Knights Pack Up with :44 Split to take Second at Sycamore, Frosh Soph Team Earns Team Title - Shorthanded

 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.

 

Knights Claim Varsity Team Title at Kane County

 

We made the utmost of a beautiful day on the hill at Settler’s. The Knights amassed 58 points to earn the team title ahead of a talented field. Kaiser and Whildin dominated the front of this championship race pacing the field in 15:22 and 15:29. It was Carson’s first laps on the course, and Evan set a :38 course best time.

The power of our pack is growing up right before our eyes. Juniors made their presence felt and the impact was a win. Nolan Reutimann completed the 3 mile loop in 16th/16:49 for a career best (:35) time. Right by his side was newcomer Gavin Smith (16:50, 17th). A huge outing for his first run longer than 800m. Nathan Kowalczyk (22nd) closed out scoring for the Knights when he crossed the finish line in 16:54, which was a :40 course best time.

Joey Schuch cracked the 18:00 barrier in 17:43 to take 43rd. Jack Nevevnhoven earned a career best time of 18:22 to take 51st. Jack had a :45 improvement on the course from 2024. Zavier Nothnagel notched a big :70 course PR for himself, coming in 53rd with a time of 18:26. Elijah Fiedler put aside pre-meet jitters to crank out a :43 career best time of 18:53 for 57th overall.

Ricky Anderson broke a two-year old personal best on the course with his 19:17 (67th), improving by :11 from 2023.  Sahel Torres made it to the finish line, charging hard, for a time of 20:27 (78th). Junior Matt Kray came back from triathlon training this week to take 88th in 23:06.

Earlier in the morning, our Open runners kicked off the season on the 2.4 mile loop of the course. Three Knights brought home medals in the event. Freshman Aiden Palmer grabbed the 4th place medal with a short course time of 15:34. A dozen seconds later, it was Gianni Middona taking 6th in 15:46. Alikye Aniszewski put his three weeks of cross country training ot the test and ran 11th (16:20) to earn his first award of the season.

Gavin Overhaug looked very strong, sprinting home to the chute in 16:56 to take 22nd. Brody Linane put his summer miles to the test and came out on top with a time of 18:33 for 37th place. Bryce Ehlers crushed his 2024 time on the 2.4 mile course by 5:16 to take 42nd in 19:36.

The frosh soph team took just five runners to the starting box. They brought home 4th place of 8 teams, with 94 points.

Kaneland grabbed a pair of Top 15 medals with Gavin Schnurstein and Drew Gritzner running in the top 6. Gavin (3rd, 17:18) ran a career best time by :28 over his 2024 PR. Drew (6th, 17:27) had a 1:51 course best as well as a :40 career PR.

Mason Stalcup took :93 off his previous best at Settler’s Hill, running 23rd in 18:32. Will Gritzner set a new standard of awesome for three miles with his own 18:57 to take 29th. Sophomore Grant Caston had a career best run of 19:05 (33rd), taking :05 off his best.

The Knights travel to Northern Illinois University on Tuesday for the Sycamore Invitational.

 

Kaneland Families Volunteering for Eddington, This Weekend - SIGN UP HERE!

 We need an army of KXC alumni, parents, and frieds of the program to pull of another awesome Larry Eddington Invitational. Please consider any of the positions left on THIS LINK in order to help us on Saturday.

The new course map and details on volunteer posts (numbered) can be found HERE.

Race Times have changed to the following, as of Monday (9/16)

8:00 - Girls Varsity Race

8:35 - Boys Varsity Race

9:10 - Girls FS Race AND Girls Open (combined)

9:50 - Boys FS Race AND Boys Open (combined)

We will tear down the course immediately following the last race.

Kaneland Runs Second at Kane County Meet

 

With some welcome cooler temperatures, the Knights took to the rolling hills of the Northwestern Medicine Cross Country Course to face county teams in our first test of the season. Powered by two top-5 finishes in the Varsity race, and a close scoring pack of three, we finished second behind Marmion Academy.

We opened the day with the Open Race which brought new and old faces to the course. Grant Caston set his personal best mile pace at 7:01, running 16th on the short course at 16:50. Gavin Schnurstein, coming back from injury, established his new best mile pace for racing at 7:16, running 17:26 (19th). Chase Fuller got back to running cross country races, and finished 38th in 19:41. Bryce Ehlers crushed his first effort in a race and ended the day in 53rd place at 24:52.

Our Frosh Soph group was next, with a bunch of sophs setting new career PRs. Nathan Kowalczyk took 4th in 17:34 with a (-:48) career best time. Nolan Reutimann did the same, knocking 1:57 off his previous XC PR to set his bar at 17:45 (8th). Sahel Torres also notched his best ever time, running 19:13, good for 22nd overall. Freshman Drew Gritzner was next to the chute, running 19:18 (25th). Newcomer Gianni Middona set his sights on breaking into the 19s and did so, running a solid 19:33 to cap our scoring in 28th overall.

