We had a short turnaround from Saturday, but managed to pull together and run strong. Fortifying the varsity with a bit more frosh soph firepower, the Varsity completed the day as runner up to a solid Glenbard South program.
Leading the way for the first time as our #1, Gavin Smith nearly matched his time from County, running 6th with a great kick to finish in 16:55. Nolan Reutimann took :20 off his course PR from 2024 conference to run 17:08, in 13th place. Nathan Kowalczyk pushed up to 15th in the event to secure important points, running 17:20. Gavin Schnurstein was inserted into the lineup yesterday and came through with a :20 course PR to run 17:26 (16th). That pack of four runners was fun to watch!
Drew Gritzner, another late addition to the roster, came through with a :28 course PR to complete our scoring at 19th (ahead of GBS #5) with a time of 17:39. Jack Nevenhoven (without his bib) still managed to get into the scoring system as the 30th finisher at 18:13, also good for a medal and a :12 course PR. Joey Schuch took 32nd, in 18:21, pushing scores on every other team but GBS. Elijah Fiedler continues his farewell tour with another huge PR. This time, he knocks 1:46 off his conference course best time to finish 36th in 18:46.
Ricky Anderson paced Zavier Nothnagel to the finish. Ricky took 44th in 19:11, and Zavier raced to 46th in 19:14. Running in pairs is key for us! Sahel Torres completed his tour at NIU with a good kick and a 20:43 on the clock for 60th. Matt Kray closed out the varsity day for the Knights, running 23:27 for 81st overall.
The Frosh Soph knew they were down a few bodies, but that didn’t stop them from surging up into medal positions in the first mile of the race. You could tell the first time up the hill, if they could hold it, they’d win. We held on!
Mason Stalcup pushed up into 3rd on the second mile and never looked back. He stayed there and ended his run at 18:16. Freshman Will Gritzner helped lead the next wave of Knights that had four more Knights in the top 11 finishers. Will sprinted down the hill and into the chute for 6th overall, running 19:20. He was followed closely, the whole way, by classmate and friend: Aiden Palmer. Palmer finished the course with a personal best time of 19:28 for 8th overall.
Grant Caston was often the glue for this group, early on in the race. Grant took a top 10 medallion at tenth, with a time of 19:31. Gianni Middona was all gas and no brakes in the final 100m to finish right on Grant’s heels, running 19:32 for 11th. Holding these positions in the last mile was crucial, as Sycamore had some pop up front, and their next wave was coming on strong.
Alikye Aniszewski and Gavin Overhaug found one another near the end. Alikye took 34th in 21:45, and Gavin was next to the finish mats in 21:49. Brody Linane was close to his PR mile pace from Saturday, but on a longer course. He ran 22:32 for 40th. Bryce Ehlers teamed up with a Rock Falls runner very well to keep pace and ran 24:12 for 46th in the FS level.
Final Note: The course was LONGER than the conference meet in 2024, so the times might not match up, but the PRs glow even more! Well done, ALL of you.
