Illinois Locks Up All The Automatic Team Qualifiers, With Downers Grove North XC (Boys) And Prospect XC (Girls) Taking Top Honors; Rachel Forsyth Wins By 47 Seconds; Cameron Todd Leads Eight Under 15 Minutes

By David Woods for DyeStat

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Rachel Forsyth has perhaps been a revelation in her senior cross country season. Not to Selma Anderson, though.

“I’m pretty used to it,” Anderson said.

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After beating Anderson by 45 seconds to win Michigan’s Division 1 state title, Forsyth expanded the margin to 47 seconds in a record-setting run Sunday at the NXR Midwest Regional.

On a sun-splashed afternoon with temperature climbing to 60 degrees, Forsyth burned up the record at LaVern Gibson, one of the nation’s premier courses.

Forsyth, after hitting 3,000 meters in a fast-for-track 9:39.3, finished 5,000 in 16:31.1. Previous high school course record was 16:38.3 by Sydney Thorvaldson of Rawlins, Wyo., at the Nike XC Town meet in 2020.

Anderson, running unattached (Grand Rapids, Mich.), was second in 17:18.0.

Forsyth, of Purple Track Club (Ann Arbor, Mich.), has run faster – 16:07.5 in a region meet Oct. 28. But maybe not better.

“I think I’m in the best shape of my life,” she said. “So I’m just riding the wave.”

Last June, Forsyth followed an 800/1,600 state double win by running an 800 in 2:06.88 and mile in 4:41.48 (sixth at New Balance nationals) on successive weekends. In 2023 cross country, she is 11-0, dipping under 17 minutes in each of the past 10 races. She has committed to Michigan State.

Hers is a redemptive story. She was hospitalized in 2022 with an eating disorder, something she has shared publicly. She said feedback has been that doing so helped other runners.

“I kind of felt like it was a comeback because I wasn’t even able to come last year,” said Forsyth, the NXR Midwest champion in 17:58.5 two years ago in muddy conditions. “More than anything, I’m proud of the work that brought me to here.”

Top five individuals automatically advanced to race Dec. 2 at Nike Cross Nationals in Portland, as did the top two teams.

Anderson, who was eighth at 4K, said she went out faster than usual but was not going to try shadowing Forsyth.

“I tried to put myself in position so I could catch up at the end,” she said.

Joining the Michigan girls were freshman Isabella Keller, the Illinois 1A champion, 17:18.7; sophomore Libby Dowty, the Indiana state champion, 17:19.3, and Addison Knoblauch, who was fourth in the Indiana meet, 17:19.9.

Team scoring was a revised version of Illinois’ state meet from a week ago at Peoria.

Illinois accounted for the top four teams in the race. Prospect XC won with 125 points, followed by Downers North XC with 138. Kroy was third with 148 and Dark Horse Distance Project was fourth with 169.

This was Prospect’s third successive top-two finish at NXR Midwest. As close as Kroy was to second, the Illinois 3A state champions have a strong case to be chosen for nationals as an at-large. 

Prospect scoring was 13-14-16-45-46. Before individuals were displaced, Meg Peterson (17:44.1) was 18th, Veronica Znajda (17:51.2) 21st and Lily Ginsberg (18:03.2) 33rd. Ginsberg has been on all three Midwest championship teams.

“The goal today for us was just to hook up,” coach Peter Wintermute said. “We wanted to make sure to run with a group of three, and our group of four in the back. Find each other and work together through the middle part of the race, and that last K just lay it out there.”

Boys: Cameron Todd fastest Hoosier ever

Futsum Zienasellassie, Cole Hocker and Kole Mathison all won state titles on this course and went on to become cross country national champions. None ever ran as fast as Cameron Todd did at LaVern Gibson.

Reprising his state meet strategy, Todd hung back early and surged late to win the boys 5K in 14:43.8. Todd, a Notre Dame signee, and Will Conway (14:46.8) also reprised their 1-2 Indiana finish.

Fastest times on this course: Mathison, 14:47.0, 2022; Zienasellassie, 14:48.8, 2011; Hocker, 15:00, 2018.

Course record of 14:21.8 was set last year by Hunter Jones (Michigan), one of four under 14:30 in that race.

Also advancing were Dylon Nalley, Illinois 2A champion, 14:47.0; junior T.J. Hansen, Michigan Division 2 champion, 14:50.9, and Aden Bandukwala, Illinois 3A champion, 14:52.7.

Conditions induced eight boys to break 15 minutes.

“We’re obviously going to race, regardless of conditions,” Todd said. “It was just pleasant. That’s all I can say about it.”

Nalley, who was 18th at 2K, led at 3K (8:47.0) and 4K (11:47.7).

Todd, confident in his kick, was 33rd at 2K, 13th at 3K and third at 4K. He had the fastest closing kilometer of 2:55.6, distancing from Nalley and then Conway, who led briefly.

Conway said he made “the tough mental decision” to follow Nalley and ensure a spot in the top five. Todd said he would race a Foot Locker regional at Kenosha, Wis., in two weeks with the intention of running both nationals. His coach, Karl Knerr, said Todd has never been more fit.

“Slowly chipping away,” Todd said. “I wish there was one workout that was bread-and-butter that got me here. But you know what? It’s just doing the little things all the time.”

Downers North XC Club, which qualified for nationals as an at-large entry last year, made sure by winning the team title with 115 points. PNXC (Illinois) was second with 164, and Cougar Running Club (Illinois), 168, finished in the same order as in the Illinois state meet. Indiana champion Lemrac was fourth with 230.

Downers Grove North had a 21-second split among its five scorers: 14-17-27-28-29. Ryan Eddington (15:22.1) was top finisher in 30th.

“The kids have some good synergy with each other and work well off each other in the races,” coach John Sipple said.

Sipple said his runners continued training for three weeks a year ago, not knowing if they would be selected for nationals. In Portland, they finished 11th.

“I think it was transformative for those guys, just being focused on the work and just being in the moment,” Sipple said. “It was out of our control. All we can control is what we do on a daily basis.”

Contact David Woods at [email protected]. Follow him on X: @DavidWoods007.