DeKalb Barbs

Top returners: Angela Gary, sr., throws; Sydney Myles, sr., high jump; Amaya Kemp, so., sprints; Angel Goode, jr., hurdles; Tawoona Keith, jr., sprints, high jump; Alex Schwantes, jr., distance; Maret Siblik, sr., distance; Me’She Eubanks, sr., jumps

Key newcomers: Niyah Fraser, so., sprints, jumps; Kayden Johnson, sr., sprints, jumps; Olivia Schermerhorn, sr., sprints; Alicia Delgado, fr., sprints; Peyton Cannon, fr., sprints; Emma Craig, fr., high jump; Briseyda Hueramo, fr., distance; Becca Trotter, fr., distance

Worth noting: Carie Schultz, in her first year, said she’s excited for the outdoor season with 26 returning members and 11 seniors. Gary and Myles qualified for state last year. Gary took 29th in the prelims of the discus and Myles was 13th in the high jump, and Gary won the DuPage Valley Conference during the indoor season in March. Kemp also had a strong indoor season, winning the 200 meters at Sycamore and Auburn and taking fifth at the DVC meet. Schwantes, the 2025 Daily Chronicle Cross Country Runner of the Year, was second in the DVC in the 3,200 in the indoor season and Keith was second in the high jump.

Sycamore Spartans

Top returners: Liliana Vasquez, so., jumps, sprints; Layla Janisch, sr., mid-distance; Reese Becker, jr., jumps, sprints; Krista Cobb, sr., throws; Sydney Fabrizius, jr., pole vault; Abigail Lisafeld, sr., pole vault; Jordan Lisafeld, so., pole vault, jumps

Key newcomers: Chloe Shere, fr., mid-distance; Anna Anderson, fr., mid-distance; Kylie Kula, fr., mid-distance

Worth noting: The 4x800 will have an interesting dynamic this year with the three freshmen Shere, Anderson and Kula, along with track and cross country veteran Janisch, who qualified for state in the 1,600 last year and was the Daily Chronicle 2024 Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year. The relay took seventh at the Illinois Top Times Championships in March to cap the indoor season. Shere was also third in the 400, cracking the one-minute mark for the first time. Cobb was fifth last in the discus and Fabrizius was 23rd in the pole vault at state. Becker was second in the high jump last year in the Interstate 8 Conference and was on the conference championship 4x100 team. As a freshman, Jordan Lisafeld won the triple jump at the conference meet and gave the team some depth at pole vault. The Spartans won the Interstate 8 last year and coach Joe McCormick said a repeat title is the goal this year.

Kaneland Knights

Top returners: Ellie Olp, jr., sprints, jumps; Amani Meeks, jr., sprints, jumps; Delainey Baran, sr., pole vault; Kyla Schulz, jr., throws; Danielle Bower, sr., mid-distance

Key newcomers: Grace Brunscheen, so., sprints, jumps; Allainna Siwy, so., jumps; Sydney Davis, fr., jumps; Avery Zwick, so, throws

Worth noting: Unsurprisingly, first-year coach Trevor McKeown said three pole vaulters on the team are capable of hitting qualifying standards for the state meet, led by returning qualifier Baran. With Zwick moving up to varsity to join Schulz, McKeown also said throws are a strength for the team. Basketball teammates Meeks and Brunscheen also give the Knights a strong duo in the long jump. The team is short on seniors, but there’s a lot of juniors who are filling the holes of graduated seniors. McKeown said he’s optimistic the Knights can build off last year’s third-place finish in the Interstate 8.

Genoa-Kingston Cogs

Top returners: Presley Meyer, jr., sprints; Jessie Fredrickson, so., sprints; Emma James, jr., distance; Grace Zapatka, jr., distance; Mady McDowell, so., distance

Key newcomers: none provided

Worth noting: Meyer and Fredrickson were both on the seventh-place 4x100 relay team at the 2A state championships last season, as well as the 4x200, which qualified for state. But while other sprinters from the relay are gone, coach Barry Schmidt said the team can make up the scoring difference with stronger showings in the throws and distance races. The Cogs were third in the Big Northern last year and fourth in the sectional. Like last year, they will host a 2A sectional.

Indian Creek Timberwolves

Top returners: Addison Marquardt, sr., jumps, sprints; Ally Keilman, jr., sprints, hurdles; Maci Davis, so., throws.

Key newcomers: Elsie Betz, fr., sprints, mid-distance; Teagan Kramer, fr., sprints; Breya Pearson, fr., jumps, sprints

Worth noting: A blistering freshman class comes in, with Betz, Kramer and Pearson all likely to run the 4x100 with Keilman. First-year coach Cam Russell, a 2021 graduate of Indian Creek and the Daily Chronicle 2021 Boys Athlete of the Year, said the team is confident and is deep across most events. Marquardt was second last year in both the Little Ten and the sectional meets in the high jump and took 16th at state. Keilman was 26th in the 100 hurdles at state after she was second at both the LTC meet and sectional. She took second in the 300 hurdles in the conference meet and was third at the sectional. After winning the conference meet and taking second in the sectional round, Davis was 33rd at state in the discus.

Hinckley-Big Rock Royals

Top returners: Isabella Canzoneri, sr., distance; Zeta Fay, sr., distance; Oby Ezuma, sr., hurdles; Leeann Brewer, so., throws

Key newcomers: Nora Schramm, fr., distance; Amelia Michels, so., sprints

Worth noting: Brewer is pulling double duty this spring, not only throwing for the track team but softball as well - pitching and playing center field. She’ll look to build off her fourth-place finish in the Little Ten meet. Fay was second in the 3,200 at conference and seventh in the sectional last year. Coach Amber Moore said she expects the group to get better and better as the year goes on and expects clutch performances from the team in the postseason.