Zavier Nothnagel finally got to run a cross country race and has a new career best mark of 19:38 (29th). Mason Stalcup posted his best 3-mile effort mark at 20:05 (35th). Ricky Anderson got back to running competitively after a spring of baseball and finished 37th in 20:20. Matthew Kray, running his first race ever, took 47th in 21:56 for his new best.

On to varsity where Evan Nosek found friends early to pace with and at the 2-mile mark he decided he needed to push up for time. Nosek finished first for the second year in a row, running a :35 course PR in 15:20. Also setting the new standard for best on this course, Evan Whildin chipped in a solid 5th place showing, on the rebound with his legs, to complete a :16 course PR in 16:07.

Our next wave of runners came about a minute later when Zachary Murdock (17:08, 22nd, :28 course PR) and Liam Lentz (17:11, 23rd, :45 course PR) put up points in our 3-4 spots. A solid run from our fifth runner capped our scoring. Joey Schuch nabbed 28th, running a career best time of 17:26, taking 1:54 off of last year’s County race.  Another huge improvement came from our #6, Sean Meagher. Sean set a :44 career PR running 18:50 (46th). Jack Nevenhoven was our second pusher as 7th man, running 19:07 and taking :63 off his best from a year prior.

Elijah Fiedler (61st, 20:38) was next to the chute, running  a 2:26 course PR at NWMXC. Lucas Fiedler came to the finish line 5 places later at 21:29, improving his mile pace from 2023 by :13 on a longer course. Johnny Neville closed out our varsity team performance running 21:50 for 68th overall. Strong first outing for the group!

 

Marklund Challenge - Drive for the Fall Formal and Basic Needs Supplies

 Our Knight runners are teaming up with the Lady Knights to supply our friends at Marklund with the necessities to have a great Fall Formal. This event will be similar to a prom with tiaras, bow ties, photo booth props and more. Our team was asked to supply some of the essentials. You can deliver items for the Fall Formal, or other basic needs items (hair and body wash, sunscreen (SPF 50+), deodorant, men's and women's socks, $10 Walmart gift cards) to the Kaneland campus on Thursday, August 29th. Please see your favorite runner for more details.

This QR Code can connect you to the Fall Formal Signup

Kaneland Rises to 4th In Class 2A State Finals, Nosek and Valkanov All State, Fastest Team Time in KHS History

 On a day created for sensational cross country racing, the Kaneland Knights toed the starting line for the final time this season. Fresh off a second place finish in Woodstock the week prior, the Knights were blessed with good health and great mindsets when the gun fired to start the race.

Twenty weeks of their “comeback” season in the books, dating back to fall of 2022 when three of the Top 7 were struck with illness in the final ten days of their season. These young men were centered on the phrase: “MegaStrong,” coined on the courage and comeback spirit of young West Aurora alum Megan Sporny who passed to cancer in June. A high-caliber runner, Megan’s cancer took the opportunity to really compete again as a harrier, so she found a new path to train and compete in the wheelchair division of the IHSA State Series. A state champion and all state competitor, Megan’s example lives on and is cherished. Sporny’s connections to some of the runners on our roster were important and meaningful; still evidenced in the Cal’s Angels bands worn on the forearms of the young men.

Junior Evan Nosek was first off the line and headed right to the front, joined by the elite runners in the 2A field. Racing with his golden Cal’s Angels bands on through the first mile marker in 4:39, Evan held his ground in the Top 6 and remained in that fight all the way to the finish line. He brilliantly stuck to the race plan of not engaging with those runners who were chasing their own history of the 14:00 mark, and rode the waves of very fast times with top notch runners. Nosek’s time of 14:47 was a :10 career PR and earned him sixth place, which tied him with Matt Richtman for the most All State medals in this sport for Kaneland. Evan’s time was also the third fastest mark ever recorded for a Knight at the State Finals. 

Not far behind, David Valkanov was making history of his own. The senior runner has been putting up vital points for his team scoring with single digits all season long. The heavily senior laden field of competitors pushed the pace hard on this gorgeous weather day. Valkanov ran through the mile mark at 4:46, and moved from 19th place up to 9th at the end of the three miles. Valkanov broke 15:00 also, completing the run at 14:53 (bettered his career PR by :35) to earn his first All State medal in the sport. Like Nosek, Valkanov earned All State status last spring in the 3200m. Valkanov was overswept with emotion following the race, experiencing the true joy that comes when good things happen because you sacrificed so much to attain them. David leaves his three year career at Kaneland with two appearances at the State Finals, and ranks #3 all time on our Top 50 list.

