except the late van that opted for the restaurant Gabe I used to frequent! We all filled up on breadsticks, pasta, and burritos, fueling ourselves for race day! Everyone slowly trickled into the Coralville Quality Inn. Special shoutout to Laine for seamlessly organizing our hospitality every time. We appreciate you! After some trips to get sweet treats and some bonding in the hotel, our athletes headed to bed to get rest before the big day.

The next morning alarms went off at 0600 and we inundated the breakfast buffet with orange and blue. Once everyone had eaten and caffeinated themselves, it was time to brave the cold and make the quick drive over to Ashton Cross Country course. We effortlessly figured out where to go, hauled the tent, tarps, and spike bags over to the team camp area, and got settled. We had some fun doing hair, taking photos, and desecrating the porta potties. Shortly, it was time for the women to get their bibs and start warming up.

The first race of the morning was the women’s 6K. As the sun rose over the treeline, the frost began to melt, creating some slippery spots, but also illuminating the beautiful fall foliage. After a short preview of the course, which begins with the world’s longest downhill straightaway, the women suited up and began warmups. Expectations were high, especially considering the perfect weather and rolling hills. Coach Ethan inspired us with some words of wisdom, specifically about trying to get around those wearing red. After a spirited ‘IXC’ chant, we ran back to the starting line and got ready to run. If I may insert a personal opinion, this was the best cross country course I have ever run. There were some relatively steep inclines, but they were short and always followed immediately by a downhill recovery. Maybe it was the crisp air, sunshine, or complete lack of wind, but something about this course really did it for me.

Anyways, let’s get into how our ladies team did. They placed second overall with 54 points (I think it was 54 points). Up first was Aubrey Chaney, who finished in a time of 23:07. Aubrey said this was a great return to racing after about a year off, and she thought it was super fun. Aubrey placed 5th overall and got a super sick medal! Also placing in the top ten was Joy Dudley, who got 7th place and ran a time of 23:14. Joy felt awesome during her seasonal PR race and loved the course. We will miss her Nats for sure! Up next was Claire Casiello, who placed ninth and ran a time of 23:36. This was technically a PR for Claire since Auggie was a little long, and she said she felt like she gave it her all. She would like to thank the Rock Island Olive Garden for sponsoring this performance (legend has it Claire once ran an Olive Garden out of breadsticks…) Up next was Bridget Brokaw, who had a legendary cheer squad come out to see her massive PR. Bkay ran a time of 24:17, absolutely smashing her previous best. I am so proud of you Bridget! Up next was Lenny Sterritt, who ran a time of 25:16. Lenny did not have much to say to me about her race, but she was fueled by Albanese gummies (CANDY NOT ANYTHING ELSE) and seemed to enjoy the day. We hope Lenny can join us for Nats. Up next was IXC’s biggest fan, Anna Jablonski. TBJ floated up those hills and finished with a time of 25:40. Thanks for coming Anna, it would not have been as fun without you! I (EMMA BERG) finished after Anna with a time of 25:51! I was relieved to be capable of running faster than Augustana, and I seriously had such a great time. I am so grateful for this awesome team!!!! Right behind me was Anna Zlatic. Anna and I agreed that our little pack was super helpful during this race. Anna (not Anna), ran a time of 25:55, a lifetime PR! Yay Anna! Up next was Suhani Peramanu, who described her race as terrible due to her ‘non-functional’ legs. Luckily, Suhani is Suhani, and she was able to laugh about it as she enjoyed her chorizo scramble hold the chorizo, queso, and eggs. Suhani is deserving of the best race ever, so hopefully she will find that at Nats. She ran a super respectable time of 26:02. Up next was Annika Luthe, who ran a time of 26:44. This is allegedly a 3 second PR, which is the best amount of time to PR by. She felt really good and enjoyed the race experience. Finishing just behind Annika was Sam Anderson. Sam ran a time of 26:44 also! Sam said it was a fabulous experience. She was a great roommate also, even offering us her second chocolate croissant. Great work Sam! Up next was Hannah Madla, who ran an amazing time of 27:13. This was yet another PR for Hannah, but she felt like she had more in her. To PR and still feel like you’ve got something in the tank is a rare occurrence. I can’t wait to see how she does at Nats (assuming she is going)! Up next was Lia Tondeva, who finished with a time of 27:28. Lia PRed, was super happy with the temperature, and just had a really fun time overall. Behind her was another one of my roommates, Mira Bhimani. Mira has been such an awesome addition to the team this year. She ran yet another PR and finished with a time of 30:46. She said she felt strong and executed her race plan beautifully. Rounding out the women’s team was Piper Rieger, who ran a time of 34:54. Piper said it was far better than Augustana, though she still struggled to breathe at times. However, she said she didn’t haul ass to Iowa for nothing, so she finished her race strong. It was such a great day of racing for these hard working women. I am so proud of each and every one of them and extremely grateful to call them my teammates.

Up next was the men’s race at 10:00! The guys ran the same route as the women, but with an additional half lap. After some extremely vivacious cheering for their female teammates, the men suited up in their neon shorts and donned their racing bibs. After the usual warm run and dynamics, Coach E called the huddle. He got the team riled up and ready to show the Great Plains region what we’re all about here at Illinois! The guys ran back to the start line and through the tunnel of jazz hands. Shortly after, the gun went off and the race began. The men also finished in second place!!! Let’s dive into individual performances.

Up first, the regional champion, our esteemed coach, Ethan Forsell. When I asked Ethan before the race if he was going to win it, he humbly said there was a chance, but that he’d have to fight a few others for that title. In the end, he led from the gun to the finish line. Ethan showed some serious grit, strategically competing to a time of 25:28. Up next was Percy Moser. Percy overcame a slew of obstacles prior to the meet, including but not limited to: 45 minutes of sleep two nights prior, a sore back from his training workout (?), and the inability to make left turns. In the end, Percy pulled through and fought his way to a sixth place, medal-earning finish of 26:03. Great job Percy and thanks for queuing Slipknot the whole way home! Up next was Sam Lambert. When asked about his race, Sam said he is quote ‘happy to be alive’. While I am not entirely sure what to make of this statement, I do know that Sam raced wonderfully and has continued to be a valuable addition to the squad. Sam ran a time of 26:23. Just behind him was Thomas Harmon, who finished in 26:30. Thomas believes this is a PR (something I could look into but saying it’s a PR is always the right answer), and felt great during this race. He earned his medium rare steak after that! Up next was Albert Szewczyk, who has continued to dip nearer and nearer to his PR! He was excited to break past the 27 minute barrier for the first time this season, and is optimistic about that lifetime PR at Nats. Way to go Albert! His time was 26:55. Up next was Maxwell Maloney, who asserted his position as our sixth fastest runner. He said it was a good race, a great PR, and he couldn’t be more excited for Nats in a few weeks! Max’s time was 27:04. Up next was Easton Rosen, who finished in 27:31. While this wasn’t Easton’s favorite race of his life, he is grateful to have gotten the bad day out of his system. Onwards and upwards; I love that positivity! After Easton was Simon Hildy, who finished in a time of 27:47. Though he did not achieve his goal of breaking 206 bpm during the race, he loved the course and had a super solid performance. I think 207 is in the cards for Nats. Up next was James Stanley. This was James’s season debut after some time off due to injury. He surprised himself with how well he did and was very happy with his time of 27:55. All the chicken and rice is paying off. Up next was Quinn Born. Quinn was fueled by the support of his family and had an awesome (seasonal) PR. Quinn loved the course and terrain so much he decided to stay in Iowa. I bet the people in his car appreciated the extra room on the way back. He finished with a time of 28:27. Up next was Alex Demas, who really wanted to beat Quinn but fell two seconds short of that goal. Alex still said he felt great and enjoyed the race. He finished in a time of 28:29. You’ll get him next time! Up next was Gabriel Inojosa, who also was gunning for Quinn during the race. Though he didn’t beat Quinn, Gabe still had a huge PR of 28:32, and told me he was looking forward to refreshments after the race. Up next was Zach Coren, who was shocked with his excellent performance. Zach ran a time of 29:19 and absolutely loved the course. Great work Zach! Up next was Brendan Graven, who was very happy to be back to racing after a short hiatus. Considering his previous health status, Brendan’s time of 31:09 is seriously respectable. Kudos to Brendan. Up next was Aidan Farrell, who finished in a time of 31:30. Aidan described his racing experience as fantastic and came away with a shiny seasonal PR. Up next was Nick Kwentus, who appreciated the scenery and the rolling hills of the course. Overall, he enjoyed the experience and finished with a time of 31:57. After him was Mauricio Marin, who finished in 32:52. Mauricio said he did a great job of maintaining consistency and felt like he gave it his all! Great job Mauricio. Up next was a dynamic duo of Farooq Hamza and Max Boughner. These two had big plans for sub-35, and absolutely blew that goal out of the water. Farooq completed his first ever 8K race in 33:05, and Max was just behind him in 33:07. There’s nothing like having someone to chase down! Great job to those two on a fantastic performance. Up next was Robert Henkel, who finished with a time of 33:13. Robert said his race went well and this was a PR for him. Rounding out the men’s team was Aidan Markiewicz, who had fun, and wants to leave it at that. Aidan ran a time of 35:29. Overall, it was a majorly successful day with tons of PRs all around. Although the men fell short of the overall title, they still put up a great fight and showed serious toughness out there in Iowa. I can’t wait to see what Nats holds for these athletes.

