1998 KANELAND CROSS COUNTRY

1998 Kaneland Boys Cross Country Team
Goes Down State Again!

In the Class A Cross Country Sectionals at Lisle, the Kaneland boys tied for fifth with Aurora Central Catholic to earn a trip to the IHSA Class A State Meet next Saturday morning in Peoria.

Kaneland and ACC each finished with 158 points. Looking at the average time per runner (ACC 16:52 and Kaneland 16:53) showed just how close the two teams were.

Sophomore Henry Norris (12th place, 16:32) was the Knights' top finisher. Senior Neil Hutton was 23rd at 16:36. They were followed by sophomore Chris Clark (30th, 16:47), junior Connor Gibbons (41st, 17:03) and junior Al Griffin (68th, 17:38).

"We feel pretty lucky," said Norris. "(Being a young team) is nice. In a couple of years we'll be pretty good.

The Kaneland girls didn't fear quite at well, as they finished 16th in the team standings with Alex Self having the best time, 17:29 for 43rd.

• West Chicago 15
• Oregon 62
• Sandwich 74
• Kaneland 89
• Wheaton Academy 141

• Sandwich 31
• West Aurora 41
• Wheaton Academy 65
• Oregon 104
• Kaneland 106
• West Chicago 170

• 8th Neil Hutton 18:18
• 11ht Scott Peterson 18:27
• 15th Conor Gibbons 18:58
• 26th Al Griffin 20:10
• 29th Josh Rogers 20:51
• 36th Kurt Oland 21:35

• 18th Alex Self 17:34
• Lindsay Kirwan 17:35
• 20th Tricia Overhaug 17:37
• 24th Kristi Reynolds 18:17
• 25th Jenni Kirwan 18:18
• 41st Becky Kasper 19:27
• 61st Sarah Campbell
• 66th Karen Alms

Coaches Comments

"It was encouraging to see the team respond to the challenge of a tough first meet. We ran well with the competition at both levels. Neil Hutton showed strong leadership in the varsity race. For his first race, this was an excellent experience of running up front.

Conor Gibbons aslo chipped in a great effort, placing in the top 15. Josh Rogers gutted out a fine race to be out fifth man. Our frosh/soph squad looked promising in their first meet as well" - Chad Clarey, Boy Cross Counrty Coach

"I was very happy with the team finish from everyone. The most satisfying thing about the meet was their great competitiveness" - Doug Ecker, Girls Cross Country Coach

• Sycmore 30
• Kaneland 35
• Genoa Kingston 65

• Sycmore 27
• Kaneland 38
• Huntley 79
• Genoa Kingston 118

• 2nd Hutton 17:53
• 3rd Peterson 18:01
• 4th Gibbons 18:11
• 11th Griffin 19:18
• 15th Rogers 20:37
• 19th Oland 22:09

• 3rd Self 15:21
• 5th L. Kirwan15:21
• 8th Overhaug 15:31
• 10th Reynolds 16:01
• 11th J. Kirwan 16:50

Coaches Comments

"We had another solid effort from our seniors; Neil Hutton, Scott Peterson and Josh Rogers. They've completely accepted the challenge this year. They are great competitors, and it's rubbing off on the juniors.

Conor Gibbons had a tremendous surge through the second and third miles to finish 4th overall. AlGriffin made a nice push to stay in the pack."- Chad Clarey, Boy Cross Counrty Coach

• St. Charles 65
• Downer North 67
• Pontiac 115
• Wheaton North 126
• Geneva 149
• Rockford Guilf 161
• Prairie Ridge 173
• St. Ignatius 174
• R.Hononegan 201
• Belvidere 231
• Batavia 293
• Kaneland 349
• Glenbrook South 373
• Rockford East 465

• 34th Neil Hutton 16:56
• 41st Scott Peterson 17:07
• 86th Conor Gibbons 18:35
• 89th Al Griffin 18:41
• 99th Josh Rogers 19:31
• 106th Kurt Oland 20:28

• 50th Alex Self 17:19
• 104th Carrie Eickhoff 21:00
• 106th Sarah Campbell 21:04

Coaches Comments

"I thought we ran great for our third meet in five days. Neil Hutton and Scott Peterson both contributed very strong performances. They raced smart And were tough throughout. Conor Gibbons and Al Griggin were together all the way.

