UPDATED Story: DGN at Richard Spring Invite

Last season, sophomore Grace Maletich was part of the Downers Grove North girls cross country team’s annual regular-season overnight trip to race at Peoria’s Detweiller Park. 

The experience was great, but the race not so much. Maletich was confined to being a spectator as she recovered from a pulled side muscle.

“I just watched all of the races,” Maletich said. “It was kind of hard to watch. I wanted to run.”

Maletich finally got her chance Saturday, and most everybody was watching her finish among some of the best runners in the state. She earned 10th place among a huge field to help the Trojans take eighth.

Maletich covered the 3.0 miles in a personal-best 17:44 and was just five seconds from eighth. She proved once again she’s an all-state contender should she return for the state meet Nov. 9.

”It really motivates me (for state) because this is such a fun race. I just want to come back here and do it again, and run even better,” Maletich said.

“I love the course and it was just nice to be able to run again and keep running every race. It’s just so nice when you have a fun race and you just feel really good. I love those races. Those are the best.”

Sophomore Kaitlyn Bonfield was 24th (18:08). Freshmen Hannah Thomas (88th, 18:49) and Emma Moravec (101st,  19:00) were at or under 19:00 with sophomore Angela Budach (110th, 19:05) and seniors Meghan Bonfield (124th, 19:10) and Katie Portman (125th, 19:11) nearby. Senior Stephanie Urbancik (179th, 19:37), sophomore Maci Schaub (201st, 19:49) and senior Micah Pfotenhauer (228th, 20:02) also competed as 10 varsity entries were allowed instead of the usual seven.

The Trojans (324 points) were just eight points behind seventh-place St. Charles North and especially fared well against teams that they’ll be battling at the Hinsdale Central Sectional for the five teams to the state meet – Neuqua Valley (9th, 344), Sandburg (13th, 453) and Marist (15th, 479). Between Sandburg’s two returning all-staters, sophomore Grace Foley was 39th and senior Carly Krull did not compete. 

At the significantly smaller Lake Park Invite Sept. 14, the fifth-place Trojans finished 32 points behind second-place St. Charles North and 28 behind fourth-place Schaumburg.

“We had some good things happen and certainly to have two girls pretty far up there (Maletich and Kaitlyn Bonfield) helped a lot,” Downers North coach Tim McDonald said. “We always come down here as our goal is top 10 and to finish eighth, and not too far out of seventh, we’ll take. We’ve still got to keep improving our No. 3, 4, 5 (times), kind of close the gap a little bit more.”

Maletich once again held her own in another race, this time with five of the returning 15 3A all-staters from the 2012 race whose schools still are in the largest-enrollment division. After four meets this season, she’s raced against seven in total.

“I didn’t know what I was going to be able to run or what place I was going to be able to get,” Maletich said. “I was kind of going in blind, I guess. I was just really surprised how well it went. I was happy with my place.” 

Maletich wasn’t alone. Last year, the Trojans finished 10th at the invite (352 points) with Kaitlyn Bonfield and Pfotenhauer their No. 2 and 7 respective finishers.

In all, the Trojans’ varsity lineup Saturday had three runners competing at Detweiller for the first time and two competing on the varsity for the first time (Thomas and Budach). Meghan Bonfield and Pfotenhauer were the only ones with previous state experience.

Trying to replicate the state team experience, the 20 Trojans who competed in the three races left school early Friday. They arrived in time to practice at Detweiller that afternoon and stayed overnight, four to a room.

“It’s a lot of fun, especially staying at the hotel with everybody. We usually just meet in one room and just kind of talk and hydrate. We usually play road-trip games. It’s a great team bonding experience,” Kaitlyn Bonfield said.

“Since we didn’t make state last year, I really want to make state this year. I think our team’s doing a lot better so I think we have a really good chance of making it.”

If the Trojans can reach state as a team for the first time, the race actually won’t be as crazy.

Saturday’s field consisted of 58 teams and 497 finishers compared to 25 teams and 209 finishers at the 2012 3A state field. There also was a girls frosh-soph race with a 10-entry limit and an open race. Following the three girls race were three boys races with 63 teams and 567 finishers in the varsity race alone.

“At the beginning, I was saying (our race) was like a pack of animals,” Thomas said. “You looked to your right, you looked to your left. It was everybody coming in (to the first turn) and I was like a lost puppy. I was like, ‘Where are the Downers North girls? I’m so scared right now,’

“It was fun. I like the energy that everyone puts off in the beginning. You could tell people were nervous but it was an excited nervous so it was very motivating. It made me a little more nervous and more excited. I was kind of like, ‘I’m finally here. This is so fun.’ It was such a great race so that was fun.”

Kaitlyn Bonfield improved upon last year’s invite effort (39th, 18:13) when she was second for the team behind graduated Gabbie Hesslau (28th, 18:01). Bonfield only missed Saturday’s top 20 by two seconds and the top 15 by six.

”I like this course because you’re always with people,” Bonfield said. “Everyone’s pushing you and you just keep on moving. It’s a really nice course to run on. A lot of people got (personal records) today so the team did well.”

This season’s freshmen made the most of their first chances at Detweiller. Thomas and Moravec, teammates at Herrick Junior High, finally got the chance to run together in a varsity invite. McDonald said they probably would have finished next to each other if Moravec hadn’t become sick during the race and momentarily stopped.

Learning by racing is part of the Detweiller experience. While Thomas still was happy that she broke 19:00, she came away from a nice breakthrough race knowing she can do better.

”I think there were points in the race that I could have pushed myself a little more,” said Thomas, who did not compete at Lake Park.