Both the men and women’s teams placed second overall and we had plenty of PRs and medals won. It was a great day to be an Illini!

After the awards ceremony, we packed up camp and drove to the Foundry Food + Tap for some grub. They handled our volume of athletes with ease, and everyone found something to pique their interest. Then it was just a short (long) drive back to campus. The scenery on the way home was so beautiful with the golden sunlight shining on the transitioning trees. Coming from someone that gets sick of driving, this journey went by far too fast. I wish I could do it all again.

Alright, that is all from Emma for today. I look forward to returning after Nationals. See you in Hershey, Pennsylvania!!!!

Warmest regards,
Emma Berg

Photos Link (I did not weed through the pictures due to laziness) https://photos.app.goo.gl/TpW81fPeKGp5MPdcA

Photos Link: https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipOVrpzoHTzN96Gc_RTi8aPFI0h_P8jDnglekgWNs2FHGjhHUmWS5KiBTonUw1imdg?key=NlVlYmVLb0F6amoyVHhWMUl6ZjdRdmFmWGNuQW13

Thank you Anna Zlatic and all associated photographers for capturing our athletes in their element!

Welcome back to illinitrackclub.com, we are so glad you’re here. Today I am coming at you with a rundown (pun intended) of our most recent meet, the Irish Invitational. Hosted by Notre Dame and located at Madeline Bertrand County Park in Niles, Michigan, this meet was an exciting stop on our Tour de Midwest (you’re next, Iowa!!!) This was the second year ND has hosted the meet and IXC’s very first time participating, so our athletes were stoked to see what the day had in store. Coach E had described the course as wooded and flat, so hopes were high. Athlete turnout was pretty epic this weekend, especially with everyone’s legs likely still tired from their efforts at Auggie last weekend. A chill week of easy runs and a light speed session helped our runners recover and prepare for a pretty astonishing showing at this meet.

It was another early departure today (curse you Eastern Time). Luckily all of our dedicated athletes were tucked into bed by 8pm, with visions of morning runs dancing in their heads. People really showed out in the vehicle department, and we even had someone who was not even racing haul a couple athletes up north (THANK YOU Alexandria Pos!) From what I have heard, the drives were relatively uneventful, albeit slightly long. It was a gorgeously sunny morning for a cross country meet. The trees have begun to change, and the air feels crisper. You simply cannot beat fall cross country races!

Our ladies’ team was racing first, so they suited up quickly after arrival. They embarked on a quick warm up/ mini tour of the course. After getting their bearings and their blood flowing, it was time for the classic pre-race drills, strides, and huddle. The inspiring words from Coach E must have really lit a flame in each of our athletes, because the women of IXC took home an exciting FIRST PLACE FINISH! Hey @CRCoachesPoll, does this move us up a spot or two?? With just 26 points, the women absolutely blew the competition out of the water. Our athletes are straight up fierce. Finishing first for the women was senior Claire Casiello, who had yet another great race. She enjoyed the scenery and terrain, though she was slightly confused on how to navigate the new course. Regardless, she was excited the course was a true 6K, and she totally impressed me with her time of 24:07.1. Right after Claire was Joy Dudley, who placed third with a totally impressive time of 24:13.00. In 6th place was your president, Bridget Brokaw. Bridget’s hard work this season is beginning to pay off! She ran a super speedy 25:34.20. I can’t wait to see how the post season goes for miss Bkay! Up next was Lenny Sterritt. She has proven herself already as a powerful asset to the team. She ran a time of 25:50.70. Well done Lenny! Up next was the legendary Anna Jablonski. Jablonski proved to us all how much she loves cross country by showing up and showing out at this meet. She ran a time of 26:06.20. Great job TBJ. Up next was Suhani Peramanu. Suhani told me things just didn’t come together for this race, but that’s okay. Not every day is perfect! I am proud of her nonetheless. She finished in 26:51.00. Up next was Anna Zlatic. Anna cut lots of time from last week and finished with a time of 27:07:00. She said it even felt more like a tempo run! Right behind her was Alyson Ficca, who took a day off from her $10,000 road bike to remind herself how fun cross country is. She had a great race, finishing in a time of 27:35.30, even after not doing a workout for the last seven months. What a comeback!  Finishing with Alyson was Sophia Libman, who I somehow see running every single day. Even just a hello from Sophia is enough to brighten anyone’s day! She ran an impressive 27:35.60. Up next was Hannah Madla, who has steadily shaved time off her 6K each week. She finished the race in 28:10.00. Sub 28 at regionals! Next up was Lia Tondeva, who finished in 30:33.30. Lia always has a great attitude about running. Behind Lia was the birthday girl, Mira Bhimani! Mira cut a whole minute off from last week, finishing in 31:12.90. What an awesome way to spend your birthday!!!!! Lastly for the women was Piper Rieger, who also cut many minutes off from last weekend and finished with a super speedy time of 34:56.60 Well done ladies! This was such a standout day for many of our athletes. To perform this well on a tricky course and with a small field of competitors is truly remarkable. I can’t wait to see what Regionals holds for us!

Onto the men’s race. I feel it is appropriate to address the unfortunate truth: the course was short. Like, notably short. See Mikey, it happens to the best of us. By the looks of it, this was closer to a 7.5K race, but honestly that last half kilometer must really suck, so we are better off omitting it. On top of that, a winding course led to Illinois’ very own Henry Hornbrook leading a pack slightly further astray. Luckily everyone with him was kind, understanding, and polite in their retellings of the race on Strava. Regardless, cross country isn’t really about times or distances, but rather placement and competitiveness. And compete, we did. It was a double header for IXC, with the men’s team also taking home the FIRST PLACE FINISH. Are you kidding me?? I couldn’t be prouder to be a member of this awesome group of athletes.

Let’s dive into individual performances. Finishing first both in the race and on the team, was our superstar coach, Ethan Forsell. Seriously Ethan, save some for the rest of us. Jokes aside, he has been crushing it this season and finally broke the third place curse. Ethan finished with a time of 24:37.70. Right after Ethan was the iconic Percy Moser, finishing in 24:55.50. This was Percy’s first meet of the 2024 season, and he reminded everyone just how strong he is. Finishing closely behind him was Sam Lambert, who has continued to impress us with his speed and competitiveness. Sam finished in 25:01.70, receiving third place. Continuing in the slew of IXC finishers, up next was Easton Rosen in fourth place. Though he said he may have had something left in the tank (I bet everyone did since the course was short), he still put up a great effort today, working with the pack and beating the first Notre Dame finisher by under a second. Easton’s time was 25:11.60. Rounding out our top 5 today was Isaac Moss. He finished right behind Easton and the ND runner, with a time of 25:13.30. After him was another pack of three more IXC men. First was Maxwell Maloney, who placed 7th with a time of 25:50.60. Next was Thomas Harmon who finished in 25:54.30. Simon Hildy was up next. He had a fun race and finished in 25:55.80. After Simon was Albert Szewczyk, who definitely accomplished his goal of cutting a few more minutes off. We’ll call it a win. Albert’s time was 26:12.60 and he was the last of our team to finish in the top 10. Though these times aren’t necessarily regulation, 9 guys out of the top 10 is 100% legit. Good stuff. Up next was Jensen Bidmead, who was not a huge fan of the course layout and also fell victim to the wrong turn. Though the conditions were not ideal, Jensen still made the best of it and finished in 27:11.70. Just a few seconds behind Jensen was freshman Mauricio Marin, who finished with an impressive time of 27:17.10. Also in that pack was Giovanni Hernandez, who finished with a time of 27:21.10. Zach Coren crossed the line next, with a final time of 27:37.90. Zach beat teammate Alex Demas by just 0.10 seconds! Quite a photo finish. If you can’t do the math, this means Alex finished in 27:38.00. Up next was Henry Hornbrook, whose race I have already mentioned. Henry began leading a group about halfway through the race, then reached an unfortunate fork in the road and made the wrong choice. As Robert Plant said, Yes, there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run, There’s still time to change the road you’re on. Henry and his pack converged with the lead pack and ended up running an indeterminable distance. It’s a learning experience! Henry crossed the line in 27:50.60. Henry admits to taking poor Aidan Farrell with him on this rebellious escapade. Aidan finished right behind Henry with a time of 27:51:00. Up next was Nolan Enright, who made his season debut with a great effort and a finishing time of 28:09.60. Up next was freshman Connor Quadrini. Connor finished with a time of 28:24.60. Next up was Nick Kwentus, who persevered through the questionable conditions and finished his race in 28:56.20. Next was Walter Chang, who ran an extremely impressive 29:11.20. Next up was Max Boughner, who braved the 8K once again and finished in 31:56.20. Cross country isn’t so bad is it?? Rounding out the guys team was senior John Burns, who finished in 33:41.20. Overall, this team blew the competition out of the water. These guys made the best of the difficult course, and created quite the funny story to tell. Sure the times can’t really be counted, but the unity and competitiveness of the team was admirable.

Post race, it was time to GRUBBBBB. Continuing in Culver’s hiatus, the team opted for Chick-Fil-A today. We have really stepped outside of our comfort zone. To be honest, I really want a comprehensive review of the CurderBurger (yeah, it’s back), so Laine, can we please go to Culver’s after Regionals?? With full bellies, the team piled back into their respective vehicles and started the drive home. I heard that Bridget’s 2000 Camry only got 12 miles to the gallon thanks to all that hardware on the way back. Small price to pay for an epic day of racing.