Evan Whildin’s sustained excellence did not take a break at all in his first ever State Finals appearance. The talented sophomore found himself on the heels of Valkanov for much of the season. As the first 200m of the race unfolded, a wave of runners squished a gap between himself and David. Frustrated but sticking to his instincts, he never panicked or tried to do too much in the first 800m of the race to try and find Valkanov. Rolling through the mile mark in 58th place, Whildin went to work on passing the field of important scoring runners. He moved up into the high 30s and crossed the line in 36th place, which came with a sparkling 15:16 time. Evan ran an :18 career best mark today. Most every other year, that time is good for All State (top 25) status. The heavy number of seniors competing this fall made for such a fast meet. Whildin’s 15:16 time is the sixth fastest time at the State Finals for a Knight.

Junior Zachary Murdock has been on a tremendous trajectory in the month of October, and he sustained it into the month of December. Our secret ingredient to the program potentially reaching the 2A Top 10 in Illinois, Murdock understood that his points were critical to team success. Zachary turned a corner when we went to the hills of Antioch on September 30th and has been on a roll ever since. Starting out near 100th place at the mile mark of the State Finals, Murdock progressively picked off runners ahead of him and kept climbing his way up to 80th at the finish. His 15:42 was a :36 PR effort that ranks him in the top 20, all time at the State Finals for Kaneland.

No cross country team is going to have high success without a solid performance from the fifth runner who is the final component to scoring. Junior Liam Lentz has stepped up to fulfill the role. Lentz had a career best time of 16:58 heading into the State Meet. He got out to a solid start in the large mass of 236 runners, and settled in around 145th place. He held strong throughout and kept grinding all the way to a 143rd place effort. Lentz ran a remarkable 16:16 to close our scoring at 220 points, and landing a fourth place team finish. Liam had the biggest PR of the meet for the Knights at :42. Liam’s time was also tied for the 50th best in program history.

Collin Reutimann has spent his senior year dedicating himself to getting this team down to Peoria. He ran into some injury and illness struggles, but refused to allow them to take him out of the lineup. On Saturday he was finally feeling closer to full strength and had his sights set on racing closer to Liam and that #5 slot. Reutimann stood tall through the first mile and then started pouring it on. Moving up from 176th place at the mile, he kept pushing himself closer and closer to Lentz. In the final mile he had found Liam and they were close throughout the last 1200 meters. Collin completed the day at 148th place, and set his career best time of 16:19 (an improvement of :24). Collin’s leadership and grit will be missed next fall.

Freshman Joey Schuch was our final performer in the meet. Just the fifth Kaneland freshman to ever pull on the jersey and lace up spikes for a State Finals race, Schuch embraced the opportunity with his trademark smile. Without the burden of pressure in a scoring roll, Schuch was able to traverse the course in PR time, finishing the race in 222nd, a complete three miles at 17:28. It will be great to have Joey competing with us in track this spring and bring him back for three more years in the sport.

Since 2018, the Knights have finished fourth in 2A a total of three times. This Kaneland squad, the 24th to qualify for State and the 23rd to get to race it (COVID halted the Finals in 2020) wrote a memorable finish to their chapter. The program record for total team time (cumulative time of the top five scoring runners) stood at 77:17, recorded by the 2019 State Champions. This year, these Knights bettered that mark by :20, to set a new standard of 76:57 for the Knights.

Some may consider Saturday’s finish an improbable effort from the Kaneland squad. Projected to finish 11th and 13th by analysts who understand the sport well and use data to support their work, these Knights were aggressive in their approach yet consistent in how they performed. Taking advantage of an excellent day’s weather and receiving the graces of good health, this offseason will be full of smiles and more hard work. They earned every bit of their success. We are most grateful for the blessings of the 2023 season, and appreciate the support of our Kaneland families and those who have been behind us, all year long. 

Knights Take 2nd at Woodstock Sectional, 3 in Top 10, Advance to State Finals

 For the 24th time since 1986, the Kaneland Knights will send a boys team to the IHSA State Finals. Running on one of the toughest courses in the State, the team advanced behind stellar front-running from their top 3, a sensational effort from the fourth runner, a tremendous race from the 5th, and gritty performances from the pushers.

Evan Nosek had his nose in the front pack throughout the first two and half miles of the rolling hills at Emricson Park. Racing with some of the best senior runners in Illinois, Nosek took third overall in a time of 15:41. Video lost at the finish line had his time slower, but he battled hard throughout to net a top 3 finish. 

David Valkanov ran like a senior, pushing his way up to 6th overall. Much of his race was run solo; and he is excited to have a second run in the State Finals (where he ran as a sophomore in 2021). Valkanov ran 15:57 on the course that basically had 80m of flat ground.

