The 2015 Mideast Cross Country Championships
A huge thank you to Allison Richter for filming during the race!
The Girls
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The Boys
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2015 Race Recap
On Saturday, November 21, 2015, 12 senior boys and 12 senior girls from all over the state of Illinois came together to form one team and compete against the teams from Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio in the 29th Annual Mideast Cross Country Championships. The task at hand: To represent the best of Illinois distance running!
The weekend began at 6:15 am on Friday at the Hinsdale Oasis, where the majority of the athletes congregated to board the charter bus and jump on 294 South en route to Ohio. The Team made a stop in Indianapolis, picking up the central and southern Illinois athletes, before arriving in Kettering, Ohio where the race is held each year. Kettering is very proud of their parks and recreation department, and they put on quite the event for the athletes. From the moment of arrival, the course is ready for a preview practice, and the meet staff is on hand for questions and helpful suggestions for the race. This year, the course was re-routed to avoid construction, which made for more turns and softer surfaces, which the mid-week rain helped to create as well. The Courtyard by Marriott is the meet's host, allowing their lobby to be overtaken by the Mideast Meet Executive Board, 48 nervous runners, a few dozen coaches, and a whole lot of pictures, results, and history to show.
By the start of the race, the athletes have had the time to get to know one another in hopes to race side by side and take on the challenging course as teammates. This year, the course and the other teams proved to be quite tough. Team Indiana set a few records, scoring an impressive 16 points on the girls' side, and 32 points on the boys' side. This resulted in a new Mideast Meet combined team score record as well. Team Illinois finished 3rd in the girls' race with 92 points, and 4th in the boys' race with 104 points.
In the girls' race, Madison Romig of Grant High School led the way, finishing in 13th place with a time of 19:12. Romig was joined in the top 15 by Lake Forest's Katie Condon in 19:14. Condon worked her way up throughout the race and solidified her position in the last half mile. Summer Pierson, of Yorkville High School, was close behind, running 19:18 and finishing in 16th place. Batavia's Dakota Roman was the fourth scorer for Team Illinois, running 19:43 and finishing in 24th place. Closely behind in 25th was New Trier's Oona Jung-Beeman with a time of 19:44. Madison Ronzone, of Rosary, was the next in the chute for Illinois in 28th place with a time of 19:48. She was followed by Vanessa Flaherty, of Lyons Township, in 31st with a time of 19:53, Nicole Camburn, of Niles West, in 33rd with a time of 19:55, Lauren Whitehouse, of Mahomet-Seymour, in 39th with a time of 20:04, and Mary Erdman, of Wheaton Warrenville South, in 39th with a time of 20:07. Triad's Abigail Richter and Rock Island's Agok Ayuen closed out the finishers for team Illinois, finishing in 43rd and 44th place, respectively. Richter's time was 20:30, and Ayuen clocked in at 20:44.
With such a small, competitive field, it is so important to get out and stick with the pack as it moves throughout the race. Team Illinois worked in twos and threes throughout the race, but could not break up Team Indiana, who had 7 athletes in the top 10 and scored 16 points. Team Ohio came in 2nd with 55, followed by Illinois with 92, and Michigan with 98 points.
In the boys' race, Indiana's Brayden Law finished first with a time of 15:41. Marcus Skinner, of Shelbyville, was the first Team Illinois athlete to cross the line in 14th place with a time of 16:05. He was followed by Walmer Saavedra, of Lindblom Math & Science Academy, in 17th place with a time of 16:10. Next in the chute was Plainfield North's Jack Sebok in 22nd place with a time of 16:28, followed by Johnsburg's Matthew Stelmasek in 23rd place with a time of 16:31. The fifth scorer for Team Illinois was Michael Gerkin, of St. Charles East, who finished in 28th place with a time of 16:37. Prospect's Karson LeComte and Matthew Cozine were in a tight pack with Gerkin, finishing in 29th and 31st place, respectively. LeComte finished in 16:37, and Cozine in 16:38. Hinsdale Central's Chris Brenk finished in 34th place with a time of 16:43, followed by Plainfield North's Brenden McGath in 44th place with a time of 17:12. Belvidere North's Eryk Yunk was the final finisher for Team Illinois, pushing through a tough race and finishing in 46th place with a time of 17:45. The final team score had Indiana with 32 points, Ohio with 36, Michigan with 67, and Illinois with 104.
