XC Boys Place 6th at 60-team Parkside Invite
Hinthorne edges Tri-Valley’s Tscholl by six-tenths of a second
[SEPTEMBER 12, 2026] – Parkside Junior High hosted 2,000 runners on the Maxwell Park cross country course, home of the IESA State Meet since 1994. Sixty teams from across the state of Illinois were competing. The temperatures climbed towards 80 degrees during the four races as the sun was showering runners with mid-summer intensity.
Hattie Meiss (89th, 14.11) led all Titan Varsity Girls in the 356-runner field, placing one second ahead of Dunlap Valley’s #1. Ryen Glacinski (126th, 14.33), Molly Roth (187th, 15.11), Adalynn Wyss (199th, 15.19), and Dovie Hodel (235th, 15.51) were the other four scorers for the Titans. Emily Roth (250th, 16.05) and Pacey Wherry (251st, 16.06) crossed the finish line together, Wherry clocking a course best by 96 seconds. The Girls’ team placed 28th, nine points ahead of Tremont, and fifth of all Class 2A teams.
Roman Hinthorne (5th, 11.15) ran a spectacular race dueling with several runners as they chased eventual winner Carter Janello through the two-mile course. Janello was the only runner to break 11 minutes, with a dozen other athletes cracking 11.30. Four days earlier, Tri-Valley’s Evan Tsholl had edged Hinthorne by two seconds at Furrow Farm, but Hinthorne outraced him at Parkside, holding off Tri-Valley’s top runner by half a second.
Tyson Stoller (42nd, 12.05), Hart Zeller (84th, 12.34), Elliot Nowark (93rd, 12.40), and Eli Kalvelage (99th, 12.43) secured a 6th place team finish for the Titans, one of the highest placings ever for EPGMS at this meet. Nowark clocked a 30-second course best. Eli Meiss (252nd, 13.59) and Tate Harms (253rd, 13.59) crossed the finish line side by side. Tri-Valley (2nd) and EPG were the only Class 2A schools in the Top 16, surrounded by large Class 3A and 4A schools.
Lainey Swanson (118th, 16.29) ran a 56-second season best in the 614-runner Girls Open. Grace Offermann (184th, 17.21), Piper Kent (231st, 17.51), and Emma Donner (361st, 19.45) also competed in the third race of the day.
Eleven Titans crowded into starting box #33 for the Boys Open. Maddox York (34th, 13.33) and Joey Borek (124th, 14.36) both ran course bests by over 2 minutes. Mason Hall (191st, 15.12) clocked his best Maxwell time by 70 seconds, and was followed by EPG’s Covenant Miller (208th, 15.21), Aiden Gray (234th, 15.47), Renner Korstick (252nd, 15.55), Jacob Krone (277th, 16.06), Cruz Hitchens (326th, 16.37), Brookston Kibler (349th, 16.50), Wyatt Moore (454th, 17.50), and Knox Melick (622nd, 20.57). Over 700 boys were running in the final race of the day.
The Titans will head to Ewing Park in Bloomington on September 23rd for a smaller invitational hosted by Corpus Christi.
1,600 Creek Crossings!
EPGMS hosts 20th annual Invitational at Furrow Farm
[SEPTEMBER 8, 2026] – Twenty-five schools representing all four IESA Cross Country divisions attended the EPGMS Invitational on a warm Tuesday afternoon. The course consisted of hill climbs to the pond, two creek crossings, a tunnel through the corn, the renowned “W” through the trees along the creek, a quick turn through the silos under the flyover, the narrow cattle chute, and the climactic uphill finish to the barn. A venue record 849 athletes made their way through the creeks and hills and across the finish line as hundreds of spectators cheered on the runners.
EPG’s Ryen Glacinski (21st, 14.34) ran her fastest Furrow time by 41 seconds to collect a Varsity medal in the 131 Girls Varsity field. She was followed by teammates Hattie Meiss (35th, 15.23), Molly Wiegand (42nd, 15.28), Adalynn Wyss (66th, 16.22), Emily Roth (76th, 16.34), Dovie Hodel (83rd, 16.48), and Molly Roth (87th, 16.55). The Titans placed 9th as a team. Tri-Valley’s Kamila Trachsel led her team to a 50-point victory over runner-up Clinton.
