Willowbrook High School’s girls and boys cross-country teams squared off against Montini Catholic during the Warriors’ Sept. 29 meet at Lombard Common. Competitors from Fenton and Morton joined the Warriors and Broncos in the girls race, while runners from Fenton and Proviso East ran with Willowbrook and Montini in the boys race. Both afternoon races took place in sunny and pleasant conditions.
Montini sophomore Natalia Pesola won the individual title in the 3-mile girls race by surging in the closing stretch to edge Willowbrook senior Bethany Yurich at the finish line. Pesola, who is a Lombard resident, completed the race in 19 minutes, 29 seconds. Yurich, who is also a resident of Lombard, finished the race in 19 minutes, 30.8 seconds.
The Warriors won the team title in the four-team race with their total of 36 points. Montini placed second with 46 points, edging third-place Fenton (47). Morton (119) placed fourth.
Fenton senior Susanna Malinowski (20:27.5) finished third in the individual standings of the girls race. Fenton sophomore Molly Adamczyk (20:27.8) crossed the finish line just after Malinowski to place fourth. Willowbrook sophomore Kate Borho (20:36.4) delivered a fifth-place finish. Montini sophomore Fiona Felten (21:04.7) claimed a sixth-place finish. Fenton sophomore Amy Kroupa (21:26.7) posted a seventh-place finish. Willowbrook sophomore Rachel Simek (21:28.6; eighth), Montini junior Gia Csoke (21:46; ninth) and Willowbrook sophomore Vivian Little (21:47.5; 10th) rounded out the top-10 finishers.
Junior Juliet Oddo (22:06.3) completed the Warriors’ scoring lineup with her 11th-place finish. Sophomore Paige Simek (22:13; 12th), sophomore Peyton Petrine (22:31.2; 13th) and senior Genevieve Kling (22:39.9; 14th) also provided top-15 finishes for Willowbrook.
Junior Ella Chico (22:40; 15th) and sophomore Katherine Paradis (23:00.7; 18th) rounded out Montini’s scoring lineup. Freshman Ellie McGady (23:12; 20th) turned in a top-20 finish for the Broncos.
Willowbrook junior Legend Alka delivered a strong effort in his first-place performance in the 3-mile boys race. Alka covered the course in a victorious time of 15 minutes, 28.8 seconds. He finished more than 47 seconds ahead of Montini senior Nino Pesola, who completed the race in a second-place time of 16:16.3.
Montini senior Owen Ferris (16:21.1) ran to a third-place finish. Fenton senior Matt Andersen (16:22.1) placed fourth, while Montini senior Adriel Garcia (16:24.6) landed in fifth place, just ahead of Willowbrook senior Thomas Thimo (16:24.9), who landed in sixth place. Montini senior Gavin Conway (16:25.2) finished seventh, just behind Thimo and a fraction of a second ahead of Willowbrook senior Jacob Alexander (16:25.6; eighth). Willowbrook senior Ryan Quinney (16:26.5; ninth) and Montini sophomore Matthew Ferris (16:27.4; 10th) also delivered top-10 finishes.
Senior Kyle Johanson (17:06.9) posted an 11th-place finish to complete the Warriors’ scoring lineup.
The Broncos won the team title in the boys race after placing five runners among the top-10 finishers and posting a total score of 27 (2+3+5+7+10). Willowbrook earned second with its total of 35 (1+6+8+9+11). Fenton (71) and Proviso East (115) placed third and fourth, respectively.
The Broncos’ boys win team title at Niles West
Montini’s boys squad won the team title at Saturday’s (Oct. 3) Pat Savage Invitational at Niles West High School in Skokie. The Broncos ran to a first-place score of 108 in the competition, which included 39 teams. Oswego East finished second in the team standings with its total of 128.
Pesola led Montini’s boys team to their Oct. 3 victory with his fifth-place finish in the 3-mile race, which he completed in 15 minutes, 19.8 seconds. Matthew Ferris (15:52.1) placed 17th, while Garcia (16:03.1) landed in 24th place. Conway (16:05.5) claimed 26th, while Owen Ferris (16:12) posted a 36th-place finish to complete the Broncos’ scoring lineup.
The Willowbrook and Montini girls teams also competed at the Pat Savage Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 3. The Warriors delivered a fourth-place finish in the team standings of the 34-team competition, while the Broncos turned in an 18th-place performance. Yurich led Willowbrook with her sixth-place finish in the 3-mile girls race, which she covered in 18 minutes, 26.3 seconds. Borho (18:57.4) ran to a 17th-place finish.
Pesola (18:39) led Montini’s girls team with her ninth-place finish.
Willowbrook’s boys team raced to a victory at the Solorio Sun Warrior Invitational at Marquette Park in Chicago on Saturday, Oct. 3. Alka delivered a dominant effort in his first-place run in the 3-mile boys race, which he completed in 15 minutes, 9.6 seconds. Alka finished more than one minute ahead of the second-place finisher.
Quinney (16:20.7) finished fourth for the Warriors. He crossed the finish line just before Thimo (16:21.9), who placed fifth. Johanson (16:51.2) and Alexander (17:04.7) finished 15th and 18th, respectively.
The Warriors compiled a first-place total of 43 points in the meet, which featured 18 teams.