Team Illinois 2015 was coached by Oswego East's Lisa Cook, West Chicago's Paul McLeland, and Rosary's Vic Mead. A huge thank you goes out to the athletes who represented Illinois at the 29th Mideast Cross Country Championships, as well as the coaches throughout the state for supporting Team Illinois and encouraging their wonderful athletes to sign up.
The weekend began at 6:15 am on Friday at the Hinsdale Oasis, where the majority of the athletes congregated to board the charter bus and jump on 294 South en route to Ohio. The Team made a stop in Indianapolis, picking up the central and southern Illinois athletes, before arriving in Kettering, Ohio where the race is held each year. Kettering is very proud of their parks and recreation department, and they put on quite the event for the athletes. From the moment of arrival, the course is ready for a preview practice, and the meet staff is on hand for questions and helpful suggestions for the race. This year, the course was re-routed to avoid construction, which made for more turns and softer surfaces, which the mid-week rain helped to create as well. The Courtyard by Marriott is the meet's host, allowing their lobby to be overtaken by the Mideast Meet Executive Board, 48 nervous runners, a few dozen coaches, and a whole lot of pictures, results, and history to show.
By the start of the race, the athletes have had the time to get to know one another in hopes to race side by side and take on the challenging course as teammates. This year, the course and the other teams proved to be quite tough. Team Indiana set a few records, scoring an impressive 16 points on the girls' side, and 32 points on the boys' side. This resulted in a new Mideast Meet combined team score record as well. Team Illinois finished 3rd in the girls' race with 92 points, and 4th in the boys' race with 104 points.
In the girls' race, Madison Romig of Grant High School led the way, finishing in 13th place with a time of 19:12. Romig was joined in the top 15 by Lake Forest's Katie Condon in 19:14. Condon worked her way up throughout the race and solidified her position in the last half mile. Summer Pierson, of Yorkville High School, was close behind, running 19:18 and finishing in 16th place. Batavia's Dakota Roman was the fourth scorer for Team Illinois, running 19:43 and finishing in 24th place. Closely behind in 25th was New Trier's Oona Jung-Beeman with a time of 19:44. Madison Ronzone, of Rosary, was the next in the chute for Illinois in 28th place with a time of 19:48. She was followed by Vanessa Flaherty, of Lyons Township, in 31st with a time of 19:53, Nicole Camburn, of Niles West, in 33rd with a time of 19:55, Lauren Whitehouse, of Mahomet-Seymour, in 39th with a time of 20:04, and Mary Erdman, of Wheaton Warrenville South, in 39th with a time of 20:07. Triad's Abigail Richter and Rock Island's Agok Ayuen closed out the finishers for team Illinois, finishing in 43rd and 44th place, respectively. Richter's time was 20:30, and Ayuen clocked in at 20:44.
With such a small, competitive field, it is so important to get out and stick with the pack as it moves throughout the race. Team Illinois worked in twos and threes throughout the race, but could not break up Team Indiana, who had 7 athletes in the top 10 and scored 16 points. Team Ohio came in 2nd with 55, followed by Illinois with 92, and Michigan with 98 points.
In the boys' race, Indiana's Brayden Law finished first with a time of 15:41. Marcus Skinner, of Shelbyville, was the first Team Illinois athlete to cross the line in 14th place with a time of 16:05. He was followed by Walmer Saavedra, of Lindblom Math & Science Academy, in 17th place with a time of 16:10. Next in the chute was Plainfield North's Jack Sebok in 22nd place with a time of 16:28, followed by Johnsburg's Matthew Stelmasek in 23rd place with a time of 16:31. The fifth scorer for Team Illinois was Michael Gerkin, of St. Charles East, who finished in 28th place with a time of 16:37. Prospect's Karson LeComte and Matthew Cozine were in a tight pack with Gerkin, finishing in 29th and 31st place, respectively. LeComte finished in 16:37, and Cozine in 16:38. Hinsdale Central's Chris Brenk finished in 34th place with a time of 16:43, followed by Plainfield North's Brenden McGath in 44th place with a time of 17:12. Belvidere North's Eryk Yunk was the final finisher for Team Illinois, pushing through a tough race and finishing in 46th place with a time of 17:45. The final team score had Indiana with 32 points, Ohio with 36, Michigan with 67, and Illinois with 104.
Team Illinois 2015 was coached by Oswego East's Lisa Cook, West Chicago's Paul McLeland, and Rosary's Vic Mead. A huge thank you goes out to the athletes who represented Illinois at the 29th Mideast Cross Country Championships, as well as the coaches throughout the state for supporting Team Illinois and encouraging their wonderful athletes to sign up.