This was a great field of runners for us to match up with. I couldn't be happier with the start of our season. It's early, but were working very hard and focusing on our improvement and pack running. We are getting there." - Chad Clarey, Boy Cross Counrty Coach

"There was good individual efforts by all the girls. Tricia and Alex ran one of their better races of their cross country careers." - Doug Ecker, Girls Cross Country Coach

• Batavia 36
• East Aurora 68
• Kaneland 72
• Burlington Central 107
• Streamwood 113

• Batavia 19
• Burlington Central 53
• Kaneland 116
• Streamwood 123

• 5th Scott Peterson 17:43
• 6th Neil Hutton 17:45
• 17th Al Griffin 19:23
• 21st Josh Rogers 19:34
• 23rd Connor Gibbons 19:43
• 33rd Kurt Oland 20:53

• 11th  Alex Self 17:45
• 12th Tricia Overhaug 17:49
• 21st Kristi Reynolds 18:37
• 34th Becky Karper 19:53
• 38th Carrie Eickhoff  20:24

Coaches Comments

"We ran an excellent team race tonight.  Our 3,4 and 5 runners mand a great effort to run together and compete with all the competion.

Scott Peterson and Neil Hutton led the charge with excellent times.   Everyone is improving.  We run so many meets lately, I'm looking forward to practice.

Our frosh soph came out strong.  They are doing a fantastic job on the tough course.  The team split from 1-5 is improving too." - Chad Clarey, Boy Cross Counrty Coach

• 1st West Chicago 47
• 2nd Stevenson 92
• 3rd Crystal Lake Central 112
• 4th Crystal Lake South 173
• 5th Parire Ridge 191
• *13th Kaneland 343

(28 Teams Finished)

• Lake Zurich 29
• Marian Central 67
• Stevenson 77
• Praire Ridge 93
• Glendard East 195

• 30th Scott Peterson 18:39
• 35th Neil Hutton 18:44
• 69th Conor Gibbons 19:42
• 104th Al Griffin 20:46
• 105th Josh Rogers 20:50
• 145th Kurt Oland 23:05

(170 runners finished the race)

• 99th  Jenni Kirwan 15:56
• 113th Sarah Campbell 17:00

Coaches Comments

"We had another great day in Wauconda. Their new course was quite challenging, and a little longer than in recent years.

Scott Peterson put on a strong surge in the last mile to join Neil Hutton. Conor Gibbons also moved up a notch in intensity.

Our frosh soph did very well. Running second at this meet is quite and accomplishment.  Henry Norris looked great up front." - Chad Clarey, Boy Cross Counrty Coach

• Kaneland vs Evergreen Park    23 - 32
• Kaneland vs Elmwood Park     38 - 21

• Kaneland vs Evergreen Park    22 - 35
• Kaneland vs Elmwood Park     39 - 20

• 1st Neil Hutton 17:41
• 6th Conor Gibbons 18:57
• 9th Josh Rogers 19:32
• 10th Al Griffin 19:49
• 18th Kurt Oland 21:08

• 3rd Alex Self 16:49
• 5th Tricia Overhang 17:08
• 9th Kristi Reynolds 17:38
• 14th Jenni Kirwan 18:37
• 19th Carrie Eichkoff 19:23
• 21st Sarah Campbell 19:29

September 19, 1998

• 1st St. Charles 65
• 2nd Waubonsee Valley 89
• 3rd Neuqua Valley 123
• 4th Westmont 123
• 5th Wheaton W. South 131
• 14th Kaneland 414

• 1st Benet 31
• 2nd Lockport 79
• 3rd Wheaton W. South 100
• 4th Neuqua Valley 141
• 5th Batavia 174
• 16th Kaneland 423

• 29th Neil Hutton 17:25
• 84th Conor Gibbons 18:58
• 92nd Al Griffin 19:10
• 105th Josh Rogers 19:40
• 121st Kurt Oland 22:20

• 43rd Alex Self 16:53
• 74th Tricia Overhang 17:47
• 89th Kristi Reynolds 18:24
• 108th Becky Kasper 19:04
• 118th Carrie Eickhoff 19:47

Coaches Comments

"We had a nice meet with many personal bests run on the home course.   Neil Hutton ran very strong.  He's made such a huge jump forward since last year.

All our varsity runners raced well.  Everyone is steadily improving their performances each meet.  You can't ask for much more than that.

Our frosh/soph team faired well again.  Chris Clark is having an outstanding season.  He's matured a lot in one year.

