State Champions Collide For Midwest Supremacy at LaVern Gibson Championship Course

By Doug Binder and Erik Boal, DyeStat Editors

The Nike Cross Regional Series, which begins with Saturday's Northwest meet in Idaho, will serve thousands of high school cross country runners at each of nine regional meets that span the country. The NXR Midwest meet comes on the first of four compelling weekends of live webcast coverage of every regional. 

The first three meets are on tap this weekend – Northwest on Saturday and Heartland and Midwest on Sunday. 

NXR MIDWEST LIVE WEBCAST | BOX ASSIGNMENTS

The Midwest brings together a compelling group of top-flight teams for showdown featuring the best groups from four of the five eligible states. 

Black Robe Running Club (US#6 Brebeuf Jesuit) won the Indiana state title with a strong  performance that sent the team rocketing up the national rankings. Black Robe will be running on familiar ground at LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course and looking to defend its territory and add a layer of glory to it season.

Senior Krishna Thirunavukkarasu led his team at the Oct. 30 state meet and the remaing four scorers all placed in the top 30 of Indiana's one-size-fits-all final.

Sandburg XC Club (Sandburg IL) is US#8 and just won the Illinois Class 3A championship last weekend at Detweiller Park in Peoria. Senior Declan Tunney finished fifth overall and his teammates came through for a 45-point victory over runner-up Hinsdale (Central). 

Comet XC Club (Mason OH) checks in at US#17 after winning the Ohio Division 1 championship, and pulling off a 38-point margin of victory over Dublin Coffman. Hilliard Davidson, a pre-meet favorite, was third. 

Running as Davidson this weekend, Ohio's third-place team will look to rebound and contend for a regional title. Connor Ackley, the state runner-up, gives the team a low stick and this group picked up a big interstate victory at New York's McQuaid Invitational in early October. 

MarlXC (Marlington OH) is the Ohio Division 2 team champion and looking to measure itself against the larger clubs. 

The Missouri state meet contested last weekend was decided by just four points as Kickapoo defeated Rock Bridge 78-82 for the Class 5 title. Both teams are especially strong through four but could use a big performance from their fifth to stay in contention on Sunday. 

Rock Bridge Cross Club is led by individual Missouri champion Andrew Hauser, a sophomore, who ran 14:52.7 at Gans Creek Park. Chiefs (Kickapoo) leader Tyler Harris was eighth at the state meet. 

Lemrac (Carmel IN) is always a factor in the regional race and junior Kole Mathison is one of the top individuals in the field. He finished fourth at the Indiana state meet. 

Izaiah Steury (Angola IN) will run unattached. He was the Indiana state champion in 2020 and finished second this fall. 

Team CG (Center Grove) and Royals (Hamilton Southeastern) are two more formidable clubs from Indiana capable of a top finish. 

The Dale (Hinsdale IL) entered the national rankings this week at US#19 after taking second at the Illinois state meet. Daniel Watcke gives the team a steady presence near the front. He was 14th last weekend. 

One of Sunday's individual favorites is Hunter Jones (Benzie Central MI), the three-time Michigan Division 3 champion. Jones comes from a school with just over 400 students. He is undefeated since taking fourth at the MSU Spartan Invitational on Sept. 17. 

Nick Falk of Sheridan Athletic Club (New Trier IL) is another individual to watch. He placed second in the Illinois 3A final, running 14:14.2 for three miles. Ryder James, the Illinois 1A champion from Paxton, ran 14:16.8 and and is unbeaten over his last eight races. 

Cridge, Forsyth Lead Girls Field; Top Teams From All Five States Set To Race

Whether it’s the top five teams in the region all squaring off for the first time this season or a showdown of individual state champions from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri and Ohio, the girls championship race has the potential to be one of the elite competitions of the year.

Lily Cridge of Indianapolis Bishop Chatard returns to the LaVern Gibson Championship course for an encore performance following her Indiana state title Oct. 30, with runner-up Nicki Southerland of Delta also entered, along with Park Tudor teammates Sophia Kennedy and Gretchen Farley, who took third and fourth in the state final.

Cridge will encounter plenty of elite challengers, including Michigan Division 1 winner Rachel Forsyth, a sophomore from state team champion Ann Arbor Pioneer (US#14), who will be competing as Purple Track Club.

Arianne Olson of Holland West Ottawa, the third-place finisher in the Division 1 state final, highlights the SHORE Track Club lineup, along with fifth-place finisher Helen Sachs, following a runner-up team finish Nov. 6 at the Michigan International Speedway.

Grace Hartman from Ohio Division 2 state champion Oakwood, along with teammate and runner-up Bella Butler, are also scheduled to compete. Hartman is the top returning athlete from the 2019 regional championship race, placing 11th.

Lianna Surtz, the Illinois 1A state champion from Rosary, returns after finishing 12th in 2019.

Grace Tyson, the Missouri Class 5 state champion from Lafayette, is expected to race, in addition to runner-up Leah Kleekamp from Eureka. Amelia Arrieta of St. Teresa’s Academy, representing Stars Running Club, took third in the Class 5 final and helped her team place second overall.

Along with Surtz, several Illinois athletes who performed well in the 3A state final and 2A championship race are also entered.

Aly Negovetich of Grant, the 3A runner-up, is looking to improve on her 20th-place regional performance from 2019. Brooke Johnston of Lake Zurich was third in 3A, Audrey Allman of Glenbard West took fifth and Lucy Westlake of North Naperville finished ninth.

Although Illinois 2A state champion Ava Parekh of Latin School in Chicago is not scheduled to compete, her teammate Mia Kotler is expected to race following a third-place state finish. Elia Ton-That of Chicago Northside, fifth at the state 2A final, is also entered.

Centerville junior Mia Robillard, fourth in the Ohio Division 1 final, is representing ELK Pride, which placed sixth in the team competition at the state meet.

Mia Compton-Engle of Shaker Heights, competing as the Shake City Snakes, finished 19th in the Division 1 final and helped her team secure third overall.

The battle for team supremacy is highlighted by Illinois 3A champion and US#10 York, which had five scorers in the top 30 in the state final. Katherine Klimek was seventh, Bria Bennis took 19th, Brooke Berger finished 21st, Katelyn Winton earned 23rd and Michaela Quinn secured 27th for the group that will compete as Kroy.

Purple Track Club, which also had seniors Cookie Baugh and Sarah Forsyth place in the top 15 in the Michigan Division 1 state final, will rely on its strength up front in an effort to prevail against the top programs from Illinois and Indiana.

The top two teams from Indiana, US#17 Columbus North and US#20 Carmel, will be competing Sunday as Columbus Thorn and Lemrac.

Lily Baker was eighth and Julia Kiesler finished 11th at the Indiana state final to lead Columbus Thorn. Alivia Romaniuk, Jamie Klavon and Jasmine Klopstad all placed in the top 20 at the state meet for Lemrac.

Prospect Running Club, led by sophomore Lily Ginsberg who placed 11th in the 3A state final, joins Kroy among the top Illinois programs scheduled to compete.