Here are five girls cross country runners to keep an eye on in The Herald-News area this season.

Here is a look at the 2025 Herald-News area girls cross country teams

Here are five runners to watch for girls cross country in the Northwest Herald coverage area in 2025.

The 2025 girls cross country season is underway. Check out our team-by-team previews with top returners, newcomers and info on each local team in the Northwest Herald area.

Area cross country teams found some early season competition at the Irish Conditioner on Wednesday, with Bradley-Bourbonnais picking up a win on the boys side and the Herscher girls team having a strong showing.

Something a little different to help get runners in shape and excited for the season is what Ottawa cross country coach Dan Heaver had in mind when putting together the Ottawa Nautical Mile Relays. Mission accomplished.

Here are five Times-area girls cross country runners to keep an eye on during this fall season.

The cross country season is underway. Here are the team-by-team girls previews with top returners, key newcomers and info on every The Times area squad for the 2025 season.

A look at the La Salle-Peru, St. Bede, Mendota, Princeton, Bureau Valley, Amboy-LaMoille-Ohio, Henry-Midland and Fieldcrest girls cross country teams.

Crystal Lake Central's boys and Huntley's girls won the McHenry County Cross Country Meet on Saturday. Cary-Grove's Jameson Tenopir won the boys individual title and Prairie Ridge's Emaline Foster won the girls individual title. And more in Saturday's roundup.

Area high school runners compete in the McHenry County Cross Country Meet on Saturday, August 30, 2025. at Emricson park in Woodstock.

Here are some of the top storylines to watch for from several fall sports this upcoming season.

Keira Bogott wrapped up a stellar athletic career at Woodstock this spring, earning Kishwaukee River Conference Girls Soccer Field Player of the Year and qualifying for the Class 2A state track and field meet. Bogott is the 2025 Northwest Herald Female Athlete of the Year.

The IHSA announced three significant changes to its classification policy Tuesday. Starting next school year, the IHSA will go back to using fixed classification cutoffs, change its multiplier waiver process and adjust its “Success Adjustment Policy.”

Here's the 2024 Kane County Chronicle girls cross country All-Area team.

Huntley senior Anna Campanelli led the Red Raiders to the Dundee-Crown Thanksgiving Tournament title and scored a career-high 32 points against Boylan. Campanelli is the Northwest Herald Athlete of the Week.

A look at the top girls cross country runners in the NewsTribune area for the 2024 season.

Henry-Midland junior Daniella Bumber is once again the NewsTribune Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year after winning the Lowpoint-Wasburn/Roanoke-Benson Invite and four other meets and returning to the IHSA Class 1A state meet.

Youth dominated the Daily Chronicle 2024 Girls Cross Country All-Area Team, with only one senior on the first team.

Sycamore junior Layla Janisch ran back-to-back personal records to close the cross country season, peaking with an 18:34.9 at the state championship to take 61st in her first trip to the finale in Peoria.

Huntley junior Isabella Ciesla emerged as the No. 1 runner on the Red Raiders’ talented cross country squad this fall. Ciesla is the 2024 Northwest Herald Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year

Meet the 2024 Northwest Herald All-Area girls cross country team.

Crystal Lake Central senior Hadley Ferrero stopped near the end of Saturday's Class 2A girls cross country state meet at Detweiller Park in Peoria to help carry a St. Ignatius runner to the finish line.

Richmond-Burton's Alexia Spatz took sixth at the Class 1A Lisle Sectional Nov. 2 to qualify for the girls cross country state meet. On Saturday, she ended her high school career with a 30th-place finish. Spatz was named the Northwest Herald Athlete of the Week.

On a perfect day for racing, Manteno freshman Klarke Goranson took full advantage

After finishing 18th at the Class 3A meet a season ago, Batavia, led by a core of sophomores and juniors, is hoping to achieve a top-five finish at state this time around. Plus, a look into other Kane County teams and individuals racing in Peoria on Saturday.

Here is a look at the Sauk Valley runners to watch at state cross country this weekend. Dixon, Rock Falls and Oregon have runners competing this Saturday at Detweiller Park in Peoria.

The Morris Community High School cross country team left Morris Friday morning with a police escort on its way to the IHSA state championships for the second year in a row.

DeKalb's Jacob Barraza is the lone Class 3A entrant from the Daily Chronicle area at Saturday's state cross country meet. Sycamore and Kaneland qualified their boys teams for the 2A race and Spartan junior Layla Janisch will compete on the 2A girls side.

