Photo above: Runners take off from the start at the beginning of the Girls High School race at the Detweiller at Dark Meet on July 24 (Photo Courtesy of Carrol Whitehouse, Mahomet IL)

By Michael Newman

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Let us just remember that this is the end of July and that the big race that counts is 105 days away. The Detweiller at Dark race held on the state meet course at the end of July is a chance for runners of all ages to run on the legendary state meet course. It is a bridge from the summer racing season to the IHSA blackout period before official practice starts on August 12. It is also a chance for runners to use this effort as a check point to see how their training has gone so far.

That’s all it is. Let’s not blow these results out of proportion if someone does not run great.

A few things that were noticed from the two high school races on Friday night.

Girls Race

Indiana athletes made their presence known in this race. Taylor Nicholson (Avon IN) led a pack of eight through the first mile in 5:36. The pack had Illinois runners in there including Kortney Schardt (Lakes HS, Lake Villa), Vivian Overbeck (Vernon Hills HS), Madison Ronzone (Rosary HS, Aurora), and Daly Galloway (Gardner-South Wilmington High School). Nicholson made her move in the triangle opening up a four second lead on Sarah Leinheiser (Carmel IN). Overbeck and Galloway were still in the hunt up front going through the second mile in 11:42.

Nicholson had to hold off her Indiana rival Leinheiser for the win. Nicholson crossed the line in 17:24 one second ahead of Leinheiser. The story of the race might have been the re-emergence of Annie Zaher (Hinsdale Central HS). The soon to be senior kept the pace cool for the first two miles going through the mile in 5:47. She was eleven seconds behind the pack in fourteenth place. By the time she got to the two mile mark, she had moved up to tenth passing in 11:49. She moved in a big way in the last mile finishing in third (17:35). Zaher, who was the 3A state champion in the 1600 in 2014, missed the entire outdoor track season last spring with a stress fracture looks to be trending back to where she was before she was injured maybe better. Good things could be ahead for Zaher and Hinsdale Central this fall.

Daly Galloway finished fourth one second behind Zaher. She ran 16:52 last year in the 1A state meet behind Keller. Her improvement is evident with the 17:36 time that she turned in Friday night. Last year in this race she ran 18:03. Her time this year was 27 seconds faster than a year ago. I am sure Galloway has her eyes on Anna Sophia Keller and the 1A state championship that Keller has had a stranglehold on the past two seasons.

Carmel IN is poised to make another return trip to Portland for the Nike Nationals this November. It showed in this race. Sarah Leinhieser was the seventh runner for their team in Portland last December. She stepped up in the leader’s role so far this summer. Carmel’s pack was strong up front with five runners in the first sixteen and a 64 second split on their first five runners.

The team that looks extremely impressive is Yorkville. They split up their team to a varsity and frosh/soph squad and finished second and third in this race. Summer Pierson was their first runner finishing thirteenth. The Foxes had a 32 second split on their first five runners. Also note that Yorkville had two freshmen (Olivia Borowiak and Nicole Greyer) as part of their first seven. I know it is only the end of July and we have many races to run, but Yorkville will once again be the team to beat in 2A Girls at state.

Boys Race

Jared Borowsky (Stevenson HS, Lincolnshire) survived a sluggish sophomore season and started to come on strong during last spring’s track season running under 9:20 twice during that campaign. Borowsky showed that he will be one of the 3A runners to watch this fall with his win Friday night. Borowsky stayed off the lead during the first mile as he was in seventh four seconds behind leaders Connor Madell (Lyons Township HS, LaGrange), Alex Keeble (Mahomet-Seymour HS), and Eryk Yunk (Belvidere North HS) who passed by in 4:54. Borowsky made his move in the triangle opening up a six second lead as he passed two miles (9:53). The pack of Madell, Yunk, and Keeble were six seconds back. Jacob Caniford (St. Thomas Aquinas HS, Louisville OH) moved up into fifth.

Borowsky’s lead continued to grow in the final mile. He crossed the line first in 14:47. He was nine seconds ahead of Connor Madell’s second place finish. Madell is another 3A runner to watch up front this fall. Caniford was another three seconds back in third place (14:59). Keeble had the same time as Caniford finishing fourth. It will be interesting in 2A Boys this year as Keeble and Yunk, who finished sixth in this race, will battle for the individual state championship.

Neuqua Valley will once again be one of the teams to watch in 3A this fall. They used the same strategy in this race as they did a year ago keeping their pack close together through the first two miles and then powering through a strong last mile. Connor Horn led the way for Neuqua Valley with an eight place finish. He went by the second mile in 23^rd place running 4:58 for the final circuit on the Detweiller Park course. The Wildcats placed five runners in the first twenty four with only a thirteen second split on five runners.

Two runners that caught my attention were Robby Prescott (Downers Grove North HS) and Cameron Reedy (Jacobs HS, Algonquin). Prescott was North’s fifth runner at last year’s state meet running 15:53 to finish 172^nd. His eleventh place finish Friday night running 15:19 to finish eleventh shows that he could be one of the most improved runners in the state. Reedy stepped onto the high school stage at the beginning of the month at the USATF Hershey Youth Championships when he won the 15/16 3000 Meter Run. His 15:28 time giving him 23^rd place shows he will be one of the elite freshman in the state this season.

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Audrey Jenkins (Seneca IL) won the Junior High Girls Race (13:25) four seconds ahead of Taylor Yakich (Normal IL). Both runners are only eleven years old. Ava Weyrich (Oswego IL) finished third seven seconds behind Yakich. Weyrich will be a freshman this fall at Oswego High School and could play a part in their top seven.

Christopher Collet (Verona IL) led from the gun to win the Boys Junior High School race. His time of 12:03 was eighteen seconds ahead of second place Kyle Boughter (Springfield IL). Collet will be a freshman this fall at Seneca High School. His dad John was an All-American while running at North Central College.