Using the course and his proximity to his teammate as an advantage, sophomore Evan Whildin raced to a 9th place finish in the Sectional. Challenging all day, Whildin raced to 16:10 and punching his ticket to State. With the top ten automatically qualifying, it was only a matter of time in knowing if his teammates would be joining him.

Junior Zachary Murdock rose throughout the race, pushing himself up into the top 30 runners to finish 27th overall (16:38). Zachary has been doing a terrific job of closing the gap on the front three, making a huge difference in team scoring. Murdock will make his first appearance at the State Finals with his team, because of his important impact on the final scores.

Kaneland has been working to shrink the scoring runner split to 90 seconds or less. Junior Liam Lentz has been tasked with this job as the fifth runner, and at the Sectional he smiled all the way to the finish. Lentz pushed with other important scoring runners from competing teams, racing to 64th (17:14). Liam fell with 60m to go, but jumped right back into action and capped the 1-5 split at 1:33. 

Senior Collin Reutimann leads this team with his grit and passion for the sport. Continuing to push past runners, all the way to the finish. He took 80th with a time of 17:31, a tremendous effort on the prevalent uphills at Woodstock. Reutimann earns his first trip to the IHSA Finals in the Top 7.

Freshman Joey Schuch continued his season with another solid effort in the varsity. Only his second meet in the Top 7, he broke 18, running 17:50. These are exciting and important days for Schuch to learn the ropes on this level. Getting to run in the State Finals as a freshman is rare for Kaneland runners. Schuch will be only the fifth Knight to compete at State as a freshman.

Kaneland Claims 2nd in Home Regional, Opens State Series

 Kicking off the State Series at home was a great blessing for the team. The Knights demonstrated both strong firepower up front as well as great personal grit in racing to multiple personal record times.

Evan Nosek spent another week of taking control of the race early and charging forward to an individual win in a time of 15:24. This was Evan’s third consecutive invitational championship. He is definitely looking forward to the many big challenges ahead.

David Valkanov is starting to heat up, racing to a ten second PR on the home course while notching a 2nd place effort at 15:36. He has been working at race consistency in the third mile, and appears to be getting back to form. 

Evan Whildin has been such a solid performer for the team all season long. This week, he posted a :29 career best time on the home course and surged to sixth overall. Whildin ran 15:52, and was joined at the finish line by his uncle, Michael, who ran for the Knights back in 2005. It was a special day to come home.

Zachary Murdock has been turning heads of other coaches lately with his progress and surging up toward his teammates. This week, he was able to land in the Top 15, racing to 16:18. Murdock’s time was a :33 improvement on the home course, and his points were an important tally in the final score.

Liam Lentz found his training from the week to feel exceptionally good in the first mile of the race. Liam pushed himself through the next two miles to complete the three miles in a PR time of 16:58. Lentz was 26th overall in the race, helping secure 48 points for second overall.

Collin Reutimann shook off some early rust on his gait and was able to push ahead of scorers from seven of the Regional field teams. Collin’s time of 17:23 net him 40th overall in the meet. He will look forward to leading his team and  running in his second Sectional, next weekend at Woodstock.

Joey Schuch got his first taste of running at the Varsity level. The freshman settled in early with Reutimann, then came up with a cramp midway through the race. He finished strong and his ever-present smile was rewarded with a :28 home course PR. He is eager to get back to work with his teammates and try to help them advance to State.

Knights Take Interstate 8 Conference Titles, Nosek Repeats as Conference Champion

 The course conditions were more fun than fast, but the Knights splashed their way to a team title in both the varsity and frosh soph divisions of the Interstate 8 Conference Championships. Led by Evan Nosek’s third conference championship in the sport, Kaneland placed four in the top 8 to net 31 points for the win. A smaller field made for an exciting race with some great times by all competitors on a slippery course that included about 3/4 of a mile on wet mud and leaves, as well as four crossings of a water filled ditch that made for some trouble.

Nosek took the early lead and then extended his efforts (15:33) to win by about 20 seconds. David Valkanov came off a finish of the week with an illness to take fourth in a solid time on the sloppy course at 16:00. In close proximity the whole way was teammate Evan Whildin who took 5th at 16:06. Zachary Murdock was the next Knight to the finish mats, running a very strong 16:36 for 8th overall. All of these points would be crucial in holding off strong team efforts from Sycamore and Morris.

In a difference making run, Liam Lentz hung close to important scorers to run the team tally to 31 points. Lentz ran 17:23 to finish 14th overall. Collin Reutimann built momentum in the second half of the race and ran 18th overall with a time of 17:56, which was a :45 course PR. Devon Kowalczyk joined his varsity teammates in celebrating a strong team effort. Kowalczyk was vying for the dirtiest uniform in the race when he fell in the water-filled ditch. Washed virtually clean, he got out to finish 26th overall at 18:56.

