Riverside Brookfield High School sophomore Elia Bursua will be competing at the Class 3A girls cross country state meet as an individual Nov. 7 at Peoria’s Detweiller Park. She knows there’s a big group backing her.
After qualifying with a 24th-place finish at the 3A Lyons Township Sectional Saturday (18:53.7 for 5 kilometers/3.1 miles), Bursua thanked teammates for her significant improvement as well as the coaching staff of first-year head coach Lisa Voigts-Guzman and assistants Maddie Cranny and Vika Bursua, her mother.
“We’re all very supportive and very happy for each other with everything that we do. I really love just being around my teammates because they’re so fun,” Bursua said.
“My mom was a big help. She inspired me to add more mileage and helped me create a better training plan.”
Bursua was the fifth of 10 individual state qualifiers for the highest finishers not among the seven advancing teams. The RBHS girls were 13th (316) with their other finishers juniors Anabel Olesiak (74th, 20:06.9) and Elsie Clark (77th, 20:09.3), freshmen Micah Griffin (83rd, 20:16.5) and Clementine Russell (84th, 20:17.0) and junior Evelyn Walsh (96th, 20:39.9). Freshman No. 1 runner Delaney Gidd was lost to injury after her River Valley Christian Invite victory Sept. 26. (19:00.7 for 5k).
“We always hold hope for the whole team (qualifying). We really had high hopes and faith for Elia,” Voigts-Guzman said. “I think having the emotional support and presence of her mom here is a major component of her improvement but she’s also put in the work. She generally always has a really positive, enthusiastic attitude that is super helpful. Even though she’s a sophomore, I feel like she has those leadership qualities and it kind of shines through in her own performances.”
Bursua said she gained confidence from a personal-best time at conference on a flat course like LTHS followed by many hills at regionals. At the 2025 Lyons Township Regional, she ran 20:40.9.
Riverside-Brookfield’s girls team prepares for the start of the Class 3A Lyons Sectional Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026 in Western Springs, IL. (Steve Johnston/Riverside-Brookfield Landmark) 
Lyons’ Viktoria Vidakovic sprints past Naperville Central’s Carly Ernst to the finish line during the Class 3A Lyons Sectional Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026 in Western Springs, IL. (Steve Johnston/Riverside-Brookfield Landmark) 
Riverside-Brookfield’s Anabel Olesiak heads to the finish line during the Class 3A Lyons Sectional Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026 in Western Springs, IL. (Steve Johnston/Riverside-Brookfield Landmark) 
Lyons’ Naomi O’Hare during the Class 3A Lyons Sectional Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026 in Western Springs, IL. (Steve Johnston/Riverside-Brookfield Landmark)
“I am very, very proud of myself and very excited (for state),” Bursua said. “I didn’t know where I was going to be, if I had a chance (Saturday). I just kind of ran my race and focused on just picking off every girl.”
RBHS senior Aiden O’Brien (109th, 17:26.1) and freshman Asher Edmonson (112th, 17:26.7) competed in the boys sectional as individual qualifiers.
“I’m really happy how much success I had this season. While I feel like I could have done better, I certainly fulfilled my goal,” Edmonson said. “We are already talking about getting ready for track and how much we’re going to run in the summer.”
Riverside-Brookfield’s Aiden O’Brien during the Class 3A Lyons Sectional Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026 in Western Springs, IL. (Steve Johnston/Riverside-Brookfield Landmark) 
Riverside-Brookfield’s Asher Edmonson and Aiden O’Brien head out from the starting boxes during the Class 3A Lyons Sectional Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026 in Western Springs, IL. (Steve Johnston/Riverside-Brookfield Landmark) 
Lyons’ Henry James during the Class 3A Lyons Sectional Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026 in Western Springs, IL. (Steve Johnston/Riverside-Brookfield Landmark) 
Riverside-Brookfield’s Asher Edmonson during the Class 3A Lyons Sectional Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026 in Western Springs, IL. (Steve Johnston/Riverside-Brookfield Landmark) 
Lyons’ Brennan Monohan races past Downers Grove North’s Charles Novotny during the Class 3A Lyons Sectional Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026 in Western Springs, IL. (Steve Johnston/Riverside-Brookfield Landmark)
LTHS cross country
Lyons Township junior Evan Ruse’s 2025 boys cross country season ended after a stress fracture in his fibula surfaced during a September race at Peoria’s Detweiller Park. This season also will end at Detweiller but with the 3A state meet. The Lions earned the seventh and last team qualifying spot at the Lyons Township Sectional (197), 17 points ahead of eighth-place Willowbrook.
