It was a fun time to come and watch a cross country race in the western suburbs
Lake Park High School (east campus); Roselle IL-
The last weekend of action for September actually felt like fall and those who were in attendance did not mind because it's cross country weather at its best.
Veteran racing nets Rachel Price the win; St. Charles East gets the easy win-
With only a varsity race to tend with, the hope of some explosive fireworks was placed to order. Right from the gun, the small field of approximately 30 runners, St. Charles North standout Rachel Price pushed the pace. Tagging along with her was Marley Andelman and Morgan Sandlund of #23 St. Charles East. Immediately and simultaneously the team battle was shaped up almost as dual vs crosstown rival #21 St. Charles North.
Price led Andelman and Sandlund by several seconds through the first mile in 5:36. The course on Lake Park's freshmen campus is mostly flat, though a slight incline about 300m into start provides some stress, it can be an aid to runners who work in tandem. Such was the case from Andelman and Sandlund who caught but did not capture Price just before the second mile.
The trio would hit the second mile in approximately 11:56 and it looked as though it would be a coup. However, Price in all of her feistiness would refuse to bend and give up the lead. She indicated that she felt the Saints tandem and in typical rivalry racing, there was just cutting off and bumping added to the mix. "The best I could do is stay on the inside and cut them off later..." Price stated in veteran move style.
Price pulled away for the win by using all of the final mile and last 300m of the stadium track in 17:53. Andelman and Sandlund come home in personal bests 17:57 and 17:58 respectively.
The team battle was all St. Charles East who had a chip on their shoulder after ace junior Alice Abbott went down with a season-ending injury in August. The Saints put its five scorers in the top six to score a scant 22 points. Meanwhile, the North Stars stayed ahead of Glenbard North by tallying 42 points.
Micah Wilson and the Saints roar to a big victory in boys race-
The #3 rated Saints slowly walked to the starting line 40 minutes after the conclusion of the girls' race. Maybe they were thinking about a missed opportunity last weekend to prove they are better than their current ranking. But the past is the past and they are going to go as far as their ace junior Micah Wilson will take them.
As expected Wilson spread the field out within the first quarter-mile and it was off to the races. Noah Eng of St. Charles North came along for the ride and they hit the first mile in 4:42. The Saints scoring pack of 2, 3, 4, 5 all appeared to be under 5:00.
The second mile was all Wilson who was cruising while Eng began to struggle. Wilson was 9:46 at the checkpoint and looked strong. Luke Schildmeyer of St. Charles East moved into second place and later teammate Zach Loomis was making his stalking move to grab third. The Saints were in total control of the race as all five scorers were in the top 10.
Wilson trucked home for the win in a season-best 14:46 with a still slightly sore knee to boot. "I was a little sore and went to the doctor [to get things fixed up]." The Saints roared home 1,2,3 as Schildmeyer (14:53) and Loomis (15:05) provided a strong supporting cast. Eng held on for fourth in 15:06. But the big story was the Saints fifth man Tyler Tobin who motored home in 15:52 and seventh overall to close things out for his team's 19-point tally.