Girls Cross Country

It’s that time of the year again (the end, of course) where we look back at the last 12 months before the calendar runs out and a new year starts. But instead of talking about the best 10 moments of the year like usual, I figured I’d go a different direction: I’m going to write about the things that stuck out to me most in 2021.

It’s probably not fair to say opposing runners underestimated Evelyn O’Connor during her first season running at Seneca High School.

Crystal Lake Central freshman Hadley Ferrero is the Northwest Herald Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year. Ferrero lost only three races in her season, the Palatine Invitational, the Class 2A Woodstock North Sectional and the Class 2A State Meet.

Meet the 2021 Northwest Herald All-Area girls cross country team.

Rosary senior Lianna Surtz, who won her second consecutive Class 1A state championship in leading the Royals to a best-ever fifth-place team finish, is the Kane County Chronicle Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year.

Dixon senior diver Laci Long saw her season end in the preliminaries at the IHSA Swimming & Diving State Meet on Friday at the FMC Natatorium in Westmont, as she missed out on advancing to the semifinals by 8.3 points.

Here is a list of athletes in the McHenry County area who can sign national letters of intent with their NCAA schools on Wednesday, the first day of the signing period.

Coming into Saturday’s Class 2A cross country state finals, Sterling sophomore Dale Johnson and Dixon sophomore Emma Smith had their sights set pretty high. Both accomplished their missions, earning All-State honors with top-25 finishes.

Crystal Lake South nearly won a state team title and six Fox Valley Conference girls grabbed Class 2A All-State honors at the IHSA Cross Country State Meet Saturday at Peoria's Detweiller Park.

The state cross country meet is a new experience for many of the competitors. But this year will likely see many more first-timers than ever before, with both freshmen and sophomores able to compete for the first time in their careers after last year's meet was wiped out by COVID-19.

Crystal Lake South will be one of the teams contending for the Class 2A girls team title at the IHSA Cross Country State Meet on Saturday at Peoria's Detweiller Park. The Gators have been strong in winning the Fox Valley Conference Meet, the Woodstock Regional and Woodstock North Sectional.

Amboy-LaMoille's Brock Loftus won the individual title at the Class 1A Oregon Sectional cross country race on Saturday in Oregon Park West, and the Clippers are going to state as a team for the first time in program history.

Crystal Lake South's girls cross country team won the Class 2A Woodstock North Cross Country Sectional meet, its second consecutive team title.

Jacobs came in fifth place Saturday at the Class 3A Hoffman Estate Sectional to secure the program's first trip to state since 1985.

Running the regional on their home course, the Rock Falls Rockets had some lofty expectations coming into Saturday’s race at Centennial Park. They lived up to them, as Tayli Hultin won the race and the Rockets took the top spot as a team, beating Mercer County 52-53.