Sports
North Star Runners Trot to a Solid Day
A tight pack enables St. Charles North's boys to capture their own invite title while the girls enjoy a second-place finish.
Rebounding from a disappointing performance at the Palatine Invitational seven days earlier, St. Charles North's boys cross country team focused all week long on keeping its pack together.
And that's exactly what the North Stars did Saturday, using a 44-second split between their first and fifth runners to lift them to the team title at the St. Charles North Invitational.
Top-10 individual finishes from juniors Billy Clink (6th) and Declan Duggan (8th) helped boost the North Stars to a 78-93 team triumph over second-place Prairie Ridge.
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It was St. Charles North's second invite title in as many tries at LeRoy Oakes Forest Preserve. The North Stars defeated Prairie Ridge 78-84 to claim the St. Charles East/Leavey Invite crown Sept. 4.
Clink covered the three-mile course in a time of 15:26.7, while Duggan knocked nine seconds off his time from Palatine as he entered the chute in a 15:36.5 clocking.
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"The last couple of races, I really haven't been where I wanted to be," Duggan said. "Today, the goal was to go out as a team from the beginning. We were committed to running together."
The strategy paid off as Ryan Senci (11th, 15:40.7), Zach Heuer (22nd 15:56.1) and Grant Markowicz (31st, 16:10.8) completed the North Stars' counting quintet.
"It's easier when you're moving in the middle of the race if you're with your teammates than when you're by yourself," Duggan said.
"Ryan (Senci) led the pack out there and for the first mile or so we stayed together real nice," said North Stars coach Kevin Harrington. "Ryan wasn't feeling it so he backed off a little (at that point) but Billy and Declan were feeling good so they got after it."
Spencer Gray placed 33rd (16:13.8) as the North Stars' No. 6 finisher in his varsity debut.
"He came in right on Grant's tail," Harrington said.
On the girls' side, St. Charles North took second in the 14-team event with 50 points.
Sydney Stuenkel was North's top finisher with a third-place time of 18:21.1, while junior Ania Gawlik was sixth at 18:29.0.
"That was a big PR for Ania," said North Stars coach Shari Hayes.
Jessica Scheets (12th, 18:53.5), Ashley England (15th, 19:07.7), Megan Young (17th, 19:15.5), and Kaylee Wessel (20th, 19:21.5) also participated for the North Stars, who were without the services of senior Erica Bauerbach (stress fracture).
"It hurts when you lose your second runner," Hayes said. "We're hoping to get her back for sectionals."
St. Charles North will compete in the Upstate Eight Conference River Division meet Oct. 16 at Lords Park in Elgin.