Roman Hinthorne (3rd, 11.51) and Tyson Stoller (12th, 12.24) led the Titans in the Boys Varsity race. Hinthorne’s time tied Maison DePauw (2017) as the 4th fastest Titan ever on the Furrow course. Elliot Nowark (35th, 13.09), Eli Kalvelage (47th, 13.32), and Hart Zeller (66th, 14.01) were the other Titan scorers, followed by #6 Tate Harms (73rd, 14.19) and #7 Maddox York (82nd, 14.38). EPGMS placed 5th as a team, as the Dee-Mack Braves took home a pair of 4th place trophies. Normal Kingsley’s Carter Janello gapped the field early and scored a 32-second victory in a scorching 11 minutes 17 seconds.
Pacey Wherry (14th, 16.33) kept both her shoes on this year – she left one in the creek during the ’25 race – and then found herself on the podium to collect a Top 25 Open medal. Lainey Swanson (38th, 17.50) ran a course best time, followed by Grace Offermann (69th, 18.45), Piper Kent (74th, 19.06), and Emma Donner (110th, 2022) in the 253-runner Girls Open field.
In the Boys Open Eli Meiss (9th, 14.15) and Joey Borek (20th, 14.53) both earned Top 25 Open medals with Borek crushing his course best by 88 seconds. Mason Hall (31st, 15.18) powered to a 40-second course best and missed a medal by 21 seconds while placing in the top 10% of the 319-runner field. Other Titan finishers were Covenant Miller (39th, 15.30), Jackson Kilpatrick (56th, 16.03), Jacob Krone (87th, 16.45), Renner Korstick (94th, 16.53), Brookston Kibler (111th, 17.08), Cruz Hitchens (122nd, 17.30), Aiden Gray (155th, 18.19), Wyatt Moore (221st, 19.56), Peyton McKinsey (243rd, 20.49), and Knox Melick (264th, 22.02).
The Titans will return to Furrow for a second home meet later this month, albeit a cozier 4-team quadrangular, on Monday, September 28th at 4:30pm.
Girls 3rd, Boys 2nd at 24-team Bee Bee Invite
Kalvelage, York, Hitchens place 1-2-3 in Boys Open
[AUGUST 29, 2026] – Williamsville hosted more than 400 runners for a Saturday morning race on a flat grass course the looped around baseball fields and finished on the track. The Titan runners met the challenge of their first big meet with focus and determination, bringing home 5 season bests and 23 lifetime PRs.
The Titans top trio of Varsity girls worked together trading positions throughout the 2-mile course, with all three moving into the Top 20 by the finish. Ryen Glacinski (12th, 13.10) had a strong second mile to lead the way, followed by Molly Wiegand (16th, 13.20) and Hattie Meiss (18th, 13.24).
Emily Roth (39th, 14.22) and Molly Roth (40th, 14.24) moved up throughout the race, catching Athens’ #5 runner and almost reeling in the Warriors’ #4. Adalynn Wyss (69th, 15.15) and Dovie Hodel (72nd, 15.18) followed as the #6 and #7 runners for EPG, with every Titan running a season-best time. Molly Roth had the biggest lifetime best, dropping 1 minute 4 seconds from her time at Eureka five days earlier.
The top five Girls’ teams were Class 3A Monticello (58), state-ranked Athens (124), El Paso-Gridley (125), Petersburg PORTA (166), and Williamsville (169).
In the field of 130 Varsity boys, eleven runners broke 12 minutes, led by Brooks Frieburg of Monticello in a blistering time of 10 minutes 21 seconds. The Titans’ top two boys moved up nicely during the race, both placing in the Top 10 – Roman Hinthorne (3rd, 11.12) five seconds ahead of Springfield Lutheran’s #1 runner, and Tyson Stoller (7th, 11.38) seven seconds ahead of Monticello’s #2.
EPG’s Hart Zeller (17th, 12.12) and Elliot Nowark (24th, 12.21) both ran strong races, with Nowark running a 53-second season best. The Titans’ Tate Harms (45th, 12.52) nipped Carlinville’s #1 runner at the finish line by one one-hundredth of a second. Eli Meiss (55th, 13.03) and Joey Borek (68th, 13.21) were EPG’s #6 and #7, Borek running a 63-second lifetime PR.
The Titan Boys placed second in the team standings which showed the top five teams as Monticello (50) taking their second team title of the day, followed by El Paso-Gridley (89), Rochester (145), Illiopolis Sangamon Valley (147), and Springfield Blessed Sacrament (153).
In the Girls Open race, Pacey Wherry (6th, 15.27) led the Titans in the 83-runner field, slicing 53 seconds off her Eureka time. EPG’s Wherry, Grace Offermann (13th, 15.57), and Piper Kent (30th, 17.26) all ran lifetime PRs. Lainey Swanson (39th, 17.44) and Emma Donner (46th, 18.15) closed out a strong showing for the Titan girls.
