Riverside Brookfield High School freshman Delaney Gidd enthusiastically approached her first girls cross country race at Peoria’s Detweiller Park Sept. 12. The 3.0-mile course is the annual site of the state meet.
“I’d been hearing good things from all my teammates and from what people say,” Gidd said. “It was exciting to finally experience it. I’ve seen it in pictures and videos but it was really nice to see what it was actually like.”
Could Gidd return for the state meet Nov. 7? She made a case after finishing sixth in 17:42.7 during the hot and humid Class 3A girls race at the First to the Finish Invitational in Peoria. Sophomore Elia Bursua (57th, 19:37.1) also ran well, followed by juniors Anabel Olesiak (130th, 21:17.3), Elsie Clark (131st, 21:17.7) and Evelyn Walsh (155th, 21:44.5), senior Elizabeth Moran (197th, 22:37.0), junior Julia Daniels (230th, 23:46), sophomore Ife Olivia Crook (238th, 24:08.7) and junior Gisselle Miranda (239th, 24:16.2).
Gidd, Bursua, Olesiak and Crook ran personal bests and everyone else had season bests. The Bulldogs were 14th (355 points) among 36 teams.
“That’s the goal (state). It really boosts my confidence, continuing with the three miles I have to race it all throughout high school,” Gidd said. “I wasn’t too sure because I’ve always been better at like anything below 3K (kilometers). I was really proud to see that I could run pretty fast at three miles, too.”
In August, Gidd won Amateur Athletic Union 14-and-under national titles at 1,500 and 3,000 meters. Gidd finished third (18:37.6) in her first taste of high school competition, Sept. 5, at Lyons Township’s Mike Kuharic Invitational, which was 5 kilometers (3.1 miles).
“I was trying to gauge what a three-mile (pace) would be. I was pretty happy with it, being my first time ever competitively racing a 5K,” Gidd said. “I’m really happy with how I consistently ran each of my miles (in Peoria).”
The RBHS girls and boys annual home invitational Saturday was canceled by poor weather.
LTHS boys cross country
Even the heat couldn’t stop Lyons Township junior Ben Radtke from his blazing improvements at the First to the Final Invitational. While junior Brennan Monohan was seventh in a lifetime-best 14:55.6, Radtke was the Lions’ No. 2 finisher with a lifetime-best 15:52.2 for 3.0 miles. That was six seconds faster than Radtke’s 2025 race at sectionals, where the Lions did not qualify for state as a team and no individuals advanced.
“I’ll take (15:52) for the heat,” Radtke said. “I just went into it, I guess I was mentally prepared and I just felt good and I went out just did what I had to do.”
Senior Colin Shea (60th, 16:10.2), Henry James (69th, 16:15.7), Evan Ruse (70th, 16:15.8), sophomore Luke Borling (109th, 16:40.6), juniors Colin Flynn (156th, 17:19.5) and Maxwell Thomas (161st, 17:23.2) and senior Franciso Garcia (214th, 18:02.9) rounded out the Lions’ lineup. James, Ruse, Flynn and Thomas also had personal bests. The Lions (242 points) were seventh, 30 points from sixth.
“I feel like we have something we need to prove (after 2025) and I feel like we have a pretty strong team,” Radtke said. “We’ve got Brennan and a big pack of four that’s solid.”
Coming off a 3A state trip in track, Monohan had something to prove. He was 19th at last year’s invite (15:10.8), but that proved to be his last 3.0 mile of 2025. He ran a 5K two weeks later at Culver Academies in Indiana and then was injured. Monohan also moved up from 13th at Lyons Township’s Mike Kuharic Invite, Sept. 5 (15:36.2 for 5K).
“I’m super-pumped because at Kuharic, I mentally broke. I think I did really good, especially (considering) the heat,” Monohan said. “I went into this race saying just race it like a two-miler, stay with those guys up front and then the last mile is literally all mental. Where like 10, 15 guys passed me (in 2025), this year a couple of guys passed me but I definitely fought all the way until the end. A great step forward and learning how everyone races here.”
Radtke’s mother, Meghan (Cusack), is an LTHS graduate and among only a handful in girls cross country program history to compete at the state meet all four years as an individual qualifier or with the team.
Radtke improved significantly from 66th at the Kuharic Invite (17:22.2). Last year, sectionals was the conclusion to his progress after Radtke ran 18:58 at First to the Finish freshman year.
“I guess I wasn’t into it as much as I am now. After freshman year conference, I ran (17:38.8) and I was like, ‘I have fun doing this. I might as well make the best of this and try my hardest,’” Radtke said.
“It was really hot (at Kuharic). I wasn’t mentally in it but First to the Finish I was in it. I feel like I’m locked in for the rest of the season.”
LTHS girls cross country
Lyons Township sophomore Naomi O’Hare has returned to cross country much wiser and faster. After making her 3.0-mile race debut at the 2025 First to the Finish, she was a team-best 81st (20:09.4) and slightly disappointed she couldn’t break 20:00 despite the heat and humidity. Last year, O’Hare ran 23:02.6 at the invite.
“It was my first three-mile race so I didn’t really know how to pace myself,” O’Hare said. “This time I just made sure to keep my pace and I did a lot better.”
Making her 3.0 debut for the Lions, freshman Viktoria Vidakovic was 102nd (20:39.9), followed by senior Amelia Ludden (106th, 20:48.7), junior Lucy Martinez (132nd, 21:18.6), sophomore Abbey O’Toole (143rd, 21:30.8), juniors Evelyn Thomas (146th, 21:37.6) and Sarah Edell (154th, 21:44.4), sophomore Ellinor Lach (176th, 22:04.4) and juniors Eleanor Meuer (183rd, 22:16.0) and Abigail Elter (193rd, 22:34.7). The Lions were 20th (542).
In 2025, O’Hare improved to 19:09.0 by sectionals. On Saturday, she broke 20:00 with a team-best 19:58.0 for seventh in the No. 1 (top) flight at the Minooka Flight Invitational and earned a top-10 medal in the process.
“My (season) goal is to get a sub-19:00,” O’Hare said. “I didn’t really know (last season). I wasn’t in it that much. Until the end of the season, I actually did a lot better. Now I know how to get better from the beginning of the season.”
The Minooka meet combines results of seven flight races. The Lions’ other finishers were Vidakovic (20:18, 6th in Flight No. 2), O’Toole (21:44, 9th at No. 4), Edell (22:00, 7th at No. 5), Thomas (22:03, 6th at No. 6), Lach (22:10, 7th at No. 7) and Martinez (22:39, 10th at No. 3).
