ILLINOIS STATE MEET

Plainfield North Boys, Barrington Girls Win Gritty, Close 3A Team Titles; 1A Winner Sundara Weber Misses Course Record By 1 Second

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

INTERVIEWS | PHOTOS by Kevin Dorsey and Dominic Gramarosso

After runner-up finishes in 2023 and 2024, Plainfield North put two boys in the top 15 and managed to get all five across in the top 75 of a competitive field on Saturday at Detweiller Park and won their first IHSA Class 3A cross country championship. 

Thomas Czerwinski led the way for the Tigers with fourth place and Aidan Connors was 13th. 

Downers Grove North saw its two-year run as state champion come to an end but top runner Philip Cupial won the individual title in 14:03.2. Cameron Libby of Lake Zurich won a photo-finish close race for second, in 14:07.5, over Owen Horeni from Yorkville. 

Lake Zurich, with three in the top 11, finished fourth. 

The Barrington girls won a showdown with Mt. Prospect, 144-159, to secure the 3A girls championship. 

Out front, York sophomore Karlin Janowski became the Dukes' first individual girls champion in 24 years and ran a time of 16:10. She is the first York girl to win at the state meet since Maria Cicero in 2000. 

Sundara Weber of Sandwich became the fifth girl in state history to complete Detweiller's three-mile course in less than 16 minutes and finished in 15:54.4, just a second short of Mia Sirois' 2024 course record. Weber repeated her title and improved upon her 16:11 from last year. 

In Class 2A, the Dixon boys scored 115 points and defeated Mahomet (143) and Deerfield (155). Max Weber of Bethalto (Civic Memorial) won the individual title in 14:08.54.

Chatham (Glenwood) handily won the 2A girls team title with 81 points.

Sydney Gertsen from Lombard (Montini) won the race in 16:34.8. 

The Eureka boys beat Elmwood by 12 points and scored 151 for the win, and Winnebago girls won the Class 1A team championship with 150 points.

Chaz Oberkfell from Gillespie won the boys 1A race in 16:32.1. 

Team Champions - 

Class 3A - Plainfield (North) boys 149 points, Barrington girls 144 points - RESULTS

Class 2A - Dixon boys 115 points, Chatham (Glenwood) girls 81 points - RESULTS

Class 1A - Eureka boys 151 points, Winnebago girls 150 points - RESULTS