Welcome to KXC! Our Summer Camp Begins on July 6

 Great to see our newest faces of KXC this evening. Please use this link to connect to the KXC Summer Roster so that we can get acquainted and connected. For those of you who are interested, you can easily join our KXC Remind group by texting @kanela to 81010. This connects you to important messages about camp and other upcoming events that you can take part in. You are also able to reply back to Remind texts, so a coach can help answer questions.

Our Summer Running begins on July 6, and we will be meeting regularly at the following locations:

MONDAYS: Elburn Lions Park (6am to 7:30) - come to the large parking lot just north of the buildings. We have some summer lifting work for those interested, back at Kaneland. Please join us if you are able.

TUESDAYS: Nelson Lake Forest Preserve (6am to 7:30) - this is also known as the Dick Young Forest Preserve (we park in the lot on Nelson Lake Road)

THURSDAYS: Kaneland High School Track (6am to 7:30) - we meet here, but use the full facility for our work. For those who are able, again, we will do some weight work after 7:30 and would be done around 8:15 or so

FRIDAYS: Off Campus Locations (6:30 to 8:00)  - we will go to Big Rock Forest Preserve on 7/9, Leroy Oakes FP in St Charles on 7/16, Afton FP in Dekalb on 7/23 and Silver Springs which is just west of Yorkville on 7/30.

If you should have any questions, chances are they'll be answered on our first day of camp. We will have some digital things to log our training, and other calendars and such in paper form for the athletes and families.

Looking forward to a TREMENDOUS summer, and many new runners and families to join our programs.

Awards Night Link

 KXC Families,

Below is the link to our Awards Night, set for Wednesday at 6:30pm. Please come ready to make history as the first ever KXC Awards Show goes online. Come in your pajamas if you like. Wear a costume if you need to. You can even tune in to us while you're having your family dinner. 

We only ask that you're present as we roll through the classes, starting with freshmen and ending with the seniors. Step in and out of the meeting as you see fit. This will be our boys team only on Wednesday, in order to keep the Zoom minutes to a minimum.

See you on Wednesday at 6:30pm, at this link....

KXC AWARDS NIGHT ZOOM LINK

Kaneland PutsThe Scare in CLC, Takes Second in Sectional on Halloween

 

As Crystal Lake Central may have had the best runners in the field, it was the Knights of Kaneland who took the field by storm and nearly flipped the script on the Tigers. CLC had not won a Sectional title since 1996, and for a long-storied program with many successes, it was their turn to hold the plaque. We gave everything we had and wound up showing the field that we are indeed True Champions.

The format of three flights was new history for us as well. Not running in our usual pack made it very challenging to do what we do so well. Our goals of having small points in the last flight and the fastest fifth runner were achieved, even when on paper that was not to be the case.

In the first flight of the day, Christian Phillips didn’t wait long to move out to the front of the pack and take over the race. Brady Babka wisely hung in with the chase pack and eventually broke loose. Each ran their race plans to perfection, with Christian pacing the gator that was filming him, all the way to a 16:36 effort on the hilly course. Babka clocked in at 16:56, again with a big Sub 17 effort. On this day, it would be huge. Phillips finished the day in 22nd place, and Babka was 37th overall.

The second race featured some very gutsy efforts by our seniors. With strong power from CLC’s 3-4-5, they were heavy favorites coming into the race to use that power and win big. All three, on paper, were to defeat our #3 scorer. Aaron Lodwig stuck himself right in the mix at the front of the pack through two miles, and heading to the second surge point felt confident in taking the lead. With about a half mile to go, a CLC-led pack started moving forward. They took a 40m advantage on the field at 400m to go. Parker Malone found an extra gear, going uphill, and incredibly wiped out that advantage in 300m.

On the final turn of the race, Parker had caught the lead runners and was preparing for another blistering finish like those he uses on Isaiah in practices. At the turn, his shoulder caught the white PVC pipe flag and his 1-2-3 strides were 1-2-3 seconds on the ground as he was flung to the turf. Courageously, Malone gathered himself and completed his race with honor and grit, clocking in at 16:32 as our #2 runner, good for 18th place.

Not lost in the mix, Lodwig and Logan Cunz continued to battle and grind to the finish chute. Aaron grabbed 27th overall in the meet (16:46), with Cunz right behind in 28th at 16:51. All three were ahead of CLC’s #5 runner.

In the final race of the season, Isaiah Dallal and Nolan Allen had the toughest job of all. Neither had teammates to key off for the run. This unique format for racing is contradictory to how our team competes and achieves.

Dallal had the goal of running with the pack of elite Top 10 runners and score some small points. Seeded 10th on Regional efforts, Isaiah rose to 7th in the standings. He was the first finisher from our Regional in the field. His time of 16:03 was just two seconds off of CLC’s #1.

Allen had put himself in great position with the other 1-2s of the field at the half mile mark and held on to finish at 16:54, which also surpassed CLC’s #5 scorer. Nolan had the hardest job of the day in not having any other Knights to support him, and he battled valiantly throughout the run.