Huntley's Isabella Ciesla won the Fox Valley Conference Girls Cross Country Meet Oct. 19 and over the weekend took 11th at the Class 3A Lake Park Sectional as the Raiders advanced to state as a team. Ciesla was selected as the Northwest Herald Athlete of the Week.

Crystal Lake South's girls team placed runner-up at the Class 2A Kaneland Sectional, while Woodstock's Ellery Shutt and Johnsburg's Grady Smith both took second individually in their sectional races. Plus more local cross country results from Saturday.

State cross country qualifiers include the Dixon boys team, Rock Falls' Gabe Moyer and Oregon's Daniel Gonzalez. Ariel Hernandez also advanced for the Rockets along with Dixon's Kamryn Rogers on Saturday.

Hampshire, Crystal Lake Central and Huntley each won their respective boys soccer regional championships Saturday. Plus more playoff soccer and regional boys and girls cross country scores.

Dixon boys cross country won Saturday's Big Northern Conference cross country meet behind four Top 10 finishes. Rock Falls' Ariel Hernandez was runner-up in the girls race.

Led by wins from Avery Hacker and Francesco Benelli in the girls and boys races, Batavia came away with both team titles at the DuKane Conference meet on Saturday at Lake Park.

Marian Central boys soccer won its playoff opener, Huntley volleyball beat Crystal Lake South in three sets to stay atop the Fox Valley Conference standings, plus more scores in Tuesday's Northwest Herald roundup.

Leading the way among area runners was junior Daniel Gonzales of Oregon, who took 20th place with a time of 16:30.

Downers Grove North's boys and girls teams took home the team title, with Philip Cupial and Gavin Schroeder leading the boys with a 1-2 finish, while Sandwich's Sunny Weber controlled the girls race to take the individual title.

Rochelle wins boys soccer, Dixon finishes first in boys, girls cross country. That and more in Wednesday's roundup.

Runners competed in the annual Naperville North Twilight Cross Country Invitational on Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024 in Naperville.

Huntley, Crystal Lake South, Prairie Ridge and Dundee-Crown all picked up shutout wins in their Fox Valley Conference boys soccer games, plus more scores and results in Tuesday's Northwest Herald roundup.

Seneca's Natalie Misener, La Salle-Peru's Adam Kasperski ran to individual La Salle County XC Invitational titles on Saturday at The Eastwood Golf Course in Streator. The Ottawa girls claimed a fourth-straight team title and the Cavaliers boys won for the first time since 2021.

Cary Grove junior Jameson Tenopir used a big surge in the final mile to win the boys race, St. Charles North boys win first home meet, and Shayne Dietzen's win in girls race paces Glenbard West to team win.

McHenry volleyball swept Huntley 25-20, 25-20, Dundee-Crown beat Burlington Central in three sets, plus more volleyball, boys soccer, girls tennis and cross country results in Tuesday's Northwest Herald roundup.

Richmond-Burton's Alex Hopp surpassed 2,000 career assists as the Rockets went 4-1 to win their own tournament Saturday. Marengo volleyball won the Yorkville Christian Tournament, Huntley girls tennis placed first at the Larkin Invite, plus more in the Northwest Herald roundup.

Henry-Senachwine boys golf finished second in the team race and was led by medalist Carson Rowe at the Tri-County Conference Meet, plus more in Wednesday's NewsTribune Roundup.

Mason Leslie scored twice to lead Huntley boys soccer to an FVC shutout against Jacobs, Georgia Watson had 20 kills in a three-set win against Burlington Central, plus more scores and results in Tuesday's Northwest Herald roundup.

Oregon junior cross country runner Daniel Gonzalez, who ran a personal record 16:44.9 at the First to the Finish Invitational at Detweiller Park, is the Sauk Valley Athlete of the Week for Sept. 9-14 in an online vote. Here is his Q&A with Drake Lansman.

Sophomore Ruby Acker led the Princeton girls country team to a second-place finish in its own Gary Coates Invitational on Saturday, while Princeton's Tyler VandeVenter and Augustus Swanson placed fifth and sixth in the boys race.

Mendota senior Anthony Kelson won the Gary Coates Invitational for the second year in a row, while the La Salle-Peru boys took the team title. Host Princeton placed second in the girls team standings.