Familiar Territory Ahead for Cross Country Teams

When the cross country team went to Peoria this weekend for the Notre Dame Invite at Detweiler Park, the site of cross country’s state meet and Barrington’s eighth-place finish last year, the team wasn't spending time reminiscing about their last trip here. They were focused on this year’s tough competition.

“It’s like a mini-state meet,” senior Erik Peterson said prior to the meet. “Four or five of the top ten teams are down there so there is definitely some good competition.”

Peterson, who finished sixth in the state meet last year, also saw the meet as a chance to gauge how he might fair on the state course from a year ago.

“It will be good to see if I’ve improved from last year’s” time, said Peterson of the other advantage to heading down to Peoria.

The Broncos finished in eighth place at the Notre Dame Invitational with 311 points and finished behind two other very tough MSL-W teams. First-place Palatine (113) finished comfortably with a 63-point advantage over second place, with Schaumburg taking sixth place (243) at the invite.

Peterson had a great individual effort to lead the team and finished second in the race, running a 14:25. His run this year was .08 faster than last year's time, which won him sixth place at the state meet at Detweiler. 

Barrington head coach Ty Gorman believes that running at Detweiler is an advantage toward the state meet, but only if you make it that far.

“Anytime you are on the state course you get to see what type of race plan you want to run,” Gorman said.

‘The best teams in the state are at the Notre Dame Invite,” Gorman went on to say. “The meet is really a measuring stick for where we are right now, and preparation, hopefully, for when we run on the course again.”

The Broncos took on the Saxons prior to the Notre Dame Invitational. Despite a team loss to the Saxons 26-29, Peterson (15:33) edged out the Saxon’s Evan Prizy (15:45) who crossed just ahead of Barrington’s Ryan Burgoon (16:04). The other Bronco captain, Nolan Wojtowicz (17:19), finished in seventh just ahead of teammate Mike Rappleye (17:35), but it wasn’t enough as three Schaumburg runners went fourth, fifth and sixth to help seal their victory.

“Erik ran strong,” Gorman said of his captain’s first-place finish. “He isn’t one that likes to get out and take leads like that, but this was his last race on the home course and I think he went out aggressive and looked strong the entire way.”

The Broncos, who had their home opener and only other home meet against Wheeling canceled due to an excessive heat index earlier in the season, moved to 2-1 against the Mid Suburban League after the lost to the Saxons (wins against Wheeling and Hoffman Estates). The heat has forced the Broncos to alter their game plan at times, but the big picture has stayed the same.

“We have been doing the same things that we did last year,” Gorman said of the core group of athletes that earned the trip downstate. “They’ve been doing their training with more intensity and focusing more on the little things.” 

Fillies Cross Country

The Broncos aren’t the only team trying to battle their way back to the state meet this year. The Fillies also are looking for a return trip of their own. After an eighth-place finish last year, and five of their top seven runners returning, including junior Rebecca Batliner who finished eighth in the event, the Fillies have the firepower.

Barrington showed some of that strength with a 25-32 win over the Saxons, last year’s state champions, during their lone home meet of the season. Barrington’s victory over Schaumburg came with Batliner out of the race for precautionary measures, but that didn’t stop the rest of the Barrington runners.

“We are holding Rebecca out of some meets because of the stress facture that she suffered in the past,” Fillies head coach Debbie Revolta said after the win over the Saxons. “We are running her sparingly and trying to race and train sporadically.”

“All the girls are doing so well,” Revolta went on to say. “Everybody has been working hard; this is a team that is really close and has goals they want to achieve.”

In the Fillies final home race, one that had the first six places won by performers in last year’s state meet, Schaumburg’s Hannah Coombs (18:49) was first to cross the line but was followed quickly by Barrington’s Elizabeth Tracy (18:54) and then teammate Rachel Simon (18:55). Barrington’s Caroline Carley (fifth), Alexa Argianas (sixth) and Kristen Patino (ninth) rounded out the Fillies’ top five finishers at the race.

The Fillies, who have no races schedules for next week, will spend the time healing and preparing for their next three matches, which will be held at Deer Grove East.

“I like Deer Grove because their finish is a long straightaway, just like at the state meet, and we can take a lot from that course for what we will use in November,” Revolta said. “I also like the quality opponents that will run there too.”

Barrington will face Palatine (ranked third in the state and last year’s second-place finisher at the state finals), and Wheaton-Warrenville South (ranked second in state) while running at Deer Grove.

“There are a lot of ranked teams there, so we will have to step up and perform,” Revolta said.