The 2025 girls cross country season is underway. Here are previews of teams from around the Record Newspapers coverage area.

Oswego

Coach: Alicia Rafferty

Top returners: Morgan Bradley, jr.; Alivia Kath, so.; Sophia Padilla, so.; Lluvia Torres, jr.

Key newcomers: Lindsey Sturm, fr.; Josie Beiler, fr.

Worth noting: The Panthers finished fifth at the Southwest Prairie Conference meet last year. Bradley is a returning sectional qualifier but 2024 all-conference runner Kristin Soderlind has opted not to return to cross country this fall.

“I have a small team this year with a great culture,” Rafferty said. “I have a young team with aspirations of qualifying to the sectional race this year. I am unsure how we will compete because mostly all of my varsity graduated last year and it is a building year. I’m excited for this freshman group as they are cohesive and excited about running.”

Oswego East

Coach: Lisa Cook

Top returners: Julia Burney, sr.; Ashley Gumm, sr; Audrey Cheney, so.; Gisselle Juarez, jr.; Morgan Haswell, jr.; Mariana Ocon, so.; Sree Saravana Perumal, so.

Top newcomers: Kaylee Thatcher, fr.

Worth noting: The Wolves last season placed fourth at the Southwest Prairie Conference and regional meets, fifth at the sectional meet and 24th at state. But there are a lot of unknowns going into this season. Several of Oswego East’s top runners are not anticipated to return as the program feels the impact of flag football starting this fall.

“But with that comes a lot of opportunities for our next group of leaders to step up and for this group to come together to accomplish the goals that they set,” Cook said. “We hope to continue building our program with a positive team culture and seeking to get the most out of our runners in both daily practices and races throughout the season.”

Cook said that Haswell has stepped up as a team leader this summer with a core group that included Cheney, Ocon, Perumal, Avery Beedles and Thatcher, to name a few.

“They put in a lot of consistent effort on their runs and workouts, which is exactly what we hope to see throughout the summer,” Cook said. “We graduated a very talented and team-oriented senior class, and we are excited for the new opportunities for the team of 2025.”

Plano

Coach: Bolaji Adeoti

Top returners: Viviana Cervantes, so.; Aliyah Reyna, sr.

Worth noting: The Reapers had four individual finishers in the Kishwaukee River Conference last season but due to illness were unable to score as a full team. Adeoti called this a rebuilding season, both individually and collectively, with Cervantes and Reyna the returning runners. Cervantes had a strong breakthrough last season, starting with a 27-minute time and finishing in the low 22s. Adeoti looks forward to seeing her dedication pay off in big ways this season. Reyna showed steady progress throughout last season, staying consistent with her times and Adeoti looks forward to seeing her continue to push herself.

“The Reapers are committed to working hard this season to reach their full potential and achieve great things,” Adeoti said. “Our focus will be on setting clear, meaningful goals and dedicating ourselves to the process that will help us reach them. Step by step, we’ll work together toward making this season one to remember.”

Sandwich

Coach: Brian Long

Top returners: Sunny Weber, sr.; Emily Urbanski, sr.; Karlee Henkins, sr.; Kayla Kressin, jr.

Top newcomer: Isla Stevens, jr.; Jessica Rios, fr.

Worth noting: Weber is set for the final run of a spectacular high school career. As a junior Weber won the distance triple crown, winning the Class 2A cross country state championship and then sweeping the 3,200 and 1,600-meter titles at the state track and field meet. The Indians return four of their top seven runners with Weber, Urbanski, Henkins and Kressin.

“We are excited to be in 1A this season and to see how we compete with the schools that are similar in size,” Long said. “We have been working very hard this summer, and we look forward to seeing the hard work pay off.

Yorkville

Coach: Chris Muth

Top returners: Ashley Schraeder, sr.; Annabelle Reeder, sr.; Athena Triner, so.; Mia Evans, jr.; Rachel Rotramel, so.; Linden Moss, so.; Paige Timm, jr.

Top newcomer: Elle Meyers.

Worth noting: The Foxes placed 11th as a team at the Class 3A state meet last fall. Yorkville placed second at conference and regional, with Schraeder third at conference and second at regional. The Foxes were also fourth at the sectional meet. Muth noted that this will be a smaller team than in years past with the additions of other fall sports, with health the biggest key to success. Schraeder, Reeder and Triner lead a solid group of returners; all have posted top 20 times in school history.

Muth believes Rotramel is primed for a breakout season coming off of a solid varsity freshman season, as well as Mia Evans, who showed very impressive flashes last year as a sophomore. Other varsity spots are up in the air, but some strong summers from Moss, Meyers and Timm could factor into rounding out the team.

“Our goal is always to finish the season at the state meet and match or beat the previous season’s finish,” Muth said. “This team needs to continue to progress and push each other to improve each and every day. We have potential, but need some things to fall our way to compete with the top teams in the state.”