YHS Cross Country Facing High Expectations for 2011

The girls cross country team is tired of being the co-star.

The Lady Foxes have finished as the runner-up in the Class 2A IHSA state cross country finals for two consecutive years.

Time is running out, especially for the trio of standout seniors - Esther Bell, Ali Hester and Leena Palmer - who realize this is their final shot. The girls know what it feels like to be state champions, because along with junior Bri Stuepefert,

“We’ve never gotten first for cross country and we’ve worked our butts off for four years so we think we deserve to win,” Hester said. “With the time trials we’ve done this summer, we’re already ahead of where we’ve been in the past. We just want the team to work hard because we’ve worked so hard for seniors in the past and now we’re seniors, and we know we can’t do it alone.”

Dedication to getting stronger and faster was on the agenda all summer for the girls team as they know they’ll have a target on their back.

“There’s more pressure than before and we know we have to be humble about it,” Bell said. “We realize that anyone can come out of nowhere. We did it the first year we took second place, but we’re on the radar now but know we have to still work hard for it.”

Bell, Hester, Palmer, Stuepfert and junior Casey Kramer are the top returnees for Yorkville this fall, but it’s going to also take strong contributions from many others for the team to reach its ultimate goal of a state title.

Ashley Leonnetti is the fourth senior back for her final season along with junior Lindsay Foster and sophomores Kylie Kreischer, Kelsey Leedy and Kaelyn Scull. The Lady Foxes return their top seven runners from a season ago.

“We have a lot of kids with experience now that have run the state course a few times, and been on varsity for two or three years now, or right on the cusp of it,” Yorkville girls and boys cross country coach Chris Muth said. “Our top groups have a ton of experience which is invaluable, but we do have a lot of young talent coming in.”

Bell and Hester were named team captains.

“They both had successful track seasons,” Muth said. “They are currently ahead of their pace from last year, and that is a good sign since they both ran personal bests. They are both very hard workers so I expect nothing less but similar or more success for them than last season.”

Stuepfert is recovering from an injury at the start of the season but expected to be a top contributor as she recovers, while Kramer could be the biggest surprise.

“(Kramer) is coming off a great breakout track season in which she ran a 5:22 mile and has continued that momentum over to the summer and cross country," Muth said. "She will slot really close behind Ali Hester and Esther Bell, forming a very formidable 1-2-3-4 punch with Leena Palmer in that pack.”

The Boys Are Very Good Too

Seniors Jake Callahan and Chris Kellogg are looking to conclude their high school careers on a high note, and they both will have a lot to do with how the Foxes fare this season.

Similar to the girls team, the Foxes are loaded with returning talent. In fact, Muth said Callahan and juniors Eric Baker and Zac Arcara could be all-staters by the end of the season.

“Jake has a ton of talent and really had a breakthrough this past track season in the 800 (1:56) and 1600 (4:30),” Muth said. “Zac is pure guts and is always consistently improving. He was able to consistently keep under 10:00 (personal best 9:52) in the 3200 during the track season.

“Eric is a very talented young man who really stood out in the 3200 in track, running a 9:46 as a sophomore, qualifying for the state meet. All three will give me a very solid top group throughout the year.”

The Foxes won’t be satisfied with being a very good team, they are pursuing greatness that will be remembered by future Yorkville athletes.

“We don’t want to be just a good team, but a great team,” Callahan said. “We’re working hard and giving it a little extra. It’s the extra everyday, the extra sprint at the end where all the teams don’t do that. That’s been the theme so far and we’re not afraid to give up the good to go for the great.”

Kellogg is expected to be the No. 4 guy for the Foxes, followed by juniors Shawn O’Malley, sophomore Justin Vacha and junior Nick Harrison.

“Athletes that will surprise others this year will be Shaun O’Malley and Justin Vacha,” Muth said. “These two guys are going to be pushing for that fifth runner spot on our varsity team, really being the key to our season, and how good we can be.”

Not looking too far ahead, but the Foxes have a pair of diamonds in the rough, in twice Jake and Luke Hoffert. The two freshmen aren’t expected to run varsity this year, but they’ll be there soon enough.

While many kids were taking it easy during the summer, the boys were putting in 40 to 50 miles per week throughout the summer and head into the season almost completely healthy.

“We feel like we have one of the best teams right now that we’ve had in at least my four years,” Kellogg said. “Muth said the 2008 team could’ve been a trophy team but they were satisfied being a good team and getting to state. We want to do more than that and show everyone what we can do.”

Muth has been pleased with the effort of his team and is hopeful that this year’s group can go down in history.

“Our long term goal is to try and break into the top five this year at the state meet,” he said. “If we do that, we will have the best boys cross country team in Yorkville High School in the past 25 years.”

While the expectations are extremely high for both the boys and the girls, the runners themselves are starting to gain more attention than they ever expected.

“I know they had 17 kids in Muth’s first year and we had about 30 when I was a freshman,” Kellogg said. “Now we have over 75 so the tide has changed and it’s not just about football or other sports, but for kids who want to push and challenge themselves.”

Success is also leading to attention from underclassmen and the general community.

“It’s really different, especially now that I’m a senior,” Hester said. “I see people who will point and say ‘Wow, that’s Ali.’ It’s kind of weird and coach talked to me about it.”

In November she hopes to be talking about a state title. As do the boys.

Girls Win Opener

The girls took care of things in their first effort of the season Thursday at Silver Springs in Sandwich, finishing with a 19 in the War on 34.

The Lady Foxes had all but the second place finisher from 1st through 7th place. Ali Hester was the winning runner with a 19.11. Esther Bell was third (19.21) and followed by Casey Kraer (19.35), Leena Palmer (20.13), Bri Stuepfert (20.5) and Kelsey Leedy (20.51).

Six Top 10 Finishes for Boys in War on 34

The boys also placed first in Thursday's War on 34 in Sandwich as the Foxes edged past Oswego for first place, 25-32.

Oswego's Zack Kingsbury had the best time in the race with a 16.45, just ahead of Yorkville Eric Baker, who posted a 16.49.

Other top finishes for the Foxes, included Zak Arcara who was fourth with a 17.05 and Chris Kellogg with was fifth with a 17.07.

Jake Callahan was sixth (17.26), Justin Vacha was eighth (17.29) and Nick Harrison (17.29) placed ninth.

Both teams will be in action on Monday as the teams host the Yorkville Invitational. The competition has moved to .

Editor's note: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that Oswego won the boys competition Thursday.