Kane County Chronicle Boys Cross Country Athlete of the Year: Evan Nosek, Kaneland

Evan Nosek finished in the top five of his first four races this fall, but that just set the stage for what was to come.

After winning the Kane County Meet to open the season with a time of 15:25.9, Nosek, a Kaneland junior, followed with a third-place finish at the Sycamore Invitational (15:32.0), fourth in the First to Finish Invitational (14:57.8) and second at Kaneland’s Larry Eddington Invitational (14:57.2).

Then, without context, consider his next result: 12th with a time of 16:29.8 at the Rock River Run.

“Which doesn’t look like the rest of his races for the year,” Kaneland coach Chad Clarey said.

There’s more than meets the eye at first glance.

Nosek, who ran blistering paces the previous weeks, heeded the idea of not needing to run top-level paces just yet. Instead, coaches asked him to run with other junior and senior teammates “who needed a little pulling up into the pack,” which allowed teammate David Valkanov to be the No. 1 guy and have a solid showing.

“In understanding a little bit of his humility and his understanding of accepting coaching: Sometimes kids that get so good, they think they know what they’re doing and they don’t need their coach because they’re that good,” Clarey said. “[Evan, however, has] been a very good listener and a very good self-advocate. Coach says this is what I need to do, I’m going to go coach’s way.

“Evan went back and settled in with some other runners and tried to pull them along,” Clarey said. “He moved up in the last mile, took the restrictive plate off him the last mile and he moved up to 12th. His placement, again, helped us to win the meet, but he understood there was a bigger purpose in mind. It was the end of the season and it was helping place his team to get his team ready for what we hoped to get accomplished.”

Nosek, for his part, returned the favor that teammate Zach Murdock showed in having his back throughout the year.

“I get support from him. We all support each other and our team is really good with bonding in that sort of way,” Nosek said. “Zach is an amazing runner [and] just needed his teammates to help him keep pace. It was cool to watch him get his confidence back. He was a big part of the reason we did so well in the state series.”

Nosek, who dominated with first-place finishes at the Patricia Harland Invitational, the Interstate 8 Conference meet and the Kaneland hosted regional, wasn’t done quite yet. He finished third at sectionals and sixth at the Class 2A state meet in Peoria. His 14:47 finish at state was his best time.

Considering his overall individual season for a team that finished first in conference, second at regionals, second at sectionals and fourth at state, Nosek is the 2023 Kane County Chronicle Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year.

Nosek tied Matt Richtman for the most all-state medals won in cross country at Kaneland, Clarey said. Nosek’s 14:47 is the second-fastest time on the program’s top 50 at the state finals.

“A big part of [what makes Nosek] unique is who he is as a competitor and as a human being,” Clarey said. “He doesn’t settle. He’s always working on trying to find ways to help himself improve. They’re good ways. They’re healthy ways. He understands the power of the fuel that he puts in his body. He’s very meticulous about his diet. Even on days where you try to treat the kids to something, he is a steadfast. ‘No thank you. I appreciate it, coach.’

“He knows what he wants to do. He always has an end goal in mind. He’s always thinking about the way he can best help himself to achieve that. It’s something that’s constantly on his mind. He wants to be the best at his craft and he does so with a tenacity for the particulars [sleep habits, massage/stretch and more]. He has a team of people that kind of get a part in this also ... because they’ve helped him along the way and he’s appreciative of it.”

All Area List

David Bednarek (Batavia); Francesco Benelli (Batavia); John Daffenberg (Marmion); Greyson Ellensohn (St. Charles East); Oscar Frontjes (St. Charles East); Evan Nosek (Kaneland); Matthew Sullivan (Marmion); David Valkanov (Kaneland); Evan Whildin (Kaneland); Jed Wilson (St. Charles East); Michael Whitacre (Marmion); Will Stone (St. Charles North)