We took second by a score of 92-100. On the day, we could not be more proud of our boys who left all they had on the course. You are True Champions, and have made history again.

HUNGRY LIKE THE WOLF:

Our Three Seniors: Isaiah Dallal, Parker Malone, and Aaron Lodwig:  These boys clearly showed that “seniors get the job done.” Dallal put himself right in the mix with other All State caliber runners and moved up to seventh in a deep field of performers. Lodwig set the tone for our squad in the second flight, working right up into the lead pack, and bringing his chasing teammates into the race. Malone had arguably one of the greatest kicks in KXC history going 7th to 3rd, and eyes on a win before the post altered his day. No doubt the HUNGER these boys exhibited was “the strength of wolves.”

STATE QUALIFIERS:  While the IHSA could not put together an IHSA State Finals experience for the schools this year, due to COVID-19, our team’s placement at second would have earned
another trip to Peoria.

This would have been the 22nd State Qualifying team to advance to the Finals. While we will never know the final placement of this squad, in a “normal” year, it would be very hard not to see this group be a Top 10 program, and possibly a school record holder for pack split.

 

Knights In White Outrun Regional Field, Claim Third Consecutive Plaque

 This was a tale of two races, blended into one great team finish. COVID-19 forced us to make history in winning the first ever Regional team title in two flights. There were strong teams at Kaneland, but none stronger than the  “Pack in White.”

Dallal, Allen, and Malone entered the first flight against some of the better individuals in Northern Illinois. Dallal, meshed within the top pack of four and broke away from the rest of the field to net third place and  a course PR time of 15:54. The course was a little slower and soft today, and the flags were waving in the wind.

Nolan Allen had his hands full all through the race, seeing the solid 1’s and 2’s from multiple programs. He battled hard throughout and earned 11th overall, giving solid points to start with in team scoring.

Parker Malone pushed up toward the front with a steady start in the first mile. He finished 14th overall in the first flight, getting ahead of important scorers from other teams. Parker’s big kick at the end helped keep other scorers at bay. His time of 16:41 would contribute to a strong start in team scoring where we were in third place after the first flight.

All season long, our team strength, coming in many different combinations, has been the scoring split between our second to fifth (and sixth, and seventh) runners. Today it would prove incredibly valuable.

In the second flight that included 4, 5, 6, and 7 runners from all programs, our team of white jerseys competitively surged toward the front of the pack in the first mile. By the time the group had rounded the water tower on the second lap,  Christian Phillips had taken control of the lead. Phillips was relentless on his surges and never relinquished the lead, on his way to a career PR of 16:33. He pushed himself up to 14th overall in the team scoring and gave us a quick leg up on the field. We weren’t done with PR races, either. At the front of this competitive flight, we saw important teams that we locked onto and used to seal victory.

Brady Babka held close to important colors all the way to a fourth place finish in the flight, and earned a new career PR of 16:39. Brady ran fearlessly and with great hunger, making a huge splash in his first post season of high school cross country. Logan Cunz also  rose to the occasion and finished on Babka’s heels with a nearly identical time to Malone’s from the first heat. Even when they don’t race together, they still produce similar results. Logan’s time was the fifth fastest in the heat and the 18th in final results. Logan and Parker were in a virtual dead heat at 16:41.40 and 16:41.43. With six Knights in the Top 19 finishers, we totaled out 63 points to win by 15 over Burlington Central.

Aaron Lodwig beat the fifth runner of every team in the meet, pushing important totals and running 16:51. Our total pack split from 1-7 was :57.  While we brought home our third Regional title in as many years, the difficulty in the task is extraordinary. It seems routine at the moment, winning team titles. The truth is that it is entirely challenging to do such things. This year’s strength is in the power of the pack. We have one more week to keep this excellence moving forward, even in weird flight formats. Let’s group up as best we can in our flights and put a big exclamation point on the season.

HUNGRY LIKE THE WOLF:

Christain Phillips took over a race that could have been anyone’s to have. Phillips used his experience on the course, and thrived at the front of the pack, expanding his lead throughout the final mile. His surges were crisp and intentional.

Brady Babka rose to the occasion to take a scoring position on the roster. He continued moving up through the field, utilizing his proximity to teammates and the race plan to gain position at the head of the pack in the second flight. It’s exciting to see the future while savoring the present.

 

Kaneland Fans and Volunteers Welcome on Saturday... With a Twist

 Kaneland parents have the opportunity to come to the Regional on Saturday, however the Athletics Office is asking other teams to limit their fan base to the families of the athletes competing. In honoring that, one way that you might be able to come to the meet, if you are not in that group, would be to join us on the course during, or after the races in a voluntary role. We can still use volunteers to help with course tear down after the boys races conclude at around 1:05. Please use the links below for the guidelines, and the volunteering roles still available.

As always, thank you for your continued support of our program.

