With the season underway, here’s a look at the girls cross country teams in the NewsTribune area for the 2025 season.

La Salle-Peru

Coach: John Beatty

Top returning runners: Kiely Domyancich, sr.; Gracie Politsch, sr.; Yoselin Carlos, sr.

Top newcomers: Ryan Owczarek, fr.

Worth noting: Domyancich, Politsch and Carlos will provide experience and senior leadership. They were the Cavaliers’ top three finishers at the regional last fall. Owczarek was the team’s second finisher behind Domyancich at the season-opening Morris Early Bird Invitational. “The team is a little small this year, and we lost a couple of athletes who I thought would be back,” Beatty said. “However, we have been here before, and everyone is working hard. As always, if we do the best we can, it will be a successful season.” Beatty said his goal is for the team to qualify for a sectional.

St. Bede

Coach: Marty Makransky

Top returning runners: Lin Lin, jr.

Top newcomers: Jemma Finley, fr.; Yesenia Avila, jr.

Worth noting: Lin is the only St. Bede runner with experience and will lead the small Bruins’ roster. “(Our goals are) to improve all season, grow as a team, advance in the postseason as far as we can and enjoy the experience of a cross country season,” Makransky said.

Mendota

Coach: Kevin Wohrley

Top newcomers: Lumen Setchell, fr.; Alexis Nave, so.; Rylee Woods, so.

Worth noting: The Trojans have an inexperienced roster this season. Setchell joins the team after “a positive eighth-grade season” at Northbrook last fall. “While only having trained a couple weeks, their athleticism is shining through already,” Wohrley said. “Several other girls have climbed aboard recently, so we are optimistic on the future.” Wohrley said the team’s goals are to have “steady growth while avoiding injury.”

Princeton

Coach: Pat Hodge

Top returning runners: Ruby Acker, jr.; Payton Frueh, jr.; Rebekah Lord, jr.; Natalie Meyer, jr.; Alexandra Waca, jr.; Avery Waca, sr.

Top newcomers: Susanna Bohms, so.; Leila Acker, fr.; Leonora Hopkins, fr.; Lily Simpson, fr.; Emma Dye, fr.

Worthy of note: The Tigresses return their top six girls from last year’s team that finished undefeated (5-0) in dual meets and third at conference and regional. Ruby Acker and Frueh were NewsTribune All-Area last fall. Acker had personal-best finishes in the Three Rivers (4th), regional (8th) and sectional (28th) meets last year, while Frueh had her best finishes at the Three Rivers (5th) and regional (11th) meets. PHS has picked up sophomore Bohms and freshmen Leila Acker, Hopkins, Simpson and Dye, who ran in an IESA sectional for Logan last year. Leila Acker and Hopkins are also playing volleyball. “We return the top six girls from a very competitive 2024 team and have a solid group of newcomers that should fit into the mix as the season goes along,” Hodge said. “We’ll have to see where other teams are during the course of the season as to where exactly we fit in as we get toward the end of the season. If our returning girls show the same kind of improvement that they did in track this past spring, it should be an enjoyable season.”

Bureau Valley

Coach: Bob Benck

Top returning runners: Summer Hamilton, so.; Leah House, jr.; Gemma Moore, jr.; Ella Wilt, so.

Worthy of note: Moore, Wilt and Hamilton made strong impressions in their first season running cross country last year. Moore placed 18th in the Lincoln Trail Conference Meet and led the Storm with a 16th-place finish at regionals. “We will lean heavily on Gemma Moore and Ella Wilt, who put in tremendous work over the summer,” Benck said. “Gemma could be within striking distance of an individual qualification this season. Ella made such a big jump in mileage, it’s hard to predict what she’ll run compared to last season.”

Amboy co-op

Coach: Michael Robinson

Top returning runners: Sam Nauman, sr.; Grace Althaus, sr.; Anna Carlson, sr.; Karona Gall, so.

Top newcomers: Scarlett Payne, fr.; Leah Dempsey, fr.; Lydia Von Haden, jr.

Worth noting: Nauman and Gall finished top 50 at regionals last fall. They look to lead the Clippers to a team sectional berth this season. “We want to make it as far as we can into the postseason,” Robinson said. “Our goal is always to keep improving.”

Henry-Midland

Coach: Ian Briscoe

Top returning runners: Danika Maddex, jr.; Audrey Chambers, so.

Top newcomers: Bridget Moodie, fr.

Worth noting: Two-time state qualifier and two-time NewsTribune Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year Daniella Bumber did not come out due to an injury suffered during track. Briscoe has three runners on the roster for his first season as coach of the Timberducks. Chambers doubles as a volleyball player. “A goal I have for the team this year is for everyone to have a PR,” Briscoe said.

Fieldcrest

Coach: Chad Kuehnl

Top returning runners: Macy Gochanour, sr.; Emma Martyn, sr.; Torgun Hovey, so.

Top newcomers: Emry Conroy, sr.; Khloe Nussbaum, fr.; Taylor Brauch, fr.

Worth noting: Gochanour was Fieldcrest’s top runner at the regional to help the Knights qualify for sectionals as a team. Martyn was the Knights’ fifth runner in both postseason races. “The goal is to make a return to sectional,” Kuehnl said. “However, with a younger and largely novice team, the primary goal is to instill a ‘front-row seat effort’ mentality in the ladies to help develop their endurance, pacing, and an overall strategic running strategy.” Kuehnl said he thinks Gochanour, who doubles as a volleyball player, could contend for a state berth. “Macy Gochanour has the skillset, natural athletic ability and the raw drive to hopefully advance state,” Kuehnl said.