Forsyth goes wire to wire for Girls championship race win

By Michael Newman

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Kenosha --- Illinois Boys runners had a great day Saturday morning at the Wayne E. Dannehl Cross Country Course on the campus of the University Wisconsin-Parkside capturing five of the ten spots qualifying for the Foot Locker Nationals in two weeks. Dylan Jacobs (Sandburg HS IL) led the charge winning the individual title (14:58.8) by more than a second ahead of Jack Aho (Grayslake Central HS IL).

The course was not in the best shape that it has been in. Then again, it was not snow covered like it was two years ago or flooded in parts like it was in 2015. None of the runners were willing to push the pace in the first uphill mile of the course as a group of 20 runners passed the mile in 4:51. Seth Hirsch (Millard West HS NE) was the first runner to go as the course turned back downhill. His plan was to go after Dathan Ritzenhein’s 14:35 course record that was set 16 years ago. It wasn’t in the cards for the Nebraska senior as he passed the 2 mile point in a quick 9:33. Jacobs started closing the gap before the 2 mile point and then passed Hirsch with a little more than a kilometer to go.

Jacobs’ racing has been driven in November mainly because that he missed this campaign last year due to a hamstring injury. His second place finish at the Illinois 3A State Meet and then his second place finish 6 days later at the Nike Cross Midwest Regionals showed that he belonged among the discussion of the best in the Midwest Boys. As he approached the finish line on Saturday, a smile grew across his face with the major win. It showed that he belongs in the discussion as one of the nation’s best in the toughest Foot Locker regional of the four contested.

“I was just going for qualifying and going for the win. There are so many great competitors here,” Jacobs said. “I know Seth (Hirsch) and Finn (Gessler) were going to be tough after finishing 9^th and 10^th at Nationals last year. I just wanted to stay in the second group going up the hill so I could shield myself from the wind. I just started pushing after the hill from there. 

Jack Aho’s second place finish qualifies for his second national race after he finished third at the Nike Cross Midwest Regionals. What made it even better was his brother Matt who finished sixth overall and earned a trip to San Diego. It was not even thought of by Matt at the beginning of the year that he would even be in position to be in a national race. Now he can step into the spotlight with his brother in two weeks.

After Aho’s second place finish, there was more than a 5 second gap before a charge of runners approached the finish line. Only six seconds separated the next 7 national qualifiers led by the third place finish by Gabe Fendel (Hamilton Southwestern HS IN). Fendel’s post season has been a surprise to some as he also made it to the Nike Cross Nationals two weeks ago with a fifth place finish. Noah Jacobs (Owosso MI) was just tenths behind Fendel in fourth. It was then Hirsch and Matt next.

Matt Pereira (Lake Zurich HS IL) continued his strong November finishing seventh crossing the line with the same time as Matt Aho. It is Pereira’s second trip to the Foot Locker National finals as he finished 24^th in 2015. Mitchell Day (Alpena MI) was two seconds back followed by Finn Gessler (Madison WI) and Pereira’s teammate Brian Griffith in the final qualifying spot.

There was no doubt after the runners in the Girls race made it up the first half mile hill that Anne Forsyth (Ann Arbor Pioneer HS MI) was in charge. She opened up a fifteen meter lead as she passed the mile in 5:37. As she made it down the hill in the second mile passing 2 miles in a swift 11:02, it looked like a pack led by India Johnson (Hilliard Davidson HS OH) was closing the gap.

It was not the case as Forsyth surged up the hill with more than a kilometer to go to seal her win. Her win was dominating as she crossed the line in 17:17.3. Her win was a whopping 19 seconds ahead of her nearest competition led by Johnson and Kayla Young (Westminster CO). Forsyth now has a busy next few weeks ahead of her. She finished third at the Nike Cross Midwest Regionals. After this race, she has two national races to compete in consecutive weeks. That thought did not seem to bother her.

“I had no idea that I would have that kind of a lead. I kind of like to run that way to shake my nerves out,” Forsyth said. “I can’t worry about the next two weeks. I don’t think about it and go with the flow.”

Sophomore Lauren Peterson (Farmington MN) was just a second behind Young in 4^th followed by Olivia Theis (Lansing Catholic HS MI) just two seconds back. It was then a pack of Christina Geisler (Carmel IN), Mattie Shirley-Fairbairn (Bismarck ND), Lindsey Payne (Glenbard West HS IL), and Ave Strenge (Battle Creek MI) that finished sixth through ninth separated by only a second of each other. For Payne, it was redemption of sorts as she finished 26^th at the Nike Cross Midwest Regionals two weeks ago. The joy on her face after she finished showed that her regrouping after the Nike race paid off. Kyla Christopher-Moody (West Bloomfield MI) was the fourth Michigan Girls’ runner to qualify for San Diego as she finished tenth overall.