3 Jane Addams Runners Qualify For State All 3 Years Of Middle School Career

BOLINGBROOK, IL — In 2021, three sixth grade boys joined Jane Addams cross country team, changing the trajectory of the team over the past three seasons, Coach Adam Thas shared.

At the start of the 2021 season, coaches Thas and Mark Setchell were concerned about the start of their 18th season as coaches.

"We had no idea what to expect, COVID killed any momentum we had. We couldn’t really recruit, we sent out some letters but had no idea how many kids would come out for the team.” Thas said in a release.

Now eighth graders, Jewan Garner, Yorachukwu Ifeajekwu and Brayan Segundo changed the trajectory for the team over the past three seasons, Thas said.

“We were on the ride back from State in 2022, and I mentioned to the three of them that no one in the district had ever run at State three years in a row. They all kind of looked at each other and that’s where the goal came from," Thas said.

For cross-country state, runners can qualify as a team or as an individual qualifier based on performance at sectional competition.

"Getting three individuals down is tough because you’re running against yourself. We knew if we were going to get them all down, we would likely have to do it as a team," Thas said.

The team was able to qualify for the state championship this year after finishing second overall at sectionals, with the help of newcomer Amari Brown and seventh grader Alex Manas rounding out the top 5 runners.

“They were ecstatic. All of them did their job and crushed it," Setchell said.

The team was joined at the state meet by seventh grader Eadon Reed, sixth grader Angelo Jucha and alternates Chris Membrila, Aiden Zavala and Ryan Boomker as well as Jewan’s twin sister Jett who qualified as an individual for the girls.

Jane Addams ended the season finishing 16th as a team with Jewan individually finishing 14th and receiving All-State honors, Thas said.

“That’s coaching. You can’t keep them here forever, as much as you’d like to," Thas said. "They’re amazing young men, and we were lucky to have coached them. They’re going to go down as some of the best Bolingbrook and Valley View ever had to offer, and it was great to see them do it together.”