Henry Norris raced with the best and had an excellent finish.

Our best asset today was the 3 freshman( Heckert, Walgamotte and Kirkland ).  They are learning a great deal about the sport and teamwork.

Their improvement and pack running mentality are encouraging." - Chad Clarey, Boy Cross Counrty Coach

September 26, 1998

• 1st Bureau Valley 65
• 2nd Oregon 77
• 3rd Kaneland 78
• 4th Kewanee 80
• 5th Alleman 85
• 6th Yorkville 128
• 7th Genoa Kingson 174
• 8th Rock Falls 233

• 1st Alleman 25
• 2nd Oregon 68
• 3rd Bureau Valley 88
• 4th Kewanee 89
• 5th Rosary 134
• 6th Kaneland 180
• 7th Yorkville 188
• 8th Rock Falls 197

• 8th Henry Norris 17:08
• 9th Neil Hutton 17:20
• 11th Scott Peterson 17:32
• 28th Al Griffin 18:33
• 42th Josh Rogers 19:28
• 57th Kurt Oland 20:53

• 14th Alex Self 18:01
• 45th Tricia Overhang 20:08
• 53rd Kristi Reynolds 20:39
• 56th Becky Kasper 20:54
• 59th Carrie Eickhoff 21:23
• 65th Sarah Campbell 22:20
• 70th Sarah Schmildt 25:08

Coaches Comments

"Great meet for both varsity and frosh/soph teams.  Al Griffin and Connor Gibbons stepped up to lead the varsity to a third place finish overall.

Their solid efforts backed up the front three very well.  Josh Rogers and Kurt Oland each had their best races of the season.

It was nice to see the frosh/soph team win without Henry Norris.   Chris Clark won a wild race for us.  Our (2-3-4) freshman really are doing a super job with pack running." - Chad Clarey, Boy Cross Counrty Coach

• 1st Beloit 58
• 2nd Hononegah
• 3rd Freeport 99
• 4th Harlem 136
• 5th Kaneland 141
• 6th Oregon 154
• 7th Guilford 159
• 8th Auburn 179
• 9th Dixon 180
• 10th Belvidere 235
• 11th Boylan 320
• 12th Monroe 325

• 1st Oregon 53
• 2nd Beloit 63
• 3rd Dixon 64
• 4th Freeport 77
• 5th Harlem 151
• 6th Boylan 168
• 7th Kaneland 172
• 8th Hononegah 179

• 7th Henry Norris 16:08
• 15th Neil Hutton 16:29
• 24th Scott Peterson 16:52
• 36th Conor Gibbons 17:15
• 59th Al Griffin 17:58
• 64th Josh Rogers 18:30
• 75th Kurt Oland 19:40

• 14th Alex Self 16:18
• 29th Tricia Overhang 17:10
• 37th Kristi Reynolds 17:45
• 42nd Becky Kasper 18:04
• 50th Sarah Campbell 18:47
• 51st Carrie Eickhoff 18:51
• 64th Sarah Schlidt 21:07 (JV race)

Coaches Comments

"We ran very well at both levels, finishing as the first Class A school in each race.  Henry Norris xontinues to step up and help lead the Varsity.

We have a noce 1-2-3  punch with Hutton and Peterson doing very well.   Conor Gibbons had and excellent performance for us today.  If he can keep it up, we'll be in good shape.

Al Griffin, Josh Rogers and Kurt Oland are doing a nice job throughout the week, preparing and racing to their potential.

Our frosh/soph squad had another solid team effort.  Chris Clark had another top 10 performance and the rest of the team is matching his effort and enthusiasum.  We are very pleased with the results we're getting" - Chad Clarey, Boy Cross Counrty Coach

• 1st Westmont 22
• 2nd Kaneland 64
• 3rd Lemont 66
• 4th Yorkville 92

• 1st Lemont 18
• 2nd Westmont 85
• 3rd Yorkville 99
• 4th Kaneland 105

• 3rd Henry Norris 17:11
• 7th Neil Hutton 17:40
• 12th Chris Clark 17:56
• 14th Conor Gibbons 18:04
• 28th Al Griffin 19:15
• 32nd Josh Rogers 19:29
• 37th Kurt Oland 20:11

• 8th Tricia Overhaug 17:13
• 14th Kristi Reynolds 17:43
• 22nd Becky Kasper 18:42
• 30th Carrie Eickhoff 19:39
• 31st Karen Alms 19:45

Coaches Comments

"We were very competive tonight, even in the challenging weather. Henry Norris posted his fastest time on the home course and hung close to Westmont's best runners.