EPG’s Maddox York (2nd, 12.42) charged to the front of the Boys Open field with teammate Eli Kalvelage (1st, 12.42) right on his heels. Those two athletes quickly gapped the field as York continued pushing the pace with Kalvelage, wearing bib #777, glued to his shoulder. As the 2-mile race shifted from the grass course onto the track for the final 350 meters, the drama continued all the way to the finish line, with York seeming to inch ahead with 200 meters to go, but Kalvelage fighting back. They both kicked with 100 meters to go, and it looked like the race would finish like it started when Kalvelage found another gear and sprinted past York just before the line, earning the victory by 31 hundredths of a second.
Cruz Hitchens (3rd, 13.26) ran the biggest Titan PR of the day, cutting 2 minutes 11 seconds from his Eureka time. EPG runners Mason Hall (7th, 14.06), Covenant Miller (15th, 14.35), Aiden Gray (20th, 14.43), Renner Korstick (25th, 14.54), Jackson Kilpatrick (37th, 15.26), Jacob Krone (38th, 15.28), Wyatt Moore (43rd, 16.01), Brookston Kibler (54th, 16.29), and Knox Melick (77th, 19.48) all ran strong races, with Miller, Gray, Jackson, Kibler, and Melick all running lifetime PRs of one minute or more.
It was the Titans first time competing at the Bee Bee Invite, and they certainly left their mark on this race with top team finishes and a battery of PRs.
Titan XC will host their 25-team EPGMS Invitational at Furrow Farm on September 8.
Hinthorne and Stoller Place 1-2 at Eureka Meet
Wiegand, Meiss, and Glacinski lead girls to second-place team finish
[AUGUST 24, 2026] – Seven teams attended the August 24th Eureka Meet on a sunny Monday afternoon. It was a pleasant day among the pines along the north shore of Eureka Lake with temperatures in the upper 70s. The Titans traced the lake, curved into the wooded trails, circled the Hornets’ Nest, and flew back home to the high ground at the start/finish area.
EPG’s Molly Wiegand (3rd, 13.45), Hattie Meiss (4th, 13.51), and Ryen Glacinski (5th, 13.56) all crossed the line in under 14 minutes. The last trio of Titans to accomplish that feat at Eureka was in 2016 – Jordyn Cannon, Tristyn Grube, and Sami Allen. Wiegand’s time of 13 minutes 45 seconds was a lifetime PR.
The Titans #4-7 runners were all within 35 seconds of each other – Emily Roth (20th, 15.08), Adalynn Wyss (21st, 15.22), Molly Roth (22nd, 15.28), and Dovie Hodel (24th, 15.43). Grace Offermann (25th, 16.02) and Pacey Wherry (32nd, 16.19) finished in the top half of the 70-runner field. Wherry and Lainey Swanson (43rd, 17.25) earned course best times, while Piper Kent (44th, 17.29) and Emma Donner (47th, 18.06) turned in strong performances for their 2-mile cross country debut.
Team scores for the Girls had the Hornets winning on their home course with 25 points, followed by El Paso-Gridley (51), Tremont (87), Mossville (96), and Peoria St. Jude (112).
In the Boys competition, EPG’s Roman Hinthorne (1st, 11.22) bested the field of 85 runners while setting a new EPG course record, running 12 seconds faster than his brother Luke Hinthorne’s 2023 time.
EPG’s Tyson Stoller (2nd, 11.43) battled back and forth with Eureka’s William Sauder before pulling ahead to secure runner-up honors by 6 seconds as he ran the fifth-fastest Titan time ever on the Eureka course.
Hart Zeller (9th, 12.35) ran a 30-seocond course best as the Titans’ #3. Tate Harms (17th, 13.14) and Elliot Nowark (18th, 13.14) crossed the line together, their times differing by just one-tenth of a second. Maddox York (24th, 13.44) and Eli Meiss (25th, 13.45) also crossed the line within less than a second of each other, followed by Eli Kalvelage (28th, 13.59), Joey Borek (33rd, 14.24), Mason Hall (43rd, 14.43), Jacob Krone (52nd, 15.25), Renner Korstick (55th, 15.30), Cruz Hitchens (56th, 15.37), Covenant Miller (57th, 15.39), Aiden Gray (59th, 15.43), Jackson Kilpatrick (68th, 16.51), Wyatt Moore (69th, 16.55), Brookston Kibler (75th, 18.02), Peyton McKinsey (77th, 18.47), and Knox Melick (82nd, 21.17). Hall notched a course best by two-and-a-half minutes, and Borek ran course best by 4 minutes and a lifetime PR by 5 seconds.
