The Naperville North girls cross-country team captured its second state championship in three years in Peoria on Saturday by doing the same thing it has done all year — running together.
The Huskies’ top five runners once again finished within 30 seconds of each other to capture the IHSA 3A state title with a final score of 73. Glenbard West junior Lindsay Graham won the meet in 16:23, while Palatine junior Kelly O’Brien finished third. But that wasn’t enough for either school to overcome the block of orange that Naperville North had right behind the leaders. Palatine finished second with 91 points while Glenbard West took third with 94.
“I was very impressed with the girls’ effort,” said Huskies coach Dan Iverson. “We definitely set out this season wanting to win state. But you have to really want it to run that fast. I think they were very confident that they could do that, and they obviously came through.”
The top Naperville North finisher was different from those on top at regionals and sectionals. This time, it was junior Judy Pendergast leading the pack, finishing seventh overall in team competition in 17:06. (Runners who qualify for the state meet as individuals aren’t counted in the team results.) She was closely followed by senior Elly DeTurris in ninth (17:08), sophomore Claire Hamilton in 10th (17:09), freshman Sarah Schmitt in 23rd (17:31) and Emily Hamilton in 24th (17:32). At the regional championships, Claire Hamilton took the top spot for the Huskies; at sectionals it was Schmitt, and throughout much of the early season it was DeTurris who lead the way.
“It’s not necessarily by design — we just have a lot of good runners,” Iverson said. “I think different (girls) have taken a chance at different times and come through. But as a coach, you can’t complain. They really have come together as a group.”
After finishing second in the state to Glenbard West last year, the Huskies were happy to take the title back, having won in 2012.
“All you can do is run as fast as you can — it’s not like you can play defense in this sport,” Iverson said. “But it’s nice to get a result like this.”
Naperville Central, which finished second in the sectional meet last week, took 10th overall in the state meet with 284 points. They were without top runner Rachel Hoffman, who was injured. The Redhawks were led by junior Maggie McClowry, who finished in 36th place (17:45). She was followed by junior Ellie Marcet in 57th (17:57), sophomore Alana Austin in 53rd (17:58), sophomore Carolyn Carpenter in 71st (18:11) and senior Isabel Lopez in 72nd (18:11).
Neuqua Valley finished 13th overall with 329 points, led by sophomore Caitlin Horn in 47th place (17:56). Also scoring for the Wildcats were senior Anastasia Bernat in 59th (18:04), junior Julia Pena in 60th (18:04), senior Lauren Penkala in 75th place (18:13) and freshman Corinna Pena in 88th place (18:17).
On the boys’ side, it was Neuqua Valley taking top honors among the Naperville schools. After missing last year’s cross-country season due to injury, Wildcat junior Connor Horn was able to lead the Wildcats to a fourth-place overall finish. He finished seventh overall, fourth in team competition, with a time of 14:36. Much like Naperville North’s girls, Hinsdale Central won the boys’ competition with a tight pack of runners between eighth and 33rd place, giving them a score of 104. Sandburg High School was second with 138, and Lyons finished in third with 180, a single point ahead of Neuqua Valley.
Joining Horn in the scoring for the Wildcats were senior Michael Widmann in 11th (14:48), senior Daniel Weiss in 19th (14:54), junior Dominic Dina in 64th (15:18) and junior Austin Kinne in 83rd (15:27).
Naperville North finished seventh overall with 249 points, with senior Jon Klaiber taking all-state honors with his 24th finish overall (16th in team competition) in 14:50. He was followed by senior Kerry Gschwendtner in 20th (14:54), senior Christian Moore in 45th (15:11), senior Andrew LaDeur in 55th (15:17) and senior Patrick Miga in 113th (15:39).
Naperville Central finished 17th overall with 396 points, led by junior Geoffrey McCullough, who finished in 35th place (15:05). Also scoring for the Redhawks were junior John Manos in 73rd (15:23), senior Scott Hicks in 81st (15:27), senior David Kennedy in 103rd (15:34) and sophomore Tommy Chavez in 104th (15:34).
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