The frosh soph squad was next to Box 2, and they put up a strong team effort to take first with 28 points. Joey Schuch was the first Knight to the stripe, earning a runner-up finish with a career best time of 17:31. At Morris, they have a bell mounted to a post for any athlete to ring when they race to a personal record. It was a timely race to drop his career best below 18 minutes, and ring the bell. Jessub Hardy overcame a painful foot strike in the depths of the ditch that rocked his knee. Hardy kept his momentum moving forward depsite the discomfort and held on for fifth overall (18:36). Hardy finished just ahead of his hard charging teammate, Nathan Kowalczyk who finished with an identical time at 6th. Ricky Anderson had one of his best individual performances of the season, racing to 9th (19:12).

Jack Nevenhoven took some time to get into the scoring mix, but when he did, he kept charging right to an 11th place – ribbon earning – finish. Jack closed the scoring for the team at 28 points, just narrowly defeating a talented Sycamore squad by 5 points. Sahel Torres pushed to 14th overall, breaking 20 minutes at 19:55. Elijah Fiedler also put up a top time at 20:41, for 19th in the race.

The boys who raced in the Open were hungry for their chance to perform. The rains came back to make the finale something fun to see. Senior Ben Broz lost one shoe in the first mile, ditched the other, and raced to second overall at 18:58. Jack Polloway joined him in the chute, :26 later to finish 3rd overall. Sean Meagher took a different approach to racing today, and jumped out with the eventual winner from Sycamore. This strong start got him in a great position to challenge himself and ultimately led to a ringing of the PR bell. Meagher ran 19:34 and took 4th. Lucas Fiedler was our final competitor to cross the mats at the finish, and did so in dramatic fashion by ringing the same PR bell at 20:15, a career best.

Kaneland Varsity Boys Win Antioch's Pat Harland Invite

 Kaneland took the long bus ride north into Burlington, Wisconsin to run the hills of Fox River Park. The 3.09 mile course was the challenge needed to prepare for a hilly Sectional course in just four weeks at Woodstock. The Knights placed 4 in the top 11 and took a narrow win over Libertyville, while also seeing some of the tough 2A competitors of the northern portion of our Sectional complex.

Junior Evan Nosek raced to :37 course PR to earn the win on the winding and hilly course. Nosek posted a 15:59 on the day. Senior David Valkanov took third for the second week in a row, this time bettering his course PR by :50 to run 16:25. Sophomore Evan Whildin took his first lap of the Fox River course in 16:33 to earn 4th overall, and more small points for the team.

Junior Zachary Murdock roared back into his fourth position in the lineup by surging into the top 11, bettering his course best time by :49 for 17:20. It’s good to see Zachary moving back to a position we need to see him reaching for each week. Senior Collin Reutimann also notched a big course PR, running :58 better than his best here, and completing the race in 17:52 which was good for 22nd overall. Junior Liam Lentz had the biggest time drop for a varsity runnner, when he crossed the finish in 18:23, which was a 2:20 course best time (32nd overall).

Next up, the Frosh Soph Knights raced against the JV competitors of other programs and took 3rd overall in this event. Joey Schuch took 7th in 18:42 with his best mile pace of the season. Jessub Hardy was next to cross at 19:06 (12th), followed by Nathan Kowalczyk (19th, 19:52). Jack Nevenhoven took the last ribbon in the event at 20:10 (30th), with Sahel Torres close behind in season best mile pace (32nd, 20:13) and Ricky Anderson a few clicks later in 20:16 (36th). Elijah Fiedler had another strong effort for the team, racing to 53rd at 21:22.

The Boys Open saw five Knights in the top 13 to score 27 points as a unit. Senior Devon Kowalczyk hung tough for the 3.09 miles and took individual honors at 19:52. This was a course best time for Devon by :05. Jack Polloway was second for Kaneland, running 19:57. Senior Ben Broz took a :14 course PR home with a third place ribbon in the event. Junior Sean Meagher in his first season in the sport raced to 21:19 and was 9th overall out of 92 competitors. Junior Lucas Fiedler shaved more than 6 minutes off his previous best to take 13th at 21:43. Brayden Cattero battled the entire route of dust, dirt, hills, and heat to complete our strong team day with a 25:15 effort at 66th.

The Knights come home to host the Twilight Handicap Run with East Aurora and Morris on Tuesday evening for our Senior Night.

Valkanov, Reutimann Lead Way to Sterling Rock River Title

 There’s an old adage that “seniors get the job done.” Kaneland seniors David Valkanov and Collin Reutimann each posted solid efforts to lead the team to the 2023 Rock River Run boys varsity title.

