DGN girls cross country outlook

Meghan Bonfield is realizing the finality of being a senior entering this Downers Grove North girls cross country season.

“Last year, I tried to think this is the last time (for me), but now it’s really the last time you’re going to race all of these races,” Bonfield said. “I’m really excited because I’m going into it with a different mindset. I think it’s important to give it your all every time you’re out there.”

With Bonfield among several returnees from last year’s postseason lineup, she and the Trojans have high expectations after an injury-filled 2012 season resulted in the team sending no representatives to state for the first time since 2007.

Sophomores Grace Maletich and Kaitlyn Bonfield, Meghan’s sister, are expected to be the Trojans’ frontrunners, but several seniors could make the difference whether they are able to reach the Class 3A state meet as a team after three straight berths from 2009-11.

“We’re working well together whereas last year we were just kind of on our own and it was like a free for all, and this year we’re all working as a team better,” said senior Stephanie Urbancik. “I think we are working for each other and want to do well together. 

“Last year, Grace and Kaitlyn were really up there, and usually Meghan was, too. We need that No. 3, 4 and 5 (finisher) to step up and I think that’s the key right now, and even 6 and 7, too.”

Meghan Bonfield, senior Micah Pfotenhauer and juniors Rachel Krusenoski and Jenna Murphy have previous state cross country experience, and seven runners return who ran at sectionals or regionals in 2012. Meghan Bonfield, Urbancik, Maletich and junior Zayna Jan also bring state experience from track.

The Trojans’ potential has not gone unrecognized. They are among few teams that didn’t qualify for state last year among the top 25 in pre-season 3A polls. They are ranked No. 11 by MileSplit Illinois and No. 24 by DyeStat Illinois. 

On Aug. 29, the Trojans opened their season on their home Greene Valley Forest Preserve course by defeating Jacobs 25-31 and Plainfield North 18-43. Their first big invite is Sept. 7 at Fenton’s Earlybird Invitational, where they hope to battle ranked Prospect for the team championship.

“I think this team will come together enough to make a run (at state),” Downers North coach Tim McDonald said. 

“This group is a lot more together. They like each other. I don’t know how well they know what it means to be great in cross country. They need to figure that out or at least what it means to be competitive with the big teams.”

Last year, the Trojans were too physically and mentally worn down by injuries to compete at their best in the postseason. They were fourth at the Lyons Township Regional to qualify for the Marist Sectional, but they ended up eighth with 224 points, three places and 82 points from the top-five finish necessary to advance to state as a team. 

Kaitlyn Bonfield was a team-best 19th in 18:25.3, one place and only 1.4 seconds from the last individual state berth for the top seven sectional finishers not among the qualifying teams.

”We were expecting to do really well (last season). We went really hard in the summer and a lot of people got hurt. Then in mid-season we were doing really well and a lot of people got hurt towards the end,” Meghan Bonfield said. “We’ve been training a little bit easier, but we still have our hard days, so I think this year we won’t all get injured and I think we’ll have a really strong year.” 

Combine the Trojans’ experience, motivation and camaraderie with an altered training approach since the offseason to hopefully minimize injuries and McDonald also is excited.  

Team captains are Pfotenhauer, senior Sandra Di Pauli and juniors Alyssa Blashill and Lauren Taylor. Overall, the group is a bit smaller at around 70 athletes.

“Last year, we had nothing left. If we had made it (to state), it would have been ugly the week after. There was nothing left in the tank,” McDonald said. ”I don’t care what happens (team-wise this season). It’s going to be a fun group. They’re going to get along. They’re going to have fun. They’re going to laugh.”

Meghan Bonfield, Pfotenhauer, Krusenoski and Murphy were part of the 2011 state lineup that finished 21st in 3A (448 points). Pfotenhauer (96th, 18:29) and Bonfield (110th, 18:37) were the Trojans’ No. 2-3 team finishers behind 2013 graduate and four-time track all-stater Gabbie Hesslau (63rd, 18:06), and Krusenoski (169th, 19:13) and Murphy (183rd, 19:23) were the No. 6-7 finishers. In 2010, when the Trojans finished 10th at state (260 points), Bonfield (160th, 18:52) and Pfotenhauer (195th, 19:39) were the teams’ No. 6-7 finishers.

Urbancik also is a three-time all-stater in track with the 3,200-meter relay for top-nine state finishes, all of them coming with four-time all-starter Hesslau. Jan and Maletich also were part of the sixth-place 3,200 relay finish at the 3A state finals in May, and Meghan Bonfield ran with the relay at the state prelims and sectionals.
  
