Cross Country Not Over for Illinois Quartet

Four Illinois prep stars selected for Great Edinburgh XCountry International Challenge

By Michael Newman of DyeStat 

mike@dyestat.com

It was a great finish to the 2017 cross country season for Illinois standouts Dylan Jacobs, Danny Kilrea, Clayton Mendez and Katelynne Hart, all of whom finished in the top 10 at the Foot Locker National Championships.

But they aren't done yet. 

The four runners were selected to the United States Junior team that will compete Saturday at the Great Edinburgh XCounty International Challenge at Holyrood Park in Scotland.

WEBCAST INFO (Note: Junior races won't be shown live but could be shown in a highlight video)

“I found out about the selection in the middle of the school day from the coach of my high school team, John O’Malley,” said Jacobs, who attends Sandburg High in Orland Park.

“Once I heard the news, I felt great pride and happiness. This is something that has been in the back of my mind for a while, and for it to become a reality is amazing.”

Jacobs, the 2017 Foot Locker national champion, is joined on the six-member U.S. junior men's team by Kilrea (Lyons Township, LaGrange) and Mendez (Whitney Young Academy, Chicago).

“Racing for Team USA is an honor. As a kid, it has always been a dream, so making it a reality means a lot to me,” Kilrea said. “Representing my country is a feeling that I cannot even put into words. Even though I haven't raced yet, knowing that I am representing a bigger group of people than I ever have before is exciting and raises the bar for the race.”

That sentiment was shared by Mendez. 

“It is such a huge honor to be selected to run in Edinburgh this upcoming week,” Mendez said. “Getting the opportunity to be a part of something that represents my country has always been a dream of mine and has further motivated me to chase some of those bigger dreams for later on in my running career.”

Hart (Glenbard West, Glen Ellyn) finished a great sophomore cross country season by first finishing fourth at Nike Cross Nationals and then second at Foot Locker. She will run on the U.S. junior women's team. 

“Getting selected for the Scotland team is honestly so amazing,” Hart said. “To get to represent my country and do the thing I love is so exciting. I couldn’t be happier about this opportunity. Ever since I was about 7 years old, I have dreamed about wearing a USA uniform. I wasn’t sure what sport it would be, but the fact that this opportunity allows me to represent the country I love (is amazing).”

Hart made the decision in the fall of her freshman season to concentrate her efforts in running over playing soccer. The decision to run has been a plus for her school’s cross country team and now for the national team as well.

Illinois enjoyed a successful fall and a great postseason. Naperville North’s girls finished second at Nike Cross Nationals. The Downers Grove North boys were fourth in the boys competition and six Illinois runners earned All-America status.   

The following week at Foot Locker, all five Illinois runners entered finished in the top 10.  

Two more members of the U.S. junior men's team come from the Midwest region. Dustin Horter, from Lakota East OH, finished sixth at NXN. Drew Bosley from Homestead WI, seventh at both NXN and Foot Locker, is on the team as well.  

“There are a lot of Midwest, particularly Illinois, athletes competing in Scotland,” Kilrea said. “I really think it speaks to the depth and talent of this region in recent years. We are some of the fiercest runners and can handle any conditions that are thrown our way. On top of that, all of us are so close that we will act and race like teammates.”

Said Jacobs: “I believe prep distance running in Illinois is as good as any state in the country. It has been a terrific year for Illinois runners and this is the icing on the cake. I believe each runner on our team will have different strategies from the national races, but we will also push each other and work together like we did at NXN and Foot Locker.”

Mendez had similar feelings on the success of Illinois runners this fall.

“I can’t help but think that there is something special, whether that be the running culture in our state or the recent success many of us have had, that has motivated us to do such great things,” he said. “I know that our region likes to pack it in, so don’t be surprised to see us all there building off one another, especially early in the race. I think that’s our comfort zone and it’s worked out very well in the past.”

The runners are due to have an eye-opening experience this week. Not only are they representing the country for the first time, there is also a new country to explore.  

“I am really excited that I get to go to Europe,” Hart said. “I think it will be cool to look around and I’ve heard it’s very pretty in Scotland.”

It will be Jacobs' first time traveling out of the U.S.

“It will be great to see another part of the world,” Jacobs said. “Some relatives of mine have grown up there, so it will be interesting to get a glimpse of their lifestyle. I am also excited to meet some very accomplished runners from all over the world. This will be an experience I will remember for the rest of my life.”

Kilrea, who will join Jacobs as teammates at Notre Dame in the fall, is also looking forward to it. 

“I am pretty excited to explore Scotland for the short time we are there,” he said. “I have never been there, so getting a taste of their culture will certainly be exciting.”

Mendez, who is headed to Stanford, is looking forward to a final cross country race before graduation. 

“The one thing I’m looking forward to is spending some more time with the guys I’ve gotten a chance to run with these last few months,” he said. “We have a great group of people in this race. It’s not often you can do something like this. I’ve also never been to Europe, so that will be a good time as well.”