David Valkanov shook off morning car trouble to push out to a top 5 spot in the race and found himself with no company and cruised to :15 meet PR for third (15:57). Evan Nosek and Evan Whildin took a team approach to the day and worked at pacing teammates through the first two miles, then used a progression run to blitz the field on the last mile. Nosek (12th, 16:30) and Whildin (16th, 16:41) each put up crucial points in the scoring.

Collin Reutimann is starting to build some momentum to his season. Today the senior finished 21st in 16:51 on a course that was slowed by mud in the woods. Reutimann still managed a :34 course best time. Junior Liam Lentz rode an early wave of motivation to a 17:10 overall time to complete the Knights scoring in the 29th position. Next to the chute was Zachary Murdock, running 17:21 for 33rd overall, and the final pusher for the race scoring was Jack Polloway, who finished the run in 18:49 (94th overall).

Ben Broz (98th, 18:57), Devon Kowalczyk (104th, 19:10), Johnny Neville (107th, 19:13) got in on team win as well. Sean Meagher (146th, 20:34) set a course best mark for himself and Lucas Fiedler (162nd, 21:15) ran a :41 meet best time to round out the day for varsity.

The Frosh Soph team had another stellar pack split day, running :53 apart, to place 3rd in the field. Joey Schuch led all Knight competitors with a 17th place finish at 18:26, followed by Jack Nevenhoven (21st, 18:46) and his :83 course PR. Jessub Hardy (24th, 18:47), Nathan Kowalczyk (26th, 18:54) and Ricky Anderson (37th, 19:19) all set their new course best times. Sahel Torres (48th, 19:55) had a blistering kick to hold his spot at the finish, and Elijah Fiedler (62nd, 20:31) ran a :85 course best time.

The Knights head to Antioch next weekend for the Pat Harland Invitational.

Knights Race to 8th in 2A Race at First to the Finish, Nosek Sub 15:00

This meet never disappoints with the level of competition we get to see. First to the Finish is a high octane, ranked team rich field of performers. Our Knights rose to the occasion, coming off a very challenging week of rigorous workouts. Junior Evan Nosek wasted little time moving out to the lead pack of runners, and surged to a strong career best performance of 14:57. Nosek is only the second runner in program history to crack the 15:00 barrier for three miles. David Valkanov was the next Knight to the finish mats, setting a :48 course best and :11 career PR (15:28, 17th). Sophomore Evan Whildin could see Valkanov the whole way and surged to his new :43 career PR of 15:34, good for 24th overall. Only meet champion Glenbard South had more firepower from their front three.

Partnering up all week, Collin Reutimann and Zachary Murdock wove through the thick and dusty field of competitors to have great runs. Reutimann smashed a :30 career PR, running 16:43, good for 123rd overall. Murdock had a :06 meet PR, which is exactly what we have been focusing on; one PR meet at a time. Rounding out our top 7 on the day, senior Devon Kowalczyk raced to a new career best time of 18:09 (:10 PR). Newcomer Joey Schuch (fr.) put up a :55 improvement to set his new career best time of 18:15 (309th).

More PR racing for the varsity Knights included Johnny Neville, who ran a course best time of 18:34 (:04 improvement, and freshman teammate Nathan Kowalczyk, who dropped :24 for a young career best time of 18:50.

The Open included an enormous field of 1,023 competitors, pulling more Knights to meet and career best times. Junior Jack Polloway capped off a meet best time of 18:35, which was a :28 course PR. Ricky Anderson (fr.) sped to a new career best time of 18:47, with a :41 improvement on his 2023 time. Jack Nevenhoven continues to build his own momentum, this time running a :37 career best time on the Detweiller course (18:55, 252nd).Ben Broz (sr) took the fourth spot in our Open lineup, running a meet best time of 19:30, a :75 course best. Nolan Reutimann (fr.) took his first race of the season with gusto, starting and finishing fast, with a time of 19:42. Our Open pack split was just :67.

Jessub Hardy was in the ballpark of his season’s best time, finishing Detweiller in 19:58 (408th). Fellow freshman teammate Sahel Torres came to the stripe :27 seconds later (20:25), closing strong at the end. Lucas Fiedler felt he was going to have a big day and didn’t leave without a new career best (:14 CPR) at 21:05. His brother was next in the chute, when Elijah polished off a 3:14 meet PR, running 21:27 (631st). Eli was shadowed by new KXC runner Sean Meagher who ran an impressive 7:10 mile pace for his first career race longer than 200m on the track. Meagher ran 21:28 (633rd). Brayden Cattero was also near his course best time, this despite losing a shoe in the first half mile of the race. Brayden ended the day for Kaneland running a solid individual effort of 22:35 (783rd).