Alright, that is all from me. Now it’s time to ramp up our training for a little bit as we keep building towards Nationals. There will be a nice weekend off from racing before Regionals in Iowa on the 19th (sign up for football volunteering on October 12th, I’ll be there). Like I have said many times, I am so proud of the team’s efforts at the Irish Invite. We are looking sharp, strong, and representing the Illini name well.

Yours truly,
Emma Berg

What’s up everyone?!?! Today I am reporting back about our second meet of the 2024 cross country season, the Brissman-Lundeen Invitational! Better known as Auggie, this is a legendary meet in the world of IXC. Both the men and women’s races consist of multiple laps around the Saukie Island Golf Course. This race is fabled to be flat and fast, so our athletes were hyped heading into it. It had been three full weeks of grueling workouts since our last showing at the Boiler Up Invitational, and most of our returning athletes were itching to shave a few minutes off. Unfortunately, the races were right at the hottest part of the day. Shade was hard to come by on the course and our athletes definitely felt that. We can’t seem to escape the heat at Auggie!

Let’s talk individual performances. Finishing in 4th place was senior Claire Casiello, who absolutely smashed this race with a time of 23:58.2. This was her first official sub-24 race, which was her goal going into today. Goal set, and goal achieved (per usual with Claire!) After Claire was junior Suhani Peramanu, who finished in 25:50.8. Suhani admits she started off too fast and paid the price on tired legs, but she still managed a strong race and a fast finish despite those challenges! Lenny Sterritt made her IXC debut with a super speedy time of 26:09.9. She has been humble about this amazing performance, but I am seriously impressed by her effort and place on the team! Right after Lenny was our president, Bridget Brokaw. Brokaw was motivated by the promise of sparkling water after the race. She was cheered on by her teammates and family, and finished with a time of 26:57.0. Really, I think she was just happy to be included in the women’s race this go around. After Bridget was our Gender Minority Captain, Anna Zlatic. Anna executed her race plan flawlessly and finished with a time of 27:34.9. Also shoutout to Anna for trekking all the way to and from Bloomington on Friday night to secure her vehicle for us. Right after her was sophomore Annika Luthe. Annika allegedly fought off a pesky bee and powered her way to a finish time of 28:11.1. Up next was a dynamic duo of Carlin Hass and Hannah Madla. Carlin finished just before Hannah with a time of 28:22.2. Hannah crossed the line in 28:25.9. We love to see our runners work together to make each other better! Finishing next was me (Emma Bergmann)! Though by no means a PR, I had fun getting back into racing after quite the hiatus. I finished in 28:55.4. Mira Bhimani finished 9th for the Illinois women with a time of 32:08. Per her own words, she ‘gave it everything [she] had’. At the end of the day, isn’t that all we can ask of ourselves?? Shortly after Mira was Lia Tondeva. Though this was not Lia’s favorite race ever, she still finished in 32:33.0 and maintained her bubbly attitude. Reiss Christensen finished next in a swift time of 34:01.0. JJ Scheurich made her season debut (and even drove to the meet! Freshman of the year!) and made us proud with her time of 36:29.9. Last but not least was Piper Rieger, who, just like Bridget, was happy to have made it in time for the women’s race. Piper finished her very first official 6K with a time of 37:32.9. Overall, we had a great turnout, everyone was able to run in the race they intended to run in, and we had a few PRs. Our women are definitely a force to be reckoned with. Despite the warm and windy conditions, everyone showed up today and made me proud.

Alright, now it’s time to talk about the men’s race! Our men secured 2nd place with 68 points, beating out many non-club teams! Finishing in 3rd place for the second meet in a row was Coach Ethan Forsell. Ethan showed us that his training plan is extremely effective and cruised to a time of 26:27.7. Shortly after Ethan was senior Adam Gorcyca. Adam made his season debut today and absolutely crushed it. His final time was 26:56.4. In third place for the men was Sam Lambert. He wowed us all with his finish time of 27:20.3. What a great race! Up next was Easton Rosen, who moved up effectively throughout the race and fought his way to a time of 27:33.9. After him was Thomas Harmon, who met us from home this morning for his 27:39.4 8K race! Up next was yet another dynamic duo of Isaac Moss and Maxwell Maloney. Though the heat was a factor, they still managed to elevator an opponent that was swerving in front of them (whatever this means). The two of them finished within seconds of each other, with Isaac barely eking out the win. He finished in 28:03.1 and Max finished in 28:07.4. I can’t wait to see what stunts they pull at the next race! Max Henige ran his first 8K ever, making it an automatic PR. Though he felt it was not his best race, he still finished looking spry, placing eighth for the men with a time of 28:18.7. Up next was junior Adam Lupatkin, who ran a course PR with a finishing time of 28:22.0. Adam was super happy with this result as it was his first race in a while. Consider that rust busted. Up next was transfer Albert Szewczyk. Though he did not beat his lifetime PR, he still shaved considerable time off of his last 8K. He finished just under 29 minutes with a time of 28:59.7. Just after Albert was Simon Hildy. As far as I can tell, Simon felt the effects of the blistering sun and relentless winds. His heartrate soared, but so did his drive (I don’t know?). Simon finished this race in 29:04.8. Go Simon! Up next was Morgan Frederick. Morgan both broke the 30-minute barrier and PRed! What more could you ask for? He fought through the middle miles and finished with a time of 29:09.4. Next we have a little bit of a mix-up. The results will tell us that Zach Coren finished next, but it was actually freshman Jon Wool running in his place. Jon escaped his pledge duties for an afternoon and returned to the IXC community. He ran 29:13.7. Great job to both Zach and Jon for this shared achievement. Crossing the line next was Quinn Born. Quinn finished in a humble 29:45.4. He felt that the experience could have been worse, but really was just looking forward to lunch at Arthur’s afterwards. Our last athlete to finish under 30 minutes was Alex Demas. This was his second meet with us, and he ran an astonishing time of 29:54.5. Gabe Inojosa had his season opener today, finishing with a time of 30:00.9. Right after Gabe was Alan Perez. Alan really embraced the suck today, fighting illness and racing to a time of 30:21.5. Alan said that the race got harder and harder-a truly thoughtful insight. Next up was Nick Kwentus, who ran an amazing time of 32:47.9. It’s been great having him back around this season! Up next was Connor Quadrini, who got some last minute coaching advice from 15hunna on Friday night. That wisdom pushed him to a finish time of 32:58.8. Next up was Henry Hornbrook. Henry passed the cheer squad with a smile each time! He finished in 33:58.9. Max Boughner made quite the jump in racing today. This was his very first cross country meet EVER!. After running 800s and miles throughout high school, he decided try a season of cross. He killed this first 8K, finishing with a time of 36:26.4. The guys really showed out today! Not every club could place so well among NCAA teams. I am super proud of these efforts!!!

Alright, that about does it. Special shoutout to our amazing photographer and videographer, Laine Hackmann. She captured most of these images and cheered us on with an infectious smile. Augustana is always something that our returners look forward to. Though the conditions weren’t ideal, we still had some PRs. The most important thing is that we had fun! And we all enjoyed lunch at Arthur’s afterward! They run a tight ship around there and it was a great mix-up from our usual Culver’s routine.

Okay, that is all from me! I will be back next weekend to recap Notre Dame. Let’s all rest up and enjoy the easier week coming up.
Godspeed,
Emma

Link to photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/NAo5VawN3A3FdB8T9 (I hope this works)

Hi readers! We have officially kicked off our 2024 Cross Country racing season with an impressive showing at the Boiler Up Invitational. We met nice and early on Saturday morning, piled into our respective cars, and drove (with varying levels of success) to Lafayette, Indiana. The warm and somewhat blinding glow of the sun poured through the windshield, adding some excitement to the drive. When most of us finally arrived at the course, it was a bit of a trek to the camp, procuring some grumbling from the team members who had to carry the tent (thanks Simon and Brendan!) The hill we set up on was the perfect foreshadowing to the topographical nature of the course. It was so exciting to see the brand new tent get some serious action. Huge shoutout to Coach Ethan for providing us with this major upgrade!

Our runners suited up in their uniforms and bibs, and the women began to warm up soon after arrival. We had a small but mighty showing on their side, with eight athletes competing in this race. After the active warm up, a stride, and some inspiring words from Coach E, the ladies toed the line and the gun went off. They busted their rust with some amazing performances and an overall outstanding effort. Receiving the third place award was sophomore Joy Dudley, who just barely missed the sub-25 mark with her time of 25:01. Up next was Claire Casiello in ninth place, with a time of 25:53. Claire had unfortunately left her spikes at home, but still managed a great race and a substantially faster time than last year’s Purdue race. Coming in next was the iconic Suhani Peramanu, who finished in a brisk 26:31. Finishing fourth for University of Illinois was the smiliest runner I have ever met, Sophia Libman! She ran an impressive time of 28:23 and had fun while doing it. After that was a dynamic duo of returning runner Lia Tondeva and newbie Hannah Madla. Lia barely eked out the win in their dash to the finish, with a time of 29:04. Hannah crossed the line in 29:05, completing her very first 6K on the IXC team! Right behind them was sophomore Annika Luthe, who majestically ran her way to a finish time of 29:23 while rocking some awesome shades. The final Illinois finisher in this race was junior Mira Bhimani, who had an outstanding first race as a member of the team. She completed the 6 kilometers in a brisk 33:15, and looked strong throughout. Overall, it was an epic race and each of these women fought hard up and down the numerous hills. The women placed third overall with a score of 68 points.

