Junior Declan McGee and freshman Tyler Johnson were the clear frontrunners on Thursday evening, when the Hub duo surged ahead of the field and raced neck and neck for the outright victory during the annual Rochelle Cross Country Invitational at Skare Park.
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ROCHELLE — Junior Declan McGee and freshman Tyler Johnson were the clear frontrunners on Thursday evening, when the Hub duo surged ahead of the field and raced neck and neck for the outright victory during the annual Rochelle Cross Country Invitational at Skare Park.
Johnson and McGee pushed each other into the final straightaway of the 3-mile course, where the freshman newcomer edged the returning junior for first place with a final time of 18:18.86. McGee finished right behind Johnson, clocking in at 18:20.87. Thursday marked the first win at the high school level for Johnson, who continues to impress after posting a personal-best time of 16:25.2 during the First to the Finish Invitational at Detweiller Park in Peoria last weekend.
“It motivated me a lot to have a teammate there with me and I have bragging rights right now,” Johnson said with a smile. “It’s a pretty big confidence boost for me. I’ve always wanted to win a high school race and I didn’t think I would... I’m hoping to be someone who can go to state this year and I want to bring the team to state with me so we can be there together.”
With Johnson and McGee taking first and second in the 43-man field, the Rochelle Hub varsity boys cross country team achieved a historic feat on Thursday, winning the meet with a final score of 38 points to edge out the DeKalb Barbs, who finished second with 41 points. Not only was it the team’s first meet victory this season, but it’s the team’s first victory in the Rochelle Invitational since 2000 and the first-ever victory since the meet moved to Skare Park in 2004.
“We had our coaches supporting us along the way to support us and let us know where we were on the course,” McGee said. “Tyler and I were really far ahead and we were able to push each other together. He’s my biggest competitor and he’s a really strong motivator. We have a really strong team this year. We have a lot of new freshmen who are working their way up to the top.”
Junior Annaliese Koziol was the top runner for the Lady Hubs, who took third with 62 points in the meet Thursday evening. Koziol finished fourth out of 38 runners with a time of 23:40.95, while sophomore Vivian Worthington took 14th with a time of 26:48.01. Koziol, who has been the top runner for the Lady Hubs throughout this season, is looking to build on a strong sophomore campaign where she advanced to sectionals for the first time in her career.
“I’ve had a lot of motivation and I did a lot of training over the summer,” Koziol said. “My family has been there to support me as well… A lot of the girls on this year’s team run close together and they’ve been getting their times closer together. They run in a pack and they’re able to push each other and help us place better in meets. I’m hoping I can qualify for state this year.”
Juniors Rose Luxton and Mary Chadwick finished 16th and 19th with respective times of 27:12.70 and 28:02.81. Senior Brisa Zepeda crossed the line simultaneously with Chadwick, finishing 18th in 28:02.81. Notable finishers for the Hubs included juniors Elijah Mayen and Levi Waddle, who took 12th and 13th with respective times of 21:42.96 and 21:46.20. Both the Hub and Lady Hub runners will race at Kaneland’s Larry Eddington Invitational on Saturday.