Kaneland Cross Country Coaches

SPECTATOR SAFETY DOCUMENT

VOLUNTEER SIGNUP LINK

Kaneland "Three-Peats" in Conference Sweep, 4 Individual Champions

 For the third consecutive season, the Knights bring home a varsity conference team champion plaque. Best part about that, is this year we got two! Isaiah Dallal took the lead just before the first surge point and never relinquished it. His course PR of :04 was a worthy championship effort. Nolan Allen settled in among the chase pack and had a superb kick to steal 4th at the line. Nolan ran a :19 course PR at 17:10. Parker Malone also outlasted a competitor to earn 6th, with a :23 course PR at 17:15. All three Knights are repeat All Conference performers.

Senior Aaron Lodwig tied his course best (17:21), but this time it was even more important as his 9th place finish was ahead of other key scorers. Cunz held onto a top 10 spot and also earned All Conference at 17:26. Phillips was the last Knight in this top 6 only event due to COVID. Christian’s time of 17:33 was good for 13th, and All Conference as well.

The frosh soph team picked up where the varsity left off, dominating their division with a slim 18 points. The Knights went 1-2-4-5-6 with Brady Babka taking the individual title with a :10 course best time. Neal took second, and boasted a :35 improvement from September. Behrends took his first turn around the Sycamore course, and landed a 4th place ribbon at 18:41. Chase Brennan was next to the chute in 19:02, running :29 faster. Bruhl closed out the scoring with a :12 PR at 19:03. Reutimann was the sixth finisher for the Knights and wound up 9th overall in the race. Collin ran a :21 PR on the day.

In the open, our seventh runners for each of the team races were included in results. This might have been the most hotly contested race of the day, excitingly between two teammates and friends. Fitts and Fountain have been running together for four years. It made great sense to see them battling for three miles together, and having another close finish. Fitts was the designated scorer for the varsity race. Both seniors ran near All Conference worthy times, with Fountain netting the win at 17:38, and Fitts earning 15th overall in the varsity results at 17:40 (1:35 course PR). Fitts was ahead of every other team’s fourth (or better) finisher. Fiedler ran :61 faster to take 4th, and Scherden battled through cramping to earn 5th overall at 18:27 (:60 PR). Ramos took 8th, and a 1:43 course PR for 19:18. Smith cracked the Top 10 with a 2:00 course best for himself (19:30). Senior Brady Johnson took home 11th in the Open competition, capping a stellar season of leadership. Farmer was ribbon-worthy also, running 14th at 20:40 (a :44 course PR). Stace was next to the line, running 20th at 22:08 to end his season. Gannon knocked :70 off his course best time, running strong to the chute at 22:27. Broz completes his first year in Diamonds, running 22:30, close to his best on the course.

The final run of the day was also our fourth chance to get an individual champion. Brayden Cattero managed his aches and speed to overtake the leader at 1.4 miles and never looked back. Cattero raced to a career best 21:40 to pick up the victory. Mullins finished 10th and ran a 1:21 career best time with good competition around him all day. Blickem did the same with his competition, running 12th overall to complete the day in 25:20.

HUNGRY LIKE THE WOLF:

Isaiah Dallal took the bold move at 1.5 miles and surged to victory for his second All Conference finish. He would not be denied this achievement, outdistancing strong competitors.

Collin Reutimann has quietly been a scorer for the FS level all season long. His solid 9th place finish with a course PR showed his presence will be felt for three more years in the I-8.

Evan Scherden struggled with cramping at the two mile, and could have easily backed down. He didn’t. He ran a :60 course PR because he refused to let up, wanting the best ribbon possible. It was 5th overall in the conference Open.

Finn Gannon has been grinding through practices and races all season. Today, he put out his best overall effort that included a terrific kick to the finish line for a :70 course best time. Coach Baron called this “hungry” finisher for the Open and was happily impressed.

Our regular season concludes with not 23, but 35 hungry wolves, focusing on the positives, and becoming champs.

 

KXC Families - Volunteer for Regionals

 Kaneland has been a host for many IHSA State Series meets. We cannot do this work without the generous and excellent support of our KXC Families. We will be hosting the IHSA State Series Regional meet on the high school campus, on October 24th. Our needs for volunteers include: bus parking, fan parking, handicap parking, course management, and course tear down.

Please use THIS LINK to find a place to help on Saturday, October 24th. If you have a runner on the girls team and you can volunteer your time during boys races, please do so. For the families of boy runners, if you are free to assist during the girls races, please do. Any volunteers, at any time, are happily welcome.

Upon check-in at the Volunteers Table (by the Meredith Middle School/Starting Line turn on the fire road), you will get your yellow volunteer shirt to borrow for the shift (when available). A description of your role will be given to you, and you can go to your designated spot.

If you have any questions, please contact Sheila Albano (630-386-5863) or Coach Clarey.

As always, we cannot thank you enough for your incredible support of our programs, and of the runners who come to compete at Kaneland. The reason we run a top notch meet is due in large part to the incredible volunteers who assist on race day.

Ever grateful,

Your KXC Coaches and Athletic Department Staff