Now, a brief aside to talk about our talented, organized, and supportive president, Bridget Brokaw. Bridget kindly offered to be a driver for this meet. Due to unfortunate circumstances and a mistake that could happen to anyone, Bridget and her four passengers did not arrive at the meet when the rest of us did. Curse Google Maps and its copy from clipboard feature! After a quick detour, that squad realized the McCormick street address they entered was not where the meet was held. Fortunately, this level headed bunch realized they could still make it on time for the men’s race, and Bridget gallantly chauffeured her passengers up to Lafayette. They arrived with plenty of time to spare, and all three female passengers decided to break the glass ceiling and join in on the men’s 8K.

Okay, now back to the races! The men’s 8K started at 10:30 am and we had quite the pack for this race. From baby freshmen to wise seniors, the breadth of ages and levels of experience was wide. After a jog, the usual pre-race drills, and a quick huddle, the guys’ team was off. Bridget Brokaw, Sam Anderson, and Piper Rieger joined the box with their male teammates, opting to follow the men’s course but stop after the usual 6K distance. Bridget finished her 6K in a smoking 26:05, an especially fast time considering the men’s course includes more trips up one of the brutal hills. She was cheered on by her supportive parents and teammates, as well as confused onlookers. After her, Sam finished with an amazing time of 27:50. This was an impressive, and once in a lifetime, first IXC racing experience for her. Piper enjoyed the beginning of her race but ended up deciding to just cheer her teammates on (she needed Culver’s ASAP!!!) She made the best of the turbulent day and bravely ran among the men at her very first college race. These three ladies were truly inspiring in their perseverance and positive spirit. None of them let these troubles stop them from running the course and showing up for themselves. While it is great material for a Nats rap (sorry Bridget, you’re going to get flamed), it was also a test of their true spirits as athletes. In my mind, they all aced it!

Moving onto the men’s results. It was quite a day for all of our athletes. Our first finisher was Coach Ethan Forsell, who did not let those Purdue guys intimidate him. Ethan proved that his training plans are working and placed third with a time of 26:37. Right behind him was junior Simon Hildy, who surprised himself with his speedy time of 27:30. Simon placed ninth, earning him a spot on the podium and an awesome souvenir certificate. Right behind Simon was fellow junior Thomas Harmon, who finished in 27:35. Less than a second behind him was our friendly social coordinator, Easton Rosen. Easton kicked his season off with a strong 27:36 finish. Freshman Max Maloney made his IXC debut with a time of 28:08. He is sure to break 28 at Augustana in a few weeks. Up next was a grad student who ran club at Delaware, Brendan Jones. Brendan will be running the Chicago Marathon in October, but made time in his training schedule for a quick 8K. He finished in 28:14. We can’t wait to hear the marathon time! Rounding out the top seven was another freshman, Jon Wool. Jon blew his sub-30 goal out of the water with a time of 28:34, a seriously respectable time given the hilly course. Up next was Alan Perez. After Alan was our most frugal treasurer, Quinn Born. Quinn ran an astonishing time of 29:28, and would want me to mention here that everyone needs to pay their dues (Venmo @ILXclub)! Next up was another freshman Jensen Bidmead, who finished right behind Quinn in 29:29. Jensen did an awesome job in his first 8K of his college career. Next up in the freshman pack was Giovanni Hernandez, who finished right behind Jensen in 29:36. Seconds behind Giovanni was Alex Demas, another ‘28 runner who crossed the line after 29:42. Continuing the freshman train was Morgan Frederick, who just barely missed the 30 minute mark with a final time of 30:01. I bet the course was a little long anyways. These guys did a great job representing Illinois and the Fighting Illini spirit! Up next was our home meet (or lack thereof) coordinator, Brendan Graven. Brendan kicked off his sophomore season with a time of 30:13. After him was returner Nick Kwentus, who finished in 30:48, a seriously impressive time. Up next was Albert Szewczyk, a former Harper College runner. Albert busted some rust after some early-summer injuries and finished with a time of 30:54. After Albert was yet another freshman, Mauricio Marin. Mauricio braved the 8K and its many hills, and finished with a time of 31:46. Right behind him was fellow freshman Connor Quadrini, who completed his first IXC race in a time of 32:18. Next up was Walter Chang, who finished just after Connor in 32:22. After him was everyone’s favorite crown-wearing runner, Henry Hornbrook. Henry just barely missed the sub-33 mark with a time of 33:01, but seemed to enjoy the race nonetheless. Next up was junior Aidan Farrell, who ran a speedy 33:04 for his first race of the season. Just after him was Raymond Zhang, a freshman who started his club career off strong with a time of 33:07. After him was Isaac Brooks who completed his race in 34:53. Next up was Max Boughner (we have a million Max’s on this team now), who ran an impressive 37:30. Next up was David Cano, who eked out a sub-38 time of 37:59. Shortly after David was Robert Henkel, who successfully finished his race in 38:18. Rounding out the men’s team was Charley Hoppis, who ended with a time of 41:57. The men finished second overall to Purdue, scoring 47 points.

After a great morning of racing and many podium finishes, the team pulled up the Culver’s (they hate to see us coming) for some well deserved grub. With some custard and butterburgers in their tummies, our tired teammates piled back into their cars and headed back to Champaign. I assume most everyone (aside from the drivers) napped on the way back. Overall, the Boiler Up Invite was a great way to kick the season off and let our athletes get a feel for racing. We have three whole weeks until our next competition at Augustana, and I am confident that will be a great day. Thanks to everyone who raced and cheered at this meet! You all are such a fun crowd and I loved the energy.

Cheers, 

Emma 

Today is a great day!

Do you want to know why? Our women’s team is officially NATIONAL CHAMPIONS for the THIRD year in a row! The men’s team also did awesome, fighting fierce competition to finish 3^rd place overall for the SECOND top three finish in a row! That’s right, in case you missed it, this past weekend, April 6th-7th, we went to the NIRCA Track and Field National Championships in Richmond, Virginia, where we fought hard, and came out incredibly victorious! Without further ado, let’s dive right into these monumental nationals!

As usual, let’s start things off with the women’s 100m dash. Ari Afolabi, in an incredible display of speed, ran a 12.61 in the prelims, and then smashed that time to run a 12.49 in the finals, claiming a 2^nd place finish! Melissa Aninagyei-Bonsu was close behind, actually beating Ari in the prelims with her time of 12.46, but Ari edged her out during the finals, with Melissa’s incredible time of 12.61 earning her a 4^th place finish. Ninawa Odicho may have barely missed the qualifications for finals, but she still ran an awesome time of 12.89 to earn a 10th-place finish. Next up was Bella Brunke, who went out and ran a speedy 13.53, just barely holding off her fellow teammate Christina Jordan, who came in just a few milliseconds behind with a 13.69. Sumin Cho started her Saturday with a great performance, running a 14.45. Leah Wilson came out and had a similarly great day, running a speedy time of 15.29. Closing us out was Christina Li, who ran a great time of 15.29. 

You’ll never guess who won on the men’s side. It was, of course, Mr All-American himself Tyler Klein, who sailed through the prelims with a winning time of 10.89, and then left the competition in the dust with his time of 10.53 in the finals, setting a NEW NIRCA RECORD in the process! Nic Soto wasn’t about to let Tyler steal all of the glory, his time of 11.20 earned him a direct trip into the finals, where he improved to run an 11.12 to claim 5^th place and a new PR! Our next thee Illini ran in a super pack, all within .1 seconds of each other. John Green led the pack with his superb 11.44, Michael VanHootegem was close behind with his time of 11.48, and Adam Adil closed out this speed trio with his time of 11.53. Ethan Hung took a break from his awesome Insta Takeover to go out and run an even awesome 11.76. Ryan Fredericks improved on his time from last week by 0.2 seconds to run a 12.02. Sean Vibhatasilpin had a similarly great day, running a time of 12.15. The next two athletes came in just milliseconds apart, with Sanyu Kumaran running a 12.44 to just barely come ahead of Tanav Palisetti with his time of 12.52. Brandon Perruquet closes us out with a speedy time of 13.46, a great way to end an event full of great times!

For the 100m hurdles, we had 3 women compete, and they dominated the competition, all finishing in the top 4! Ari Afolabi once again led the group, running an incredible time of 15.43 to claim 1^st place, finishing over 0.5 seconds in front of the second-place runner. That second-place competitor was closely followed by Christina Jordan, who came in with an amazing time of 16.24 for a 3rd-place finish. Brooke Bouwens rounded out this speed trio with her own awesome time of 17.12 to claim 4^th place!

The men’s 110m hurdles shared a similar story of domination. Ben Cooper led for the Illini, with his incredible time of 15.64, only missing 1^st place by 0.1 seconds while running in a slow heat and placing him in 2^nd place overall with a new PR. Michael VanHootegem was just milliseconds behind, with his amazing time of 15.74  earning himself 3^rd place overall and a new PR. Matas Carmichael wasn’t far behind, running an awesome time of 17.48 to close out this awesome event group!

Moving on to the 200m, Ninawa Odicho had a great day in this event, running 26.70 in the prelims, and beating that time with a time of 26.64 in the finals to claim 6^th place! Ari Afolabi continued her winning streak in this event as well, with her time of 26.88 to earn a 10^th place finish, finishing just milliseconds ahead of her teammate Melissa Aninagyei-Bonsu, who finished in a time of 27.14. Lucca Bibbey also had an awesome day, running a 28.09. Closing us out was Sumin Cho with a great time of 31.04, coming in just barely ahead of her teammate Christina Li, who finished in a speedy 31.56. 

