Above: Nicole Greyer leads Yorkville to the Girls Team Champion Saturday at the West Aurora Stampede (Laura Duffy photo)

By Michael Newman

DyeStat IL Editor

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Montgomery --- 3A #2 Yorkville bounced back from their performance at Wednesday’s Naperville Twilight Invitational where they finished third with a convincing win Saturday morning at the West Aurora Stampede. The Lady Foxes placed four runners in the top five to easily win with only 30 points.

“We did not run our best race on Wednesday. We got too excited for the race. I got too excited as a coach. I take some of the responsibility for that performance. We got out too early and looked great through two miles. We forgot it was a three mile race,” Yorkville Coach Chris Muth said reflecting on Wednesday’s race. “We got outraced and outcoached by one of the greatest coaches and programs (Naperville North) in the last twenty years. We used a different style and different approach. It worked out much better. If we use that kind of strategy later on, we will be in better position in a bigger type of race.”

Yorkville’s different approach started with going out under control for the first mile with the pack going through that point anywhere from 5:54 to 6:00 for the first third of the race. Then they started to move. The biggest mover was Nicole Greyer who charged from the pack opening up a seventeen second lead on the pack led by Downers Grove South’s Erin Reidy. Greyer continued to open to push the pace the final mile to run 17:28 to win on the 3.05 mile Stuart Sports Complex course.

“On Wednesday, I went out really fast. I went out easier today. I just did not want to die like I did in Wednesday race,” Greyer said after the race. “My legs in the last mile felt better than they did in the last mile on Wednesday.  The second mile was pretty fast because I just wanted to get ahead as far as I could. The last mile I just wanted to kick it in and see what I had left. I felt pretty good.”

Alexis Grandys ran her best race of the year so far and followed her teammate Greyer in second running 18:04. Batavia’s Marygrace Golden got in between Yorkville’s pack to finish third. It was then Yorkville’s Olivia Borowiak and Maddie Dearborn placing fourth and fifth. Alyssa Edwards finished eighteenth as Yorkville’s fifth runner.

“I am happy with the performance today especially after coming after a huge race a few days before it,” Muth said. “It is also Homecoming Week for us so there have been some distractions for our young ladies. The effort today was great all things considered.”

3A #14 Neuqua Valley also bounced back from Wednesday’s meet with three runners coming in within two seconds in the top ten to finish second with 52 points. Caitlin Horn (7^th), Julia Rushing (8^th), and Keara Ginell (9^th) led the way for the Wildcats who had only a sixteen second split on their top five. 3A #5 Downers Grove South, who ran without a couple of their top five runners finished third (126 points) just two points ahead of 3A #9 Batavia.

Chris Durr (Chatham-Glenwood HS) used a similar kind of strategy that Greyer used opening up a lead in the second mile of the Boys race. He went out comfortably leading the pack through the first mile in 5:01 ten surging to a ten second lead during the second mile. Dylan Zangri (Oswego East HS) noticed that Durr was struggling on his pace by the time they got close to the two mile point. The Oswego East senior surged to catch up to Durr. The two stayed together the next half mile before Zangri pulled away. His winning time of 15:06 was twenty seconds ahead of that of Durr (15:26) who held on to finish second.

“Our coach (Jim Milner) wanted us to be in control the first mile. I saw Chris start to fade at the end of the second mile,” Zangri said. “We went together for the next half mile. On the last turn after the straight I took it hard. With 200 meters to go, I just gave it everything that I had.”

Mike Laughlin (Carroll OH) finished six seconds behind Durr to finish third (15:32) just ahead of Waubonsie Valley’s Christian Freitag (15:33). Shane Knanishu (Batavia HS) finished fifth rounding out the top five.

Knanishu was the first runner for Batavia who ran a strong pack race. The Bulldogs placed two runners in the top ten with only a seventeen second split on their top five. They scored 69 points for the Boys Varsity team win. Sean Adams was the team’s second runner (7^th) and in the top ten. Freshmen Adam Kennedy (18^th) and Damian Rodriguez (19^th) along with Jack Gillerlain (23^rd) were the other top five runners for Batavia. Waubonsie Valley scored 85 points to finish second led by top ten finishes by Freitag and Wes York (10^th). Wheaton North finished third (88 points) led by the sixth place finish by Justin Ostrem.