In recent years, the Fenwick boys cross country team has been successful, winning the IHSA Class 2A Championship in 2021 and having multiple runners merit All-State status. This season, however, head coach David Rill admits that the Friars are going through a bit of a rebuild. Even so, he’s optimistic.
“As far as how we’re going to do, I think these guys might surprise me a little bit,” Rill said. At the Hinsdale Central Invite, Sept. 7, senior Benicio Carideo finished 73rd out of 205 runners with a time of 15:59.20.
“Benicio came back in good shape,” Rill said. “Given how he ran, I have high expectations for him this season. He’s a good kid, a hard worker, and a lot of fun to coach.”
Other returning Fenwick runners with varsity experience are seniors Finnbar Munley (140th, 16:57.60) and Chris Zielinski (167th, 17:24.20), along with juniors James Kiesewetter (187th, 17:50.60) and Aidan Powers (168th, 17:25.30).
Newcomers to watch are junior Nicholas Casaccio (137th, 16:57.10), sophomore Burke Burns, and freshman Wolfie Bergetz, a River Forest resident who graduated from Roosevelt Middle and whose sister Romy, a junior, runs on Fenwick’s girls team.
“The times [at Hinsdale Central] were pretty good for the guys we have,” Rill said. “I was pretty excited to see that.”
“We have [Bergetz] and [Burns] in our top five right now,” he added. “They’ll still run down in the lower levels the next couple of weeks, but they look good.”
Development of the program’s younger runners, Rill stated, is the main goal of this season.
“We’ve been working hard and most of the guys had good summers and came back in shape, so we’re already ahead of the game,” he said.
Fenwick girls
The Fenwick girls started their season solidly at the Hinsdale Central Invite, Sept. 7, finishing 12th out of 20 schools with 299 points.
Sophomore Juliana Gamboa, who finished 14th at last year’s IHSA Class 2A state meet to gain All-State status, placed 13th in a time of 17:40.40. Fenwick’s other runners were freshman Bridget Brunick (37th, 18:49.30), sophomore Lily Kotynek (77th, 19:53.80), freshman Victoria Alegere (91st, 20:10.80), sophomore Teresa Urso (113th, 20:42.80), sophomore Isabelle Lefko (130th, 21:03.60), sophomore Allison Austin (141st, 21:13.50), junior Romy Bergetz (157th, 21:50.60), senior Emma Brennan (189th, 22:51.60), senior Megan McCann (192nd, 23:03.10), senior Francesca Reale (198th, 23:31.30), and senior Kyra Miller (204th, 23:51.60).
With the exception of Alegere and Brunick, all were part of last year’s team, which finished 25th in Class 2A. And that has second-year head coach Latoya Zubowicz-Hill excited.
“Based on summer running as a team and last season, there’s an expectation to work hard and support one another,” she stated. “Our strength is the team learning to embrace the uncomfortable and finish races strong.”
Fenwick further gelled as a team by doing a service project at Mission of Our Lady of Angels on Chicago’s West Side. At a back-to-school party, Aug. 17, the Friars did art projects, served lunch, and played games with neighborhood kids.
“It was an amazing opportunity for us to get to know one another as people and be active in our neighboring communities,” Zubowicz-Hill said. “Our young ladies are special because not only are they talented athletes, but they are compassionate leaders.”
Some of Fenwick’s top invitationals are at Riverside-Brookfield on Sept. 21; the Peoria Invitational, which takes place in Peoria’s Detweiller Park, the state meet course, Oct. 5; and at Sterling on Oct. 12.
“The goals are to continue the momentum from last year and to keep building a culture of kindness, hard work, and success,” Zubowicz-Hill said.