For the men, it was once again the Tyler Klein show, who ran an incredible 21.73 in the prelims to speed right into the finals, running 21.73 to claim another 1^st place finish! Tyler Vizgirda was close behind, twinning his heat with a speedy time of 22.89 to claim 10^th place. Nic Soto followed close behind, winning his heat as well with an awesome time of 23.04. Matas Carmichael kept up the trend of winning heats with his time of 23.92, just narrowly beating out his teammate Adam Adil with his time of 24.06. Our next two athletes finished just 0.009 seconds apart from each other, with Ben Cooper ultimately coming out on top over Ryan Fredericks, both running a 24.13. Keeping up with the trend, our next two athletes also finished just 0.01 seconds apart, with Sean Vibhatasilpin ending up victorious over Ethan Hung with times of 24.18 and 24.19, respectively. Koen Brown came in close behind, with a great time of 24.43. Yet again, the next two athletes finished within 0.01 seconds of each other, with Sanyu Kumaran running a 25.44 leading over Jacky Lin who ran a time of 25.45. Tanav Palisetti was up next, coming in with a speedy time of 26.09. Brandon Perruquet wraps us up with a speedy time of 27.47. 

The women continued their victory streak in the 400m, where Brooke Bouwens led the women with her amazing time of 1:01.35 to claim a 2^nd place finish. Lucca Bibbey was close behind, running an awesome time of 1:02.32 to claim 6^th place overall and a new PR. Ninawa Odicho finished out the group of top 10 performances with a time of 1:02.92 to earn a 9th-place finish. Brooke Silbernagel fought hard and came out successful with a great time of 1:04.07. Anna Jablonski stuck with her teammate and came out right behind Brooke, running a speedy 1:04.71. Rachel Sakwa wasn’t far behind, running an awesome time of 1:07.45. Reiss Christensen closes out this group of stellar performances with her own speedy time of 1:14.26.

Tyler Klein displayed his speed once again in the 400m, running a stellar 48.90 to claim yet another 1st-place finish! Continuing the domination of the Tylers, Tyler Vizgirda ran an awesome time of 52.54, and on the scoreboard, was able to just edge out the next competitor by 0.001 seconds to claim 10^th place. Ryan Fredericks was up next, running a speedy time of 53.62. Koen Brown followed closely behind Tyler V throughout their heat, finishing just seconds behind with a time of 54.69. Luke Nelson had a great day, running an awesome time of 55.71. Brandon Perruquet also came out and had a great run, running a speedy 1:08.12.

Even with the added challenge of hurdles in the 400m hurdles, our women continued to thrive, with our 2 athletes both finishing in the top 3. Brooke Bouwens led for this event, coming in with an incredible time of 1:07.89, almost 3 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher, to claim 1^st place! Rachel Schaff continued the domination with her time of 1:10.98, running all alone in a slow heat to still claim a 3^rd place overall finish!

Our men fared just as great, with Matas Carmichael running an amazing time of 1:02.14 to claim a 7th-place finish. Michael VanHootegem was just seconds behind, finishing with an awesome 1:08.33.

Speed was definitely on the track for the women’s 800m, where Bridget Brokaw had an incredible time of 2:26.00 to claim 3^rd place overall! Anna Jablonski was close behind, winning her heat and coming in 5^th place overall with her time of 2:27.27. Brooke Silbernagel was close behind her teammates, running an awesome time of 2:29.95. Our last two athletes finished just a second apart, with Reiss Christensen coming out ahead with her time of 2:58.57 over Christina Li’s speedy time of 2:59.50.

The men faced stiff competition, yet still put out great times. James Stanley led the team, sliding under the 2-minute mark with an impressive time of 1:59.43 for a new PR. Henry Hornbrook fought throughout the race, “the beard didn’t quit”, pushing through to run an awesome time of 2:00.24. Easton Rosen went out and crushed the competition, running a 2:01.38, and finishing just 0.5 seconds ahead of Percy Moser, who came in at 2:01.67. Dakota Amar wasn’t far behind, running his own awesome time of 2:04.20 for a PR. Trevor Glancy had a similarly great race, running a speedy time of 2:08.98. Luke Nelson went out and also had a great day, running a superb time of 2:15.18. Jose Ocegueda Zuniga stuck close behind his teammates and finished with a great time of 2:21.05. Gabe Benson closed it out for us, with a speedy 2:42.68.

Only 1 woman was brave enough to tackle the 1500m, Bridget Brokaw was all alone on the track, yet still put out an awesome time of 5:17.74.

For the men, it was an exciting installment of the east coast battles. Last week James came out on top, but this week it was Percy Moser who came out in front with his time of 4:03.63 to earn 6^th place overall. James Stanley was close behind with his time of 4:04.93 to earn 7^th place. Not to be left out of the fun, Easton Rosen was close behind the duo with a time of 4:06.46 to claim a 9th-place finish. Aidan Markiewicz went out and had an epic day, running a great time of 4:31.12. Gabe Benson wraps it up with an awesome time of 5:21.74.

In the 3000m Steeplechase, Suhani Permanu may have been all alone, but she still had a blast, running an awesome time of 12:54.49. 

Moving up the distance, in the 5000m, Claire Casiello led for the Illini, sliding right under the 19-minute mark with an amazing time of 18:59.55. Suhani Peramanu was close behind, finishing with an awesome time of 19:35.44. Alyson Ficca closed it out with a great time of 21:19.02.

For the men, it was all up to Aidan Markiewicz, and he didn’t disappoint, running an awesome time of 17:08.10.

It’s relay time! In the women’s 4x100m, our team composed of Melissa Aninagyei-Bonsu, Brooke Bouwens, Ninawa Odicho and Ari Afolabi put up an awesome fight, and in the end, came in 2^nd place with a time of 50.38. The second team, composed of Chloe Trotter, Sumin Cho, Christina Jordan, and Leah Wilson had a similarly great showing, coming in with a time of 56.81.

On the men’s side, the team composed of Nic Soto, Kevin Saju, John Green, and Tyler Klein rose up from the slow heat they raced in to have an incredible time, running a time of 43.59 and coming in 1^st place overall! The next team, made up of Sean Vibhatasilpin, Matas Carmichael, Jacky Lin, and Koen Brown smashed the competition with a time of 46.50 and finished 10^th overall. The third team was less than a second behind, made up of Sanyu Kumaran, Tanav Palisetti, Adam Adil, and Ryan Fredericks, who won their heat with a speedy 47.17 for an 11th-place finish.

For the 4x400m relay, the women’s team composed of Brooke Bouwens, Bridget Brokaw, Rachel Schaaf, and Ninawa Odicho yet again put up a strong fight, and came in for an awesome 2^nd place overall finish with a time of 4:06.87. The second team, made up of Rachel Sakwa, Brooke Silbernagel, Lucca Bibbey, and Anna Jablonski also dominated in that heat and came out with a great time of 4:18.68 and a 5^th place overall finish.

For the men, the first team again absolutely crushed the competition, made up of Tyler Vizgirda, Ryan Fredericks, Nic Soto, and Tyler Klein they came out on top with a time of 3:23.21, 2 seconds ahead of the next competitor to claim a beautiful 1^st place finish. The second team, made up of Koen Brown, Luke Nelson, James Stanley, and Henry Hornbrook crushed the competition as well, winning their heat with a time of 3:33.82. The third team, composed of Matas Carmichael, Sean Vibhatasilpin, Dakota Amar, and Trevor Glancey had an awesome race, running a time of 3:40.46. Closing us out, the fourth team of Jose Ocegueda Zuniga, David Pak, Sanyu Kumaran, and Tanav Palisetti had a great race, coming out and running a speedy time of 4:02.04.

In the last running event of the meet, the 4x800m relay, the women’s team of Anna Jablonski, Brooke Silbernagel, Rachel Sakwa and Bridget Brokaw had an awesome day, running a time of 10:08.85 to claim a 4^th place finish.

With the men, the team made up of James Stanley, Henry Hornbrook, Dakota Amar, and Easton Rosen fought through a tough heat and came out with a stellar 4th-place overall finish with a time of 8:05.31. 

Enough with the track events, let’s get into the field events! Let’s start with the High Jump, it was a huge day for the women’s high jumpers! Christina Jordan led off with an incredible performance, jumping 1.57m (5’ 1.75”) to not only come 1^st place in the event but to also set a NEW CLUB RECORD! Close behind her was Bella Brunke, whose jump of 1.47m (4’ 9.75”) earned her an awesome 5th-place finish. Gwen Bottom rounds us off with a great jump of 1.37m (4’ 6”)

On the men’s side, both of our jumpers had top-10 performances! Jack Tolentino led with his awesome jump of 1.75m (5’ 9”), giving in a 7th-place finish. John Green also jumped 1.75m (5’ 9”), but due to the scoring method used, he was awarded a still awesome 9^th place overall!

In the long jump, it was another record-breaking performance. Melissa Aninagyei-Bonsu came off her strong running performances to jump 17’ 11.5”, a leap big enough to score a 3^rd place finish, in addition to setting a NEW CLUB RECORD! Rachel Schaff was close behind, with an awesome jump of 1’ 7.5” to earn herself 4^th place overall and a PR! Bella Brunke closed out these impressive performances with an awesome jump of 14’ 8”.

