XC Weekend Recap: Thrills at Heartland & State Championships

Winnetka (New Trier)'s senior Ben Crane, the top returner from last year's meet, dominated the 3A boys' race to secure the individual title in 14:03.40. Crane finished ahead of Downers Grove (North)'s Grant Schroder, who placed second with a time of 14:11.80 and  Barrington's Joe Bregenzer finished third in 14:12.60. In the team competition, Downers Grove (North) won their second straight state title with a solid total of 83 points, led by Schroder's second-place finish and Philip Cupial's fourth-place finish (14:12.70). Their depth proved too much for Plainfield (North), who finished second with 154 points, despite a strong sixth-place finish by Quinn Davis (14:17.10).

The Downers Grove (North) boys on their way to a dominant win, put together the 6th best 3-mile team average of the season nationally, averaging 14:29.88. They were also 11 seconds faster than their team average from last year's state champion team and their average of 14:29.88 being the best-ever for Illinois. 

The 3A girls' team race at the Illinois State Cross Country Championships was a nail-biter, with Barrington narrowly defeating Elmhurst (York) by just one point. Barrington, led by individual champion Mia Sirois (15:53.40) and strong performances from Scout Storms (16:50.00), claimed the title with 130 points. Elmhurst (York), powered by a second-place finish from Karlin Janowski (16:30.60), finished close behind with 131 points, aided by a solid effort from their pack, though they couldn't overcome Barrington's depth. Downers Grove (North) rounded out the top three with 132 points, with a well-balanced effort and a 1-5 split of just 56 seconds, led by Alayna Todnem in eighth (16:58.70).