Riverside Brookfield High School junior Bella Limoges used to be a sprinter in track and field. Now she’s a devout distance runner who has joined cross country for the first time. Limoges likes to run at least five miles daily and oftentimes even before school.
“Running is one of the biggest aspects of my life and I don’t know what I would do without it,” Limoges said. “I have been doing a lot of running and dieting this past year. It used to take discipline to stick to the routine, but now it is a lifestyle and I enjoy the running and the healthy foods I eat. I wanted to see what I was capable of (in cross country) because of all of the running I have been doing.”
On Saturday, Limoges enjoyed another breakthrough and was among the Bulldogs’ three top-10 finishers who helped them win the 65th annual RBHS Invitational at Indian Gardens.
Senior Addie Vaia (4th, 19:52.8 for 3.0 miles), Limoges (6th, 19:56.8) and freshman Natalie Moran (5th, 19:53.2) led the Bulldogs, who edged Fenwick 40-46 for the title. Rebecca Dosek (11th, 20:34.1), Elsie Clark (16th, 21:04.4) and Ella Bursua (17th, 21:04.8) also were top 20.
“I was very proud of us for running as a pack as long as we could and pushing each other, which enabled us to take first place as a team,” Vaia said.
Nazareth senior Dan Lewis of Brookfield won the boys race (16:27.7 for 3.0 miles) by 24.6 seconds. Fenwick junior Julianna Gamboa of Riverside won the girls race (18:31.6) by 40.7 seconds over teammate Bridget Brunick.
Limoges credited Vaia and Moran for their pacing help. In her first big race, Sept. 6 at Lyons Township, Limoges ran 21:14.9 for 3.1 miles/5 kilometers.
“I was a little surprised [Saturday]. Sub-20:00 has been a good goal, but now I’m going to try and push myself even further,” Limoges said.
The Bulldogs’ homecoming week included Vaia and senior boys runner Tommy Bogdan being named homecoming queen and king. Bogdan was the Bulldogs’ top finisher in the boys race (7th, 17:34.5 for 3.0 miles).
In 2023, Vaia made her RBHS cross country debut at the invite while also playing volleyball and took 10th. Now exclusively a cross country runner, she improved to eighth in 2024. Saturday’s time just missed her 19:51.4 lifetime-best.
“I was definitely trying to get top five this year instead of top 10,” Vaia said.
“I think it being homecoming week and Senior Day made it less stressful and because it was such a busy and fun week I was really excited for the invite. At the same time, it was bittersweet knowing it was my last RB Invite.”
Limoges broke 20:00 for the first time, Sept. 13, with a team-best 12th-place finish (19:57.6) in the open race at the First to the Finish Invite, Sept. 13, at Peoria’s Detweiller Park, annual site of the state meet. Moran (18th, 20:06.0), Dosek (23rd, 20:30.0) and Bursua (30th, 20:50.7) also were top-30.
“Breaking 20:00 was definitely a goal for the season and achieving it at the RB Invitational felt great,” Moran said.
Moran has run cross country since sixth grade at Gross Middle School. For the first time, junior sister Elizabeth is one of her teammates.
“It’s very fun because we can cheer each other on and spend more time together,” Moran said. “I feel like my racing strategy and overall running has improved since last year. In high school, there are a lot more runners so the race moves differently with the different approaches to the best way to race. Plus, I have been doing longer runs in practice.”
The RBHS boys finished second to Morton 30-59. The Bulldogs’ Emmitt Olson (17:43.1), Clay Dosek (17:58.0) and Wilson Leister (18:01.7) were 11th through 13th. Levi Huffman (16th, 18:06.0) and Aiden O’Brien (18th, 18:12.5) were top 20.
Senior Anthony Lopez was fifth (17:30.6) for fourth-place Nazareth.
The Nazareth girls were third (59 points) with Allie O’Halloran (20:24.5) and Claire Sigmund (20:25.3) ninth and 10th.
LTHS cross country
Sophomore Brennan Monohan made his Lyons Township varsity boys cross country debut in 2024 at the First to the Finish Invitational.
“I did have nerves, but not as nervous as I thought I’d be because in middle school [at Gurrie] I ran a lot at the state meet,” Monohan said. “I kind of had experience but I was definitely nervous how that third mile was going to feel.”
Within weeks, he was back at Detweiller competing for the Lions at the 3A state meet. At the FTTF 3A boys race, Sept. 13 at Detweiller Park, he achieved his best time ever with a 19th-place 19:10.8, beating his 19:42.0 from 2024 state for 173rd place.
“I’m stoked for it. A huge [personal record]. Super-happy for it,” Monohan said. “The second mile I really pushed. I was going for sub-15:00 and the third mile kind of beat me down but I’m happy with this one.”
Senior Tyler Gannt (21st, 15:12.6) also earned a top-50 medal for the Lions (10th, 355 points), who even with two top-five regulars finishing back further than usual, perhaps because of the extremely hot and dusty conditions. Senior Sean Tillis was 66th (15:55.4).
“When everyone puts it together, we’ll be up there for sure,” Gantt said. “I wanted to be faster (around 14:50), but it really didn’t come together. The second and third miles really broke me. The heat really got me.”
In the girls race, LTHS senior Mya Coglianese was 30th (18:59.5), followed by senior Addie Powers (85th, 19:59.9) and sophomore Lucinda Martinez (108th, 20:26.9). The Lions were 16th (442 points).
Powers continues to progress from last season, which included 22:25.9 at FTTF but also a personal-best 19:28.4 Oct. 9. Powers then was injured for outdoor track.
“I was running times slower than some races freshman and sophomore year. That was really kind of upsetting so I’ve been using that as motivation,” Powers said. “I’m just trying to use the negative and change my perspective because my new perspective really helps my mindset during races.”
Coglianese ran a personal-best 18:14 at Detweiller as the Lions’ lone 2024 representative at the state meet (98th). She improved upon her 2024 FTTF finish (19:15.4).
“I remember I passed people at the finish [this time], which I don’t usually do,” Coglianese said. “My last race [LTHS Invite] the critique was not to get passed and to pass people at the end. I hope to [return to state], as long as everything goes well.”