With several returning seniors who have multiple years of varsity experience, fourth-year Fenwick girls cross country head coach Latoya Zubowicz-Hill likes how things look with the season’s first meet coming up this weekend.
“This is a very special group that I have,” said Zubowicz-Hill. “These (seniors) were my first group when I came in, and they learned the culture and work ethic I wanted to build. I’ve seen so much growth in them.”
Fenwick is led by seniors Mia Bagato and Juliana Gamboa and junior Bridget Brunick. All three were Class 3A state qualifiers in 2025, and Gamboa was a two-time All-Stater in Class 2A her first two years.
Other notable returnees for the Friars are seniors Ally Austin, Sarah Durkin, Lily Kotynek, Emma LaChance, Isabelle Lefko, Maya Trouillhet, and Teresa Urso; junior Victoria Alegre, and sophomore Claire Twohy.
“We have so many amazing seniors, it’s hard to name captains,” Zubowicz-Hill said.
A newcomer Zubowicz-Hill is optimistic about is freshman Advanthika Shanmugapriyan, who graduated from Julian Middle School in Oak Park.
“She’s a strong runner who’s really hardworking,” she said. “She follows directions well, and I’ve been pushing her to run with the upper group because she has it in her.”
The Girls Catholic Athletic Conference, which has been perennially strong, got even stronger this year following a merger with the East Suburban Catholic Conference. Zubowicz-Hill welcomes the added strength the GCAC now has because she feels it will only help her team come postseason.
“For us, we go against 3A schools. The new schools will be more competition and that will play out throughout the season,” she said. “We’re going to meets we’ve never been before just to see these new teams so when conference comes, it’s nothing we haven’t seen before.”
She believes Fenwick will surprise a lot of teams this season, provided they stay healthy.
“If the girls follow the program (assistant coach) Ashley Jenkins and I have set up,” she said, “we should be at our best when the regional comes.”
Fenwick opens the season at the Hinsdale Central Invitational, Sept. 5.
Fenwick boys
Youth will be served for the Fenwick boys this year as there are only three varsity returnees: senior Burke Burns, junior Wolfie Bergetz, and sophomore Dominic Federico.
“We’re going to be really young. We’ve got a lot of good freshmen,” said veteran Fenwick coach Dave Rill. “Burke, Dom, and Wolfie are back, but probably the rest of our top seven will be filled out by freshmen the way it’s looking.”
Rill believes that one and perhaps two of the freshmen have the potential to crack the top four of the lineup. One of them, Luke McConnell from River Forest, is a really fast runner according to Rill.
“He was pretty good in grade school (St. Luke),” he said. “His whole family went to Fenwick so we knew he was coming. He’s looking pretty good.”
Another freshman to keep an eye on is Franco Leal. More than most other coaches, Rill realizes having a young team competing against strong and experienced varsity teams is no picnic. But he also feels this season’s experience will be fruitful in coming seasons.
“It’s going to be tough, but we’ll get there,” Rill said. “It’s a good group that’s working their butts off. They’re all great kids.”
Fenwick travels to the Hinsdale Central Invitational, Sept. 5, to start the season.
Trinity
Andy Reinsch takes over at Trinity, replacing Erin Nelson, who served as head coach the past two seasons. Reinsch, who was an assistant last year, has previously coached at IC Catholic Prep in Elmhurst and Georgetown Prep in Bethesda, Maryland.
The Blazers have five varsity returnees: seniors Emily Miehlich, Alexa Rodriguez, and Mary Margaret Wynne; and sophomores Ava Dirnberger and Janiyah Vazzana. Reinsch is appreciative of the leadership Miehlich, Rodriguez, and Wynne have provided this summer in preparation for the season.
“They’ve shown a lot of initiative in their summer mileage and in putting their stamp on this team,” he said. “I’m proud of the work they’ve put in, and I’m hopeful it will trickle down to the younger Blazers.”
One of those younger runners is freshman Abby Conrad. Reinsch said Conrad is new to cross country, but is finding it “a good match for her abilities.”
Trinity placed fourth in the Rickover Invitational, Aug. 29. Wynne was the Blazers’ top runner, placing 18th in a personal-best time of 15:29.4. Trinity also got personal-best times from Miehlich (19th, 15:46), Vazzana (24th, 16:53.7), Conrad (25th, 16:55.2), and Dirnberger (32nd, 17:37.5).
Reinsch is hopeful that Trinity can have a solid season.
“I’m excited at the possibility that we may surprise some people this year,” he said.