“We want to qualify for state this year because last year we didn’t. We’re motivated to do better as a team and not have so many injuries,” Jan said. “(State track) helped to deal with the pressure and kind of the stress. You know what to expect and it’s not going to be as overwhelming as it was last year so I’m prepared for it.” 

Maletich was excited for her first high-school state experience on the track after being injured most of the 2012 cross country season. She joined the 3,200 relay for the state prelims and finals after qualifying individually at sectionals in the 1,600.

“It’s really helped to motivate me because I know what the outcome will be if I work hard this season so I’m really trying to push myself so I can get to that level,” Maletich said. “We’re still going hard in practice, but we’re taking it a little bit easier so we don’t burn ourselves out during the summer.”

Maletich and Kaitlyn Bonfield only ran a couple of times in the same meets last season before Maletich returned for the postseason. Even after battling a pulled stomach muscle, Maletich was the team’s top finisher at regionals (11th, 18:41.84) and No. 2 finisher at sectionals (38th, 18:50.1). Maletich then had her training curbed going into the track season because of shin splints.

Maletich’s track success continued in the summer. On July 4, she had a third-place finish among females (25:45) at the annual Glen Ellyn Freedom Four 4-mile race to Glenbard West junior Lisa Luczak, who was sixth at the 2012 state meet. 

At the 2-mile team time trial on the DGN track Aug. 23, Maletich had the top time (11:53.8) with Meghan Bonfield second (12:18.4).

“We really focused on form (last winter with Maletich). This is the first time she’s had a continual run, run, run and her mileage is increasing,” McDonald said.  “(Maletich has) just been a machine out there, under control, running, pushing. She’s going to be tough.” 

Kaitlyn Bonfield had a tough freshman season for other reasons. Besides just missing a state berth in cross country, her 3,200 seventh-place fully-automatic time of 11:22.31 at the Lockport Sectional just missed the automatic qualifying time for state of 11:22.04.

“I really want to go to state as a team so I think everyone is working really hard to try and achieve that goal,” Kaitlyn Bonfield said.

Kaitlyn Bonfield has had some preseason problems with shin splints but has switched shoes and recovered well. She sat out the time trial and season opener but is expected to compete at Fenton.

“If we can get Kaitlyn kind of going in the same direction (as Maletich), we’ll have a nice 1-2 and now we just need to get the other kids to kind of bring it up,” McDonald said. “I think the potential’s there to actually teach our No. 3-4-5-6-7 to be a pack and run together because they’re not that far apart.” 

McDonald is hopeful that Meghan Bonfield can be a consistent top finisher who can carry along the rest of the team’s pack.

Meghan Bonfield and Jan were the team’s No. 3 and 5 finishers, respectively, at regionals and sectionals. Pfotenhauer was the Trojans’ No. 7 finisher at sectionals, and Urbancik and Krusenoski were the No. 6-7 finishers at regionals. 

Pfotenhauer was disappointed with 2012 but appears poised for a strong season. Other varsity candidates include senior Katie Portman, sophomores Maci Schaub, Fiona Kelly and Angela Budach and freshmen Hannah Thomas and Emma Moravec. 

Pfotenhauer was third at the team time trial (12:29.9). Urbancik, Portman, Di Pauli and Thomas were fourth through seventh within 11 seconds of each other.

“(Pfotenhauer) looks in shape and certainly feels a lot better than she did last year,” McDonald said. “She wants to make the top seven, but she knows it’s going to be tough. Certainly she looks more comfortable (in training). This year she looks a lot fresher and is in good spirits about everything.”

Downers North also will be pushed by its competition in the always demanding West Suburban Conference Silver Division. Glenbard West finished third in 3A last year and is projected by many to win it all, led by defending state champion Madeline Perez and Luczak and all-stater Lindsay Graham (20th), a transfer from Glenbard East. 

Hinsdale Central (11th), York (14th) and Lyons Township (20th) also qualified for state as teams in 2012 and are state-ranked in the pre-season. 

At last year’s Silver Meet, Kaitlyn Bonfield (6th), Meghan Bonfield (12th) and Maletich (14th) earned all-conference individual medals for placing among the top 16. That gives the Trojans the most returning 2012 all-conference varsity runners of any Silver team.

Urbancik (3rd) and Portman (5th) were all-conference in the junior varsity race. Murphy was a team-best 25th in the sophomore race. 

”I love competing in our conference because it’s one of the most competitive conferences out there,” Meghan Bonfield said. “We have the state champion (Perez) in our conference. We have a bunch of really strong runners so I think it just prepares us more for the state meet and trains us to be able to run at that level.”

-- by Bill Stone