Lincoln-Way East senior Noah Healy liked what he saw even before the cross country season started.
A standout at Lincoln-Way North until it closed, Healy recognized a sign that could lead to success for his new team.
“As soon as summer started, two weeks later, we were all running together,” he said.
And winning soon after.
East’s latest victory came Saturday in the Tinley Park Invitational Championship Division at Midlothian Meadows. Healy’s runner-up finish (15:33) to Shepard’s Caleb Washington (15:23) led the Griffins to an impressive 37-111 win over Lockport in the 18-team large school race.
East’s top five also included Scott Platek (third, 15:37), Brett Gardner (fifth, 15:55), Mike Trost (ninth, 16:17) and Jeremy Stajkowski (18th, 16:32).
Platek has been a key contributor at East, Trost and Stajkowski came from North and Gardner is a promising freshman.
“They had some good guys, too,” Healy said of East. “Combining with them made us pretty good this year.”
The Griffins started September with back-to-back victories at the T.F. South Rich Dust Invitational on Sept. 3 and the Marmion Invitational on Sept. 10, where Healy won the individual title.
Healy clocked 15:08 last week at the Richard Spring Invitational in Peoria, two seconds faster than his 2015 state meet time.
“At North the past two years, we went downstate,” Healy said. “Our goal (at East) this whole year is to get downstate again.”
East expects to qualify from the Class 3A Andrew Regional to the Edwardsville Sectional, where Minooka, Yorkville, Normal, Joliet Central and O’Fallon should be contenders for the five state meet spots.
East’s girls team also had a title to celebrate Saturday, a 34-37 win over Marist in the 14-school championship race. Jenna Couwenhoven (fourth, 18:53), Olivia Jacobs (sixth, 19:22), Rebekah Harden (seventh, 19:33), Makenna Hamilton (eighth, 19:35) and Jordan Jacobucci (ninth, 20:01) scored for the Griffins.
“It’s a typical East cross country season where you get better every meet,” coach Wendy Hegarty said. “It’s a whole new top seven almost.”
Marist senior Maryclare Leonard was the individual champion (18:37) and teammate Colleen Murphy was second (18:48).
Good in any class: Chicago Christian’s April Van Ryn runs for a Class 1A school, but the senior has proved she can compete with any individual. She clocked a girls meet-best 18:04 to win the Tinley Park small school Olympic division by 50 seconds.
Van Ryn also won individual titles this year at the Morris Invitational, First to the Finish in Peoria and last week’s Illiana Christian Invitational.
Van Ryn finished 28th at last year’s state meet to lead Chicago Christian to seventh place in the 25-school field. This year, she’s aiming for Effingham St. Anthony’s Anna Sophia Keller, the defending 1A state champ.
“She might be out of reach, but we’re going to see if I can run with her at the state meet,” Van Ryn said.
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With six of its top seven back, Chicago Christian wants to move up to trophy position at state.
“We’re hoping top three, and our big goal is to win, but we’ll see,” Van Ryn said.
Meet champs: Lemont won the Tinley Park Olympic division girls race 35-48 over Chicago Christian. The Indians’ top five were Beata Drozda (third), Julianne McClatchy (fourth), Cassie Hamilton (seventh), Bridget Kunkel (10th) and Jacey Schickel (13th).
Thornridge’s Jazare Jones took first place (16:20) in the 15-school Olympic division boys race won by Bremen. The Braves’ first five were Danny Meza (fourth), Javier Simental (eighth), Bubby Fuentes (ninth), Musaab Froukh (13th) and Elijah Trella (18th).
Tim Tierney is a freelance writer for the Daily Southtown.