“I think that I was trying to test my limits more than I have previously. I definitely cold have felt a little more tired but I think over time I think I will be able to learn how to push myself without dying. I felt pretty strong for most of it so I was excited about that. I’m excited for the next race to push my limits a little bit more.”

Frosh-soph race 

Downers Grove North freshman Brigid Miller has a pretty simple plan for her first high-school cross country season.

”I guess my goal is to steadily improve each race, keep getting faster each race, each time,” Miller said.

On Sept. 21, Miller wasn’t able to accomplish just that in her first trip to Peoria’s Detweiller Park, the annual site of the state meet.

That’s because Miller instead made a huge improvement with a monster race.

Miller covered the 3.0 miles in a personal-best 19:47 to lead the Trojans in the frosh-soph race by taking 37th place. Sophomore Fiona Kelly was 54th (20:08), followed by freshmen Meghan Kelly (68th, 20:20), Abby Pfeiffer (79th, 20:31) and Gina Kowalewicz (100th, 20:53).

”That’s like a minute better than my last personal best. I just got a good start and I just kept the momentum going through the whole race,” Miller said. ”I probably wouldn’t have believed (beforehand that I’d run 19:47) because that’s a big difference from my better times.”

The Trojans (318 points) finished 11th, four points ahead of 12th-place Neuqua Valley and just four behind 10th-place Lake Zurich and eight behind ninth-place Hersey. Palatine won comfortably with 63 points.

Even at the frosh-soph level, the invite had a huge field even in the frosh-soph team with 37 teams and 302 finishers.

Miller said that Downers North coach Tim McDonald emphasized getting a good start in the race and working from there. Miller also was thankful that her teammates ran well, too.

”Coming into the race I felt good and being with the team and stuff helped,” Miller said. “I started (running) with Fiona a little bit. We were right next to each other so she helped push me.”

Miller hopes to continue making big strides in just her second consecutive season of cross country. She competed last year for Herrick Junior High after playing volleyball in seventh grade.

”I just wanted to run as hard as I could and see where that turned out, get a good time. It’s a very nice course and I just wanted to make this one of my better times and I guess I did,” Miller said. ”Right after, I was still kind of like getting a sense of (my time), like,’ What’s going on?’ but now I’m just realizing it.”

Open race

Downers Grove North junior Jenna Murphy once again had a memorable race at Peoria’s Detweiller Park Sept. 21.

It’s been a while since Murphy ran on the course as a freshman for the Trojans in the 2011 Class 3A state meet, but the feeling was pretty similar when she finished third in the open race at Peoria Notre Dame’s Richard Spring Invitational.

Murphy, who covered the 3.0 miles in 19:47, was among four Trojans who finished among the top 15 to earn individual medals.

”I think freshman year at state was a little faster (19:23 for 183rd place), but this is probably the best I’ve done in a while. It was good to have a really good race, just feel good,” Murphy said.

”Sophomore year just wasn’t a great year for me. This year I’ve been doing better so it felt good just to have a good race. This course is just awesome. I feel like everybody does really well here.”

The open race was not scored and official times weren’t even posted, but the Trojans were easy to find.

Murphy was followed by junior Zayna Jan right behind her in fourth (19:54) and juniors Olivia Vander Leest (19:57) and Rachel Krusenoski (19:58) in eighth and ninth. Junior Shannon Kennedy was 16th (20:18), one place shy of a medal, but more than four seconds from 15th.

”It was awesome, just knowing that our whole team was just all together. That’s kind of how we do all of our JV races,” Murphy said.

”Zayna said during the race she heard people saying, ‘Oh wow. All of the Trojans are together,’ or ‘All of the purple people.’ People know us as the purple team."

While Palatine finished 1-2, the Trojans’ collective success caused some confusion.

Jan made a mad dash in the homestretch to pull out fourth place. She then was befuddled when, as medals were handed out moments after runners finished, she was given the one for third place instead of Murphy.

”I was like, ‘I swear I didn’t get third.’ I knew I didn’t and then I gave her (my medal) and we switched back,” Jan said.

”I was like, ‘Oh, maybe she snuck up (and passed me),’ ” Murphy said.

Actually, Jan made huge gains during the long, final straightaway of Detweiller, passing at least “four or five people,” including her own teammates. Jan beat the Pirates’ No. 3 finisher, junior Ana Maria Quiroga (5th, 19:56), by two seconds.

”I just started sprinting as fast as I could. I usually just close my eyes because it’s so far away. I just can’t deal with looking at it,” Jan said. ”I knew that I was definitely not where I was supposed to be so I was like, ‘I might as well make up for it on this last mile.’ I didn’t realize that I would come in right behind (Murphy).”

Admittedly more of a shorter-distance runner, Jan is best known as an 800-meter runner in track. Jan was part of the Trojans’ all-state 3,200 relay at the state meet in May.

”She’s definitely a sprinter,” agreed Murphy. “If you’re with Zayna at the end, she will beat you. There’s no competition. (Luckily for me), I did have just a little bit of room.”

Murphy’s encouraging finish was not as dramatic.  She spent most of the race chasing Palatine senior frontrunners Sylvia Catalan (19:33) and Leiann Watanuki (19:34).

Murphy already is excited for the chance to compete against Palatine again at the annual Palatine Invitational Saturday, Sept. 28.

”It really built (my confidence) up just to be third in such a big race,” Murphy said. “(Catalan and Watanuki) had a good finish, but I tried to stay with them. I told them at the end, ‘Good job,’ because they were my target the entire time. It was good to have people to stay with.”

-- by Bill Stone