For the men, it was all John Green, whose incredible jump of 21’ 11” not only earned him 2^nd place overall but also set a NEW CLUB RECORD! Tyler Klein was close behind with an awesome jump of his own, jumping 21’ 2.25” to earn a 6^th place finish. Ben Cooper had a great day of his own, jumping 19’ 7”. Matas Carmichael wraps up these stellar performances with his super jump of 17’ 6.5”.

In the triple jump, it was again Melissa Aninagyei-Bonsu, whose jump of 39’ 4” set yet another NEW CLUB RECORD, on top of earning another 2^nd place finish! Rachel Schaaf was yet again right by her side, and her jump of 38’ 0” breezed past the competition to earn herself a 3^rd place finish and new PR. Meredith Benzar had a similarly awesome day, jumping 27’ 4.5”.

It was only Tyler Klein in the men’s triple, but he didn’t disappoint, jumping 43’ 3.5” for an amazing 3^rd place finish!

Moving onto the throws, we had another selection of awesome performances! Mia Howard led for the Illini, with her incredible throw of 32’ 5” earning her a 6^th place overall finish! Tiana Foreman was close behind, throwing an awesome 29’ 4” to snag a 10^th place finish. Ivy Del Real wraps up this awesome day with a great throw of her own, throwing 25’ 4”.

On the men’s side, Dan Coxworth threw the shot put an amazing 37’ 6” to claim himself an 8^th place finish. His teammate Jeffrey Lefkowitz was close behind, with an awesome throw of 31’ 6”.

Now we get to end with a special treat, discus! An even more special treat was the awesome performances of our athletes in the discus! Mia Howard had a superb throw of 111’ 5”, earning her a 2^nd place overall finish! Tiana Foreman had a similarly stellar throw, she threw 101’ 4” to earn herself a 5^th place finish! Ivy Del Real wasn’t about to be left behind, and had an awesome throw of her own, throwing 74’ 2”.

For the men, it was yet another record-breaking event. Dan Coxworth threw the discus 144’, claiming a 2^nd place overall finish in addition to a NEW CLUB RECORD! Jeffrey Lefkowitz closes us out with an awesome throw of 102’ 4”.

Whew!

As you can see, there were a ton of incredible performances this past weekend! Once again, all these times and victories added up, with the women’s team winning the national championship, and the men finishing in a competitive third place! As we conclude, I also want to give a huge shoutout to Travel Coordinator Bella Brunke! None of this would be possible without all the work she put into getting the team a 12+ hour drive to Virginia and back with no issues, so huge kudos to all the work she put in!

This may have been our national championship, but we are nowhere close to being done with the track season. Next Saturday, April 13th, we’re heading to Greenville University for the Greenville Select, we’ll see you there!

Until next time,

I-L-L

Meet Results: http://live.crossroadstiming.com/meets/582865/events 

Happy April!

Welcome back to our second meet of the outdoor season. This also marks a very special occasion, we’re only 1 week out until NIRCA Nationals in Virginia! Before we get to that, however, let’s celebrate all the great performances that occurred at the Big Blue Classic at Eastern Illinois University on Saturday, March 29th. Let’s get into it!

As always, we’ll start things off with the women’s 100m dash. Ari Afolabi led off the day with a speedy time of 12.76, earning her an incredible 8th-place finish overall. Brooke Bouwens was close behind her teammate, coming in with a great time of 13.04. Christina Jordan and Lucca Bibbey had a great day and came in right after one another, running 13.84 and 14.24 respectively. Sumin Cho closed out the event with an awesome performance of 14.46.

On the men’s side, Michael VanHootegem led the pack, running a great time of 11.51 to come in 10^th place overall. Our other 3 athletes had similarly awesome performances, and all ended up finishing within 0.4 seconds of each other. Adam Adil led the group with his fast time of 11.85, Ryan Fredericks was close behind with a quick 12.20, and Anthony Stewart closed it out with a speedy time of 12.26

Adding some hurdles to the mix, in the 100m hurdles, it was again a story of Ari Afolabi’s total domination, with her amazing time of 15.10 claiming a 6^th place overall finish. Her teammates were right behind her the whole race, with Christina Jordan running a 17.05 for 10^th place, and Brooke Bouwens just milliseconds behind, running a 17.10 for 11^th place!

The men had an extra 10m to deal with in their race, but that didn’t stop them from destroying the competition. Michael VanHootegem barely beat out his teammate Ben Cooper by 1 millisecond, running a 15.92 to claim 7^th place, beating out Ben’s 15.93, earning him 8^th place.

For the 400, we had only two competitors, but they stuck together and provided fierce competition. Lucca Bibbey and Rachel Sakwa finished just milliseconds apart, with Lucca’s time of 1:03.84 earning her 7^th place, and Rachel’s time of 1:03.98 earning her 8^th place overall.

In the men’s 400m, it was time for the mid-distance runners to shine, led by Thomas Harmon, whose incredible time of 50.28 earned him an 8th-place finish. Tyler Vizgirda was close behind, with his time of 51.30. Ryan Fredericks used his Mid-Distance expertise to narrowly beat out John Burns, running a 52.64 to edge out John’s 52.99. Luke Nelson wasn’t far behind with his speedy time of 53.96, and Issa Fouani wrapped us up with his great time of 1:12.39. 

As a bonus of outdoor track, we get to enjoy a second hurdles event in the 400m hurdles! Today it was all Matas Carmichael, whose awesome time of 1:05.68 earned him a 10th-place finish!

We may have had only 2 women brave enough to compete in the 800m, but that didn’t stop them from having stellar races. Bridget Brokaw led from the start, running a speedy 2:22.34 to claim 3^rd place overall. Brooke Silbernagel was close behind, coming in just seconds behind for a time of 2:27.42 to claim 6^th place!

It was a similar story on the men’s side, where our 2 athletes also went out and crushed the competition. Freshman sensation Dakota Amar ran a speedy 2:04.16 to claim a 6th-place finish, just barely beating out Henry Hornbrook, who ran an awesome 2:06.26 to claim 7^th place.

In the 1500m, Bridget Brokaw was the lone wolf, going out and running an awesome race with a time of 5:11.14.

In another installment of the East Coast showdown, James Stanley once again came out on top, with his incredible time of 4:03.01 to earn 7^th place overall. Percy Moser didn’t let James get too far ahead, coming in close behind with his time of 4:03.72 for 10^th place overall. Issa Fouani had a similarly great run, running a 5:19.77.

Outdoor finally marks the return of the spectator’s favorite event, the 3000m steeple chase. 2 women took on the challenge and crushed the competition. Suhani Peramanu led and had a great day, running a 13:21.46 to claim 6^th place. Lia Tondeva followed close behind her teammate, coming in at 14:39.20 for a 7th-place finish.

Sadly no steeplechase for the men, but we still get to enjoy our distance dominance in the form of the 5000m. Today was all about future distance coach Ethan Forsell, whose time of 15:20.40 earned him a well-fought 10^th place. Adam Gorcyca didn’t let Ethan out of his sight, coming in close behind with a time of 15:31.88. Gabe Inojosa was able to sprint at the end to narrowly squeeze under the 17-minute barrier, running a 16:57.38.

Closing it out for us was our awesome 4x400m relay team, who fought against the fierce competition to run a 4:02.75 for a 4^th place finish overall.

That about sums it all up!

Make sure to tune in next weekend for the most exciting meet in outdoor track and field, the NIRCA Spring Track and Field National Championship at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia on April 6th-7th. We’re expecting a tough fight, but are hoping to continue the winning streak for the women’s team and steal a surprise victory on the men’s side. For up-to-date information, follow along on our Instagram!

Until next time,

I-L-L

Meet Results: https://il.milesplit.com/meets/610325-eastern-illinois-big-blue-classic-2024/teams/51982

Happy March!

Welcome back to the amazing world of club track and field! We kicked off this outdoor season with a small but mighty group of athletes heading to Indiana Wesleyan University for the Polar Bear Invitational on Saturday, 3/23. Let’s dive right in!

Let’s start with the women’s 100m dash, where sprinter extraordinaire Ari Afolabi wowed the competition with an impressive 12.83 to claim 8^th place overall. Christina Jordan was close behind, coming in with a speedy 13.88

For the women’s 100m hurdles, it was again Ari Afolabi leading the Illini, with an awesome performance of 17.04. Christina Jordan was again right on her tail, coming in just milliseconds behind with a time of 17.87. Brooke Bouwens closed out an impressive group with a time of 18.90.

On the men’s 400m dash, it was Koen Brown all alone, yet that didn’t stop him from running a great time of 56.89.

Brooke Bouwens dominated in the women’s 400m hurdles, coming in 6^th place overall with a rapid time of 1:10.73.

Moving on to the distance, Anika Luthe was the sole representative for the women’s distance team, starting the day out with an awesome 3:03.26 time in the 800m dash.

With the men, Easton Rosen led the pack, with an impressive time of 2:02.17, fast enough to earn him a 10^th place finish overall by 5 milliseconds. James Stanley didn’t let Easton out of his sight, coming in just barely behind in with a time of 2:02.86. Aidan Markiewicz had a similarly strong start to the outdoor season with a speedy time of 2:12.40. Gabe Benson rounds it out for us with a superb time of 2:38.77.

For the 1500, it was again Anika Luthe running solo for the women, but she still crushed it and ran a quick time of 6:03.80.