The top three Boys teams were separated by 9 points each. Team scores showed Peoria St. Jude (38), El Paso-Gridley (47), Eureka (58), Tremont (103), Mossville (120), and Peoria Christian (186).
Titans Roll at Hokum Karem XC Run
Hinthorne and Stoller place 1st out of 115 relay pairs
[AUGUST 18, 2026] – Peoria St. Jude hosted 20 middle school cross country teams on a warm August afternoon. The St. Jude Hokum Karem race continues to gain popularity with a record field of 422 competitors for the 2026 edition, up from 356 runners in 2024 and 2025. The course is a rolling grassy 800-meter loop in tranquil Donovan Park, with an observatory, sculpture garden, and three fishing ponds just beyond the finish line.
A Hokum Karem is a unique cross country two-person relay. In this event hosted by Peoria St. Jude, each runner alternates racing the 800m course with a teammate, three times each (six total loops per team) for a total of 1.5 miles per runner, or 3 miles per team.
The Titan Girls lined up in Box 2, the gun fired, and the EPGXC 2026 season was underway.
Eighth-graders Molly Wiegand (10.17) and Ryen Glacinski (10.00) led the way for the Titan Girls, appropriately placing 8th. Wiegand clocked a time almost 2 minutes faster than last year and Glacinski improved on her 2025 mark by 56 seconds.
Emily Roth (10:43) and Hattie Meiss (10:31) placed 16th, followed by Grace Offermann (11.12) and Adalynn Wyss (11.03) in 22nd. Pacey Wherry (11.29) and Dovie Hodel (11.35) placed 28th, with Wherry notching a 47-second course best. Emma Donner (12.48) and Molly Roth (11.03) teamed up for a 39th place finish, while Piper Kent (12.29) and Lainey Swanson (13.53) earned 66th in the field of 96 pairs.
The Titan Girls team achieved a Top 4 team placing for the fifth year in a row. Top six teams were Elmwood (25), St. Patrick (42), Princeville (44), El Paso-Gridley (46), Corpus Christi (52), and Normal Metcalf (53).
The Titan Boys stepped onto the starting line having won the team title 3 years in a row, with last year’s championship decided by a tiebreaker (fourth pair) after EPG and host St. Jude were tied at 21 points through each team’s first three pairs.
With 115 pairs competing in 2026, two relay duos quickly separated themselves from the field. Elmwood’s Levi Stewart went out hot in 2:31, narrowly leading EPG’s Roman Hinthorne and St. Jude’s Knox Strader. But by the time the second exchange came around, St. Jude’s Zachary Ryan and EPG’s Tyson Stoller were stride for stride at the front, having significantly gapped the rest of the field.
In the end it would be the Titans’ Hinthorne (8.04) and Stoller (8.19) taking the victory, edging the St. Jude pair by just 2.5 seconds after 3 miles of racing. Hinthorne and Stoller set the all-time EPG course record by 2 seconds (previously held by Alex Lartz and Russell Erwin), despite the soft soggy course.
Hart Zeller (9.24) and Eli Meiss (9.16) claimed 12th place, and five seconds later EPG’s Tate Harms (9.27) and Eli Kalvelage (9.18) captured 13th. Kalvelage ran the most consistent splits of any Titan on Tuesday, clocking 3:05, 3:06, and 3:06.
Joey Borek (10.24) and Elliot Nowark (9.24) placed 29th, with Cruz Hitchens and Maddox York placing 32nd. Finishing within two-tenths of a second were Mason Hall (10.11) and Jacob Krone (11.17) in 51st and Covenant Miller (10.29) and Renner Korstick (10.59) in 52nd. Aiden Gray (12.07) and Jackson Kilpatrick (11.49) placed 80th, while EPG’s Brookston Kibler (11.44) joined Elmwood runner Aury Zimmerman for an 88th place finish. EPG’s final pair of Wyatt Moore (12.48) and Knox Melick (14.09) placed 102nd.
Hinthorne, Nowark, York, Hall, and Borek all ran course best times.
The St. Jude Fire (17) blazed to a 7-point team victory with team places of 2-7-8. The El Paso-Gridley Titans (24) took runner-up honors with team places of 1-11-12. The remaining Top 6 teams were Elmwood (37), St. Philomena (42), Normal Metcalf (48), and Corpus Christi (64).
Next up for Titan XC is an 8-team meet at Eureka Lake on Monday, August 24.