The meet featured 13 of the Top 20 Class 2A teams. 

 

KXC Night Out a Great Success

 For those who joined us in the Bunker at Elburn Legion Post 630 on Saturday, thank you for joining us! It was a great night of rekindling friendships, seeing current families and those who continue to support the program by assisting at our home meets. During the evening, we were also able to showcase the video work of Coach Franklin (and others) who made the end of season videos. Please find the link on the right for access to ALL videos from our last decade plus of seasons. Thank you again for joining us on Saturday. We look forward to doing this again in the future.

Volunteer Sign Up for Larry Eddington Invitational

 

Please use the link below to sign up for positions around the campus on Saturday morning. We are ever grateful for the outstanding support offered each year to help with such an event. Should you have any questions, please use the contact information for Sheila Albano or Coach Clarey.

There will be a volunteer meeting on Thursday evening (9/15) to share details on posts and responsibilities. We will begin this meeting at 5:50, at the finish line of the course. 

LINK TO THE VOLUNTEER SIGN UP

KXC Family Picnic Details Here! Join Us Saturday

 

This weekend the team travels to Detweiller Park, home of the IHSA State Finals course. When the event concludes, we head north to Henry, Illinois for our annual KXC Family Picnic. Please use the link attached to order your sub sandwiches for your family. Additionally, there is a Signup Genius to find items you can share to make the event a success. 

PICNIC FOOD ORDER FORM (send cash Wednesday, if at all possible... will take $ day of event)

SIGNUP GENIUS FOR PICNIC

**The Subway that we are ordering from does NOT have gluten free items at this time, so for families where that is a need, please plan accordingly. Sorry for this inconvenience.

If you have questions, please contact Coach Clarey.

Marklund Challenge Accepted!

The Kaneland boys and girls cross country programs are teaming up to help their long time friends at Marklund Home in Geneva. The grade level groups are trying to collect basic needs items and money donations to help support the clients and staff of Marklund. For more than a decade, Kaneland runners have been getting out of their comfort zones to assist our friends. Covid has prevented us from doing what we usually do, sharing time playing games, taking nature walks, and spending time in their classrooms. Now, we have a mission to help them with important essentials for a quality living.

Please help support our programs by donating to your local KXC runners, either with items off the list below, or monies to purchase gift cards at Walmart or other supplies. While we are competing against one another, the true winners will be the clients that need our help. If you have any questions, please contact Coach Clarey at 10965@kaneland.org. 

 

FOR MORE DETAILS, CLICK THE LINK BELOW:

Marklund Challenge Link 

2022 Season: Parent Meeting Slides

 

Click on the 2022 Season logo (right above this) to view our slides and notes from the Friday night meeting with the coaches. We look forward to supporting your son this fall as we work to be a highly optimistic and accountable program. We are grateful for your partnership, support, and excellence as we ROW together. Don't forget to connect to our Remind texts and Google Classroom, with the details at the end of the slides.

Knights Take 4th at State Finals, Nosek Earns All State

 

Entering Finals, we had the depth and strength to land in the Top 5 at Detweiller. We did that and more on a fantastic day for racing.

Freshman Evan Nosek mingled with the top tier 2A runners early, and the rest of the pack stuck close to one another to afford a fourth place team finish at the State Finals. Nosek found familiar runners that he knew would pull him to the final mile where he would need to hang on for 25th place or better. Evan ran a career best 15:17 to earn 21st overall and an All State medal.

Seniors Christian Phillips and Nolan Allen made up ground on the field, and history, by racing just :04 apart through the three mile course. Phillips finished his high school career running 15:46 for 45th overall in the Finals. Allen crossed the finish line at 15:50 (53rd overall) to surpass his career best time by :10.

Sophomore David Valkanov continued to show progress all season long, and kept his eyes on familiar jerseys to reach a career best mark on the finals course. Valkanov broke 16, running 15:59, to place 70th overall in 2A.

Junior Trevor Neal grabbed the final scoring position for the Knights when he crossed the finish line at 16:08, which was our fifth career best race of the day. His finish also completed the tallying of our score at 185 points, which was a fantastic finish in a very balanced field of teams.

Senior Logan Cunz closed out his final race of his high school career with a course best time of 16:24. This time was good for 134th overall. Logan was the fifth fastest #6 in 2A at Finals, and he bettered 50 scoring runners from other competing teams.

Junior Brady Babka battled allergies and more throughout the week and ended his season running a course best time of 16:44. He finished 166th for the Knights. Babka pushed past 26 scoring runners from other state qualifying teams.

The 2021 season marked the first time since COVID that a State Finals would be held. Battling to stay healthy and prepared for a full season on a truncated schedule in the offseason proved to be quite a challenge. We were up to the challenge!