Neil had another strong race as our #2 .  Chris Clark in his first varsity race placed twelve and Gibbons fourteenth. Conor and Chris ran excellent times and really made the difference in the team scoring (vs. Lemont).  Both are coming on strong at just the right time.

Al Griffin has had a super first season and is a very dependable fifth runner when were a man down.

Josh Rogers had a very nice race as our sixth runner and Kurt Oland came on strong at the finish.

Our frosh/soph team finished the season undefeated in dual meets at 9-0.   They're competitiveness with each other has taken them a long way.

Jon Zielinski and Kurt Kneller have really done a great job of thaking charge and keeping them focused" - Chad Clarey, Boy Cross Counrty Coach

"All the girls competed well considering the weather conditions.   Kristi Reynolds ran a personal best today, and continues to improve.  Karen Alms ran well in her first race in more than a month." - Doug Ecker, Girls Cross Country Coach

Coaches Comments

Kaneland's boys CC team emerged at the fore of a crowded pack to win the Elmwood Park Invitational. The Knights accumulated 69 points in the 14-team field to nip St. Patrick by a point and host Elmwood Park by 10.

"We focused on doing a better job of pack running in this meet, and it worked," said Kaneland coach Chad Clarey. "Our team split was under a minute and the boys kept each other in their sights the whole way."

Henry Norris led all runners with a 17 minute - 6 second time. Neil Hutton wasn't far behind in 10th at 17:11.

Also finishing in the top 25 for the Knights were Scott Peterson (15th 17:39), Chris Clark (16th, 17:40) and Conor Gibbons (22nd, 18:01).

Kaneland girls also departed with smiling faces after they finished sixth with 162 points, in their best performance of the season.

Alex Self was the Lady Knihgts top finisher with a 13th-place time of 14:02. She was followed by Kristi Reynolds (26th, 14:36), Tricia Overhaug (31st, 14:57), Sarah Campbell (45th, 16:12) and Becky Kasper (47th, 16:35).

• 1st Kaneland 17
• 2nd Harvard 47

• 1st Harvard 19
• 2nd Kaneland 41

• 1st Henry Norris 16:11
• 2nd Neil Hutton 16:38
• 3rd Scott Peterson 16:40
• 5th Chris Clark 16:47
• 6th Conor Gibbons 17:20
• 8th Al Griffin 17:40
• 10th Ben Kirkland 17:18
• 11th Jonathan Heckeit 18:12
• 13th Fred Gruber 18:44
• 14th Kurt Oland 19:52
• 17th Jon Zielinski 21:41
• 19th Kurt Kneller 22:43

• 4th Alex Self 13:24
• 5th Tricia Overhaug 13:37
• 9th Kristi Reynolds 14:11
• 11th Becky Kasper 15:04
• 12th Sarah Campbell 15:17
• 13th Carrie Eickhoff 15:33
• 14th Karen Alms 15:37
• 15th Sara Schildg 17:32

Coaches Comments

"We waited all season for the perfect night on an excellent course to see the times drop.  The boys were prepared to run hard. and they didn't disappoint themselves with many personal bests.

Scott Peterson had a particularly strong performance and is helping keep the team focused on our goals.

Al Griffin had an excellent race tonight despite jersey problems.   We're excited to run with some great competition at our comference meet on Saturday." - Chad Clarey, Boy Cross Counrty Coach

"We had some of our best performaces of the season tonight.  I liked the way we competed.

Tricia Overhaug had a particularly strong race.  It's good to see here go out near the front of the pack and stay there.

