For five months, cross country teams set their goals, with one of the biggest ones being to run in the State meet, and maybe even win. Dating back to last year, during the late track and field season, there was talk about Kaneland being a top team in contention for the State championship. Going into this year, Kaneland was ranked fourth in Illinois , sitting behind the big names of Chicago Payton and Dixon. The only time the three teams would see each other would be First to the Finish race in September and at the State finals. On Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, these teams met in Peoria for the State championship.
Going into state, Kaneland was ranked fifth behind Chicago Payton, Morton, Chicago (Latin) and Dixon. However, they wouldn’t let that faze them. Dating back to the State Series (Regionals, Sectionals and State), Kaneland’s runners did not visit any ranking websites in order to take pressure off themselves.
For the competitors, taking the trip on Saturday was both exciting and nerve racking. After winning the Sectional championship, the big one was here: the cross country State finals.
“It’s a nervous time,” senior Zach Murdock said. “You’ve been training all season, but when it comes to the date it’s the scariest race you’ll ever run.”
Trying to calm nerves is tough when runners have the biggest meet of their lives.
“Something that always calms me down is listening to music or talking with other teammates,” sophomore Nolan Reutimann said. “I always want to be ready to go even if I’m an alternate.”
Those in attendance agreed that the weather was perfect for running. The temperature was in the mid 50s with a little bit of wind and a small chance of rain.
“Rain is some of the most ideal weather for a runner,” assistant coach Matt Ritchman said. “If you asked all the guys on this team their perfect weather for a run, I guarantee half of them would say that a little bit of rain is perfect.”
When the warmups were over and the huddle was in process, it was 10 minutes to race time. The Knights did their huddle like always, making each other smile and laugh by telling jokes and riddles. After all the laughs, it was time to get serious. Head coach Chad Clarey asked the guys about their surge points. A big part of racing involves runners finding three places in the middle of the race and taking eight seconds to pick up their speed.
Clarey reminded the guys, “Remember every flag we hit, flag you pass, you take eight hard strides.”
The guys broke out the huddle with, ‘Knights on three, ready,’ and ran back to the box to get ready for the race.
Right as the boys got to the line, the raindrops started to fall. Lots of the runners were excited and ready to go, while others were just waiting for the gun to go off to indicate the start. It was finally the perfect weather. The final whistle blew: Three, two, one. Pop! The gun fired and the guys were off.
With a total of 236 runners, the Knights had to get out fast, especially if they wanted to finish as a top team at the meet. The goal was to pick off as many top guys as possible.
“Senior Evan Nosek, junior Evan Whildin and freshman Carson Kaiser. We need a strong start from those guys. Senior Liam Lentz and sophomore Joey Schuch need to hold on as long as possible and fight together. Zach Murdock needs to go find the other guys, and sophomore Nathan Kowalzyck should run and pass anybody he can,” Clarey said.
Nosek and Kaiser were able to stay close most of the race. Towards the end, Nosek broke away from Kaiser. Whildin tried his best to stick with Kaiser, but Kaiser beat him. For the first time ever, Lentz went sub 16:00, followed shortly by Murdock and Schuch. Finishing off was Kowalzyck, who ran a great race for only being a sophomore in a race with mostly seniors.
In the end, the Knights ran pretty close together. Nosek finished in 14:36.70, and Kowalzyck finished in 16:47.50. They finished with a pack split of 87 seconds. As a team, they ran a school record for the past 25 years with a time of 76:19.
With a great race by the Knights, Kaneland finished in fifth place with a total of 222 points. Lots of guys were upset about the finish, but overall it was a great day for Kaneland, especially because they were able to take home two medals. Nosek finished in third and Kaiser in sixth.
“With this being our last meet we ever get to run, it was very exciting,” Nosek said. “It didn’t end up how we wanted to, and I’m going to miss this team and lots of guys. However, it was a great day to run, and I’m glad how far we’ve come as a team and friends in this program.”