“It’s great. I can’t wait,” Ruse said. “Just having the opportunity to have a second chance after losing all of last season, it felt great to see that we made it. I’ve been sick all week, but these boys picked me up.”
Junior Brennan Monohan was an all-sectional eighth (15:18.0), followed by juniors Ben Radtke (37th, 15:56.4) and Henry James (48th, 16:04.8), senior Colin Shea (53rd, 16:11.1), sophomore Luke Borling (64th, 16:19.9), Ruse (68th, 16:28.6) and senior Juan Contreras (87th, 16:46.8).
The Lions also lost Monohan last season to injury. They finished 12th at sectional to miss state for the first time since 2007.
“I feel like this race kind of shows we’ve got the heart,” James said. “Just the past couple of weeks we put the focus together. I feel like these past two weeks we’ve run the best we’ve ever run, especially in practice.”
“It means everything. We’ve put blood, sweat and tears into this season and to execute out here like that, it’s just amazing,” Radtke said. “And to do it with this team, these boys, it just feels awesome.”
In the girls race, LTHS sophomore Naomi O’Hare (31st, 19:04.9) qualified for state as the 10th and final individual after being the 16th and final medalist at the conference meet with her first sub-19:00 finish for 3.0 miles.
“We kind of started in the back but after mile one I still felt really good and like I could pass a lot of people so then I did,” O’Hare said. “I’m just really proud of how I performed. I just want to have fun and do good (at state).”
The LTHS girls were 12th (301). Freshman Viktoria Vidakovic (41st, 19:19.5) was the No. 12 individual candidate, followed by sophomores Anna Dulyaba (65th, 19:56.6) and Ellinor Lach (86th, 20:23.3), freshman Kennedy Hartman (100th, 20:50.8) and juniors Sarah Edell (105th, 21:00.7) and Eleanor Meuer (109th, 21:10.8).
“(O’Hare) races really, really well,” LTHS coach Joe Pontrelli said. “We kind of saw how she has this way of moving up and attacking at the right time.”
Nazareth cross country
In Class 2A, the Nazareth girls earned their eighth consecutive state team berth by taking second at the Kaneland Sectional (78).
Junior Kathleen Hardy was an all-sectional sixth (18:03.23) for the Roadrunners (78 points), followed by sophomore Maggie Morrissey (15th, 18:47.19), junior Nora Trayser (19th, 19:01.29), senior Claire Sigmund (23rd, 19:23.26), sophomore Elena Vlahos (24th, 19:23.40) and seniors Allie O’Halloran (25th, 19:24.28) and Julia Parkes (47th, 20:11.71), both making their fourth state trips.
In the boys race, Nazareth freshman Sean Adams was 62nd (17:01.7) as an individual qualifier.
Fenwick cross country
Fenwick senior Juliana Gamboa of Riverside was an all-sectional eighth (18:12.6) at the Lyons Township Sectional to earn her fourth state berth as an individual. The two-time 2A all-stater will be joined by junior teammate Bridget Brunick (14th, 18:32.9) in her third state trip. Fenwick was 11th (286).
“Hopefully (a personal best at state) but just trying my best and give it my all for one last time,” Gamboa said. “To go down with your teammate but also your best friend is a really special experience. If it couldn’t be with the team, I’m glad it’s with her.”
The Fenwick boys were 14th (377). Senior Burke Burns of Riverside (36th, 15:56.3) was the No. 12 individual candidate.