On the men’s side, it was again Easton Rosen out in front, running a speedy time of 4:07.83 to start his outdoor season. James Stanley stuck with Easton and finished just a few seconds behind, running an awesome time of 4:14.78.

In the field event, we may have only had one competitor, but it was still an incredible performance. Christina Jordan was our sole field events person, and she didn’t disappoint, jumping 1.6m (5’ 3”) to claim 3^rd place overall in the high jump!

That about wraps it up for us!

We kept it short and sweet this week, but we’ll be back later this week for the 2-day Big Blue Classic at Eastern Illinois University from Friday, March 29 to Saturday, March 30!

Until next time,

I-L-L

Meet Results: https://in.milesplit.com/meets/586601-iwu-polar-bear-invitational-2024/results

It finally happened!

After months of anticipation and excitement, this past Saturday was the Illinois Club Relays, hosted right here in beautiful Champaign, Illinois. The true highlight of the Indoor Track Season, Club Relays brings in 800+ club athletes to come and compete, making it the largest indoor NIRCA meet! We had over 100 athletes competing in this meet, so make sure to grab your popcorn, and find a comfy place to sit down, this is going to be a long one.

This club relay was truly one for the record books. This marked the 15th year in a row of holding the event, and in conjunction, marked the 15^th year in a row where the University of Illinois was the champion of the meet! In addition, there were many astounding performances, records were broken, PRs smashed, and so much more, let’s get right into it!

Let’s get started with the energizing women’s 60m dash! Today, it was all about Melissa Aninagyei-Bonsu. Melissa showed up a bit late to the heat, and even with a little warmup, she went out and ran a 7.91, coming in 1^st place and setting a NEW CLUB RECORD! Ari Afolabi also didn’t have the greatest start to the day, slipping before the event started, but that didn’t stop her from having an amazing race, running with Melissa for the whole race, and just barely being edged out in the end to run a PR of 7.93 for a 2^nd place finish. Yelim Na may have been a bit rusty when it came to the block start, but the fierce competition led her to a strong PR of 8.87. Sumin Cho didn’t have the greatest start, but she still had a great race, and came in with a 8.92 to PR by 0.01 seconds. Christina Li had a great race as well, tying Sumin with her own time of 8.92, also a PR. Leah Wilson ran a great time of 9.05 to PR, and can’t wait for the rest of the season ahead. Chloe Trotter wraps us up with an awesome time of 9.48, a solid PR.

On the men’s side, it was just as exciting! The man, the myth, the legend Tyler Klein went out and ran a 6.82, casually setting a PR, NEW CLUB RECORD, and NEW MEET RECORD! John Green was up next, and he surprised himself with an awesome time of 7.27 for a great PR. Kevin Saju may have had a bad start but made up for it quickly, setting a season-best with his time of 7.30. Nic Soto was close behind, setting his season best with a time of 7.33. Sean Vibhatasilpin had a good race, with a speedy time of 7.49. Ben Cooper had a lot of fun out on the track, setting a new PR of 7.57. Alexzander Chu didn’t have the best day, sustaining a mild hand injury before the race, yet still running an impressive 7.80. Tanav Palisetti had a great race, running a 7.88 to set a new PR. Sanyu Kumaran may prefer the longer sprints, but he still had a great showing of 7.92. Brandon Perruquet, even without his spikes, was able to run a great time of 8.64, almost tying his previous PR.

Hurdle time, or should I say Ari Afolabi time? Ari had an awesome hurdles run of 8.94, not only setting a PR, but setting a NEW CLUB RECORD, and a NEW MEET RECORD, breaking her previous meet record by 0.07 seconds! Christina Jordan had a similarly awesome day, running a 9.78 to set a new PR for a 7th-place finish. Brooke Bouwens closed it out with a speedy time of 10.00 for an 8th-place overall finish!

Ben Cooper led the men’s side, with an impressive time of 8.91 to claim 2^nd place overall, but he’s still looking to go even faster next time. Matas Carmichael also had a great day, running a 9.32 for an 8th-place finish and a new PR

In true club relay fashion, we skip every other running event and jump straight to the mile! It was a jampacked mile, with 9 heats on the women’s side and 17 heats on the men’s side! Bridget Brokaw led the mile on the women’s side, running a great time of 5:27.20 for 5^th place overall and a new PR. Anna Jablonski was close behind, running a 5:36.14 for a new season PR. Claire Casiello came in right behind Anna with a time of 5:36.60 to set her PR. Evelyn Rowan had an awesome day as well, running a speedy 5:40.26. Shuani Peramanu may not have felt the best, but she still had a great race, running a speedy 5:49.87 to set a new PR and come 2^nd in her heat. Our last three athletes ran together in the heat, coming in within 4 seconds of each other, and each of them ran a PR! They were Courtney Hall with a 6:13.57, Lia Tondeva with a 6:16.27, and Annika Luthe with a 6:17.04.

For the men, it was Distance Coach John Wiser showing off his expertise with a beautiful time of 4:22.95 to claim a 3^rd place overall finish, all while running a new PR! Duo Easton Rosen and James William Stanley were side by side and came in just seconds apart from each other, with Easton running a 4:25.85 for 5^th place and James running a 4:26.08 for 6^th place. Percy William (The Bull) Moser had an awesome race, winning the second heat with a time of 4:26.43, fast enough to boost him to 7^th place overall, just behind James! Thomas Harmon, not to be outdone, ran a speedy PR of 4:28.21 to come third in his heat. Former Distance Coach Spencer Nelson showed off that he still has the distance power coursing through his veins, running a speedy 4:49.29. Henry Hornbrook had an awesome day today, winning his heat with a new season-best time of 4:52.00. Kyle Kenmotsu was close behind his teammate, running a great time of 4:57.45. Brendan Graven, racing on the armory for the first time since high school, had a great race, coming in at 5:00.21, definitely prepared to shatter the 5-minute mark next time he runs! Spencer Kinsey had an awesome day for his first club relays, running a 5:19.94. Gabriel Inojosa didn’t have the best day, but still ran a good time of 5:26.90. Saif Kazmi had a great race today, running a 5:28.58. Nathaniel Lenning, the mastermind behind today’s meet, took a break from running Club Relays to have a run of his own, running an awesome 5:28.61. Gabe Benson had a great sendoff to his final club relays, running a season-best time of 5:44.26. Issa Fouani wraps us up with an awesome time of 5:51.27.

Jumping up in the distance, it’s time for the 3000m! Starting it off is Diane Makovic, whose warmup of listening to Stirfry by Migos 7 times paid off, she ran a 10:42.65 to claim 2^nd place overall in her season debut 3k race. Claire Casiello had an awesome day as well, running a 10:51.73 to come in 6^th place overall, an 8-second PR! Suhani Peramanu had a good day as well, she was 5 seconds off her goal, yet still ran an impressive time of 11:20.77. Emma Bergmann made her 3k debut today, deciding to run this race after being “inspired by the women before me”, running a speedy time of 11:25.62. Alyson Ficca had a great race as well, running an 11:30.64 to set a new PR. Anna Zlatic had a fun race today, keeping it in control to run a 12:18.28. Sophia Stierwalt also made her 3k debut today, running an impressive time of 12:52.38.

On the men’s side, it was Ethan Forsell’s time to shine, fighting through an aggressive heat to run an awesome PR of 8:43.64 for a 2^nd place finish. Lawyer Extraordinaire Will Gravelle ran a fierce race today as well, coming in at 8:51.32 to claim 7^th place overall and a PR. Nolan Enright led his heat from the start, coming in at a speedy time of 9:06.85. Everyone’s favorite teammate Adam Gorcyca didn’t have the best race, but still ran an impressive time of 9:16.25. Trevor Giampa had a great race, running a 9:22.30 for a new PR. Aidan Markiewicz took a break from being an amazing photographer to run an awesome time of 9:58.38, a new PR. Gabe Inojosa wrapped it up for us, with an impressive time of 10:08.37. 

Now, it wouldn’t be club relays without the relays, so let’s dive right in! Let’s start with the SMR, where the women’s team of Ari Afolabi, Lucca Bibbey, Ninawa Odicho, and Annalyssa Crain showed up and dominated the event with an impressive time of 4:33.33 to claim 3^rd place. The other SMR team, made up of Zainab Ibrahim, Sumin Cho, Rachel Sakwa, and Carlin Hass was close behind, with a great time of 4:40.57 for a 4th-place finish

On the men’s side, it was an exciting day, as the relay team made up of Kevin Saju, John Green, John Burns, and Easton Rosen crushed the competition, running an incredible 3:39.32 to claim 1^st place overall! The next team had a similarly impressive time of 3:48.32, this team was made up of Tyler Vizgirda, Matas Carmichael, Ryan Fredericks, and Michael Rizk, coming in for a 7th-place finish. Next up was the team of Koen Brown, Sanyu Kumaran, Tanav Palisetti, and John Bledose, running a speedy 3:59.13 for a 9th-place finish. The next team was David Welte-Hart, Ethan Hung, Braden Cardamone, and Jose Ocegueda Zuniga, who ran a great time of 4:04.41. Closing it out was the final team, comprised of Satyansh Yeluri, Abar Shawkat, Saif Kazmi, and Rayhan Khaja, coming in with a great time of 4:37.08.