Since 2018, there have been hundreds of teams qualify for the State Finals on both sides of the ledger. In that time span where three Finals were run, Kaneland is the only program to place in the Top 4, three times in a row at Detweiller. Our seniors did a fantastic job of harnessing the role of the pack, and striving to help our team stick together.

Nosek’s All State performance was the 23rd in program history. Evan’s time of 15:17 was the sixth fastest All State race by a Knight, and the fastest race by a Kaneland freshman, ever, at Detweiller Park.

The team made its own history all season long by sticking together throughout their races. The 23rd chapter as a team at State was epic!

 

Kaneland Squishes to Second at Fenton Sectional, Advances to State Finals

 

The road to State is never an easy one for Kaneland teams. For the 23rd time in program history, the Knights jerseys will be worn by a full seven lineup.

Meeting up with multiple Top 10 programs, we found a greater challenge with not the runners, but the saturated Fenton course. Runners won’t love the times on this course, but they’ll remember the challenges in the mud.

Evan Nosek wasted little time finding the front runners in this race, splashing into the top 5 for much of the run. In the final turns, Evan finished as an All Sectional runner with an 8th place medal, and an uncharacteristic time of 16:50.

Christian Phillips found himself working from the 30’s up to a teen position and held his own at about 15th for much of the run. Phillips cemented his important #2 scoring position at 16th overall in the meet, in a time of 17:21. Every single finisher at Fenton had at least a minute of extra running on this muddy morning.

Nolan Allen ran just like a senior would in the Sectional meet. Nolan worked his way from the 20s in the first half of the race up to high teens. In the final quarter mile, he turned it up a few notches to net 17th, running just :06 back of Phillips at 17:27. This is the type of push to the line that only a senior running at the end of a season makes.

Trevor Neal proved yet again that we have an arsenal of talent where there are no specific scoring places that our runners must fulfill. This week, Neal took aim at a top 5 scoring spot, and led David Valkanov through the muck for much of the race. Trevor kept pushing forward and held a spot in the low 30s through most of the race. In the final 800m, he moved up to score 27 points with his finish at 17:40, and just 13 seconds back of Allen. This was such a pivotal performance for our pack.

David Valkanov, also competing in his first Sectional like Neal, showed great valor and toughness while using everything in his tank to net our final scoring tallies. David maintained his position in the 30s to grab 36th overall at 17:49. He lay in an exhausted heap at the finish line, mud or no mud.

Logan Cunz found joy in the fact that he helped us earn another chance to run next week on drier grounds in Peoria. Cunz wasn’t pleased with his 49th/18:10 day, but he is grateful that he gets a chance to give this another shot in Peoria. Logan was able to push the score up on every single team below us on the final results including 7 other ranked teams.

Brady Babka also gave every  bit of his energy for the team on a very tough course when torn up with six sloppy loops of long spikes on long grass. Brady raced to 58th overall (18:29), and was ahead of 38 scoring runners from other teams in the Sectional. We remember that not every day is going to be a “10” like it felt at the Regional.

 

Knights Use Power of the Pack, Net 2nd Behind #2 Fenwick

What a difference a week makes. We took full advantage of our home course and matched up very well with #2 Fenwick’s elite team. MileSplitIL came out to watch our Regional because it was the most loaded field in Illinois for 2A. That being said, we had our work cut out, and we responded very well from Conference to Regionals.

Our seniors stepped up to match the hard charging freshman in our lineup, and our juniors and sophomore did exactly what they intended to do, racing to their strengths and finding the pack to shore up a phenomenal split for 1-7.

Evan Nosek jumped right into the top 5 with Fenwick’s powerful 1-2 punch. The pace through the mile was very manageable, and helped Evan secure a career best time for three miles at 15:42, with a 5th place medal.

Christian Phillips dropped :40 from his Regional race a year ago. He took solid control in a loaded field and secured 7 points for our score, and a pumpkin as well.

Nolan Allen moved up to a top 10 position as well, and was less than a half second from hitting Sub 16 for three miles. Allen’s 9th place effort was a career best time of 16:00. What better motivation than to have another week to hit that coveted Sub 16 mark?

Logan Cunz was waiting for the perfect time to drop both a new career PR and course PR. He delivered today by racing to 18th in the field, and boasting a new PR of 16:18. Cunz found company when he looked over his shoulder as Brady Babka steadily worked his way up through the mid pack to reach the finish at 20th in 16:20. Brady notched a career PR by a few seconds and bettered his course PR by nearly :20.

David Valkanov and Trevor Neal kept excellent pace with their peers and each finished off course best times. Trevor edged David by less than a second, with Neal getting a :36 course PR, and Valkanov dropping his best time at home by 1:02.