Naperville North IL trio hope to lead Huskies back to NXN

By Adam Kopet of DyeStat

Illinois continues to be a dominant force in the Midwest Region, holding three of this year’s preseason top five spots.

Naperville North IL leads the way with potential for a strong finish in Portland, should the Huskies qualify, with a trio of experienced runners.

However, Carmel IN should not be overlooked. The Greyhounds were hit hard by graduation, but the experience of the returning runners could be enough to see them make their eighth trip to NXN, the most by any team from the Midwest Region.

Centerville OH is one of the first teams in the Midwest rankings to show new additions to its lineup. Freshman Emma Bucher filled the No. 2 spot on the team at an early season 5-kilometer race, running 18:40 in her debut.

Individually, sophomore Katelynne Hart will look to defend her NXR Midwest title from last year. The Glenbard West IL sophomore will be joined by teammate Lindsey Payne, a senior, in an attempt to pull their team to an NXN qualifying spot.

1. Naperville North IL: The Huskies return four of their top five from last year’s team that finished second at NXR Midwest. They are led by a strong trio of runners, seniors Sara Schmitt and Hannah Ricci, and junior Alex Morris. All ran under 10:47 for 3,200 meters in the spring.

2. Carmel IN: The Greyhounds graduated three of their top five last year from the squad that finished fourth at NXN. This year’s team appears to be led by senior Maddie Dalton and sophomore Phoebe Bates. Carmel has already raced a 4K on Aug. 19.

3. Centerville OH: The Elks return their entire squad that finished fifth at NXR Midwest last year. They are led by junior Grace Kilroy. Also look for freshman Emma Bucher to make an impact. Centerville was in action Aug. 19, when Bucher was Centerville’s second runner behind Kilroy.

4. Glenbard West IL: The Hilltoppers graduated one runner from their eighth-place NXR Midwest team last year. They have one of the best one-two punches in the country in sophomore Katelynne Hart and senior Lindsey Payne.

5. Lyons Township IL: The Lions return the top six runners that saw them finish fifth at the Illinois 3A state meet last year. It was a limited squad that competed at NXR Midwest, finishing 12th. They are led by juniors Sarah Barcelona and Emily Henkel.

Watch List:

Troy OH

Belvidere North IL

Carroll IN

Yorkville IL

Minooka IL