GURNEE, Ill.– After having the originally scheduled date for the NSC Championships rained out on Saturday at the College of Lake County in Grasylake, the Lake Forest boys and girls varsity cross country teams traveled northwest to Gurnee, Illinois to take part in the rescheduled competition hosted by Warren Township High School’s O’Plaine Rd. campus.

The girls were the first to compete on the relatively flat home course of Warren on a beautiful fall day. The Scouts were paced by senior captain Brett Chody, who turned in a time of 16:58.0 to earn runner-up honors behind Libertyville’s Melissa Manetsch who was able to cross the finish line about eight seconds ahead of Chody. After an injury-riddled senior season, senior Emma Millburn, a University of Illinois commit, ran the 2.95 mile course in just under 18:30.0 to earn 9th place for the Scouts, while senior Erika Marchant crossed the finish just over the 20:00 mark to earn 35th place overall. As a team, the Scouts were able to 124 points, which was good enough for a 5th place finish in the league behind Stevenson, Libertyville, Lake Zurich, and Mundelein. It appears that the Scouts are returning to full-strength at just the right time as their next race is the IHSA Regional this Saturday at home at West Campus.

As for the boys, sophomore Nate Schmitt led the way with an 8th place finish after turning in a time of 15:15.1. Alex Tam of Libertyville was the race’s medalist, who ran the course in an incredible 14:36.7. Ben Rosa was able to cross the finish the line for the Scouts in 28th place while Eli Fietsam battled to finish 39th for the Scouts overall. As a group, the boys team accrued 97 points, good enough for 4th place behind the likes of Lake Zurich, Mundelein, and Stevenson. The boys will also return to action this Saturday at home in west Lake Forest.