They all improved." - Doug Ecker, Girls Cross Country Coach

October 17th, 1998

• 1st Westmont 37
• 2nd Lemont 88
• 3rd Sycamore 92
• 4th Elmwood Park 97
• 5th Kaneland 97
• 6th Yorkville122
• 7th Riverside-Brookfield 193
• 8th Ridgewood 221
• 9th Evergreen Park 227

• 1st Lemont 39
• 2nd Riverside-Brookfield 45
• 3rd Elmwood Park 79
• 4th Sycamore 124
• 5th Kaneland 131
• 6th Westmont 159
• 7th Yorkville181
• 8th Evergreen Park 205
• 9th Ridgewood 237

• 4th Henry Norris 16:54
• 8th Neil Hutton 17:07
• 22nd Chris Clark 17:53
• 30th Conor Gibbons 18:20
• 33rd Al Griffin 18:35
• 55th Kurt Oland 20:15

• 9th Alex Self 15:38
• 13th Tricia Overhaug 15:44
• 30th Kristi Reynolds 17:03
• 35th Becky Kasper 17:16
• 44th Carrie Eickhoff  17:55
• 48th Sarah Campbel 18:13
• 58th Karen Alms 19:21

Coaches Comments

"Our boys ran very well and finished strong.  Henry Norris placing in the top four is excellent for a sophomore.  He's learned that he is capable of runningat and elite level.

He made a nice effort to break out of a pack after the first mile, and moved up to where he belonged.

Neil Hutton's senior season had been nothing short of awesome.  He's developed a great deal as a runner in only two years.

Chris Clark had a fine performance as out number three.  Connor Gibbons and Al Griffin had excellent race as well.  They improved by over one minute on this course

Kurt Oland closed out his high school career with a very fine effort.

The frosh/soph squad won their division with only five runners.  The top three, Joathan Heckert, Scott Walgamotte and Ben Kirkland, stayed consistent, Fred Gruber and Jon Zielinski sealed the win with excellent personal bests." - Chad Clarey, Boy Cross Counrty Coach

"I thought it was their best team race of the season.  All of them ran well, many with their best races this year.

The all conference honors were well deserved with Alex Self(9th) and Tricia Overhang(13th).

Freshman Becky Kasper ran extremely well.  Placing fifth as a team, seven points from fourth, exceeded out pre-race expectations" - Doug Ecker, Girls Cross Country Coach

October 24th, 1998

• 1st St. Francis 42
• 2nd Kaneland 44
• 3rd Burlington Central 90
• 4thGenoa-Kingston 104
• 5th Wheaton Academy 125
• 6th St. Edwards 133
• 7th Driscoll Catholic 146
• 8th  Huntley  No Score

• 1st St. Francis 30
• 2nd Wheaton Academy 45
• 3rd Burlington Central 72
• 4th St. Edwards 114
• 5th Kaneland 145
• 6th Huntley  161
• 7th Genoa-Kingston 188
• 8th Driscoll Catholic 225

• 3rd Henry Norris 16:59
• 6th Neil Hutton 17:09
• 10th Chris Clark 17:29
• 12th Conor Gibbons 17:44
• 13th Scott Peterson 17:53
• 24th Jonathan Heckert 18:36
• 31st Scott Walgamotte 19:12

• 16th Tricia Overhaug 16:57
• 24th Kristi Reynolds 17:45
• 28th Becky Kasper 18:09
• 37th Karen Alms  18:46
• 40th Carrie Eichkoff 19:02
• 47th Sarah Campbell 20:05

Coaches Comments

"We had a very nice performance as a team today.  We figure we'd be close to St. Francis and I was pleased with the way we competed.

Our team split was 54 seconds, tying a season best.  We're becoming more confident with that. We'll need to do that again next Saturday in Lisle.

Henry Norris wasted little time finding the front of the pack.  He's coming on strong, at just the right time.  Neil Hutton was close on his heels with a fantastic 6th place finish.  Hutton did a great job, he's a true leader.  Chris Clark finishing in the top ten is an awesome accomplishment.  He's becoming very dependable.

Conor Gibbons had the best performance of the day.  We needed him to run tough and he did.  Scott Peterson had trouble getting out of the box early, but he passed about 6 runners in the last half mile.  It's good to have him back in the line up.

Our two freshmen ran vary hard and gained some valuable experience.   Jonathan Heckert and Scott Walgamotte each pushed the other teams scores up.   We couldn't be happier or more ready for Sectionals." - Chad Clarey, Boy Cross Country Coach

"I'm very happy to see the girls quality as a team for next weeks Sectional.

They were able to step up their performances and capture the last qualifying spot without their number number one runner, Alex Self, who injured her foot. She will be back for next weeks race.

Girls run at 10:00am next Saturday at Lisle" - Doug Ecker, Girls Cross Country Coach

1998 BOYS CROSS COUNTRY TEAM

1998 GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY TEAM

* = Captains
Sarah Campbell
& Jenni Kirwan