In the 4x200m relay, the Illini dominated, as always. On the women’s side, the relay team made up of Melissa Aninagyei-Bonsu, Bella Brunke, Ninawa Odicho and Ari Afolabi recovered from a rough baton handoff to come back from 3^rd place in an exciting finish to claim 1^st place overall, with an incredible time of 1:49.87! The second team, comprised of Sumin Cho, Chloe Trotter, Leah Wilson, and Yelim Na had a great race as well, running a 2:05.57.

The domination continued on the men’s side, where the relay team of Tyler Klein, Nic Soto, Kevin Saju, and John Green, ran an incredibly fast 1:31.51 to come in 1^st place overall! The second team, made up of Michael VanHootegem, Matas Carmichael, Tyler Vizgirda, and Sean Vibhatasilpin also ran an impressive race, coming in at 1:35.80 to claim 5^th place overall. Next up was the speedy team made up of Jacky Lin, Alexzander Chu, Ethan Hung, and Luke Grotthuss, who ran a great 1:39.74. Only milliseconds off their teammates was the team made up of Koen Brown, Ryan Fredericks, Sanyu Kumaran, and Henry Martinez, coming in at 1:39.90. Wrapping it up was the team of David Welte-Hart, Derrick Stokes, Brandon Perruquet, and Tanav Palisetti, running an awesome 1:47.54

A quick reminder about the 4x400m relay at Club Relays. The first heat, or the competitive heat, functions like any other relay. For the remaining heats, it becomes a costume contest, as the teams not only compete to win but also dress up in the wackiest way. To get that started, our championship women’s team, composed of Lucca Bibbey, Brooke Silbernagel, Rachel Schaaf, and Carlin Hass, put on their rainbow tutus for this relay and ran an incredibly speedy time of 4:23.09 to come in 3^rd place overall. Close behind them was the second team, unfortunately, no costume, but they made up for it in speed, as the team made up of Ninawa Odicho, Bridget Brokaw, Anna Jablonski, and Rachel Sakwa ran an impressive 4:25.81 for a 4^th place finish. Next up was the team of fruits and veggies, made up of Reiss Christensen, Emma Bergmann, Lia Tondeva and Claire Casiello, who ran a speedy 5.11:30. Rounding it out the pitbull team, made up of Suhani Peramanu, Anna Zlatic, Alyson Ficca and Molly Braskich, who sped along the track in bald caps and button up shirts as “Hotel Room” blasted from the speakers, coming in at 5:17.65. 

On to the men’s side! For the men, it was the stellar team of Tyler Klein, Nic Soto, Thomas Harmon, and John Burns who sped past the competition with an amazing 3:25.01 to claim 1^st place overall! Close behind was the second team, made up of Ryan Fredericks, Henry Hornbrook, Trevor Glancy, and Antony Rizk, who ran an impressive 3:33.67 to take 4^th place overall. Next up, was the team of Tyler Vizgirda, Matas Carmichael, John Bledsoe, and Ethan Forsell, who dressed up as characters from the Hangover to spring to an epic 3:50.14. Next up was Koen Brown, Michael Rizk, Braden Cardamone, and Luke Nelson, who got together to run a super speedy 4:03.64. After them came the team of Henry Martinez, Alexzander Chu, Matthew Uthayopas, and Tanav Palisetti, coming in at a beautiful 4:13.45. Finally, rounding it out, was the team with a hurdle for a baton, made up of Saif Kazmi, Satyansh Yeluri, Gabe Inojosa, and Rayhan Khaja, who ran a great 4:21.19.

Ending our section on the relays is every distance kids’ favorite, the 4x800m. The women’s team crushed the competition, the team of Anna Jablonski, Bridget Brokaw, Carlin Hass, and Brooke Silbernagel, running an incredible 9:55.74 to claim 1^st place overall! The second team had an awesome race as well, running an 11:20.32 in the team made up of Courtney Hall, Reiss Christensen, Christina Li, and Emma Bergmann.

On the men’s side, it was a fierce competition, yet our team made up of Thomas Harmon, James Stanley, Grant Miller, and Michael Rizk fought strong, coming in a close 2^nd place finish with a time of 7:56.63. The next team up, made up of Braden Cardamone, Henry Hornbrook, Dakota Amar, and John Burns had a great day, running an 8:25.21 to get 8^th place overall. The final team to close us out, made up of Ryan Fredericks, John Bledsoe, Jose Ocegueda Zuniga, and Luke Nelson ran a great time of 9:02.57. 

Field event time! Christina Jordan had an awesome performance today, coming in 1^st place with a 1.60m (5’ 3”)! Bella Brunke had a similarly great day, jumping 1.45m (4’ 9”) for a 4th-place finish. Gwen Bottom closed it out also with a jump of 1.45m (4’ 9”), setting a new PR.

For the men, Jack Tolentino had a great jump of 1.70m (5’ 7”), coming in 6^th place overall and setting a new indoor PR. Derrick Stokes didn’t have a great day today, but still had an impressive jump of 1.50m (4’ 11”).

It’s story time! Grab some popcorn, and hear about Melissa Aninagyei-Bonsu’s epic quest in the Long Jump. She finished 4^th in the prelims, but felt off her game, even saying “I’m not even going to win this event.” She stuck through and went into the finals, but her first 2 jumps weren’t that great. “I need to lock in”, is what she said, and she did exactly that, jumping an incredible 5.41m (17’ 9”) to set a PR, NEW CLUB RECORD, and NEW MEET RECORD. Rachel Schaaf also had an awesome day, jumping 5.04m (16” 6”), just 10 cm off her PR to come in 4^th place. Bella Brunke had an ok day, jumping a great 4.69m (15’ 4”), claiming 5^thplace overall. Yelim Na, originally left after prelims, not thinking she would make finals. She did make finals, so she had to run back after a relay to jump, and still had awesome jumps, jumping a 4.59m (15’ 1”) to set a new PR and claim 9^th place.

On the men’s side, it was Tyler Klein back on top of the action, jumping an impressive PR of 6.68m (21’ 11”) to snag 2^nd place overall. John Green was close behind, jumping 6.41m (21’ 1”)  to get a 3^rd place finish and come close to his PR. Ben Cooper had a great time, jumping a new PR of 5.94m (19’ 6”). Henry Martinez cut himself before his jump, but that didn’t stop him from having an impressive jump of 5.25m (17’ 2”). Jacky Lin closes us out with an awesome jump of 5.10m (16’ 9”)

Onto Triple Jump, Melissa Aninagyei-Bonsu (once again) took the lead for the team with an impressive jump of 11.35m (37’ 3”) to claim a 2^nd place finish. Rachel Schaaf, even with little training, had an awesome day, jumping an impressive 10.98m (36’) to claim 3^rd place. Ciara Shreeves wrapped up this day of impressive jumps with a jump of 9.53m (31’ 3”), a new PR and earning her a 7^th place finish.

Tyler Klein just can’t stop winning. In his triple jump, he leaped an incredible 13.14m (43’ 1”), coming 1^st place overall, and setting a new PR. Henry Martinez was close behind, with an impressive jump of 11.25m (36’ 11”) for an 8th-place finish.

Let’s head on over to the throws ring for the shot put. Mia Howard led on the women’s side with an impressive throw of 10.03m (32’ 11”), setting a new PR and coming in 2^nd place overall. Tiana Foreman was close behind with an awesome throw of 9.15m (30’), a new PR, and also a 5th-place finish. Ivy Del Real closed out this impressive group with a throw of 8.58m (28’ 2”), also a PR, and claimed 6^th place!

On the men’s side, Daniel Coxworth may have started shaky due to a bit too much caffeine, but that didn’t stop him from having an awesome day, throwing a new PR of 11.77m (38’ 7”) to claim 3^rd palace overall. Jeffery Lefkowitz stayed strong throughout the day, almost matching his PR with an impressive throw of 10.82m (35’ 6”) to claim 4^th place overall. Quinn Rivara had some great throws today, setting a new PR with a throw of 9.89m (32’ 5”) to finish in 6^th place. Austin Simon joined the PR train with a great PR of 9.70m (31’ 10”) to claim 8^th place overall. Frank Chavez had a great day as well, coming out and throwing an impressive 8.22m (26’ 11”). Mid-distance superstar Antony Rizk switched it up to join the throwers today, throwing a great 7.76m (25’ 5”).

Well, that about wraps it all up from this write-up! This was a long one, so thanks for sticking around!

This was a day full of super exciting and awesome performances, and was all possible thanks to the hard work of Nathaniel Lenning, our Home Meet Coordinator! He worked tirelessly, working with both the entire executive board and the event coaching staff to ensure that this meet went smoothly and every athlete had a chance to compete and have fun! Thanks, Nathaniel!

We’re off this weekend, and then it’s spring break! We’ll be back for a few meets in the spring, including most importantly NIRCA NATIONALS, occurring on April 6^th – 7^th in Richmond, Virginia! The full outdoor schedule will be posted soon, so keep an eye out!

Until next time,

I-L-L

Meet Results: https://results.shazamracing.com/meets/30575 

Meet Pictures 

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-Pb_NeQxrh_fpv-i2i6sd1alHCjRRXBm?fbclid=IwAR2DOpyuRj—IZnwYW5_OofvE3hjOIyS6IT1qhi0s9sZ_jkFRE_i9p37vM

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipM0tnNYV0aVcIYUG0PwmQS4L6D-DCyWvdJWZPmW7EYpLk9Zu5LIdahHEBK_G3E91w?pli=1&key=cGdSVHM5eFhlX3ItaXBXSTJiYUpNb3ZXU3kxWEVn